How should I travel through Europe and how much should I expect to spend?

Question

My two friends and I want to do a month long tour of Europe. We aren't sure if we should do our own trip or a tour through Contiki. The one we are interested in is 3 weeks (then spend a week on our own) and $2,700 for transportation, at least one meal a day, place to stay and some tours. Does that cost sound reasonable? Do you think if we did it the trip by ourselves it would cost a lot less?

Also if we didn't do the tour how much would we end up spending? We would stay in hostels, eat cheap food and not buy very much.

Answer 1

Well i'm not sure about how much of your question I can answer, but last summer I backpacked Europe with my sister for 2 months. We stayed in hostels and lived fairly cheaply. However, I had really cheap airfare (I think around 400$ round trip to London). We still managed to take some tours in certain cities, party lots, and we took a fairy to Morrocco as well. We purchased a Eurail pass for 2 months ahead of time (I think it was somewhere around $1000) we travelled everywhere by train - it was sooo worth it.  The whole trip, everything included ended up costing me just over $5000 Canadian

Answer 2

Well now U.S. money is worthless so more than usual check out currency converters to check what the $ is worth. Then decide how much cash you think you will spend

Answer 3

there's nothing quite like doing it on your own - if you're adventurous.  you can go much more cheaply than Kontiki by staying in hostels (they aren't all dives), having only one restaurant meal a day, shopping at local markets, and backpacking.  on the other hand, if the creature comforts are your thing and someone's willing to pay for it, you'd better do a tour.  the best way to travel once you're in Europe is by train, and buying a Eurorail Pass HERE is cheaper than getting it over there.

I think you'll find it more memorable if you do it without a tour, and you'll find it easier to meet people.  Take care not to get ripped off - there are those who prey on tourists.  Leave your jewelry behind and travel light.

Answer 4

I've never traveled through Contiki but I've used EF College Break and they're amazing. They include the airfare, hotels, travel logistics as well, and they give you lots of free time, as well as good recommendations for the nightlife in the cities you'll visit. A trip I think you'll be interested in the 25 day trip: Ireland to Spain. It includes seeing:

Florence

Lucerne

Amsterdam

North Wales

Dublin

Barcelona

French Riviera

Paris

London

and the cost is around $3000 as well. It's the guaranteed lowest prices for college students to travel.

You and your friends can use the discount code Tiu9005 to get an additional $50-$250 off.

By personal experience, seeing Europe is much more expensive doing it by yourself. I lived in Italy with 4 friends for 1 and a half months and backpacking everywhere without official plans (no to mention train schedules, hostels, travel logistics, and other minor details) were a pain in the butt. I ended up spending much more money than necessary. Take a tour if you want to see all the sights and meet new people...it'll definitely save you stress because it's organized and everything is taken care for you.....but try the backpacking thing for maybe a week afterwards so you get the best of both worlds.

I hope this helps, and I wish you and your friends an amazing and safe trip!

Answer 5

Your budget is good although you don't mention which countries you're going. 3 people is a good number to travel by yourselves and arrange your own schedule the way you want it.

edit: use trains to travel, they are cheap if you are under 26. you should also look for many-trips tickets such as eurail and interrail, or some regional discounts. You can also meet people there.

Answer 6

If you stay in hostels, eat cheap food, and get a railpass, you will spend about $75 per day each in Western Europe and about half that in Eastern Europe.  For 4 weeks in Western Europe you would each spend about $2250, plus your flights - a total of about $3,000 each.  If you did Contiki, it would be $2,700 each, plus $500 each for your week of independent travel, plus about $500 each for things that aren't included in the base Contiki price (many dinners and some optional excursions), plus your flights - a total of about $4,500 each.  Note that with three of you, it would cost about the same amount to get double rooms with cots in cheap hotels as it would to stay in hostels, and you might prefer the privacy of hotels.

Independent travel in Western Europe is very easy, even if you aren't an experienced traveler.  Intercity trains and subways within cities are both very easy to use - you don't ever need to rent a car unless you are really going off the beaten track.  Internet cafes are everywhere, and you can reserve hotels and hostels or check train schedules, etc. easily online.  Tourist offices can be found in most train stations and airports - they are very useful for free detailed maps and can set you up with a hotel or hostel for a small fee.

If you decide you want a tour, Contiki is fine.  The positives are that their tours visit a very large number of Europe's famous sights, you won't have to arrange any hotels or hostels or trains on your own, and you will have an automatic group of people to go around with.  The negatives are that they tend to spend only 1-2 days in each place (1 day in most cities and 2 days only in places like Paris and Rome) so you will see the most famous sights and that's it, they tend to use hotels that are far from the city centers - which makes it hard to explore the cities on your own or to check out the nightlife, and that it costs about 50% more than traveling on your own.