The BEST in Budget Traveling
GOOD is when you have finally saved up enough for your dream to travel to Europe. Yes, even if it’s on a tight budget.
It’s even BETTER if you do get a great travel deal.
But, if you get a freebie, that is the BEST.
Complimentary… gratis et amore… handout… free…
Whichever way it may be labeled, this will be music to every budget travelers’ ears.
Janet Jackson and Luther Vandross surely got it right when they said that the best things in life are free.
And below are just some of the best of the BEST when it comes to traveling on a shoestring which you might want to sample during your European sojourn:
FREE ENTERTAINMENT. It comes in many forms. In the summer, they have many open air summer concert festivals that do not require you to pay an entrance fee. The Edinburgh Fringe and Amsterdam’s Openluchttheater comes to mind. It can also mean just sitting on the grass in that beautiful city park, taking in all the local culture as you watch the locals do mundane things which could seem strange — and hell yea, entertaining! — to you. It could also mean a cultural day out without paying a considerable sum. All you need to do is to do your research and check when the museums have their once a month free entrance days. They have a lot of that here in Europe. I’ve blogged about some of them here.
FREE TRANSPORTATION. Your kids can fly for free on board Lufthansa this summer. They have free bikes for rent in Geneva, Paris and Vienna. Or, you can throw caution to the winds and fly with AirHitch to wherever they may take you.
FREE LODGING. Crash into your neighbor’s cousin’s brother-in-law’s fratmate’s girfriend’s sister’s friend’s flat. Or, try couch surfing and you will probably get the same kind of accommodation minus the you-owe-me-big-time weight on your shoulder.
FREE FOOD. Get your travel mate — who has a bit more money than you — to eat in any of the London restaurants which offer buy 1 get 1 free meals.
FREE DRINKS. Cruise along the disco row of Port Olimpic in Barcelona. Ask for carafe d’eau (plain ole tap Water, my dear) in Paris.
If you keep your eyes and ears open, there are surely lots of freebies out there, just waiting for financially-challenged travelers to avail of them. I am 100% sure that all of you will agree with me when I say that getting travel freebies — provided without charge or payment — is the best in budget travel.
Tags: best-travel, budget-travel, budget-travel-europe, europestring, free-travelRelated Stories
POSTED IN: European Adventure, NEWS, Top Travel Picks, Transportation in Europe, Travel Trivia, Western Europe, the British Isles, tools of the trade
4 opinions for The BEST in Budget Traveling
b5media - The Best of the Travel & Culture Channel
Jul 19, 2007 at 1:52 pm
[…] a roundup of the Travel & Culture Channel’s BEST! From Melissa at Europe String comes The Best in Budget Traveling, with a list of suggestions for FREE entertainment, transportation, lodging and more. FREE is […]
Alex
Jul 19, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Great tips! I am always on the lookout for travel deals. My wife has us registered on couch surfing but since we live in Tampa we have only gotten a couple requests that unfortunately didn’t suit our schedule.
But I have a friend in Orlando who gets lots of requests on couch surfing and has allowed several Europeans to stay with her free of charge. And she’s even taken some of them around a bit because public transportation in Orlando isn’t brilliant if your not near Disney.
So yeah awesome tip about couch surfing!
Sample the ‘best’ of travel and culture, b5media-style
Jul 20, 2007 at 10:44 am
[…] write the ‘best of’ their blog’s interests. From Melissa at Europe String comes The Best in Budget Traveling, with a list of suggestions for FREE entertainment, transportation, lodging and more. FREE is […]
Freebies When You Travel Blog
Aug 8, 2007 at 12:20 pm
[…] previously mentioned, one of the best things in budget traveling is when you get freebies. It’s great when you get something and absolutely nothing is […]
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