Four Cities in Two Weeks on a Budget

Coffee Shop across from Van Gogh Museum

Two weeks later, I’m finally over my jet-lag & ready to share my travel tips in a series of posts. My European travels began in Amsterdam, and ended in Munich with two cities in-between. Four cities, three seven-hour train rides, and four flights later (plus two weeks to get back into the routine of life) and the experience has fully sunk in.

 My first trip on my own dime, and with a great travel partner (shout out to Dave, your the best 😉 ), I experienced four cities in two weeks–on a BUDGET.

Everyone asked: HOW DID YOU DO IT? (Aka how much did you spend?) The truth is, we cut corners. It is possible to travel on a budget, and there is always room to put aside money for travel (if that is what you really want).

Here is a short list of my tips to travel on a budget, in no specific order:

Budget Travel Tips  

 

I am Amsterdam sign

1.    Stay away from top travel destinations during peak seasons 

My trip wouldn’t have worked if I traveled to Spain, Paris, & Italy. Those are the top countries tourists want to visit (rightfully so), but if your trying to save money, I would suggest shying away. Go off-season, when traveling to a popular destination. Starting in the Netherlands, and ending in Germany was a very uncommon route.

 

Berlin & Sausage from a Cart on the Street for 1.50 Euro

2.    Eat what the locals eat    

Taking tips from locals on where to eat is the best way to fully submerge yourself into any culture around the world. Locals can give you insight on what your travel book doesn’t tell you. (Except Curry Wurst, I’ll explain in my food post)

 

Exploring in Berlin

3.    Enjoy the architecture & explore  

Walk around and take in all of the beautiful archetecture, and reminisce on the chapters in history class you wished you had paid attention to. Europe has so much to offer visually. Each street is a gallery of art just waiting to be explored.

View from Apartment, Rented from Airbnb

4.    Don’t stay in a Hotel 

Airbnb is the way to go! It’s a fabulous website where you can rent an apartment, room, or house from over 34,000 cities around the world. Each city we stayed in, we rented an apartment for under $75 dollars a night.

Small Cafe in Amsterdam, Across from Van Gogh Museum

5. Book tickets & Stay in advance

I booked my flight at least 5 months in advance, and was able to score a fabulous price tag. Scanning travel sites religiously is free, and helps to get a feel for what a good price is.

The East Berlin Wall Gallery

6.   Pictures are your souvenirs

Haven’t you heard the phrase ‘A picture’s worth a thousand words’ ? Pictures are the best way to capture the memory of your travels. Not to mention, cheaper than a T-shirt that will most likely shrink and become a part of your pajama wardrobe.

Anne Frank House in Amsterdam

7.   Have a plan & Set a daily budget

 Decide what you want to see, where to go, and how much each day you want to spend. This is the best way to meet your budget of how much you plan to spend in a day. Remember, some days you may spend more and others you will spend less.

Riding Bikes in Berlin

8. Take Public Transit  

Transpertation in Europe is accessible & super easy to use. If you can figure out the CTA system in Chicago, then you can figure it out in Germany. The subway system was safe to ride all hours of the night, and each cart was spotless.

Needless to say, we saw everything we wanted to see! Planning in advance makes a trip worthwhile and also afforadable. Stay tuned for what I ate in each city!

XOXO,

Dave & I in Kunta Horna (A Day Trip Away from Prague)

Typical Holland Shoes 😉