Balitang America Travels: Europe on a Shoestring

Playing catch-up on my televised "Travels" segments...In my March 23rd segment on Balitang America, I talked about how to save money on a European vacation. I shared some expert advice from travel guru Rick Steves whom I interviewed at the Bay Area Travel Show.

Even if you are on a shoestring budget, Rick said you can still take a trip to Europe for $120/day per person, or even down to $60/day if you are willing to stay in youth hostels and eat cheaply. That budget excludes transportation expenses, but includes money for lodging, food and sightseeing. "The major expense is eating and sleeping," he said. "People who know how to find good alternatives to hotels and restaurants, they’ll save a lot of money."

My husband and I used Rick Steves' guidebooks to plan our trip when we visited France and Italy in 2007. Here are some general tips for cutting costs on your European vacation:

• LODGING: Stay at a bed and breakfast or rent an apartment with a group of friends... or stay in a simple hotel with few amenities, especially if you plan to spend most of your time sightseeing away from the hotel.


• FOOD: Avoid high-priced restaurants near tourist traps and look for good, cheap, hole-in-the wall places where the locals eat... always look to see if the service charge is included in your check and research the appropriate tip percentage for the city you are in.. buy snacks and water at the local market... and pack a few picnic lunches to save money and time.


• SIGHTSEEING: Plan out which museums and attractions you want to visit, and see if there is a pass that covers more than one of them and is less expensive than buying a separate ticket for each one... buy tickets in advance, so you don't have to waste time in long lines at the ticket counter once you get to the attraction.

Rick said the best thing you can do to save money is to "travel smart" -- research and plan ahead before your trip, so you can be prepared with all of the information you need and be your own tour guide there. It may seem daunting to plan so much ahead of time, but chances are you will enjoy your trip more, and most importantly, save time and money too!

Travels is a weekly TV segment written and produced by Christi Morales. It airs every Monday during Balitang America's (News in America) 5:30pm PST newcast on ABS-CBN Global's The Filipino Channel (TFC). Balitang America can also be seen on KTSF Channel 26 at 6:45pm PST in the San Francisco Bay Area.