I'm Planning a Trip to Europe; HELP?

Question

So i am planning this trip a year in advance and i really need help. I will be taking this trip between my senior year of high school and my freshman year of college. I will be going with two or three of my friends who are 18/17 years old and one of their mother. We will be Landing in London and spending time in London and Scotland then taking the channel tunnel to France and spending time in their then going to Germany, Italy then Greece. at the end of our trip we will be going back to London to fly home. i was just wondering how much it would cost for traveling around through those countries (by train), staying in hostels, eating and gifts. We would rather much be by ourselves on this instead of being on a tour. So please all the info you can give would be grand.

Answer 1

Trains are not that expensive, if I'm not mistaken I paid about 40 euros for a train from France to Spain a coulple of years ago.. but yea those are never too expensive.

Everything else IS in fact very expensive.

Is funny because transportation is very cheap, for example, a flight from Miami to Buenos Aires, Argentina is more expensive than one from Miami to London, however, you spend A LOT more money while living in Europe than in Latin America

You dont have to be on a tour, but in almost every country they have these buses that take you around and you can get in and out whenever you please, they give you headsets and you get information about the places and stuff and then you decide what you want to do.. thats a good option because they are usually not very expensive and you have tranportation to all the main atractions and get a lot of information

hope this helped and enjoy your trip :D

Answer 2

Sounds like an awesome trip!  You should definitely so some pretty good planning and research before you depart, so that you can get the most out of your time and money while you're in Europe.

  It's hard to say how much money you'll need per day, because each country's costs can vary. But, on the average, you should realistically expect to spend at least 75-100 Euro per day per person - not counting the plane and train tickets.

  If you need to save even more money, there's a service called "couch surfing" that helps you find a place to live for free! It's easiest for one person, but according to the website, you can even find couch surfing hosts for groups of travelers. I've also supplied a couple of Youth Hostel websites for you to read and get yourself informed. Euro rail is probably the best way for you to get around after the London-Scotland part of your trip is Eurorail. You can even put together your own personal travel agenda! Read all about it on the link I've provided below.

  I think most of the countries you've mentioned have converted to Euro, but check it out to be sure. I've included a money-converter website, you that you can check the value of each country's currency against the dollar.

  My husband and I travel quite a bit, so I would like to recommend that you go easy on the souvenirs and gift buying. It's very tempting to get carried away buying stuff that you end up not having room for in your suitcase. The very best souvenirs will be your pictures - take lots of them! I've supplied you with a website for tips about taking great vacation pictures, too!

  One last tip I'd like to give you is to be patient and understanding that every country is not "America". Respect the fact that you'll be "guests" in other countries, and that YOU have to try to blend in with THEIR culture - not visa versa. Like, when we arrived in Rome, we had to wait 50 minutes for our luggage because the "luggage guys" were on their lunch hour! That's the way it is - learn to go with the flow!

  Hope this helps. Have a wonderful time!!

Answer 3

Count on having 100 Euros per day per person for meals, admission tickets, incidental expenses, and in-city transportation.  The 100 Euros/day does NOT include airline or train tickets.  You MIGHT be abe to include hostel fees in the 100 Euros but don't count on it.

All of the countries you plan to visit use the Euro except for the UK:

http://finance.yahoo.com/currency

Take student IDs with you even if the ID is from "last year".  Most museums and many other attractions offer discounts for students.

Check travel guides intended for backpackers.  The guides have lots of money-saving tips even if you don't plan to backpack.

You can check train costs via this link:

http://travelocity.raileurope.com/us/ind...

Look at the various rail passes and compare them with buying individual tickets.  The passes are usually a better deal but not always.

Talk to a travel agent or airline reservations agent about purchasing an "open jaw" trans-Atlantic ticket.  That would allow you to fly to London and back from (say) Athens. An open jaw ticket may cost a bit more than a r/t just to London, but it will save you the time and cost of getting back to London just to fly home.

All three airline alliances offer air passes for Europe, and that MAY be something to consider in combination with rail travel:

www.oneworld.com

www.skyteam.com

www.staralliance.com

Hostels are a great way to save money for an individual traveler.  However, the price is per person so 2 or more travelers MAY be able to stay in hotels for the same amount.  For example, Best Western has moderately priced hotels all over Europe, and you can even earn frequent flier miles by using them:  www.bestwestern.com

Hostels also tend to be communal, and occasionally staying in a real hotel (with full bathrooms) can be nice.

Check with your home medical insurance provider to see if they cover you in Europe. If yes, get proof in writing and take the document with you.  If no, you should get travel medical insurance, which is cheap and is sold by airlines and travel agents.

Consider joining SERVAS, which is a global network of travelers and hosts who have passed a background check.  You will have local contacts almost anywher you go - even if you don't choose to stay with a hoist:  www.servas.org

Good luck!