I could sit here and throw out a bunch of 'tips' about travel planning or I can take you on a journey to my journey, and show you my process.
Have you ever wanted to know how a normal person/family plans a vacation in Europe?
This post is for you.
Real numbers. Real struggles. Real frustrations.
But in order to go forward with my travels, let's travel back in time to July of last year...
NOTE: This is a lot of reading, and won't be worth a read unless you plan to travel within Europe in the near future. Or unless you are highly curious about how I plan a large trip with a family of six!
Also for security and safety reasons, I will not be providing my personal flight dates, flight numbers, nor my hotel names or addresses. We haven't taken this trip yet, and I don't want to compromise the safety of my family in any way.
Last July we paid a visit to one of my favorite cities in Europe: Venice, Italy.
It was after that mini vaca that we decided to make Italy our priority for the summer of 2016, but because of who I am, I wanted to squeeze everything I could out of our summer vacation leave.
This is the big one.
The vacation of all of our vacations while living abroad.
The vacation we've been saving the most for.
Disclosure begins now:
Remember, we are but a working family.
We have never won lottery millions, my parents do not pay for my travels or my bills.
Every penny we spend traveling has been earned by legal hard work then dumped into our 'travel' savings account.
I'm talking every extra dollar left over after general living expenses (or after the occasional shopping trip), all of our tax refunds, etc,.
We don't live very frugally, but we don't blow every cent we've earned before the next pay day.
I'll put it this way, if we want to eat at a nice restaurant, we do.
If we'd like to go to the movies, we will.
But you won't find me spending thousands of dollars on a handbag, and I like the clearance rack simply because a basic bitch cotton t-shirt should never cost over $7.00, imo.
We're also not 'travel poor', and don't care to be. I still like to live everyday life and indulge now and then on things even while saving for a big trip.
Okay, I could've summed that paragraph up with one word: Balance.
Errrr...I hate talking money, but it's vital to the subject. Money is a VERY real part of vacation planning.
Now some people are going to read this and think "But you live in Europe, so traveling around that continent is cheaper for you."
Sure, I do cancel out the big ticket cost of flying from the states, BUT friends, if I go to Paris, Barcelona, Venice, Edinburgh, etc, my costs of being there are the same as anyone else visiting from far, far away. It's not like I have some sweet Euro discount card that allows me to do everything for free.
Honestly, jumping from country to country, or big city to big city in Europe is no different than touring North America. Think flying from where ever you live in the US to Los Angeles, then to Chicago, to New York and then home all in one vacation.
That shiz adds up no matter what continent you're on! Oh, and trains aren't always the 'cheaper' option around here...
There's that old saying "If there's a will, there's a way".
Travel is no exception.
Put a dollar into a piggy bank once a week. Take a part time job. Walk dogs. Have a yard sale. You may not get on a plane a month later, but I guarantee with a bit of effort, you will get somewhere eventually!
Nothing worth it is ever easy.
A real European vacation {non-hipster, non-hostel style} is not cheap.
The only vacations I've seen labeled as "budget friendly" on blogs and websites of many others have something in common: Perks that the vast majority of us don't:
A relative who lives in Sicily and is willing to let family stay for a month.
A friend/family member's time share.
Kids studying abroad with big credit card limits.
Those with zero budget.
Those who travel on business with serious comps.
People with an uncle named Captain Nemo, who happens to own a submarine tour business.
Folks with the last name Hilton, Trump, or Best Western.
Let's get real.
Most of us don't fit into this 'perk' category. I sure as heck don't!
I swear, 9 out of 10 travel blogs about "Traveling on a Budget" that I have came across have at least one of those 'perks'.
So, I have been asked by a lot of people how I plan stuff. I've even planned detailed vacations for others within the past year, thus I finally decided to share a VERY detailed post about how a realistic, personal, European vacation is born, and soon you'll see how it all rides out.
And here we go...!
The FIRST thing I need in order to start planning:
A destination.
Knowing a destination first, in my opinion, allows you to figure out how much time is needed to enjoy said destination, and how much money you'll possibly need to do it right.
**Some people think this logic is backwards, but I'll say this much: If you decide a budget first (which most people do) you may rule out a destination that you THINK you can't afford, but actually can.
For instance, our trip to Normandy during Spring Break ended up being wayyyy cheaper than we thought it'd be during the planning process.
And London last June? Known as a very expensive place, thus lots of folks are put off by it.
But because I timed it right and did a bit of extra research, it ended up being one of our cheapest destinations yet! Paris? Not as expensive as some people make it out to be. Barcelona? Samesies.
If I would've set our budget first, I may have not visited quite a few cities within Europe that I have...
I suggest coming up with a destination 6-12 months out. On the longer end if you are coming from over the pond.
We knew that we wanted Rome, Italy as our number one priority (and Italian adventure base camp), plus we want to include the possibility of a neighboring country; preferably some place that has a one-of-a-kind beach. My husband is dying to use his new GoPro goggles...umm, yeah.
Our interests in Italy: Rome, Florence, Capri, Naples, Pompeii, and possibly Sicily (specifically Taormina & Palermo).
Neighboring country possibilities: Switzerland, Croatia, Greece, France, Spain.
Okay. That's a lot of Europe, but I tend to think of the big map before narrowing places down. Thinking big also helps prevent a broken heart: If your only desired destination seems to be a far and impossible reach, it's kind of a let-down. Have a back up city in mind.
Second thing I do:
Money makes the world go 'round, and it sure does determine what kind of vacation you can have.
Our overall budget for six people: (including airfare and accommodations) was $10,800.
Remember, that's for SIX people, and because we knew in advanced that we'd have lots of time to play with for summer leave, the budget will be adjusted accordingly to the amount of time we plan to spend on vacation.
Generally speaking, I've found that (on average) $500-1,000 per week or less, per adult, in a larger Euro city is a realistic figure IF you don't plan to dine at Michelin Star restaurants every night or shop on Champs-Élysées. That includes a room, food, local transportation, attractions, souvenirs, etc,.
NOTE: Kids aren't much cheaper than adults in Europe considering that in most cities kids are labeled as anyone ten years old or younger. It really depends. On some Euro airlines, it's 11 years old and under that qualify for kid fare (which only saves about 5-10%). Long story short: If your kid is a teenager, they're considered as an adult for 95% of things in the EU.
Of course, because I like a good deal, I try to stay on the lower end of the budget. Always. But I will not sacrifice fun, food, or being comfortable if it means money.
So now that a destination and budget are somewhat set, I look into...
Sure, you can book a hotel first, but unless you can get to said hotel, you'll be regretting that reservation.
This is when I turn to Google maps, and here in Europe I find this VITAL.
Many of the larger cities have more than one airport and major train station.
London? It has many airports. But the four I hear of most people flying into (in most popular order) are: Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, and Luton.
I find it absolutely necessary to pinpoint the airports in your destination city BEFORE booking anything (hotel or flight), and you might want to take note of the airport codes: Heathrow = LHR
For myself:
I checked flights from Nuremberg (the closet airport to where I live) to Rome, and then Munich to Rome with fictional dates.
I found that flying out of Nuremberg cost about €80+ more Euro per person than flying from Munich. And Munich is a non-stop to Rome, whereas departing from Nuremberg would connect me in Frankfurt or Munich anyway.
Munich is a 2 hour drive from us, and the holiday parking is pretty inexpensive at €65 for ten-ish days, so I cut costs flying from Munich even though I will have to pay to park there.
If you're coming from the US, you probably won't have the issue of where to park your ride in Europe...
As for finding flights once you're in Europe, or if you're planning a multi city trip from the US, GOOGLE is God.
Sure, you can turn to Skyscanner, Airfarewatchdog, Kayak, etc,. but Google Flights will pull the best deal of them all for you anyway and send you in the best budget direction. Honestly, I have done the research and compared for over two years now. Google flights never fails. Also, it may be pertinent to know that most third party travel sites do not show budget airlines (like Ryanair, EasyJet, etc,.) as options within their search engines.
I have personally never booked a flight through a third party. I always find flights on Google, and commit a bit of time to research; making sure I'm getting the best deal.
Thus far in my European air travels, I've found that the actual airline websites offer the best fares, so I have booked all five of our flights over the past year directly with the carrier. To each their own, but I will say disputing discrepancies with your booking is loads easier IF you booked directly through the airline and not a third party.
Before you actually book ANY flights, make a mock flight itinerary with the dates you plan to travel, and keep it handy, trust me.
I ALWAYS, always do this, and with good reason.
It'll be extremely helpful for this next part...
After making a mock flight schedule, you are going to want to find a hotel in your destination city. This is where you are going to have to learn some geography!
My mock flight from Munich to Rome was the easy part. But when I started looking into hotels/apartments/pensions/resorts, etc, for a family of six, I became frustrated.
Again, Google.
I turned to Google and typed in "Rome, Italy"; pulling up the city's map. I located the airport we would fly into (FCO), and had a separate tab open with addresses of hotels I was interested in.
First, I wanted easy access to and from the airport, but not too far away from the heart of Rome.
Some of the only accommodations that could fit our family's needs were so far from the city and airport that I might as well have planned to drive from Germany! Just because the hotel's address says it is in Rome, doesn't exactly mean it is. That goes for all major cities.
Some of the accommodations on the outskirts had ZERO means of transport to the city of Rome. Believe it or not, not everything can be reached by local or regional transportation.
The handful of hotels in the heart of Rome were slim pickings; Some were just plain terrible (like mattresses on floors, terrible reviews, shared bathrooms, etc) and others were way too far out of my budget at $1,000+ per night.
But after looking at the city map, scrutinizing it, learning it, figuring out where the train stations were, the bus lines, the metro, and all of the touristy attractions sat, I knew I wanted to be in the heart of the city. Rome is unlike other Euro cities...it doesn't have a ton of fast underground transport choices. There are numerous bus lines, but according to many folks, they are unreliable regarding their respecting schedules. This is no bueno considering that I plan to buy advanced, timed tickets to certain attractions/museums.
Soooo, I changed my mock flight date by two days, and VOILA, I saw dozens of accommodations for those new dates that I didn't see before!
I found a beautiful, 2 bedroom apartment {with air conditioning} for five nights near the Pantheon in Rome for only $1,200 USD. Making it $240 a night, or $40 per person, per night (remember, there are six of us traveling). That's actually not a shabby price when you do the math. The price of a hostel bed per night, but in a private environment!
This leads me into the talk about...
If you're not somewhat flexible and are dead set on specific dates and locations, any vacation will be harder to plan, not to say it isn't possible.
For our upcoming summer vacation, we had a bit of push and pull with our dates, but this hasn't always been the case for every adventure of ours.
There have been quite a few times that I had to nix a destination because accommodations were not available on our very specific dates.
And again, that's why I always keep other cities in mind! When Budapest didn't work out, London did. When the Bavarian Alps didn't work out, the Black Forest did. You get my point.
Before I booked our flight to Rome, and before I reserved our apartment, I acted in haste to find a second destination to complete our multi-city/country vacation.
I have been guilty of sitting on an idea for too long, that when I went to book reservations, I found they were no longer available. Boo. It happens.
I now had a starting base and dates that worked out great for priority #1: Rome.
I knew with 100% certainty I wanted to visit Florence (huge Hannibal Lecter fan here). Though Florence could be a stand-alone trip in itself and some would say I am shortchanging myself, I figured Florence can be a day trip from Rome instead of requiring its own accommodations.
Done.
Now to greater Naples.
Capri could be a day trip from Rome and fill our beach requirement, albeit a VERY long trip. After jumping on Italy's main train website (for local and regional trains: http://www.trenitalia.com/) I found that Capri would be hard to finagle without staying the night. I looked into hotels on the island, but many of them require a minimum of a four night stay. I was only willing to do two nights. I looked into accommodations into the nearest mainland towns: Sorrento, Naples, Positano, Amalfi, and Salerno and found nothing that I wanted to spend hard earned money on. Sadly, Capri had been nixed.
I looked into Sicily.
Flying in a puddle jumper from Rome to Catania or Palmero IS CHEAP!!! The dates I looked at for flights made the cost of the train look terrible. The flights were only €15 per person, one way.
The issue was the return flight that would take place very late at night. The city of Taormina was our number one choice to stay in, but a bus schedule for night was non-existent. Cabs are few and far between in the small beach town, and even if you could find one, it would cost a pretty penny for an hour ride. And for our big family, we would need two cabs! As beautiful as the town looks, I didn't welcome the idea of dropping a gazillion dollars on cab fare to and fro, or running the risk of missing a flight because transport is unreliable for our very specific dates.
I turned to many other places: Sardinia, Ibiza, Palma, Corisca, and even Malta, and found no luck lining anything up for one reason or another. I knew we'd have to find the big beachy second leg of our adventure outside of Italy or any surrounding islands (quite of few of those named are not Italy, but part of different countries).
Greece. Greece sounds nice, right?
I found mock flights to Athens, Mikonos, and Santorini for decent prices. Out of them all, the best budget plan would be to fly from Rome to Athens, and then connect to Santorini by cheap air taxi style flight. I was not willing to change my Rome itinerary to help make Greece a possibility, and that was part of the problem.
The other part? The official Oia cruise ship docking calendar. Enough said.
Switzerland seemed nice, but no beach.
We LOVED Tossa de Mar in Spain last summer, and as nice as it sounded to return, we agreed to find different scenery.
Croatia and her neato islands looked beautiful, but the flights for our dates were at €300 per head and only lined up timing wise with Zagreb; pretty far away from the water. Nope.
Alas, France.
My France.
She never lets me down.
I've always wanted to see the French Riviera ever since I was a kid; seeing pictures of Bridget Bardot visiting Saint Tropez in an old travel magazine. Or knowing that Grace Kelly, an American actress, became the princess of Monaco (close enough to France, right?). It's not very often an American becomes legit royalty.
Then there's the Ingrid Michaelson song..."You and I"...which I play on our road trips frequently! I swear that song pretty much explains our married life...bunnies, sweaters, and spooning.
The south of France is where the rich kids play and celebrities {like Leo DiCaprio and Elton John} have vaca homes.
It was not somewhere I initially thought would be affordable with a large family in tow. And this is why I say to pick a destination first!
I checked flights from Rome to Nice. Cheap. €40 per head, one way.
Then I checked flights from Nice to Munich (return to home). €79 per head, one way.
And lastly, I checked accommodations.
$1,400 USD for five nights right on the main strip of Promenade des Anglais with a sea view; we can literally throw a stone into the crystal blue water from our balcony. That's $280 per night, at $47 per person per night.
Not bad... Not bad. And it's air conditioned.
I followed all of my own advice about making sure the apartment has easy local transport access to the airport, nearby towns, and the city center by using Google to map out locations. It did.
After finding destination two for the second leg of our vacation, I went ahead and booked everything in order; one after another regarding our timeline. First doing a double check that each were still available for booking before proceeding.
*It'd be a bummer to book 2 legs of your flights and find that the third is full when it wasn't yesterday. Yikes. The odds of a flight disappearing in 5 minutes, or within 24 hours are slim when you are planning in far enough in advance.
I don't take chances, though; not with a six person party.
Our totals, for six people:
Munich to Rome flight. $594 USD
Rome to Nice flight. $273 USD
Nice to Munich flight. $539 USD
Rome apartment. $1,200 USD (no hidden fees)
Nice apartment. $1,400 USD (includes cleaning fees and breakfast)
Grand total for our family of six, hotels and flights only, for a 10 day-2 country vacation (four countries; if you include day trips to Vatican and Monaco) in Europe:
$4,006
This is roughly $670 bucks per person for the most expensive parts of a 10 day Euro vacation. Not shabby when you break it down, right?!
Thus our summer vacation had its foundation!
The next step was to build on it. That post {Part Two} will be coming soon!
Some of my personal tips for planning you Euro vacation:
Traveling with a group can actually cut your individual daily travel costs by more than half!
It won't change your flight costs {unless your group pitches in on a private jet rental}, but for nearly everything else, group travel has its advantages.
Instead of looking at budget hostels for €25-80 per night (and the cheaper they are, trust me, the less appealing they are), think apartment rentals! $350 a night for a furnished, private three bedroom apartment may seem steep, but between a handful of friends, it could actually cost the same as a hostel stay, or less. And you don't have to share a toilet with strangers...
Group transportation is also money saving in Europe. In Germany, I can buy an all day travel ticket within any major city for about €18 which allows our six person family to get to and fro on buses, local trains, trams. But an all day ticket cost for one person in many of the same cities? €18. YUP. It's the same dang price as a group day ticket! If you're splitting an €18 group ticket among six people, that's only €3 per day for unlimited local travel! Crazy, right?
There are similar transportation group advantages in the UK, Italy, and a few other countries, too. I shaved off 1/3 of my travel costs by investing in an annual 'Friends and Family' railcard while visiting London last June. I was also able to use it in Edinburgh for our Christmas vaca!
Also, some cities, like London, offer 2-4-1 deals for major attractions (two people fare/admission for the price of one). The Tower of London doesn't have to cost a gazillion bucks for entry:
More info with link: https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london
Now, if you're like us and are traveling with four kids, it's kind of hard to split the bill with people who only earn chore money. But I will say that when I divide the daily cost per head, it makes me feel better to know that my daily average is still cheaper than some of those "budget travel" bloggers on a solo trip.
Don't get too excited about a super awesome hotel deal before reading the fine print.
It's pretty common around Europe for hotels/pensions/ resorts/hostels/etc to have some 'hidden' fees.
With a few hotels and a majority of rental apartments, you'll find a cleaning fee somewhere in the fine print. A lot of them charge a base fee for your entire stay, but occasionally a few will charge a daily cleaning fee.
Average cost per night for 1 bedroom apartment in Vienna, Austria: €65-460
Average cost of the cleaning fee that comes with apartment per stay: €40-200
It's worth mentioning that 99% of these are self-serviced apartments. No turn down service. No fresh towels delivered daily. That 'cleaning' fee that you pay isn't technically put to use until after you've stayed. It's to clean up after you, no matter what condition you leave it in. I've stayed in a dozen of these places within the past {almost} two years all over Europe. Yes, even in different countries, same standards apply.
Also, hostels may be the 'budget' choice for some folks, but be mindful about what's included before booking. Many of them will charge you for use of towels, sheets, pillows, and sometimes showers. When those costs are factored in, your cheap hostel stay can quickly become what it'd cost to stay nightly at a chain hotel, defeating the main reason of staying in the first place.
Oh, and even though your hotel may serve breakfast downstairs in the morning, it is WISE to note the cost before chowing down. Not all accommodations include this in your stay. Expect to pay €6-18 per person for a basic continental breakfast if it is not included in your booking.
Finally, do not be surprised if your city taxes are not included in the booking price and you are asked to pay them upfront during check in. The city taxes vary with each city and type of accomidation. They typically range from €2.50-€6 per person, per night. In many places, children under 10 are not charged this tax. I find it imperative to look up your destination's tax laws so that you are educated about what the hotel should legally charge you. Another note on this is that many hotels require this amount to be paid in cash, not by means of plastic cards.
There's nothing I hate more than emails from clothing companies, my dentist, and Lenscrafters. But sometimes those emails offer me smokin' deals that make them worth the annoyance (with the exception of my dentist; who never offers 50% off root canals with a coupon code).
Airlines, travel companies, and hotels all have the same annoying emails, and for the love of travel, just sign up for them! You can always unsubscribe later.
Just yesterday, EasyJet sent me an offer for a one way,$22 USD flight to Athens, Greece from Munich if booked before July 1st for select dates in October.
I hopped onto their website without logging in {incognito style} and that same deal during the same select dates was nowhere to be found. When I went back to my email and followed the link, it was willing and ready for me to book it at the discounted price!
I suggest signing up (or making an account) with various airlines that cater closest to your needs, or a site like airfarewatchdog.com (as I mentioned before) that will pool more than one carrier's deals at a time.
Booking one way travel also gives you more flexibility with times and dates.
Have you ever wanted to know how a normal person/family plans a vacation in Europe?
This post is for you.
Real numbers. Real struggles. Real frustrations.
But in order to go forward with my travels, let's travel back in time to July of last year...
NOTE: This is a lot of reading, and won't be worth a read unless you plan to travel within Europe in the near future. Or unless you are highly curious about how I plan a large trip with a family of six!
Also for security and safety reasons, I will not be providing my personal flight dates, flight numbers, nor my hotel names or addresses. We haven't taken this trip yet, and I don't want to compromise the safety of my family in any way.
Last July we paid a visit to one of my favorite cities in Europe: Venice, Italy.
It was after that mini vaca that we decided to make Italy our priority for the summer of 2016, but because of who I am, I wanted to squeeze everything I could out of our summer vacation leave.
This is the big one.
The vacation of all of our vacations while living abroad.
The vacation we've been saving the most for.
Disclosure begins now:
Remember, we are but a working family.
We have never won lottery millions, my parents do not pay for my travels or my bills.
Every penny we spend traveling has been earned by legal hard work then dumped into our 'travel' savings account.
I'm talking every extra dollar left over after general living expenses (or after the occasional shopping trip), all of our tax refunds, etc,.
We don't live very frugally, but we don't blow every cent we've earned before the next pay day.
I'll put it this way, if we want to eat at a nice restaurant, we do.
If we'd like to go to the movies, we will.
But you won't find me spending thousands of dollars on a handbag, and I like the clearance rack simply because a basic bitch cotton t-shirt should never cost over $7.00, imo.
We're also not 'travel poor', and don't care to be. I still like to live everyday life and indulge now and then on things even while saving for a big trip.
Okay, I could've summed that paragraph up with one word: Balance.
Errrr...I hate talking money, but it's vital to the subject. Money is a VERY real part of vacation planning.
Now some people are going to read this and think "But you live in Europe, so traveling around that continent is cheaper for you."
Sure, I do cancel out the big ticket cost of flying from the states, BUT friends, if I go to Paris, Barcelona, Venice, Edinburgh, etc, my costs of being there are the same as anyone else visiting from far, far away. It's not like I have some sweet Euro discount card that allows me to do everything for free.
Honestly, jumping from country to country, or big city to big city in Europe is no different than touring North America. Think flying from where ever you live in the US to Los Angeles, then to Chicago, to New York and then home all in one vacation.
That shiz adds up no matter what continent you're on! Oh, and trains aren't always the 'cheaper' option around here...
There's that old saying "If there's a will, there's a way".
Travel is no exception.
Put a dollar into a piggy bank once a week. Take a part time job. Walk dogs. Have a yard sale. You may not get on a plane a month later, but I guarantee with a bit of effort, you will get somewhere eventually!
Nothing worth it is ever easy.
A real European vacation {non-hipster, non-hostel style} is not cheap.
The only vacations I've seen labeled as "budget friendly" on blogs and websites of many others have something in common: Perks that the vast majority of us don't:
A relative who lives in Sicily and is willing to let family stay for a month.
A friend/family member's time share.
Kids studying abroad with big credit card limits.
Those with zero budget.
Those who travel on business with serious comps.
People with an uncle named Captain Nemo, who happens to own a submarine tour business.
Folks with the last name Hilton, Trump, or Best Western.
Let's get real.
Most of us don't fit into this 'perk' category. I sure as heck don't!
I swear, 9 out of 10 travel blogs about "Traveling on a Budget" that I have came across have at least one of those 'perks'.
So, I have been asked by a lot of people how I plan stuff. I've even planned detailed vacations for others within the past year, thus I finally decided to share a VERY detailed post about how a realistic, personal, European vacation is born, and soon you'll see how it all rides out.
And here we go...!
- Pick a Destination
The FIRST thing I need in order to start planning:
A destination.
Knowing a destination first, in my opinion, allows you to figure out how much time is needed to enjoy said destination, and how much money you'll possibly need to do it right.
**Some people think this logic is backwards, but I'll say this much: If you decide a budget first (which most people do) you may rule out a destination that you THINK you can't afford, but actually can.
For instance, our trip to Normandy during Spring Break ended up being wayyyy cheaper than we thought it'd be during the planning process.
And London last June? Known as a very expensive place, thus lots of folks are put off by it.
But because I timed it right and did a bit of extra research, it ended up being one of our cheapest destinations yet! Paris? Not as expensive as some people make it out to be. Barcelona? Samesies.
If I would've set our budget first, I may have not visited quite a few cities within Europe that I have...
I suggest coming up with a destination 6-12 months out. On the longer end if you are coming from over the pond.
We knew that we wanted Rome, Italy as our number one priority (and Italian adventure base camp), plus we want to include the possibility of a neighboring country; preferably some place that has a one-of-a-kind beach. My husband is dying to use his new GoPro goggles...umm, yeah.
Our interests in Italy: Rome, Florence, Capri, Naples, Pompeii, and possibly Sicily (specifically Taormina & Palermo).
Neighboring country possibilities: Switzerland, Croatia, Greece, France, Spain.
Okay. That's a lot of Europe, but I tend to think of the big map before narrowing places down. Thinking big also helps prevent a broken heart: If your only desired destination seems to be a far and impossible reach, it's kind of a let-down. Have a back up city in mind.
Second thing I do:
- Work a Budget
Money makes the world go 'round, and it sure does determine what kind of vacation you can have.
Our overall budget for six people: (including airfare and accommodations) was $10,800.
Remember, that's for SIX people, and because we knew in advanced that we'd have lots of time to play with for summer leave, the budget will be adjusted accordingly to the amount of time we plan to spend on vacation.
Generally speaking, I've found that (on average) $500-1,000 per week or less, per adult, in a larger Euro city is a realistic figure IF you don't plan to dine at Michelin Star restaurants every night or shop on Champs-Élysées. That includes a room, food, local transportation, attractions, souvenirs, etc,.
NOTE: Kids aren't much cheaper than adults in Europe considering that in most cities kids are labeled as anyone ten years old or younger. It really depends. On some Euro airlines, it's 11 years old and under that qualify for kid fare (which only saves about 5-10%). Long story short: If your kid is a teenager, they're considered as an adult for 95% of things in the EU.
Of course, because I like a good deal, I try to stay on the lower end of the budget. Always. But I will not sacrifice fun, food, or being comfortable if it means money.
So now that a destination and budget are somewhat set, I look into...
- Getting There
Sure, you can book a hotel first, but unless you can get to said hotel, you'll be regretting that reservation.
This is when I turn to Google maps, and here in Europe I find this VITAL.
Many of the larger cities have more than one airport and major train station.
London? It has many airports. But the four I hear of most people flying into (in most popular order) are: Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, and Luton.
I find it absolutely necessary to pinpoint the airports in your destination city BEFORE booking anything (hotel or flight), and you might want to take note of the airport codes: Heathrow = LHR
For myself:
I checked flights from Nuremberg (the closet airport to where I live) to Rome, and then Munich to Rome with fictional dates.
I found that flying out of Nuremberg cost about €80+ more Euro per person than flying from Munich. And Munich is a non-stop to Rome, whereas departing from Nuremberg would connect me in Frankfurt or Munich anyway.
Munich is a 2 hour drive from us, and the holiday parking is pretty inexpensive at €65 for ten-ish days, so I cut costs flying from Munich even though I will have to pay to park there.
If you're coming from the US, you probably won't have the issue of where to park your ride in Europe...
As for finding flights once you're in Europe, or if you're planning a multi city trip from the US, GOOGLE is God.
Sure, you can turn to Skyscanner, Airfarewatchdog, Kayak, etc,. but Google Flights will pull the best deal of them all for you anyway and send you in the best budget direction. Honestly, I have done the research and compared for over two years now. Google flights never fails. Also, it may be pertinent to know that most third party travel sites do not show budget airlines (like Ryanair, EasyJet, etc,.) as options within their search engines.
I have personally never booked a flight through a third party. I always find flights on Google, and commit a bit of time to research; making sure I'm getting the best deal.
Thus far in my European air travels, I've found that the actual airline websites offer the best fares, so I have booked all five of our flights over the past year directly with the carrier. To each their own, but I will say disputing discrepancies with your booking is loads easier IF you booked directly through the airline and not a third party.
Before you actually book ANY flights, make a mock flight itinerary with the dates you plan to travel, and keep it handy, trust me.
I ALWAYS, always do this, and with good reason.
It'll be extremely helpful for this next part...
- Location
After making a mock flight schedule, you are going to want to find a hotel in your destination city. This is where you are going to have to learn some geography!
My mock flight from Munich to Rome was the easy part. But when I started looking into hotels/apartments/pensions/resorts, etc, for a family of six, I became frustrated.
Again, Google.
I turned to Google and typed in "Rome, Italy"; pulling up the city's map. I located the airport we would fly into (FCO), and had a separate tab open with addresses of hotels I was interested in.
First, I wanted easy access to and from the airport, but not too far away from the heart of Rome.
Some of the only accommodations that could fit our family's needs were so far from the city and airport that I might as well have planned to drive from Germany! Just because the hotel's address says it is in Rome, doesn't exactly mean it is. That goes for all major cities.
Some of the accommodations on the outskirts had ZERO means of transport to the city of Rome. Believe it or not, not everything can be reached by local or regional transportation.
The handful of hotels in the heart of Rome were slim pickings; Some were just plain terrible (like mattresses on floors, terrible reviews, shared bathrooms, etc) and others were way too far out of my budget at $1,000+ per night.
But after looking at the city map, scrutinizing it, learning it, figuring out where the train stations were, the bus lines, the metro, and all of the touristy attractions sat, I knew I wanted to be in the heart of the city. Rome is unlike other Euro cities...it doesn't have a ton of fast underground transport choices. There are numerous bus lines, but according to many folks, they are unreliable regarding their respecting schedules. This is no bueno considering that I plan to buy advanced, timed tickets to certain attractions/museums.
Soooo, I changed my mock flight date by two days, and VOILA, I saw dozens of accommodations for those new dates that I didn't see before!
I found a beautiful, 2 bedroom apartment {with air conditioning} for five nights near the Pantheon in Rome for only $1,200 USD. Making it $240 a night, or $40 per person, per night (remember, there are six of us traveling). That's actually not a shabby price when you do the math. The price of a hostel bed per night, but in a private environment!
This leads me into the talk about...
- Flexibility
If you're not somewhat flexible and are dead set on specific dates and locations, any vacation will be harder to plan, not to say it isn't possible.
For our upcoming summer vacation, we had a bit of push and pull with our dates, but this hasn't always been the case for every adventure of ours.
There have been quite a few times that I had to nix a destination because accommodations were not available on our very specific dates.
And again, that's why I always keep other cities in mind! When Budapest didn't work out, London did. When the Bavarian Alps didn't work out, the Black Forest did. You get my point.
- Planning a Plan
Before I booked our flight to Rome, and before I reserved our apartment, I acted in haste to find a second destination to complete our multi-city/country vacation.
I have been guilty of sitting on an idea for too long, that when I went to book reservations, I found they were no longer available. Boo. It happens.
I now had a starting base and dates that worked out great for priority #1: Rome.
I knew with 100% certainty I wanted to visit Florence (huge Hannibal Lecter fan here). Though Florence could be a stand-alone trip in itself and some would say I am shortchanging myself, I figured Florence can be a day trip from Rome instead of requiring its own accommodations.
Done.
Now to greater Naples.
Capri could be a day trip from Rome and fill our beach requirement, albeit a VERY long trip. After jumping on Italy's main train website (for local and regional trains: http://www.trenitalia.com/) I found that Capri would be hard to finagle without staying the night. I looked into hotels on the island, but many of them require a minimum of a four night stay. I was only willing to do two nights. I looked into accommodations into the nearest mainland towns: Sorrento, Naples, Positano, Amalfi, and Salerno and found nothing that I wanted to spend hard earned money on. Sadly, Capri had been nixed.
I looked into Sicily.
Flying in a puddle jumper from Rome to Catania or Palmero IS CHEAP!!! The dates I looked at for flights made the cost of the train look terrible. The flights were only €15 per person, one way.
The issue was the return flight that would take place very late at night. The city of Taormina was our number one choice to stay in, but a bus schedule for night was non-existent. Cabs are few and far between in the small beach town, and even if you could find one, it would cost a pretty penny for an hour ride. And for our big family, we would need two cabs! As beautiful as the town looks, I didn't welcome the idea of dropping a gazillion dollars on cab fare to and fro, or running the risk of missing a flight because transport is unreliable for our very specific dates.
I turned to many other places: Sardinia, Ibiza, Palma, Corisca, and even Malta, and found no luck lining anything up for one reason or another. I knew we'd have to find the big beachy second leg of our adventure outside of Italy or any surrounding islands (quite of few of those named are not Italy, but part of different countries).
Greece. Greece sounds nice, right?
I found mock flights to Athens, Mikonos, and Santorini for decent prices. Out of them all, the best budget plan would be to fly from Rome to Athens, and then connect to Santorini by cheap air taxi style flight. I was not willing to change my Rome itinerary to help make Greece a possibility, and that was part of the problem.
The other part? The official Oia cruise ship docking calendar. Enough said.
Switzerland seemed nice, but no beach.
We LOVED Tossa de Mar in Spain last summer, and as nice as it sounded to return, we agreed to find different scenery.
Croatia and her neato islands looked beautiful, but the flights for our dates were at €300 per head and only lined up timing wise with Zagreb; pretty far away from the water. Nope.
Alas, France.
My France.
She never lets me down.
I've always wanted to see the French Riviera ever since I was a kid; seeing pictures of Bridget Bardot visiting Saint Tropez in an old travel magazine. Or knowing that Grace Kelly, an American actress, became the princess of Monaco (close enough to France, right?). It's not very often an American becomes legit royalty.
Then there's the Ingrid Michaelson song..."You and I"...which I play on our road trips frequently! I swear that song pretty much explains our married life...bunnies, sweaters, and spooning.
The south of France is where the rich kids play and celebrities {like Leo DiCaprio and Elton John} have vaca homes.
It was not somewhere I initially thought would be affordable with a large family in tow. And this is why I say to pick a destination first!
I checked flights from Rome to Nice. Cheap. €40 per head, one way.
Then I checked flights from Nice to Munich (return to home). €79 per head, one way.
And lastly, I checked accommodations.
$1,400 USD for five nights right on the main strip of Promenade des Anglais with a sea view; we can literally throw a stone into the crystal blue water from our balcony. That's $280 per night, at $47 per person per night.
Not bad... Not bad. And it's air conditioned.
I followed all of my own advice about making sure the apartment has easy local transport access to the airport, nearby towns, and the city center by using Google to map out locations. It did.
- LET'S BOOK THIS BEAST
After finding destination two for the second leg of our vacation, I went ahead and booked everything in order; one after another regarding our timeline. First doing a double check that each were still available for booking before proceeding.
*It'd be a bummer to book 2 legs of your flights and find that the third is full when it wasn't yesterday. Yikes. The odds of a flight disappearing in 5 minutes, or within 24 hours are slim when you are planning in far enough in advance.
I don't take chances, though; not with a six person party.
Our totals, for six people:
Munich to Rome flight. $594 USD
Rome to Nice flight. $273 USD
Nice to Munich flight. $539 USD
Rome apartment. $1,200 USD (no hidden fees)
Nice apartment. $1,400 USD (includes cleaning fees and breakfast)
Grand total for our family of six, hotels and flights only, for a 10 day-2 country vacation (four countries; if you include day trips to Vatican and Monaco) in Europe:
$4,006
This is roughly $670 bucks per person for the most expensive parts of a 10 day Euro vacation. Not shabby when you break it down, right?!
Thus our summer vacation had its foundation!
The next step was to build on it. That post {Part Two} will be coming soon!
Some of my personal tips for planning you Euro vacation:
- Bring your friends/family along!
Traveling with a group can actually cut your individual daily travel costs by more than half!
It won't change your flight costs {unless your group pitches in on a private jet rental}, but for nearly everything else, group travel has its advantages.
Instead of looking at budget hostels for €25-80 per night (and the cheaper they are, trust me, the less appealing they are), think apartment rentals! $350 a night for a furnished, private three bedroom apartment may seem steep, but between a handful of friends, it could actually cost the same as a hostel stay, or less. And you don't have to share a toilet with strangers...
Group transportation is also money saving in Europe. In Germany, I can buy an all day travel ticket within any major city for about €18 which allows our six person family to get to and fro on buses, local trains, trams. But an all day ticket cost for one person in many of the same cities? €18. YUP. It's the same dang price as a group day ticket! If you're splitting an €18 group ticket among six people, that's only €3 per day for unlimited local travel! Crazy, right?
There are similar transportation group advantages in the UK, Italy, and a few other countries, too. I shaved off 1/3 of my travel costs by investing in an annual 'Friends and Family' railcard while visiting London last June. I was also able to use it in Edinburgh for our Christmas vaca!
Also, some cities, like London, offer 2-4-1 deals for major attractions (two people fare/admission for the price of one). The Tower of London doesn't have to cost a gazillion bucks for entry:
More info with link: https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london
Now, if you're like us and are traveling with four kids, it's kind of hard to split the bill with people who only earn chore money. But I will say that when I divide the daily cost per head, it makes me feel better to know that my daily average is still cheaper than some of those "budget travel" bloggers on a solo trip.
- Read all of the FINE Print
It's pretty common around Europe for hotels/pensions/ resorts/hostels/etc to have some 'hidden' fees.
With a few hotels and a majority of rental apartments, you'll find a cleaning fee somewhere in the fine print. A lot of them charge a base fee for your entire stay, but occasionally a few will charge a daily cleaning fee.
Average cost per night for 1 bedroom apartment in Vienna, Austria: €65-460
Average cost of the cleaning fee that comes with apartment per stay: €40-200
It's worth mentioning that 99% of these are self-serviced apartments. No turn down service. No fresh towels delivered daily. That 'cleaning' fee that you pay isn't technically put to use until after you've stayed. It's to clean up after you, no matter what condition you leave it in. I've stayed in a dozen of these places within the past {almost} two years all over Europe. Yes, even in different countries, same standards apply.
Also, hostels may be the 'budget' choice for some folks, but be mindful about what's included before booking. Many of them will charge you for use of towels, sheets, pillows, and sometimes showers. When those costs are factored in, your cheap hostel stay can quickly become what it'd cost to stay nightly at a chain hotel, defeating the main reason of staying in the first place.
Oh, and even though your hotel may serve breakfast downstairs in the morning, it is WISE to note the cost before chowing down. Not all accommodations include this in your stay. Expect to pay €6-18 per person for a basic continental breakfast if it is not included in your booking.
Finally, do not be surprised if your city taxes are not included in the booking price and you are asked to pay them upfront during check in. The city taxes vary with each city and type of accomidation. They typically range from €2.50-€6 per person, per night. In many places, children under 10 are not charged this tax. I find it imperative to look up your destination's tax laws so that you are educated about what the hotel should legally charge you. Another note on this is that many hotels require this amount to be paid in cash, not by means of plastic cards.
- Join the Email Club
There's nothing I hate more than emails from clothing companies, my dentist, and Lenscrafters. But sometimes those emails offer me smokin' deals that make them worth the annoyance (with the exception of my dentist; who never offers 50% off root canals with a coupon code).
Airlines, travel companies, and hotels all have the same annoying emails, and for the love of travel, just sign up for them! You can always unsubscribe later.
Just yesterday, EasyJet sent me an offer for a one way,$22 USD flight to Athens, Greece from Munich if booked before July 1st for select dates in October.
I hopped onto their website without logging in {incognito style} and that same deal during the same select dates was nowhere to be found. When I went back to my email and followed the link, it was willing and ready for me to book it at the discounted price!
I suggest signing up (or making an account) with various airlines that cater closest to your needs, or a site like airfarewatchdog.com (as I mentioned before) that will pool more than one carrier's deals at a time.
- Round Trip = Expensive Trip
When booking your flight(s), look into one way travel options, not just round trip.
I saved over $1,000 when booking our summer 2016 family vacation by booking our flights one leg at a time, rather than a multi-city round trip affair! This was the same case for our flight to London. A round trip ticket was $190 USD. But one way tickets were about $40 per; a total savings of $150 USD per traveler.
Booking one way travel also gives you more flexibility with times and dates.
One way tickets aren't always the budget friendly case, though.
Our Barcelona trip was a better steal when we booked round trip, but it doesn't hurt to compare. 4 out of 5 of our flights in Europe thus far have been cheaper with one way bookings.
Our Barcelona trip was a better steal when we booked round trip, but it doesn't hurt to compare. 4 out of 5 of our flights in Europe thus far have been cheaper with one way bookings.
And then there's driving, or trains, which we've done a LOT of...but that's a whole different subject!
People, if you aren't using some kind of cash back app or website, you are missing out!
- Rebate Cash for Traveling? Yes, it's real!
People, if you aren't using some kind of cash back app or website, you are missing out!
Personally, I dig EBates. You create an account, stay logged in, and whenever there's a cash back option for a website, it'll let you know right on the page! Sometimes it'll even find hidden coupon codes for you during checkout in addition to cashback.
EBates isn't just for shopping on the Victoria's Secret website.
I got 4% cashback added to my account when booking my Scotland trip through Easy Jet!
That percentage doesn't sound like much, but it rounded to about $43 bucks {we traveled round trip with a family of six at a 'pretty' price).
That percentage doesn't sound like much, but it rounded to about $43 bucks {we traveled round trip with a family of six at a 'pretty' price).
Also, some third party websites for travel are included,too. The other day, I checked a few:
Expedia: Up to 10% cashback
Tripadvisor: 1.5%
Booking: 2%
CheapTickets: 5%
Hotwire: Up to 7%
Hilton: 2%
Enterprise Rental Cars: 2%
Hawaiian Airlines: 1%
Hilton: 2%
Enterprise Rental Cars: 2%
Hawaiian Airlines: 1%
You see my point!
The cashback amount varies, daily. Today Air France offers 1%, but tomorrow it could be 0% or 3%. You never know, which is why it's a good idea to stay logged into EBates.
Also, the cashback comes in handy when shopping for your upcoming trip. Need a new swimsuit, luggage set, or sunglasses? You can potentially get cashback on those things, too!
I've already banked over $270-ish bucks back in the past year of using Ebates for all of my online needs.
It's that simple. Best of all? No gimmicks, and you have nothing to lose.
If you've made it through this loooong post, know that Part Two is coming soon.
In that post, I'll explain the nitty gritty details of I how planned our itineraries for each city, how important advanced tickets are, figuring out walking vs. riding city transport, dining, packing, wardrobe choices, and everything else that comes with planning a vacation.
There will also be more random travel tips and I'll throw in a few helpful secrets, too!
If you've made it through this loooong post, know that Part Two is coming soon.
In that post, I'll explain the nitty gritty details of I how planned our itineraries for each city, how important advanced tickets are, figuring out walking vs. riding city transport, dining, packing, wardrobe choices, and everything else that comes with planning a vacation.
There will also be more random travel tips and I'll throw in a few helpful secrets, too!
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