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Save/ShareDespite all the bad news about the economy and the future of air travel, a trip to Europe is still possible with some creative planning. That's the theme of Clayton M. McCleskey's article in the Dallas Morning News (and of our own ongoing Affordable Europe series).
Among McCleskey's tips: Think east to cities like Budapest, Prague, Warsaw, and Zagreb. Eastern Europe remains a good deal for those with greenbacks. He also recommends strategic ATM usage, picnicking whenever possible to cut down on food costs, and considering a cruise as part of your trip.
The Times of London also has some advice on choosing cheaper destinations. For instance, instead of heading to overrun Tuscany, explore Umbria's medieval hill towns: "It’s Italy—it’s contractually obliged to be gorgeous. It’s just not called Tuscany, so they’re not allowed to rip you off and herd you about like sheep." Although the advice is targeted to Brits, much of it also applies to hopeful American travelers.
If you prefer a trip that doesn't involve a long flight and passport hassles, be sure to check out this Practical Traveler column from the New York Times on bargains close to home and MarketWatch's tips on getting a good travel deal in the Americas. The best advice here, I think, is to be flexible, looking first at fares and then thinking about which of those places you might like to visit.
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There is no artistry to advising someone to get a cheaper vacation by traveling to cheaper cities. Wow! Instead how about working with destination experts who know how to give you a reasonable trip in EXPENSIVE locations. Doing that requires ability.
Posted By Katharine Lancy on June 26, 2008, 10:21 AM
I just returned from budapest prague and germany and germany was by far the cheapest. A bottle of mineral water was 10 USD, wine was 35 USD. I found prague to be more expensive than any of the countries on the euro that I have been to, at least as of last year--italy and france- so I do not agree with the " go east" article.
Posted By sandi on June 26, 2008, 5:03 PM
Yes Umbria is really beautiful, we spent five days there at the end of May 2008. The average price for a double room including breakfast was at 3 - 4 star hotels was around 65 euros a night.
Posted By Karen Bryan on June 27, 2008, 8:56 AM
Sandi - Given my experiences in Prague the mistake you made was staying in the old town/tourist district. While my experience is slightly out of date (November) Prague was MUCH cheaper, but the trick was escaping the inner city.
I was able to get full Chinese/Czech meals for about $3.50 - $5 complete, filling meals which was a wonderful change of pace after a month spent living on 3.50/4 Euro Kebabs. I say that as a 6'4 23 year old male with an ample appetite. It was the same with the bars and night clubs. Everything was half or more the price of things in Germany and other Euro based countries.
Posted By Alex Berger on June 30, 2008, 7:21 PM
I don't know where Sandi was eating but,in our trip to Prague and Budapest last October we found prices comparable in both places and very reasonable. At 'trendy' Oktogon Square in Budapest my wife and I ate at two wonderful restaurants( Cafe Vian and Pompeii) and had very tasty meals including 2 beers each and a shared dessert for approximately 35 Euros at each restaurant. An even better deal was a Gastro Pub crawl we took in Budapest which included a wine tasting of 5!!! glasses of wine and then visiting 3 pubs with a beer at each and also included a great goulash meal as well as several local "snacks' which were amazing and then a glass of liqueur to top it off. The "2 hour" tour lasted 4 hours and our guide gave us amazing insight into Hungarian life before and after the revolution. What a night!!! It cost us approximately 20 Euros each.
Posted By Chris Ledger on July 22, 2008, 3:28 PM
Consider Krakow Poland if heading east as well. Krakow is a beautiful city with a wonderful atmosphere and friendly people. Try staying at many of the short term let apartments that are available as well. They are at least half of what a hotel in the old town district cost, are just as close, provide more space and many have a washing machine available. We spent 60 days in these small apartments in the old town district while waiting for proper paper work etc on my expat assignment we are currently on. If anyone is interested in Krakow drop me a line and I can tell you the name of the apartment company we used here for the short term lets.
Posted By R Wood on July 30, 2008, 12:53 PM
How about Romania? I noticed that Bucharest was not listed in the 'go east' cities. Is it because it is not as interesting to visit as Budapest or Prague? anybody been there lately?
Posted By Cinzia on August 13, 2008, 4:04 PM