How Much Does It Cost To Travel In Europe?
Nov
European travel doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, it can be downright cheap if you know how to budget, barter, and avoid extraneous expenses.
For the last nine months I’ve been traveling with my bicycle all across Europe. Traveling alone and under my owner power, I visited 16 different countries and had one of the most memorable experiences of my entire life.
But this extended trip through Europe didn’t cost nearly as much as you might think. In fact, it cost me less to travel in Europe than it does for me to simply sit at home back in the United States and pay my bills.
For a detailed breakdown of each month’s travel expenses see the list below:
January – $1,708.62
There’s a lot of information out there about what kind of touring bikes to ride and which panniers to use, but it seems to be pretty difficult to find out how much a long distance self-supported bicycle tour actually costs. You hear people talk about how they’ve spent less than $20, $10, $5 and even $3.00 USD a day, but it’s hard to tell what they are actually spending that money on because these accounts are… (Click To Read More)
February – $1,684.59
Switzerland, Germany, France, Liechtenstein
How much does one month of travel in Switzerland cost? Well, if you haven’t yet read my last post on this matter, check it out here. In that post I showed how my first month in Switzerland cost me just over $,1700 USD. And while my first month in Switzerland was relatively uneventful and I didn’t venture very far from my home base in Luzern, February took me by bike and by train to some of Switzerland’s… (Click To Read More)
March – $1,314.77
Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia
Today’s article is the third part of my on-going series about the cost of long distance bicycle travel. The previous two months were spent in Switzerland, where I spent approximately $1,708 the first month and $1685 the second month. This month, however, I moved from Switzerland and traveled to Northern Germany, where I then returned to Switzerland for just one day before making my way… (Click To Read More)
April – $556.73
I began the month in Vienna, where I spent the first five days before leaving my rented apartment in the Prater district and traveling by train to Salzburg. I spent two nights in Salzburg, renting a hotel room while I was there. After leaving Salzburg, I traveled by train once again to the city of Innsbruck, where I “couch surfed” for a night before jumping on yet another train and going to Ljubljana, Slovenia… (Click To Read More)
May – $1,002.60
May was my fifth month in Europe. I’ve been traveling around on my bicycle, renting apartments in various cities along the way, and having the time of my life! At the end of each month I total up my travel expenses and share them with you. The goal here is to show just how inexpensive world travel can be.. I didn’t travel far this month, however I did cross from Croatia into Montenegro and had… (Click To Read More)
June – $1,073.01
For the past six months I’ve been sharing my expenses with you as I slowly make my way by bike from Switzerland to Greece. This month is no different. However, the landscape and locations visited on my travels over the past four weeks were unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. After having spent the first 24 days of June living in a small one-bedroom apartment in Tivat, Montenegro, I cycled… (Click To Read More)
July – $1,270.76
Last month (July) I traveled from Kosovo to Skopje, Macedonia, where I stayed for two weeks before cycling east to the city of Strumica. I stayed in Strumica, Macedonia for five days and then pedaled my way into Bulgaria, and from there, south into Greece. I did a little stealth camping in northern Greece and then cycled down into Thessaloniki where I spent a few days exploring the city before… (Click To Read More)
August – $1,175.48
I spent the entire month of August based in the once ancient (now modern) city of Athens, Greece. Most of my days were spent in the city – both working and exploring. However, I did manage to go on a cruise to Turkey and 4 Greek islands and had a friend from California come out and visit me. I’ll be sharing pictures and video from Athens in a series of future posts, but in the meantime, here are my living… (Click To Read More)
September – $1,438.20
I spent the first fourteen days of September, 2009 in the city of Athens, Greece. I rented an apartment, saw the sites, went out with friends I met in the city and finally, after nearly nine months in Europe, I caught a flight back to the United States and returned home. These are my final travel expenses from the month of September 2009… (Click To Read More)
GRAND TOTAL FOR 9 MONTHS OF TRAVEL: $11,224.76 USD
AVERAGE COST PER MONTH: $1,247.19
You are right Tom. The travel expenses could have been cut way down if I really tried. But I slept in an apartment/hotel almost every single night and I think that for a lot of people (people who don’t want to necessarily sleep on the ground every night) this shows that it can be done for a relatively low price. My first 6 tours all cost less than $3.00 a day, so I know that going cheap can be done as well. And I’ve heard of people traveling for even less than that.
Before the Euro destroyed the currencies of sovereign nations for ordinary people in order to enrich international commerce and save governments from decades of profligate spending, I’d traveled all over Europe six years for practically nothing. It’s true that the American dollar was healthier then; and, natives were happier to see authentic travelers dropping by for a visit then they are now. Airlines, back when “getting there” was half the fun, were a lot friendlier, too. But those days are sadly gone forever, now. My advice is to stay home, tend your own garden. Travel can make you wiser (that is, can make some people wiser) but will almost always make everyone less happy.
At the very least, travel closer to home. For Americans that would mean south of the border and Canada. Finally, I’d say, don’t believe everything travel writers have to say. Remember they get paid for traveling and often lying about their experiences.
Dear Darren
Your bicycle trans-europe adventure is a lovely reading. In fact I as I continued to read I caught myself travelling too- visualising the landscapes, the roads, the towns and cities, the people, the landmarks…..
And,when I read the part where you wrote about your return to the USA it made me sad. As if my own journey was painfully cut-short without my consent 🙂
Are you planning to write a book on your bicycle adventure?
If not a paper-based book you can write an eBook.
Keep the price low and I am sure people will love to read it.
It seems a few of the comentators here themselves avid and passionate adventurous travellers too.
All of you can gang-up and jointly write an eBook.
Wish you all the best in whatever you do in life and wish you great thrills in all your adventures.
Namastey from India.
I am Subrata Biswas.I am live in kolkata in india.I want to cycle tour in european country for expidition.I have no fainance. But i am cyclesit.I gone all India by cycle year2000 & kolkata to Dhaka (Bangladesh) 2013.If any prosess send me to complet in my achipment.Thankyou+91 9836318009,chaturdola@yahoo.in,chaturdola@yahoo.in
It is Possiable?