A good friend of mine will be heading off to Europe this winter for some backpacker-style exploration with his girlfriend. Of course, I’m jealous. I also want to help them make the most of their trip, so I’ve been carrying out some research for them. This post will share some of what I’ve found.
Off-Season Travel and Exchange-Rate Observation
First off, chapeau to my friend and his lady for choosing the winter. Traveling to Europe off-season is a bold move and one of the best ways to reduce the cost of travel. Hotels regularly offer 30% or more off during this part of the year and flights, both paid-ticket and award, can be booked at significant discounts as well. They’ll also benefit from not having to go elbow-to-elbow with other tourists like they would in the summer.
In addition, now is a great time for Americans to visit Europe, given the Euro has weakened considerably against the dollar recently (current Euro/Dollar exchange rate). At the time of writing, the Euro is worth $1.08, whereas, when Johanna and I visited Europe last summer, the Euro was worth $1.36. To put that into real-world terms, a 30EU dinner cost us $40.80 and if rates hold, it will cost my friend $32.31 (20% less).
I have found that business in countries that are used to currency devaluation are good at adjusting prices quickly to compensate, but in most countries on the Euro that might not be the case. For example, in Argentina, Colombia, and Romania, I routinely ran into laminated menus with prices written in with marker on top of the laminate. Currency collapsed again? Just erase and adjust!
Flight Options from the US to Europe in Winter
Since we’re on the west coast, I’m using LAX as the departure location when figuring flight options. My buddy can get a discounted ticket rate that equates to about $800 per roundtrip ticket, versus the best paid-ticket rate of about $1200 per roundtrip ticket for flights to Paris or Frankfurt. So, for the average traveler, the cost of flights would be $2400 retail, but he can do $1600.
Another option he could take “AAdvantage” of is American Airlines’ off-season award ticket pricing. Instead of the usual 60,000 AA miles for roundtrip flights to Europe, from October 15-May 15, they offer the same flights for 40,000 miles roundtrip. If my friend and his girlfriend both sign up for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard, they’d each have more than enough miles for roundtrip tickets. The card has no annual fee in the first year, so as long as they can meet the minimum spend requirement to receive the miles, they can get their flights for about $100 each in airport taxes and fees. Other airlines also offer off-season discounts and promotions, so they could also shop around, but in my opinion this is the easiest one to execute.
By flying on miles, this couple could reduce their airfare expenses from $1600 to about $200, putting $1400 in spending money back in their pockets. I am convinced that if they wanted to, they could travel for two weeks in Europe with this money alone. Since they had expected to pay for airfare and saved for that purpose, this one travel hack could make their trip near-to or entirely free, in essence.
European Budget Travel Options
My friend will be spending some time with family in Frankfurt and Paris before he and his girlfriend continue on their own. Paris is pricey, so it’s great that they’ll be able to count on family to defray some of the costs there, while still getting to experience the quintessential Western European capital. In addition, they plan to do short trips to Berlin and/or Prague while based in Frankfurt, utilizing a family vehicle.
In order to better understand what options they have for maximizing their budget during the two weeks where they plan to travel alone, I searched for travel cost estimators by country. Trekhard.com is one site that features an easy-to-use cost estimator. While I have found these sorts of simple estimators to underestimate expenses, they are a great resource for getting a basic understanding of how countries compare to each other, cost-wise. Here are per-person examples from Western Europe and Central/Eastern Europe, based on hostel dorm accommodations, somewhat thrifty food purchases, and bus/train travel:
Looking at these data-points, Spain jumps out as a great value in Western Europe. With mild winter conditions, particularly along the southern coast, Spain is the second-cheapest country, besides Portugal, which is conveniently located right next-door! One glaring observation in Western Europe is that there’s no way the UK is cheaper than Italy and some of the other countries further down the list. A lot also depends on whether you’re in the biggest cities or out in the countryside, so clearly this estimator is just a starting-point.
In Central and Eastern Europe, I can vouch for Romania and the Czech Republic as great bargain destinations, though in the Czech Republic, expect to pay quite a bit more in Prague, which is beautiful, untouched by the World Wars, and gaining in popularity (and price) rapidly. Romania is a beautiful place and a real bargain, but they have very cold winters and long-distance public transit is less reliable, so unless my friend is interested in snow-sports, I’ll probably suggest they give that destination a pass, despite its budget potential.
Having also been to Budapest, Hungary, I think that country belongs closer to the cheaper end of the list for countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Budapest is my favorite European city from a value/quality perspective, and though it is cold in winter, there is plenty to do there at that time of year. One example would be frequenting one of a number of thermal baths, for which the city is known.
It’s clear that Scandinavia is basically a bad idea for budget travelers, with costs much higher than other places in Europe. However, for those interested in venturing into the cold of the north, Estonia and Latvia are great stand-ins for places like Sweden and Denmark and I’ve heard great things about both Tallinn and Riga.
Tallinn, Estonia during Winter Festival
Weather in Major European Cities
One of the most important factors of off-season travel is, there’s usually a reason why it’s the off-season! As I could not find a simple chart with temperature data across the major European cities my friend might be interested in visiting, I’ve made my own:
Lisbon, Barcelona, Nice, Rome, and Dubrovnik all have temperatures between 50-55 fahrenheit degrees in January, which basically confirms that the closer to the equator we go, the warmer temperatures we will find. However, looking simply at temperature does not give us the full picture. Dubrovnik, as an example, should not be visited in winter because it is known for terrible winter storms and because there are scant activities in Croatia that don’t involve the Adriatic Sea in some fashion.
Of the warmer cities on the list, Barcelona might be the best winter option. Barcelona has mild winters with comparatively little rain and although the city is located on the Mediterranean Sea, there is plenty to do without sunbathing or taking a dip at the beach. In addition, Barcelona is close to Girona and other popular winter havens for Europeans, so spending considerable time in the region is possible without too much time in any one place. Traveling through the southern part of Spain also allows the opportunity to add Portugal into the mix.
Barcelona Skyline
Picking through the colder destinations, Budapest again jumps out at me, because, well…I LOVE Budapest! An article appearing in Conde Nast Traveler a few months ago concurs with my thoughts regarding this stunning Central European capital and its merits at all times of the year.
Though somewhat of a splurge on backpacker budgets, Vienna during Christmas market season is a sight to behold and its proximity to Budapest (3hrs by train) makes it a logical addition to a Central European itinerary. In between Vienna and Budapest, the often-overlooked Slovakian capital of Bratislava knows how to party and could prove to be an incredible bargain New Year’s Eve destination.
Budapest along the Danube River
One could make a case for just about any place on the list of major European cities, but most of the other options lead either to geographical isolation (leading to route time/money-costly backtracking), higher cost-of-travel in general, or undesirable weather conditions.
The Ultimate Itinerary
So by now you’re probably asking, how do all these ideas and destinations come together in a logical itinerary? The answer, of course, is that it depends almost entirely upon what my friends’ family has in mind, but making a few assumptions about that, here is one example:
- Use American Airlines miles to fly from LAX to Lisbon, Portugal and spend several days there.
- Take a flight on Iberia Airlines (Vueling) from Lisbon to Barcelona (usually $50-75 per person).
- Spend several days in Barcelona with the option of continuing north to Girona (with less time, one could also begin this itinerary here instead of Lisbon).
- Fly on Iberia/Vueling from Barcelona to Paris (usually $70-90 per person) or take the TGV train ($175 per person) from Barcelona to Paris and meet up with family there.
- Spend Christmas-time with family (Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, Prague, etc.)
- Continue from Frankfurt to Vienna or Bratislava via German ICE rail (usually $40 per person)
- Finish itinerary with several days in Budapest, Hungary (short local train ride from Vienna or Bratislava)
This route would easily allow our subject couple to take in a wide swath of Europe (basically end-to-end) without minimal backtracking and utilizing the cheapest transportation methods available, unless said methods require the loss of significant time. In total, this itinerary should be about $250-300 in transportation costs per person, which is half the price of even the most restrictive Eurail Pass that would incorporate all of these destinations. I’m not a big fan of the Eurail Pass, but here’s an honest and detailed appraisal of the program from PriceofTravel.com to help you decide whether it could make sense for you.
Where to Stay on a Budget
This couple had been considering doing the hostel circuit and occasionally sleeping on trains en-route to keep costs to a minimum. Hostels definitely help solo travelers cut costs and they are a great meet-up spot for fellow travelers, but I think they’ve got an even better option for this trip. Airbnb is a great way to rent entire homes or just a private room within a home, with the guarantees of a peer-review system and the umbrella of a customer-service sensitive parent company.
In Lisbon, Barcelona, Bratislava, and Budapest there are numerous private rooms near the heart of downtown available for only $25 per night during the winter season or $40 for some entire homes. In Vienna, the average goes up to $40 for the private rooms, but compared to $20-$30 a night per person for a dorm bed in a hostel, Airbnb is a superior option. Plus, staying in a local’s home means getting the inside scoop on what to do beyond the major tourist attractions, and I have generally had excellent experiences with hosts in the past.
Other options for cheap accommodations could include a few free nights via Couchsurfing.net or accumulating hotel points via credit card sign-ups. Couchsurfing uses a peer-review system similar to Airbnb, where users review their hosts and guests, giving future visitors a good sense of what they can expect.
Hotel points are pretty easy to come by if you have good credit and have a good chunk of monthly expenses that can be put on a credit card. One card that comes to mind is the Marriott Premier Rewards card, which often has a 70,000pt bonus offer (look around on flyertalk.com if you can’t find it), plus a free night stay at a category 1-4 hotel. To put that in terms of this particular trip, one could redeem just 60,000pts for a 5-night stay (Marriott offers 5 nights for the price of 4) in the Courtyard Marriott in Vienne Messe and since it’s a category 3 hotel, that stay could be extended an additional night by the free night stay certificate. The first year card fee is waived, so by unlocking this card’s bonus points, my friend and his girlfriend could spend 6 nights in a beautiful Vienna hotel for absolutely nothing. The exact same trick would work for the Courtyard Budapest City Center, or they could split their points up and do 2 nights in one place and three in the other (but losing the 5th night free).
Courtyard Vienna Messe
Courtyard Budapest City Center
The itinerary I’ve put forth here utilizes some serious travel hacks to maximize every dollar, without significantly compromising or inconveniencing our travelers. Using my airfare and transportation tricks will reduce their transit costs from nearly $3000 to $800 and taking advantage of Airbnb plus one Marriott card will reduce their two-week accommodations bill from $500 for dingy hostel dorms to about $200 for a mix of charming homestays and highly-reviewed four-star hotels. Remember how I said our couple could probably make their airfare savings last two weeks if they had to? Well, with transportation and lodging covered for $1000, they’ve got $400 left over for food and activities, which means they won’t have to save much more to really do two weeks in Europe justice!
Whatever my friends decide to do with their trip, it’s clear that there are lots of opportunities for budget travel in Europe during the winter-time. Many of the sites that are overcrowded in summer will be easily accessible and the cities they’ll be visiting will certainly reveal a more casual, local side than at other times of the year. Though weather may be challenging at times, this trip is a wonderful opportunity and I hope they (and you readers out there) will be able to take advantage of some of the ideas I’ve put forth.
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