As someone who’s traveled extensively throughout Europe, I get a lot of questions and comments from friends and acquaintances about how I afford it, as if European travel itself is inherently expensive. But the truth is, once I traveled full-time through Europe on an average daily budget of $50 per person per day, and truthfully, you can do it for much less than that.
Here’s the thing: we didn’t have to stay in a bunch of hostels or have a lackluster experience to pull off that very reasonable budget. Sometimes, we even got to fly business class and stay in five-star hotels. So, in this article, I want to share 10 proven ways to save money while traveling in Europe, without feeling like you’re making major sacrifices.
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Save on Flights and Baggage for Your Europe Trip
Another easy way to save on any international trip, by the way, is by not checking your bag and packing carry-on only instead. Many airlines do not include a free checked bag, especially for basic economy tickets, so if you want to avoid paying $50 each way, packing light can save you money and hassle while reducing the risk of lost luggage.
The big cost for most people’s Europe trips is the flight. We’re talking about a third of the budget or more. Cutting down the flight cost from $1,100 or even $1,500 to like $500 or less is a great goal and very attainable.
One of my favorite ways to do this is using flight deal services to be alerted about cheap flights to your desired destination. Basically, you receive an email alerting you that there’s a cheap flight to where you want to go, a link to that flight deal on Google Flights, and info about what it typically costs.
You’re basically paying them to pay attention to the prices for you. I’ve taken several trips to Europe because of flight deal alert services like this, where I paid between $500 and $600 per person for roundtrip flights.
I’m also a big fan of using points and miles from credit cards and have taken several very close to free flights as a result of points that we earned by simply paying our bills and normal life expenses on cards that earn points.
Choose Inexpensive Destinations in Europe
Europe isn’t one place like Disney World. Europe is a continent made up of more than 40 countries and tons of distinct regions with vastly different customs and norms, and that leads perfectly into one of the easiest ways you can save money on your Europe trip: choose cheap destinations.
When you look at the cost of living throughout countries in Europe, there are vast differences there too. Take Switzerland and Bulgaria, for example—very different situations, and the same can be said about the cost of travel.
Choosing a cheaper destination is one of the least complicated and most forgiving ways you can save. I’m not telling you not to visit all the places you’ve dreamt of, but if you’re on a very tight budget and, let’s say, for example, you’re itching for a Mediterranean climate, you could trade beaches in Italy or Greece for beaches in Albania and save a ton of money and possibly even get to splurge more without feeling it.
One other thing I really should mention is that I prefer traveling with someone. What I mean by that is I don’t enjoy solo travel. But if you’re a solo traveler, you should check out our article about solo travel destinations in Europe. It discusses the best places for solo travelers who want to explore Europe.
Visit Europe Off-Season to Reduce Costs
Another great way to save is traveling outside peak season. Pricing for things like flights, lodging, and certain other travel expenses fluctuates based on demand, and demand tends to fluctuate seasonally.
So, if you can swing it, aim to travel in the shoulder season or off-season of your desired destination to save money. And I like this part: avoid crowds. Getting too far into the offseason can sometimes be problematic because certain things might be closed, but do your research and you’ll be fine.
Avoid Renting a Vehicle to Save on Travel Costs
Not defaulting to renting a car can be a good way to save because renting a car can be expensive and a hassle, especially if you’re in a city that has public transportation. Parking can be costly, and honestly, if you’re spending most of your time in a city, the car may not even be necessary.
If you do have stretches of your trip that require a car, just do what you can to avoid picking up in one country and dropping off in another because that can cost a lot. And if your trip is predominantly in cities, use the public transportation—it’s usually efficient, affordable, and well-connected.
We’re not used to that in the USA, for example, but in a lot of places in Europe, it’s an excellent way to go. It’s also a great alternative to taxis and ride-shares depending on where you’re going.
For example, a taxi from Rome’s airport to the city center costs about €50 one way, while a ticket on the Leonardo Express train from the airport directly to the city center costs only €18.
Save Money with City Passes and Bundles in Europe
If you plan to visit a lot of sites, city passes and bundles can be a great way to save money. A lot of times these passes even include skip-the-line benefits and access to public transport.
For example, if you’re visiting Rome and you plan to hit several of the famous sites, you might want to get something like the Roma Pass, which includes access to many of the sites within Rome and extensive access to Rome’s public transport network for a full 72 hours.
Look for Cost-Free Attractions
Looking for free attractions? Many cities have cool free things to do that can be just as fun and interesting as paid attractions, and balancing your time between free and paid experiences is an easy way to save.
For example, there are several great free museums in London. Taking a free walking tour is another great example. Now, when you do a free walking tour, tips are strongly encouraged—these guides need those tips—but it’s still going to be cheaper than a $30 museum entry.
Also, just walking from point to point, people-watching, and looking at cool architecture is a great way to save. On my first-ever trip to Europe, my buddy and I were running pretty low on funds by the end of our five weeks.
We were in Berlin at the time when we adopted what we still refer to as the “Berlin method,” which is where we point to an interesting-looking building on the horizon, walk to it (paying absolutely no money to enter it because we’re not entering), admire it up close, and then pick a new building somewhere else and do it all over again.
Save on Phone Costs While Traveling in Europe
Most people can easily cut down how much it’ll cost to use their phone while traveling by not purchasing the extra plan with their home carrier, and there are a few ways you could go about this.
You could just keep your phone on airplane mode and only use Wi-Fi—I did that for a long time. You could also buy a local SIM card when you land, but I generally find this to be a hassle and you can sometimes get scammed doing this.
So, I like to recommend using an eSIM. It’s an awful lot like getting a local SIM card, but you don’t have to go anywhere, talk to anyone, or physically put anything into your phone.
Avoid Overpriced Tourist Traps for Dining
A great way to take your money and throw it straight into the toilet is eating at touristy places right next to the big attractions and touristy sites. The closer you are to major tourist sites, the more likely it is that you’re dining in a tourist trap.
I know there are exceptions to this. For example, one of my favorite pizza spots ever is very close to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. But in general, just walk a few blocks away from the crowded touristy areas and consider it.
If you want to save money, adapting to local tastes helps. Drink beer in Czechia but wine in France. Eat the pasta specific to the region you’re visiting in Italy. Order soup in Croatia. Learn the tapas scene in Spain. Eat pierogi in Poland. Doing what the locals do will not only lead to you learning something and having a better experience, but it will usually save you money too.
Save on Your Europe Trip Lodging by Booking Directly
To stay in most parts of Europe, consider a family-run mid-range hotel or bed and breakfast. It’s a great way to meet and support locals. Although tools like Booking.com and Google Hotels are great for finding good places to stay, you can often save big money on lodging simply by booking directly.
Third-party sites like Booking tend to take a big cut, often around 15 to 20%, which is unfortunately just a fact of life for most of these family hotels for them to remain relevant and competitive.
However, you can often get a discount by finding that hotel or bed and breakfast’s website and booking directly with them. If the price on their site is listed as the same, don’t be afraid to send them an email and ask for a discounted rate—the worst they can say is no.
Save Money by Understanding Tipping Customs
If you’re from the USA, you might be very accustomed to tipping. You might also be used to our new tipping culture, where at a kiosk, even if all you did was order a coffee, the recommended tip begins at 20% and goes up to 25% or 30%.
You nervously pick the lowest one and now feel like a jerk. Let me tell you something: in much of Europe, servers and restaurant workers are paid a living wage, so a good way to save money is to make sure that you’re not tipping too much when you don’t need to.
This varies by place, but I recommend using the free app GlobeTips to understand the tipping customs and etiquette for wherever you are. And listen, if you want to leave a huge tip, go for it, but this is a good way to save.
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