Hey y'all! So if you have read any of my other posts, you might see that I spent some time in Europe gallivanting around for three months. And I did it for a pretty low amount of money, in comparison to traveling to some other countries. So here is how I traveled Europe with a pretty tight budget.
First, you have to get to Europe. That is the expensive part. But, what I would suggest in hindsight is finding a flight, any flight, that is cheaper than most flights, no matter where it is to as long as it's connected to Ryanair (which I will get to soon), and fly there first. It does not matter where you go in Europe in my opinion because everywhere I have been (Ireland, Scotland, London, France, Italy, Germany, and Austria) were amazing in their own ways. Of course, you should have some ideas of where you want to go, but why not go somewhere off the map? Also, if you are more free-spirited and have few time restraints, I might also suggest only buying a one-way ticket. That way, you can go wherever the wind takes you, and maybe if you find someplace you really like you can stay longer, or if you did your trip under-budget, you can go one last place that you did not expect to go!
Once you are in Europe, find a hostel. Hostelworld is a great website (an app) for this, with very honest reviews and booking options right there on their website. Hostels, for those of you who do not know (and if you are from the U.S. like me, you might not because they are not as popular here) are cheaper, "public" hotels. When I say public, I mean you share everything. Most of the cheaper beds are in rooms with 16 beds, although this can vary anywhere from 2-16. The higher number of beds, the lower the price. So this means that if you book a bed in a 16 bed room, you will be sleeping with up to 15 random people. You will also be sharing a bathroom/showers with not only them but very likely others from other large rooms. This can be different in each hostel, but this is the general idea.
That being said: if you are by yourself and not 100% comfortable traveling/sleeping by yourself, I may not recommend a hostel. I stayed in one in Ireland by myself, but I spent a little extra for a 4 person room, and it worked out really well. Staying with a friend is much more comfortable in my opinion, and I think a little bit more safe. However, hostels are generally safe and as long as you lock your bags, it should be fine. ALWAYS read reviews before booking a hostel.
So why would you do this over staying in a hotel? Money. Hostels are insanely cheap. Most hostels, for a 16 or so bed room, will go for about $20-30 a night, but I got some for as low as $15. And some of them even have a small breakfast! When you start to stay in rooms with a lower number of beds, it can get pricier, and then it may be easier to just get a hotel. Hostels are often either 1. Near the airport for easy airport access for those of you with early/late flights, or 2. Right in downtown for those fun girls/guys weekends away. Combining all of this information adds up to one sentence: For cheap but maybe not as secure sleeping options in Europe, hostels provide a unique and flexible opportunity to meet some cool people.
Now that sleeping arrangements are made, let's talk about flying. RYANAIR. That is all.
Just kidding, but really. Ryanair is a discount airline that flies just about everywhere in Europe. It is based out of Dublin, Ireland, and flies to 37 countries. For soooo cheap. Here is how you do it: sign up for emails, and then when you receive an email about a sale, buy all the flights. When they say sale, they mean seats for $12-15 one way. Fifteen dollars. For an ENTIRE FLIGHT. Wow? When there are no sales, the flights are still cheaper than a regular airline. I honestly looked when I was writing this, and they were having a sale, so all of their one-way flights were $30 or less, so I do not have a price range here. So what I did was I booked a couple of weekend trips, but I also had a fall break trip, so I booked from Dublin to Milan, Milan to Paris, Paris to Venice, and then I traveled by train from Venice to Pisa, then flew from Pisa back to Dublin. This worked amazingly. Of course, if you do something like this but have to get from one airport to another on the ground, make sure you look into that ahead of time to check train schedules or rent a car if you are over 25 years of age (which is the age in most countries). It never hurts to check other airlines, but in general I would stick to this. And, it's Europe, so the longest flight you will have is maybe 3 hours?
Now, I know you're asking if this is safe. I flew with them almost 15 times with no issues whatsoever. Of course there are not the most comfortable seats in the world or the most most leg room, but you will likely be on for about an hour or two so you will survive. If you go to Europe, this is the best option for flying financially.
One thing I will also mention is to check the location of the airport (with Ryanair and other airlines), which I did learn the hard way. When flying to Paris, I made the incorrect assumption that the airport would be near the city. It was not. We had to take a bus that took about an hour due to traffic to get into the city, so look into that before you book. I did not mind the bus ride, but it was an unexpected, very minor inconvenience time-wise and money-wise.
So far: the only expensive thing is the flight to Europe, and you can fly to like, four countries and stay for a night in each for like $150. But now food and souvenirs.
Buy cheap street food and my favorite souvenirs are shot glasses because you can get them everywhere for $2-4 and they are tiny so you can pack them easily. And that is about it for those two things. For food, many hostels have communal kitchens, so making your own food is a cheaper option. As for packing, the weather in Europe is more or less the same at any time of the year (I was there in the fall and it was mild weather everywhere, you could wear just about anything and be fine). Side note: they tend to dress a little bit more conservatively in European countries so dressing in booty shorts and a crop top will make you stand out and be more prone to unwelcome viewers/pickpockets. You can certainly live out of a large bookbag for a week if you are only going for a short period of time, anything more than that would be harder to make work. Some hostels and most hotels have washers/dryers that you could use as well.
The last thing I will say is that public transportation is very useful and inexpensive for traveling on the ground, and do not be afraid to ask questions. Many Europeans are very welcoming and helpful, many speak English, and if you are American, they know we are going to need help and can pick us out of a crowd with ease. They will not get mad at your confusion and will help with whatever you need. People like bus drivers are also an excellent option for help, especially if you have already gotten on and are not heading in the desired direction.
I have thought about some of the things that I splurged on while I was in Europe and that I would recommend considering if you have some extra money:
1. A guided tour, especially if there is something you really want to see. For example, in Ireland, I wanted to go on a driven tour of the Ring of Kerry. It was about $60 more or less, and so worth it. To have someone drive you around all day, making stops so you can take pictures and telling stories about where you are is priceless.
2. A spa day. I think spa prices are ridiculous but there is nothing I love more than a massage. A lot of spas in Europe are located in unique places that have a lot of history as well as beautiful views. You could also treat yourself to a golf day or something else a resort might have.
3. A nice dinner with a view. I did not do this, but if I could go back I would have gotten a reservation at some restaurant in Paris on a rooftop overlooking the Eiffel Tower. These kinds of views can be found everywhere in Europe, and depending on what kind of view you like, Europe has it. Mountains? Go to the Alps. Ocean? Go to the Almafi Coast.
4. This one is not really a splurge, but I would suggest it if you are flying over something cool: spend a couple extra dollars for a window seat and look out the window. I got lucky and when I flew over the Italian Alps I had the most incredible views. After that I upgraded all of the seats to window seats and I will never go back.
Thank for reading and if you have any questions or comments about traveling in Europe, feel free to comment or message me! Happy travels!!
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