Need help planning a budgeted trip!!!?

Question

Okay! um...well...me and my family r going to Europe for a week and we want to get the best out of it without spending too much money. We're definitely going to France and the Britain. The major sights we want to see include the Eiffel Tower and Buckingham Palace. I was wondering if anyone could do research for me so that I would know how much a US dollar can get and if there are any good sights for booking stuff such as hotels, transportation, and entry into the two major sights we want to see. Also, we want to make sure we don't spend too much money...but still have fun.

Answer 1

Most of this information is easy to find on the Internet. Plus, any estimates given here could be way off. Hotel and airline prices can vary tremendously depending on what time of year you travel, the location of the hotel, and the type of hotel (one star, two star, etc.). My idea of a cheap hotel may be your idea of an expensive one or vice versa. You'll get a much more accurate result if you put some time into it yourself because you know what type of hotel is acceptable and how much you're willing to pay.

Here's how I do it.

For airfares, go to a shopping website such as kayak.com. Plug in your cities and dates and you will see the available airfares. Experiment with some different dates to see if you get a better result. Summer will be far more expensive than winter. Summer and fall will be in between.

For hotels, go to one of the major websites such as Orbitz or Expedia to see the types of hotels and the approximate costs. The same rules apply as for airfares regarding cheapest time of year.

You can get some good ideas in each city on good hotel locations, cheaper hotels, and main attractions by investing a few dollars into a good guidebook. I like Rick Steves' books, but there are other good ones as well.

The current value of the dollar can be found on any number of websites. Try Yahoo Finance. Their calculator is easy to use.  Remember, the value may change between now and when you travel.

Warning - if you are an American, it will be VERY expensive. I was in Paris in February and was astounded. A simple dinner in a local restaurant cost me $40-$50 a night for one person. A sandwich  and a Coke in a tourist area set me back the equivalent of $10. Basic hotels can cost upwards of $200 a night. And that was in the middle of off-season!

If you are unable or unwilling to do some homework, then I suggest that you see a travel agent. You'll pay a few bucks in service fees, but they'll give you advice on where to stay and what to see. They'll also help search for low airfares for you. A few bucks in service fees might be a lot cheaper than doing it yourself and overpaying.

Answer 2

Well geeze.  I am not a travel planner, but isn't that why they get paid : )  The value of the Euro is going to change daily.  If your in the US your money doesn't go far.  Check out Gate 1 travel agents online.  Fill out the online form for email specials.  In March we went to Italy, 3 cities, 11 days, hotel, air, transfers, breakfasts for 2 adults was $2K.  We did many of the major sites and museums and don't really eat much and still spent almost $4K when we arrived.  If I were you I would check out some "Let's Go!" books to wherever you plan to travel.  They have a ton of great ideas, maps you don't have to buy when you get there and ways to save money.