Cashing In on the Continent : Even with a tight budget, Europe is worth the effort

In 1972, I spent six months rambling through Western Europe for about $10 a day, which was cheap even back then. But I managed quite comfortably.

Those days are long gone, but Europe can still be surprisingly affordable--if you count your pennies carefully. And even on a tight budget, you can have the time of your life. For a while now, the dollar has been gaining strength against the German mark and other major European currencies. In January, it was at a 2 1/2-year high, according to the European Travel Commission, a tourism organization representing 26 European nations. When the dollar is strong, Europe is less pricey.

So what does it cost to travel cheaply in Europe today? It all depends on how much or how little you are willing and able to pay, say the experts. Your biggest expenses--which can make or break your budget--are lodging and meals. But these also are the costs over which you have the most control.

On a bare-bones budget (the kind I adhered to 25 years ago), you should be able to get by on $30 a day for food and lodging, says Louis CasaBianca, author of “First-Time Europe” (Rough Guides, $9.95), a budget-traveler’s guide to the Continent.

He assumes you will be sleeping in hostels and eating picnic meals purchased from neighborhood markets. It’s not a bad way to travel if you are young and adventurous . . . or even old and adventurous.

The famous Arthur Frommer guide, which debuted in 1957 as “Europe on $5 a Day,” is now “Europe from $50 a Day” (Macmillan, $21.95). The $50 figure is for lodging and meals only, and it assumes you will be sharing the cost of a modest hotel room with a companion and eating in inexpensive neighborhood cafes. The publisher pitches the book as “the Grown-Up’s Guide to Budget Travel.”

Guidebook author Rick Steves, an experienced and enthusiastic budget traveler, sets $60 as the daily average travelers should expect to spend for lodging and meals. You will pay less in southern Europe, he writes in “Europe Through the Back Door 1997” (John Muir, $19.95), and more in northern Europe. His idea of cheap lodgings is “simple but not sleazy.” Usually, the toilet and shower are down the hall.

Personally, I have progressed over the years from “simple,” as a lodging qualifier, to “charming,” and charming costs more. In preparation for an upcoming trip to northern Italy, my wife, Sandy, and I have reserved rooms (each with a private bath) in several small, charming (we hope), moderately priced hotels at rates that begin at about $85 a night. We’ve budgeted about $50 a night for dinner for two, and in Italy at this price we can expect to dine quite nicely.

The amount you are willing to pay for lodging and meals may depend on what you are interested in getting out of your European holiday. When I first crossed the Atlantic, I wanted to see all the famous sights of Europe’s capitals, and I didn’t much care where I stayed so long as the place was reasonably clean and safe. This is the attitude shared by the guidebook authors mentioned above.

But nowadays when I return, I’m interested in absorbing a bit of the local atmosphere, as well as seeing the sights. I take long walks outside the standard tourist precincts, visit neighborhood parks and spend a lot of time people-watching from sidewalk cafes. When possible, I like to stay in small inns or hotels that reflect the local culture. I’ll stretch my budget to pay the added cost of these lodgings.

Your budget also is shaped by the length of your stay. If you plan to spend the summer abroad, you really do have to search out cheaper lodgings. If you are going for only a week, rooms at $100 a night or more aren’t so daunting. When I traveled for six months, I kept close watch over my room costs. If I saved a few bucks on a humble place in one city, I treated myself to a nice room with a bath in the next.

In any travel budget, leave a little money for a splurge.

When Sandy and I were in Venice, I overheard an exchange between an American couple and a gondolier. “How much is a ride?” the man asked, and the gondolier replied with a figure in lira that amounted to about $50. “That’s an outrage,” the American shouted. “I’m not going to waste my money.” The gondolier shrugged.

I had watched this exchange with interest. The night before, Sandy and I had paid the same $50 fee for a 45-minute ride. We carried a small bottle of champagne and plastic glasses for ourselves and the gondolier, who was pleased to be remembered. As the sun set, we glided beneath the city’s lovely arched bridges, sipping our champagne and reveling in the beauty of the evening. For a lifelong memory like this, our 50 bucks was actually quite a bargain.

Whatever your comfort level, there are a number of easy ways to keep the costs of European travel down.

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On a tight budget, you will want to search for the cheapest air fare. Usually, you won’t find it by buying directly from the airline. Instead, consider getting your ticket from a consolidator--an air fare discounter. An alternative is to book a charter flight. If you are new to transatlantic travel, get a travel agent to help you find the best fare.

Consolidators are quoting fares for this summer that are as much as $200 less per ticket than what the major airlines are selling.

Although not as widely available, charter flights also can be a good deal.

Summer is the high season for transatlantic air travel; spring and fall are somewhat cheaper. The lowest air fares to Europe generally are available from mid-January through March. If you find summer air fare costs intimidating, go in winter.

Don’t try to gulp down the whole of Europe on one trip. You won’t enjoy the experience, and you will pay a fortune in transportation costs. Instead, limit your visit to a single country; or better yet, a region of a country.

Air and rail fares within Europe are expensive--although Italy is something of an exception. Even Eurail passes can take a big bite out of your wallet. A three-week adult pass, good for first-class travel in 17 countries, will cost $678 this summer.

A couple of years ago, my wife and I undertook a two-week northern Italy itinerary that took us by train from Milan to Parma, Ferrara, Bologna, Ravenna, Venice, Bergamo, Bellagio on Lake Como and back to Milan. Because the distances between these destinations are not great, we paid only a total of about $75 each for rail tickets. In this case, we figured buying the tickets as we needed them was cheaper than any Eurail pass.

Don’t even think about renting a car if you are on a limited budget. Not only are rates high, you will be paying hefty prices for gas, road tolls and parking. Explore by train and bus.

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If, like me, you don’t like to spend precious vacation time searching for a place to stay, invest in a couple of budget lodging guides and use them to book rooms (by phone or fax) in your price range. The good cheap places tend to fill quickly in the summer, so start looking early. Or try the lodging reservation desks in most big city airports and railway stations. Either way, you will save a bundle by not demanding a private bath.

Consider also such inexpensive alternative lodgings as bed-and-breakfasts, hostels and (in summer) university dorms. Hostels and dorms are particularly advantageous to single travelers who don’t have a companion to split the cost of a hotel room.

In Europe, you will find B&B; lodgings in private homes or perhaps occupying a floor of a city-center office or apartment building. They often are clustered near the railway station.

Based in Washington, American Youth Hostels (telephone [202] 783-6161) can provide information about European hostels and make reservations. This summer, rates for a dorm bed will range from about $15 to $30.

The “Budget Lodging Guide” lists European college campuses with summer dorm accommodations. A single room averages about $20 to $25. The guide costs $16.95 and can be ordered from B&J; Publications, tel. (800) 525-6633.

Among the standard European budget guides, the “Let’s Go” series and the Berkeley Guides are aimed primarily at students and recent grads. Adventurous travelers with a vagabond mentality may prefer the Rough Guides and Lonely Planet’s “On a Shoestring” series. If you simply are looking for decent lodging at budget-conscious rates, check the Rick Steves series of guides, Fielding’s “Budget Europe,” Fodor’s “Affordable Guides” and Frommer’s “Frugal Traveler’s Guides.”

If you really want to save, you can picnic your way through Europe on yogurt, cheese, fruit and bread purchased in neighborhood markets.

But you will miss out on the pleasures of European menus. Better to mix picnics with decent, moderately priced meals.

Entrance fees into Europe’s museums, historic buildings and even some of its churches can be as much as $5 or $6 per person. When you put several museums on a day’s agenda, the costs mount quickly.

One way around this is to buy a city museum pass from the local visitor information office. If you are a heavy museum-goer, the pass will save you money. The pass may also offer reduced prices on concert and theater tickets. In many cities, you can also buy bus and subway passes, which are money-savers if you expect to use public transportation frequently. I try to walk almost everywhere, which doesn’t cost a penny.