Money Saving Tips for Planning a European Trip

Here are some top money saving tips for planning your trip:

TIP: Budget your itinerary. Some countries, notably in Eastern Europe, are cheaper than others, such as Bulgaria, Slovenia and Bosnia. Denmark, Norway and Switzerland are among the costliest. Portugal and Spain are pretty reasonable, Greece less so than it used to be. Capital cities are pricey so pick one or two and visit some equally interesting second cities like Seville or Cordoba in Spain, Siena in Italy, Grenoble or Rouen in France.

TIP: Save on airfares by travelling off peak. Spring and fall are cheaper than summertime, less crowded, and you are more likely to be able to use frequent flyer miles if you have them saved up. Be flexible on your dates and flight times to get the best deal. Flying in and out of the same airport is usually cheaper than open jaw tickets which let you fly into one airport and leave from another.

TIP: Save yourself time by using your Visa Debit card not only for purchases, but to withdraw cash at ATMs all over Europe. Visa won’t charge you, but the local ATMs might so it’s more cost effective to draw a few large sums rather than lots of small amounts. Just remember to tell your card provider that you are taking a trip, or you may find your card blocked for security purposes.

TIP: If you’re city hopping, check out low cost, no frills airlines like Ryanair, Easyjet and Air Berlin. If you are not in a hurry, rail travel lets you see more of the countryside and is often less stressful than trekking to out of town airports. Book several weeks ahead online for the best deals. In the UK, for example, you could save up to £100 ($162) or more on travel between London and Scotland by booking well in advance.

TIP: For long distance rail travel across Europe, investigate rail passes. Eurail’s Global Pass covers up to 22 countries, others are good for more regional travel. In capital cities, use local buses and trains, but do as the locals do rather than buy tourist passes, which can be more expensive. In Paris, it’s cheaper to buy a carnet or book of metro tickets than to buy a tourist card. The same goes for trams in German cities. Use Oyster Card or Travelcards in London.