Europe - Tips to Travel on The Cheap / What to Watch out for (While You Are There)

mick123 on 11/03/2011 - 13:18

hi all,
my auntie n uncle going to Europe soon. Most the main places.
They are doing a tour + a cruise so accomodation and travel are pretty much taken care of. I think food is also taken care of on part of the tour (and cruise also of course).

What are some ozbargainer tips for their trip.
They are prob not looking to be on an extremely tight budget but want to spend carefully.
What are some traps to watch out for.

also, for eg,
- best places for currency exchange
- good mobile number that could maybe be used in most countries without roaming charges

I know I could google this (I will) but want this board's view too.
thanks :)

Travel

Comments

  • neil on 11/03/2011 - 16:06

    Check out the travel section in the wiki, in particular the part about Mobile Phone/Data Providers Overseas

    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/cards_with_no_overseas_tran…

  • retiredfeline on 11/03/2011 - 16:16

    Currency: Forget TCs and money changers, that's so last century. Get a 28degrees card, put money in before setting out and withdraw not-small chunks from ATMs. Comms: If they can handle a netbook, put Skype on it and call home that way. Whatever you do, don't use the hotel's phone. Even buying a phone card and using phone booths will work out cheaper. You can also get some free SMSes from various places and send from the web.

    • INFIDEL on 26/10/2011 - 12:28

      Damn- that is what I was going to suggest. A great way to save on travel!!

      Yes! A free card! I always use & tell travellers about the 28 Degrees credit card - no foreign exchange fees, no overseas ATM fees, just no fees if you pay by due date. Cheaper to use for overseas purchases.

      This also means free withrawals at ATMs overseas while travelling (if you transfer your own cash into that card - so you use it as a debit card with no cash advance fee) otherwise ATM fees are expensive when travelling OS! I set up my online (higher interest) account to transfer money each week to the 28degrees card.
      Saves me hundreds each trip.

      • INFIDEL on 30/10/2011 - 11:44

        There is a 28Degrees ad in the top right of this page at the moment! Interesting!! Just a coincidence or targeted marketing to overseas travellers? Well I am very happy with the card.

    • DaydreamBeliever on 27/10/2011 - 20:55

      Totally agreed.
      Money changers are a total rip of. They give the absolute worst rates. If they absolutely have to change cash while there for some reason, they should find an actual bank.

  • saine on 11/03/2011 - 21:31

    In France there's a meal de jour during lunchtime at many restaurants which is a lot cheaper than ordering off the menu. I ate one 'big' meal a day at lunch and then had something small for dinner (like a baguette.)
    Different museums have different 'free' days once a month. It's worth finding out when they are so that you don't miss out by a day.
    Walking up to Sacre Coeur, don't let the people hanging around the bottom tie a 'friendship' band around your wrist - you'll have to pay 10 euros to get free.

    • moooooooo on 29/10/2011 - 22:08

      Or carry nail scissors. :-)

    • YadaYadaYada on 11/02/2012 - 15:12
      +1

      Agree on the tip about the Sacre Coeur - they are very pushy and tell you that you don't have to buy it when they tie it around your wrist just to braid it, but when they're done they tell you another story. Better just to steer clear of them completely. Heh I went 2 years ago and heard a story from another traveller that this was only 5 euros. Guess the price went up!

  • sparkles on 12/03/2011 - 02:52

    Money saving tips for Italy:
    Drinking coffee at the bar, is cheaper than sitting down.
    Buy museum passes - skip the lines where you can, time is money, or opportunity to do more
    Don't get pickpocketed or swiped - invest in a safe secure bag like PacSafe anti-theft
    Don't pose for photos with "gladiators" at the Colleseum
    Eat lots of gelati - won't save money but will make you happy

    Overall tip, head to Eastern Europe, apart from Prague, everythings cheap. Poland, Hungary, Czech etc are a bargain hunters paradise because the prices are CHEAP. Like beer 50c, awesome multi course meal $10. Tip well in places like this, the people will LOVE YOU.

  • INFIDEL on 26/10/2011 - 12:29

    UK - some UK sim cards offer 1p/min calls to Australia. So take an unlocked mobile - about as cheap as Skype.

  • spacemansam on 30/10/2011 - 22:21

    Would people reccomend travelling by budget airlines or train around europe eg london to france?

    • retiredfeline on 30/10/2011 - 22:57

      It's not either or. You can mix and match.

    • INFIDEL on 31/10/2011 - 00:27

      Look for the specials!! RyanAir is cheap - subscribe for their specials online (available only a few months in advance). But watch out for where airports are located!! (Often in a field somewhere. 'Paris' was 100km north of Paris when I was booking a few years back. I flew to Tour & enjoyed the Chateaus, food & wine - the airport was just out of town.)

      In UK, book train travel with Megatrain for discount deals (eg London-Portsmouth last year costs 30Pound at the station, or 6Pound online the night before). MegaBus & other buses are cheap online. Even cheaper the earlier it is booked. Found France expensive for travel, as Trains are usually the only option, but have not been for a couple of years.

      Enjoy the exchange rate!

    • neil on 31/10/2011 - 21:58

      I'm currently in Europe. Definitely mix and match depending on the prices are and how long it takes. I flew last week with easyjet from London to Zurich. Crossing the channel tunnel is the expensive part by train so I opted for flight. Intercountry trips should probably be done via train. Try skyscaner.net for a comparison prices of budget airlines. Also London is tricky with flights and where you intend to stay in London. E.g. Stansted is £10 to go one way into London and dropped me off right outside my hotel. The gatwick Express train qis about £17 from Victoria street station but then you will have to take the underground or whatever to get to your hotel. Some underground stations don't have lifts or in the past I couldn't find them. Dragging your bags up and down the underground steps is a good way to kill your bags (and possibly yourself). easybus is about £4 from Earls court. The same thing applies to Euro destinations. Always check to see how far and how much transport is to the airport.

      P.S. I'm writing this on a train on my way to the Matterhorn. :)

      • INFIDEL on 01/11/2011 - 08:23

        Lucky you!
        EasyBus is from £2 (Stansted-Victoria) if you book ahead - a good service. AirAsia, RyanAir, and other discount airlines use Stansted

        • neil on 01/11/2011 - 09:31

          Yeah, booking ahead would work well going to the airport but coming out is anyone's guess with what time your flight will arrive, getting through immigration etc. Air Asia just switched it's operations this week from Stansted to Gatwick. Oh, and if you are thinking about getting a friend to drop you at Victoria Station, good luck as they will be hit with a massive congestion charge. Southern railways site also offers heavily discounted fares from victoria St to gatwick from around £3 but you have to book early.

        • INFIDEL on 01/11/2011 - 09:47

          Too true! No worries knowing ahead of time when to catch transport to flight - although I have had 1 flight brought forward.
          Was arriving on an Air Asia flight last year - one of their first to Stansted ($650 return). (The previous flight from Gold Coast to KL was delayed 24 hours (free resort stay) by techical problems with the plane. Lucky I had a 2 week stop over.) But flight arrived early at about 10pm. I had gambled on late arrival & booked the cheapest £2 EasyBus so many hours later. You may be able to ask for a change of travel time, but they use small buses so may not be room. At that price, I reasoned I could forget about taking the bus & pay extra for other transport. But it made no real difference, because I was too late for the last train from Victoria & the first Southern train to my friend's place did not leave until about 6am. Met a group of interesting travellers to fill in the time at Stansted.

  • spacemansam on 01/11/2011 - 10:26

    Great tips guys! Thanks :)

    • INFIDEL on 01/11/2011 - 10:40

      Enjoy yourself! My moto: The more I save, the more I travel, eat interesting foods, ….

  • SomeGuyOnOzB on 10/02/2012 - 15:16

    Hi Neil, did you use a mobile phone?

    I'm looking at France, Spain and Italy with a friend and wanted to be able to call her if need be and also to be able to call home. Both only rarely

    • neil on 10/02/2012 - 15:55
      +1

      Used this guide. http://paygsimwithdata.wikia.com/wiki/Pay_as_you_go_sim_with…

      I didn't really need the ability to call, just data. When I did need to call, I used Skype on iPad.

      For Italy, I got a Wind.it sim card. I reckon France and Spain should be fairly easy to get a sim card. If you want a piece of mind before hand, you could always get a travel sim, http://www.travelsim.net.au/.

      • SomeGuyOnOzB on 11/02/2012 - 19:47

        Thanks Neil,

        that Travel sim looks good … and I figure, saving time on shopping in each country (plus time filling out forms etc) would be worth the initial cost :)

        Though I do see the rates are more expensive than buying in each country :P

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