I will be leaving for London in three days and I pretty much have everything planned out and paid for. I started planning for my Europe trip in June last year and I calculated that I would need about $6,000 for my trip for two weeks which will include everything. I will be visiting eight countries in total including England, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and France. As this is my first time travelling to Europe, I do not know if this amount of money is too much or too little. Also, everyone has a different travel style so depending on the person, $6,000 for two weeks may be a bit outrageous for some. I will tell you more about my travel style on a different blog post but for now, we shall talk about money matters. Sounds good? Great!
On Dec. 10, 2014, I booked my Contiki European Magic Tour for CAD$1,820.70. That includes transportation to seven countries, accommodations, some breakfasts and dinner, and some activities.
On Feb. 10, 2015, I booked my roundtrip flight, from Edmonton to London and London to Edmonton, for CAD$1,273.92.
My Stonehenge, Bath, Stratford, and Coltswold tour with Premium Tours was booked for approximately CAD$178.10.
London Eye Champagne Experience costs CAD$59.81.
Sky Garden ticket was booked for FREE! Thanks to a tip from a friend, I found out that the Sky Garden is a free attraction in London but still needs to reserve tickets to get in.
Heartbreak Hotel was booked for CAD$24.40 multiply that by two because I bought one for my friend who is letting me stay at her flat for free so that will be CAD$48.80 for two tickets. (They have a deal for July shows where July shows are cheaper than August ones, so YAY!)
Eurostar train ticket Paris to London was booked for approximately CAD$134.17.
Disneyland Paris Magic ticket was booked for CAD$107.45.
On April 20, 2015, I bought £360 for CAD$685 and then again on July 7, 2015, I bought £100 for CAD$202.77 for a total of £460 for my pocket money while in London. This pocket money will be spent on food, shopping, and other attractions I might want to see which are not included in the tours.
On April 20, 2015, I bought €710 for CAD$996 and then again on July 7, 2015, I bought €275 for CAD$399.11 for a total of €985 for my pocket for the rest of my Euro trip. This pocket money will be spent on food, shopping, and other attractions I might want to see which are not included in the tours.
As you may have noticed, there are no expenses on accommodations because I will be staying at a friend’s house in London and Paris which really saves me a LOOOOT of money and I am so grateful for that. As for the other places I am going to be visiting, accommodations are all included in my Contiki tour.
Based on my expenses above, the total is CAD$5,905.83. Verdict: stayed on budget (assuming I don’t spend more than what I have for my pocket money and not use my credit card while I’m there then yes, my prediction of CAD$6,000 budget is enough).
After I get back from my Euro trip, I will write a blog post with a complete breakdown of all my expenses including how I spent my pocket money. I will also be writing about why I chose to plan ahead instead of being more spontaneous.
If you have any questions about my expenses or anything really, please do not hesitate to contact me through e-mail at jusztravel@gmail.com or leave a comment below.
Hope this post gives you a little bit of an idea when looking at how much you may need or want to spend when you plan your trip to Europe.
People travel differently and thus the costs are different. Last year, we did a cruise of 7 countries in two weeks for just a little over $3,500 pp with accommodations and food all covered. Add to this the plane fare from Phoenix to Stockholm and back and it was also well under $6,000. congratulations to travelers when we get such bargains!
As a slow traveller, 8 countries in 16 days seems like hell! I can’t imagine you’ll get to experience a country 🙂 And I would probably last 6 months with that budget 🙂 But each to their own of course! I hope you’ll have a fantastic time!
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Hi Carol! Does the $3,500 include your spending money for shopping, etc?
I do agree that 8 countries in 16 days is not enough time to get to know a place but for people like me who only get 2 weeks of vacation a year from work, we have to make the most of it. 🙂 I wouldn’t say it was hell, though, because I still did have the time of my life and I got to meet amazing people and saw/experience a lot of things. It gave me a bit more of an idea of what I liked and what I would be willing to visit/do again. Think of it as a sample platter of an appetizer where you can get a feel of every country.
Wow, I gotta say I love your transparency re: associated costs. We all have different travel styles but I’m similar to you; in the sense that I try to get as much in given my short durations. 8 countries in 16 days is a bit too much for me but I am blown away at your commitment. I usually pick one country and city/town hop; but definitely am interested in your adventures.
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Thank you, travelling chingrita! When I started this blog, I wanted my readers to have access to as much information as possible from where to go, how to get there, how much it costs, what websites will be hopeful, etc. for them to be able to plan their trips the way I did (if they want to or are interested in doing the same thing). 🙂
Anymore, I refuse to do the as many countries as possible in a couple of days. I like being able to take my time and explore lots of places in one country.
Your budget isn’t that bad given the things you are doing. I did 3 weeks in England for 2000 including flights. But I am cheap, and didn’t do any big tours.
Jennifer @ Made all the Difference Travel Blog recently posted…Paddling the Nine Mile Pond Canoe Trail
Hi Jenn! I would love to spend more days in one place if I could but as of right now, I do not have the luxury of time. Maybe one day! 🙂 How much was your flight? and where were you coming from?
You travel in a similar style to us, we tend to make the most of a few weeks at a time. We don’t have a huge budget so we try to plan around seeing as much as we can, to an extent. We still like to make sure we’re able to see the things we personally find important. 🙂 I’m glad you had a great time, it definitely looks like a lot of fun!
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Oh my gosh! This is so detailed and helpful. Already bookmarked to help me plan for the NEXT time I come back to Europe. It’s so great to see that you can actually travel Europe for relatively cheap.