In 2008, when I was 21, I came up with the idea of booking an Interrail ticket and touring Europe for a month. I decided travel to Paris, Madrid, Granada, Barcelona, Venice, Rome, Athens, Istanbul and Vienna. And I felt the strong urge to do this tour alone.
One of the things I had to figure out ahead of time, was my budget. I was in college at the time and blessed by financially supported by my parents. Nevertheless, I could not expect them to pay for such an extensive trip.
I was lucky enough that my parents and my grandparents had opened up a savings plan when I was born, which had accumulated a respectable sum of money. I had received a chunk of that money for with my 18th birthday and decided to use some of it to finance this tour.
But I wanted to be reasonable and not blow everything in one go. So I did some additional research to figure out what would be a reasonable budget. I figured that some countries (e.g. Italy) would require a little bit more daily allowance while other’s would be cheaper (e.g. Turkey). Overall, I ended with a daily maximum budget of 50€ for accommodations in youth hostels, simple food, train reservations and activities. Regardless, my goal would always be to spend as little as possible. Aside from the resulting 1 500€ budget for the full month, I also decided to add an emergency sum into my Deutsche Bank student account, just in case I ran into any major issues while on the road. Said account would allow me to access my funds fee-free at a handful of locations across Europe (now there are numerous better options out there).
With the money question sorted out, and the travel date fast approaching, I was left with packing for the journey ahead…
How about you?
Do you usually set up a travel budget before setting out?
Cover picture was taken in Berlin (Germany) in Jul 2016
Missing the beginning of this story?
Around Europe in 30 days #1: Forming a plan
Wandering Explorer Travel 
Traveling on a budget is no easy feat, especially when you’re young and have less money to spend. But traveling really does teach you how to manage money wisely, through mistakes and victories in the process. Because of travel, I’ve learned how to save up my money…but also know when to treat myself to the pleasures in life. Thanks for sharing, and I can’t wait to hear about your further adventures soon! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed. Travel has definitely taught me how to be frugal when it comes to the essentials… and how to treat myself for things that I will thoroughly enjoy and create unforgettable memories. Everyone has different things that bring them pleasure, whether it is food, activities, souvenirs or something else. Personally, I love to spend my money on visiting and experiencing unique places and sights. Palaces, historic places, national parks… Getting lost and taking in these places gives me pure joy and is one of the main reasons that I love to travel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
€50 is a good total to budget. That’s what I usually budget as well and then aim to spend less.most of my budget goes on sightseeing and I sacrifice food in favour of doing something special
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds just like my approach 🤓👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
My stepdaughter did the same trip when she left college. She did a 60 day tour using hostels for under $6000. It helped her launch a successful career in the travel industry.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is great to hear. So exciting that she got to make a career out of it 😍 #dreamcometrue 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person