If you are gearing up for a trip to Europe and are after some tips and ideas on ways to maximise your money then you are in the right place. I am currently about 6 weeks into a 1 year trip overseas. I am travelling with 1 friend who has a limited budget so we are trying to be as economical as possible while still having maximum fun and seeing all the sights Here are cheap Europe travel tips and ideas that I had wished I had known before I left:

1. Cheap europe travel tips and ideas
If you are gearing up for a trip to Europe and are after some tips and ideas on ways to
maximise your money then you are in the right place. I am currently about 6 weeks into a 1
year trip overseas. I am travelling with 1 friend who has a limited budget so we are trying to
be as economical as possible while still having maximum fun and seeing all the sights
Here are cheap Europe travel tips and ideas that I had wished I had known before I left:
1. Things to bring
I’m from Australia so travelling to Europe in the colder winter months was a bit of a shock to
the system.
• A warm jacket something light weight and as compact as possible, you get what you
pay for and you wont regret it. I went with a goose down jacket and have not
regretted it.
• Waterproof boots/shoes – wet feet is never fun.
• A travel adaptor for electronic equipment.
• Padlocks. Bring some for your bag and a bigger one so you can lock your stuff in
lockers if you are staying in hostels. Go for combination locks so you don’t have to
worry about losing the key.
• Torch. Helps you find stuff in the dorm without waking everyone else up and can be
used as a reading light.
• Thongs (flip-flops) - For the shower so you don’t catch anything.
• Small quick drying camping towel - you don’t want a wet towel in your bag.
• Ear plugs – will allow you to sleep in a noisy dorm.
• Sleeping pills – helps on the plane/train etc
• A good book/games on your phone – something to help pass the time on trains/planes.
• Headphones to listen to music on your phone to pass the time
Some of that might sound basic but it will surely help you out if you remember to bring it all.
Getting around
The ‘moving’ bit of travel is unavoidable but can be the most expensive part. For instance
you can stay at a hostel in Berlin for 10 Euros a night but the bus to Paris can cost 80
Euros. But there are cheaper ways to do it. Bus is usually the cheapest, overnight buses and
trains can help you save on accomodation although don’t expect to be fresh the next
day. And if you can book early then airlines can be ok.
Trains are cheap if you plan in advance and buy a bulk pass, check out www.eurorail.com for
there different longterm passes that are budget friendly.
A nice cheap website for flights is www.skyscanner.com
Also for those who don’t have super solid plans and are just looking for a cheap flight check
out www.drungli.com . This site is brilliant, you simply search for flights on a given day and
it will tell you what the cheapest flight is from your current location to anywhere. So if you

2. don’t care where you end up you can get on and find very cheap flights, makes for exciting
travelling.
For travel by carpool, an awesome website I have found for travelling is
http://www.carpooling.co.uk/
With a bit of planning you can get around for 10-20 Euros. The basic idea is someone posts
on the site that they are travelling from A to B on a certain date/time and have x number of
seats for x amount of money. Or you can post that you want to go from A to B on a date and
see if anyone gets back to you.
The earlier you get in is better. This website can really save you heaps of money and you
may even meet some cool people too.
Accomodation
The cheapest option is usually hostels. Staying in dorms is not for everyone but some are
actyally pretty good. It depends on what kind of traveller you are but if you simply want
somewhere to sleep then hostesl are the answer. There are some really good websites out
there which allow you to compare and book hostels. They have reviews which can help you
form a picture of the hostel. Obviously a review is a personal opinion but they can give you
an idea of a place.
Check out hostelbookers.com or www.hostelworld.com
In many cases it is actually cheaper to book on these sites than directly at reception of the
hostel. When you book on these sites you usually get an email with directions to the hostel
from the airport/bus station etc which is really handy especially after a 12 hr bus ride when
you are feeling like a zombie.
Another really cheap option is couchsurfing (check out www.couchsurfing.org). This is a
community where people offer up accomodation in their house for travellers. OR you can
post online requesting accomodation somehwere and see if anyone will offer you. People
have profiles with pictures and reviews by other travellers so you can check them out and
make sure they aren’t a weirdo. Can also be used for solo travellers to simply meet up for a
drink.
If you are staying in one particular place for longer than 1 month look into renting an
apartment or a room in an apartment. This can be a lot cheaper than staying in a hostel.
Food and drink
If the hostel has a kitchen cooking up your own food from the supermarket can save you a ton
of money. Also some hostels provide breakfast as part of the price which is great.
Having a few museli bars or similar in your bag can help when you get stuck on a train with
nowhere to buy food.
Same goes for alcohol its always cheaper to buy it from a bottle shop and drink it at the hostel
than buy it at a bar.

3. Language
If you’re moving around a lot it is hard to learn much. But if you at least learn the basics like
Hello, Please, Thankyou and goodbye it will really help. In most places the locals will really
appreciate it if you at least try. In France for instance it really helps to know how to say
“Hello, Pardon ma’am but do you speak English?” in French, than just walking into a shop
and starting to speak English. It is a culture thing but a little bit of effort goes a long way.
Money
Money is very important when travelling and if you can set yourself up with some residual
income before you leave then you are laughing! What I mean is if you can have a way of
earning some money regardless of whether you are working. While I was travelling I was
able to have some residual income coming in regardless of whether I am at home or sitting on
a beach somewhere. To find out how I make money online while traveling click here and
watch this video.
Many hostels have jobs available where you can live there for free and pay your way by
cleaning the hostel or working at reception. Hostels often have job boards with local jobs on
them.
Travelling is one of the best things in the world. You learn about other cultures, about
yourself, meet interesting people and see some amazing sights. I hope these cheap europe
travel tips and ideas have helped you out.
Best of luck with your travels and again if you want to know any easy way to make some
money while travelling from anywhere with an internet connection click here and watch this
video.