Travel expert advises on budget-friendly European trips

Drawing on teaching and solo travel experience, Ms. Thuy suggests a budget of 2,600 euros (approximately 64 million dong) for a one-month stay in Europe.

Travel expert advises on how to travel affordably yet enjoyably in Europe

Ms. Nguyen Thu Thuy, a lecturer at the Department of Tourism Studies - University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Hanoi), has 16 years of teaching experience. Currently, she also serves as the Director of a travel service company. Due to work demands and personal interest, Ms. Thuy frequently travels and has accumulated a wealth of experience.

Following the viral post about a 22-day Europe trip for 40 million dong, Ms. Thuy shared her solo travel experience in Europe in 2011 over 30 days across 8 countries. The article has been updated with current prices.

Ms. Thuy's itinerary included Hungary (Budapest), Austria (Vienna), Italy (Rome, Venice, Milan), Spain (Madrid, Barcelona), Portugal (Lisbon), Switzerland (Geneva), France (Nantes, Paris, and several coastal cities in Southern France), Germany (Munich).

Regarding the timing, she traveled around early September to early October, with beautiful weather, clear blue skies, golden sunshine, and a slight chill requiring just a light coat and scarf. There was only one day of rain in Geneva. Planning this trip took her two weeks to meticulously plan every minute of each day.

Many tour guides believed that her itinerary was overly packed, but because she was traveling solo and not dependent on anyone, she managed to execute nearly 100% of her plans. The only setbacks were minor incidents such as strikes in Venice, missing a bus in Madrid, and missing a train from Paris to Munich, which were nothing to complain about. From these experiences, she learned that even being 3 minutes late could leave you helplessly watching your bus or train depart. Last July, she also guided a friend and her child using this method, resulting in very economical expenses.

1. Visa Processing

Visa processing fee: 60 euros. She applied for a visa at the Hungarian embassy and had an invitation letter from a university. This is the most challenging part of traveling solo in Europe. The experience is that obtaining a Schengen visa through the French embassy is not easy. To be granted a visa, you must prove to the reviewer your intention to not stay in Europe permanently by providing documents such as employment contracts, average income (salary slips), land ownership certificates, savings accounts, etc.

You also need to attach a detailed itinerary and flight and hotel bookings as planned. Of course, international travel insurance is also required. Note that embassies may reject our applications with vague reasons. You can file a complaint via email if rejected.

2. International Flight Tickets

Round trip from Hanoi to Budapest costs around 600 euros per person, with the cheapest option being Quatar Airlines. You can choose other airlines if your first destination in Europe is a different country.

3. Getting Around Europe

Bus

The most optimal choice is to purchase the Eurolines pass. This is a form of bus travel across Europe, with options for 15 days or 30 days (https://www.eurolines-pass.eu/en/pa…).

Advantages: low cost (the lowest package for youths is 195 euros for 15 days), convenience, departure points are city bus stations, overnight sleeping on the bus is possible, saving accommodation costs, waking up in a different country in the morning. Luggage is tagged, with porters available for assistance…

Disadvantages: you need a detailed itinerary and must arrive early at the first departure point to collect tickets, tickets may run out if you arrive late. Tickets must be printed and carried, electronic copies are not accepted.

High-speed trains

For long-distance travel between countries, you can opt for high-speed trains (each country has several train companies), or choose a Eurorails pass (travel by train between countries), which offers good prices starting from 106 euros for travel between 4 countries. The only downside is that you have to carry your luggage onto the train and place it quite high above your head. Website: http://www.eurail.com/eurail-passes.

Air travel

Alternatively, you can choose budget airlines to fly between countries, such as EasyJet, just remember to purchase additional fees for checked baggage, as excess baggage fees may be more expensive than the ticket price. Flight prices within Europe can be as low as around 30 euros per leg. Website: http://www.easyjet.com/en.

4. Getting around and sightseeing in the city

Taxis in Europe are very expensive, so the best option is to use public transportation such as buses, metros, trams (like in Prague), and tourist boats (such as in Venice).

From the airport to the city center, there are bus routes priced around 5 euros/way. All cities issue city passes (city sightseeing cards) with a tourist map, offering various options (1-day or 2, 3, 4-day passes). With this pass, you get free access to all public transportation as well as tourist attractions listed in the pass. Moreover, you're entitled to skip the ticket queues. Without the pass, expect to wait in line for at least 45 minutes to buy tickets for attractions like the Louvre Museum (18 euros), Marseille Palace (15 euros), or Arc de Triomphe (10 euros).

The passes can be purchased at international airports, train stations, city bus terminals, or convenience stores like 7 Eleven. For example, the Venice city pass is priced at 20 euros/day or 30 euros/2 days, or 40 euros/3 days. The Paris City Museum Pass is priced at 62 euros for 4 days but offers free access to 60 tourist spots and museums. Website: http://en.parismuseumpass.com/.

Alternatively, you can choose a hop-on-hop-off tour to visit major city attractions. This tour uses buses with stops near tourist sites, with each stop lasting either 15 minutes or 30 minutes depending on the attractiveness level. You can purchase this tour package for 24 hours or 48 hours, with multiple routes available.

Some cities not only use buses for transportation but also electric trains or riverboats (like Budapest or Venice). Passengers are provided with individual headphones, which are plugged into the control panel upon boarding to select the preferred language for GPS-guided narration. When disembarking, passengers can keep the headphones for use on the next bus trip. Depending on the city, narration information is available in up to 16 or 21 languages. The hop-on-hop-off tour in Rome is priced at 68 euros (includes admission tickets to the Colosseum and Vatican Museum). Website: http://www.hop-on-hop-off-bus.com/

5. Accommodation

This is a fairly expensive expense if you choose hotels from 2 stars and above. But to save costs, you should book hostels or dormitories, with prices around 15 euros/person/night. Of course, not every city has this average price, accommodation in Switzerland is very high, over 50 euros/room even for 2-star hotels. If traveling with 2 people and splitting the room cost, it's quite convenient to choose a hostel or small hotel.

If traveling solo, opt for a dorm, but avoid mixed dormitories (with both genders). Ms. Thuy once overlooked this and mistakenly chose such a dormitory. In a dorm, each person has their own bed and locker, so you can feel completely at ease. Of course, the toilet area is shared.

When selecting a hotel, pay attention to choosing accommodations with guest ratings above 6.5, close to bus or metro stations for convenient transportation. Avoid selecting accommodations far from public transportation hubs with low prices, as the transportation costs may outweigh the lodging fees.

When booking a room, choose the option with free cancellation and breakfast included. Also, check the guest reviews on TripAdvisor for the most objective information about the place you plan to stay. You can also consider couchsurfing to save costs (a form of free accommodation) but currently, this type of accommodation comes with some difficult-to-control risks.

6. Dining

– Breakfast: Already included in the hostel/dorm price, so have a hearty breakfast. If you're leaving early and there are no attractions open, feel free to enjoy your breakfast and check out around 9 a.m. If you're traveling all day and night to another city, check out and leave your luggage at the reception to collect when you return to the hotel.

– Lunch: Since you've already had a filling breakfast, for lunch, you can have a light meal like a hamburger or fast food, costing around 3-5 euros/person, mainly to find a cool resting place with free Wi-Fi.

– Dinner: Ms. Thuy's dinner often involves going to the supermarket to choose items such as fresh milk, yogurt, vegetables, and various fruits to replenish vitamins for the day. This eating approach ensures both nutritional adequacy and cost savings, costing only about 5-7 euros per meal. Occasionally, you can treat yourself to a sumptuous dinner at a local restaurant to savor the local cuisine. A fine dining experience at a restaurant will set you back no less than 40 euros per person.

– Drinking: Beverages in Europe are quite expensive, so the best way is to bring your own bottle and refill it at points offering free clean water. Since traveling involves a lot of movement, don't forget to drink at least 2 liters of water per day and remember to have change for the restroom.

7. Shopping

Ms. Thuy mainly buys souvenirs, but she always chooses locally characteristic products, so this expense category also accounts for quite a bit of money. Even a cheap mask in Venice costs around 40-50 euros. Travel guide products (books, guidebooks, DVDs, etc.) are also not cheap at all. If you roughly calculate, this part of her expenses amounts to 500 euros per city.

8. Total Expenses

With the above items listed, Ms. Thuy's total expenses for one month amount to over 2,600 euros. Note that because she travels alone, the accommodation costs are relatively high as she cannot share the room.

Summary

– Visa: 60 euros.

– Flight tickets: 600 euros.

– Travel within Europe: Eurolines 15 days (250 euros) + 3 flights (120 euros) = 370 euros.

– Accommodation: 24 nights x 15 euros = 360 euros (deducted for about 5 nights spent on the bus).

– Meals: 27 days x 12 euros = 324 euros (deducted for 3 days of meals on the plane).

– Sightseeing: averaging 30 euros/2 days/city, total cost is 390 euros for 13 cities.

– Shopping and contingency expenses: 500 euros.

– International travel insurance cost: at least around 1.5 USD/day.

According to Ngôi Sao

***

Reference: Mytour Travel Guide