With one curated journey in the books and another one on the horizon this November, the cost of all of this travel is surely a question on everyone’s mind.
Is it really possible to stick to a budget and still explore with joy all that Europe has to offer? Well, let me start by saying this…YES! It is completely possible. And YES, you do have to be careful…intentional…budget-minded every day.
Did I pull it off? Was I really able to travel to Munich, Salzburg, Vienna and Prague for 10 days for a total of less than $1500?
I did it! And you can, too!
Here’s a breakdown of my personal expenses for 10 days on a journey of a lifetime. Take a look and then I’ll follow up by how I saved and what I said “no” to in order to stay within budget.
Not bad, eh?
What does this total not include?
Not included are the cost of gifts I brought home to my family. medicine I had to purchase when I was there or anything that I had to purchase prior to travel such as toiletries, snacks, clothes, etc.
Were there any additional costs?
Yes. Myself and three other women from our team decided to travel for two days beyond our official end of journey. We traveled on a night train from Prague to Budapest. I did include that cost in the train ticket price above ($50) because I figured that if I hadn’t spent the money on a night train it would have gone to an Uber ride to the airport and other costs of the final travel day home. Beyond the night train, we stayed for one night in Budapest and one night in London on a layover. This lodging cost was a total of $147.50 per person. There were food and Uber costs for both cities, as well as the entrance fee to the Szechenyi Thermal Baths and a ferris wheel ride in Budapest, which equaled approximately $45.
Also, the other ladies paid a small deposit meant to cover my services that would need to be added to the total cost of their trips.
How did I save money and stay within a $40/day food and attraction budget?
I loaded up on FREE breakfast at almost every one of our hotels and always grabbed snacks to stick in my purse for later.
I bought food and coffee at the grocery store for mornings that free breakfast wasn’t available.
I took in as many free or minimal cost attractions as possible.
I walked and walked and walked, making Uber costs quite minimal.
I only ate in a restaurant once/day and had a cafe treat or made a grocery run for other meals.
I planned my budget ahead of time and determined to stick to it, almost making it like a game to see if I could win. If I overspent one day, I intentionally made up for it the next.
I reminded myself that because travel has become accessible to me with the use of frequent flyer miles, this did not have to be the only time I visit a location I love. If there was something I didn’t see in Prague, missing it gives me a great excuse to return.
We traveled as a group of seven, which made lodging and taxi’s quite affordable. I took a taxi much more than normal on this trip because we were moving as a group. In my opinion, taxis aren’t needed as much in solo or smaller group travel. As for lodging, I feel like I am able to pay approximately the same amounts for a single room during solo travel as I did as a group split seven ways.
I’m not a foodie. That helps a lot with the budget. If you are, budget accordingly. At least all the other savings will give you an opportunity to splurge on what you love.
Also…See my solo costs for 10 days in Italy here. There I went really cheap on the food but had FABULOUS free hotel and b&b breakfasts and cappuccinos daily ,which filled me up.
So…now are you ready to travel with us?
Learn all the tips and tricks for traveling the world for almost free by following Amy at Big Story Living on Instagram and Substack.
The next teaching and travel journey will open for registration January 1, 2024! I’d love for you to join us.
Until next week…
Happy Travels!
Amy