Holidaying in Europe is often seen as something only for the well off. It's often very common for us to hear people saying that for a 2 week holiday in Western Europe will set us back by $5,000 per person.

A couple going for their 1 Month Honeymoon paid more then $30,000 for their 1 month European Adventure. Certainly, Europe isn't cheap. But is it this expensive? If you ask me, certainly not.

If you are patient enough, then read on to find out, you can perform a 1 month Europe Adventure with a shoestring budget. We did it for a grand total of S$5,000 in Dec 06. You can too.

Step 1: Decide on where you are going;

First, and certainly most importantly, decide where you would like to go. Decide early. By early, I mean at least 6 months before. Now repeat this mantra after me. "The earlier the better".

So where did we go? We went to the following cities;

• London
• Paris
• La Rochelle
• Barcelona
• Rome
• Venice
• Dubai

It might look easy, but trust me its not. We came up with this list only after close to 1 week of planning. Now lets dwell on the details.

London

London is certainly the easiest choice. The English Capital happens to be the most well connected City in the whole of Europe via Air, and flying in and out of London is ridiculously cheap.


Cheap to travel in London? How can this be true? How can this be possible when everything is in £? Almost all self-respecting European Budget Airlines uses London as a Air Hub.

You can practically fly from London to anywhere in Europe for less then S$100.00 per person, inclusive of all taxes. But we'll touch on that later.

Paris

The most visited city in the world certainly wouldn't mind having yet another tourist in their city. Certainly I'm sure the French wouldn't mind yet another visitor in the 40+million who thread the streets of Champ Elysee, and look at the view of Eiffel Tower.

Add to the fact that Paris has Europe's Largest Purpose Built business district in La Defense, its a well-connected artsy place by Air, Rail and Land.

As for the other cities, its up to you on where you would like to visit.

Step 2: Decide on how you are going;

How and where you're doing are so different yet so intertwined. Both are unfortunately equally important in the trip planning, especially if you are looking for a fuss-free holidays.

Budget Airlines

Europe, unlike Asia, is very well connected by budget airlines, rail and buses. Amongst the 3 choices that you have, I like flying the most. Rail is often expensive, not to mention slow, but is worth a consideration if you don't mind overnight travel (it saves on the accommodation too!)

Personally, I would recommend easyJet. easyJet is not only very cheap if you catch them at the right promotional periods (hence why we need to plan 6 months in advance), but they also fly to primary airports most of the time. You can see where easyJet fly to from their routemap.


Other European Budget Airlines like RyanAir are often cheaper dollar-to-dollar, but I learnt a lesson when I realised that transport charges from RyanAir's secondary Airports are expensive to get to.

For example, easyJet flies to Barcelona via its main Barcelona Airport, while RyanAir flies via Girona, 120KM away from Barcelona City. It always pays to do your calculation and research before you buy that precious ticket.

Full Service Airlines

You would probably wonder on since when the hell did Dubai came into the picture of a supposedly European Adventure. Well, I took Emirates Airline, and decided to do a stop-over in Dubai for only S$75.00 extra.

For the uninitiated, a stop-over means that you can get to stop over at a city of transit (in our case Dubai), for a few days, either for Holiday or for Work.

It's a major bargain considering there are many people who pays thousands to go to Dubai for a holiday. If you're not keen on Dubai, you can also consider flying Qantas / British Airways, who fly to European Destination via London Heathrow.

A routine promotional price for their Sing - London Ticket often stands at $1099 while a Sing - Other European Destination Ticket stands at $1199 before taxes with a free stop-over.

We took Emirates only because they were much cheaper (S$1200 after taxes), but I've flown both Qantas and BA and I personally like them better.

For the best offers, buy your Air Tickets during the NATAS Travel Fairs, and again, at least 3-6 months in advance.

Step 3: Decide on how you are staying;

Now that we have settled the Air Tickets, the next critical thing would be to fix where you are going to stay. I will not touch too much on this, but I will add that the Internet is your best friend.

My wife searched closed to 2 weeks for decent accommodations around Europe, and I can certainly say that there are Hotels that are priced decently (sub S$100) around Europe that will fit the bill with breakfast in tow!

If you're not particular, then perhaps you can even look at Hostels. Those are really cheap. Do be aware of where is the exact locations, check out for peer reviews on cleanliness, safety and if it is near to public transport.

Step 4: Decide on what you are doing;

Surely by now, we would know where we are going to, where we are staying, and how we are staying. Now is for what we do in that City. Every individual has their different preferences. No one can decide for you.

The Internet is your No 1 best friend. I personally recommend the following Websites;

• http://www.igougo.com/
• http://www.virtualtourist.com/

Official Tourism Websites are useful, but often somewhat lacking in information. Thats where websites like VirtualTourist and alike makes up for. They are stories told by real people so you will know what exactly to expect.

Step 5: Plan Plan Plan

Planning is so important. Be a little more organised. Make a checklist of you need, where you are visiting, and what you are doing.

It will help you avert those hair raising screwups when you're there. Some key factors to consider while planning would include;

i. City Travel Planning

As all of us have limited time, we should waste as little time on the road as possible. One of the easiest method of doing this, is to plan your trip, according to your transport system.


This is extremely helpful, as it saves you huge amount of transport time, and it also save you some money as some Train Operators like Paris's Metro operate on a Zonal System, and sticking to 1 zone, would entail a cheaper ticket.

Also, should you be staying in a Particular City for more then 3 days, it might be fruitful to consider buying "Season" Train Tickets, that can be for 1, 3 or 7 days.

ii. Itinerary Planning

Having traveled thousands of miles, the one thing all tourist would hate, certainly is to turn up to see that the Museum / Art Gallery Closed. Check for the following;

1. Opening Hours (For Summer & Winter)
2. Dress Code (If Any)
3. Entrance Fee (Discounts For Students / Selected Days)
4. Discount Tourist Pass

Even if you are a person who hates planning, then you should at least prepare the following;

1. Metro / Transport System Maps
2. Basic Tourist Guidelines

Step 6: Bring These Best Friends
Now, lets find out who are your best friends that you will need during this trip;

1. Laptop Computer
2. USB HDD Storage Device
3. Digital Camera(s)
4. Additional Memory Cards
5. Rechargeable Batteries Kit (Chargers, Batteries)
6. Portable Mini Induction Cooker Kit
7. Student Pass (If Any)

Laptops & USB HDD Storage Device

Obviously, I will need no introduction to why a Digital Camera is required. But why Laptops? A Laptop with a USB HDD, is perfect for storing your additional pictures.

I took close to 4000 pictures in Europe. Thats more then 10GB worth of Memory Card and that don't include my Videos. Need to explain further?

Student Pass

My SIM Student Pass cost me S$5.00, but saved me and my wife at least S$200 in entrance fees. None of the Ticketing Officers actually bothered about checking our Student Pass (My Wife's Pass Wrote Corporate Member) and just awarded us student price.

For locations like Vatican, this can mean savings of up to S$20 per person. When you factor in other Museums, Attractions, and it can mean huge savings really fast.

Portable Mini Induction Cooker Kit

One of the most expensive thing to do in Europe, is to eat out. Its ridiculously expensive (S$16 for a McDonalds Meal Set) and it certainly isn't worth it.

During my entire trip, we try to eat out for lunch only. This ensures that I will still enjoy the local delicacy (French food is YUM YUM!!!) while still saving heaps in cash so that I can continue to shop, and visit all the wonderful attractions.