5 Ways to Save on Your Next European Vacation
Taking a vacation in Europe can be terribly expensive these days, what with the high exchange rate between Euros and other forms of currency and the high cost of living in Europe. But don’t let that deter you from taking a European vacation. With a little work, you can find ways to save money and still take your dream trip. Here are five ways to save on your next European vacation.
1. Cheaper hotel rooms and airfare can be found during the off season. The off season for Europe usually corresponds to the months of April and May or the months of September and October. Although not the most desirable times of year, the weather should still be quite nice and even better, the crowds should be thinner.
2. Start planning your trip way ahead of time. The best deals can be found this way. For example, a certain art museum may be free every first Monday of the month. There may be special discounts for certain days of the week or special discounts for the season. You need to find this stuff out ahead of time so you can plan your itinerary properly.
3. Apparently it can actually be cheaper to fly around Europe instead of taking the Eurorail. This may sound counter intuitive because most people are used to paying more money for plane trips than trains, but there are a lot of small commuter type airlines in Europe that offer amazing prices. Not only will it be faster to take the plane, but you may find yourself getting great prices the likes of five plane tickets costing the same as one Eurorail pass.
4. There are numerous student discounts available in Europe. If you are a student already, make sure to always carry your student ID and be sure to ask if there is a student discount wherever you go. For those of you who aren’t students anymore, there’s still a way for you to take advantage of these discounts. Just go sign up to take a class at your local community college. This will entitle you to a student ID too.
5. If you’re planning on using a credit card in Europe, do some research ahead of time. Many credit cards charge an international conversion fee for purchases made outside of your home country. These fees can run anywhere from 1% to 4% of the purchase. It may not seem like a lot of money, but after a while it definitely adds up, especially if your making big purchases. Try to find the credit card with the lowest fee, or call up your own credit card company and ask them if they can give you a better fee.