What kind of a daily budget can I expect to put myself on while backpacking through Europe for a month?

Question

I already have airfare, rail pass, and hostel memberhip. I'm just talking about food, drinks, attractions, nightlife, and lodging. I'm trying to keep unnecessary expenses at a minimum.

Answer 1

I just came back from a 4-month European trip, so I think I could be of help here. My experience is from Western Europe. If you are going to Eastern Europe, it's a whole other story.

This very much depends on what you want to see and do and what countries you want to visit. Bars and pubs almost everywhere are crazy expensive (particularly in England) and you are better off buying alcohol in stores (if drinking is your thing, that is). Three best countries for this are: Spain, Belgium, and Germany. Spain is the cheapest of all, but Belgian and German beers are phenomenal - so your pick.

Food depends on whether you can cook. I'd learn how to make some simple sandwich (being in France and not ever making yourself a baguette sandwich is a crime in my eyes) and a couple of dinner dishes. Most popular backpacker foods are pasta, rice, and couscous, all of which are super easy to make, can take almost any kind of sauce/side, and are incredibly cheap if you know where to look.

If you cannot cook (though it's really not that hard and I would make an effort to), then be prepared to either eat unhealthy food (kebabs, paninis, etc) or spending lots of money on restaurants. 2 cheap meals a day would run you into 10-15 euros (or if in England, the same in pounds), unless you are going to McDonalds or something. McDonalds is still around 6 euros per meal, though. Restaurants run you into about 10-15 euros per meal + tax, but I'm not an expert.

Also to save money, I'd get used to drinking tap water instead of soda, as any bottled beverages usually cost a lot in Europe. In Italy, for example, the street water fountains have incredibly good-tasting water and yes, it's safe. Most of Western Europe is, but ask before you try.

If by hostel membership, you mean Hostelling International, I'd stay away. Try searching for independent hostels at hostelworld.com - they are usually cheaper. However, HI does keep a certain cleanliness/service standard and you can always count on that. Other hostels not so much. Nevertheless, HI hostels also tend to kick you out during the afternoon (usual time is from 10 am to 2 pm, so go as late as 5 pm) and not being able to come back and rest up can be a killer on tiring days or days with bad weather.

I'll tell you what I did. I had very little money and I lived on around 25-30 euros a day. It's very little, I know. However, I kept bars to a minimum (almost none) and in general, I didn't drink too much. I cooked lunch and dinner (if you plan to do the same, ALWAYS remember to look for hostels that have self-catering kitchens), so meals were usually 2-5 euros per day tops. Lodging was as it came, but I usually picked the cheapest ones. And, even if it sounds scary, I only had maybe 3-4 bad experiences out of 4 months of travelling even though I almost always stayed in the cheapest hostels available (I hate hihostels - hostelworld is better). I also made friends so I could stay with them for free and even if not, feeding 2+ people is always cheaper than feeding just one.

Attractions also depend on the city. London's museums are free and everything that's not is oftentimes not worth seeing. Paris can be a pain, but if you are hardcore, you can get the multi-day pass and save money that way (the best part is that it gives you unlimited access to the Louvre - and the Louvre is definitely worth seeing twice). So big cities can run you into 10-15 euros a day, which is tough. Smaller cities tend to cost next to nothing, maybe a couple of euros.

I know you have a railpass, but I hate railpasses. Spain and England have wonderful bus systems and Britishrail also sells super cheap tickets if you buy them well in advance. France with a youthcard could also be cheaper if you take individual trains. But then, that depends on the length of your trip.

Also don't forget transportation. Cities like London, Paris, and Berlin are unwalkable, so they could cost you some. I personally preferred to rent a bike (Orange Bikes in Berlin rent out crappy bikes for 5 euros per 24 hours - you can't go wrong with that and it's so much more fun than the ugly u-bahn), especially considering how friendly Europe is to bikers.

So if you are crazy like me, I'd say 25-30 euro a day. If you want to give yourself some room, 45-50 a day sounds nice. Most cost-cutting comes from cooking your own food (supermarkets are ALWAYS cheaper than small grocery stores, unless you know a local who could point you to a cheap small store; otherwise Lidl is very good and can be found in many countries) and from staying in cheap hostels. Also, from staying in places people don't often visit. Bretagne in France has very good 8 euro a night hostels and it's my favorite place in that country after Paris (and I've been to a lot of places in France). You do have to know some French there, though.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

While above answer is very good, take more money if you can.
It is no fun if you have no money to spend, even more so when all the others in the hostel go do something fun and you can not go along because you have no money left.

Traveling in Eastern Europe will stretch your budget a little more too, often you can eat out there for the price of a self cooked meal in the west.