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I kind of lost interest in WE for a while after visiting lots of WE countries so i went for more far away travels. But now i've seen that I kind of got it back. I'm very interested in Spain/Portugal since I haven't been there yet, and also the Nordic countries since I can't get enough of that.
For some reason I find myself drawn to the North. Think I'll end up owning some cabin in the woods some day
Yea, and England, France, Germany, Netherlands, etc...
Budget travel is easy in Europe... train tickets are pretty cheap, low cost airlines, hostels, etc....
You always talk about how cheaper groceries are in Europe though
Stay in Hostels instead of Hotels... Renting a car isn't always necessary but ive seen some pretty affordable rates for car rentals in Germany.
I think he means groceries in the touristy part of towns. Usually the supermarkets in the center of towns, where all the tourists go, are extremely expensive. But when you'd go to the outer parts where natives do their groceries the prices will be much lower.
In Holland renting a car can be very cheap too. You can rent a car for a week starting around € 20,- a day. You can also rent one and can drop it in any European city of choice starting around € 30,- a day. I think that's pretty reasonable.
I think he means groceries in the touristy part of towns. Usually the supermarkets in the center of towns, where all the tourists go, are extremely expensive. But when you'd go to the outer parts where natives do their groceries the prices will be much lower.
In Holland renting a car can be very cheap too. You can rent a car for a week starting around € 20,- a day. You can also rent one and can drop it in any European city of choice starting around € 30,- a day. I think that's pretty reasonable.
Well airports are also on the outer parts so its not hard to just pick up some groceries on the outskirts of town when you are en route to your hostel.
Transportation is the biggest thing however, low cost airlines and high speed rail are very convenient and nice things.
I took the train to Chicago once and it took 10 hours... it takes usually 6 hours to drive there and 1.5 hours to fly.
Well airports are also on the outer parts so its not hard to just pick up some groceries on the outskirts of town when you are en route to your hostel.
Transportation is the biggest thing however, low cost airlines and high speed rail are very convenient and nice things.
I took the train to Chicago once and it took 10 hours... it takes usually 6 hours to drive there and 1.5 hours to fly.
Yeah that's true, I rather drive myself for being able to explore more, but it's a fact that high speed trains are very convenient. My wife took the high speed train to Paris a while back and it took only about an hour, which normally by car would be like a 5 hour drive (starting from Rotterdam).
When you go off the beaten, touristy path, Europe can be very cheap indeed. Hostels are a cheap way to travel, but mostly for young people. But in a lot of countries there are also small pensions everywhere, were one can get a room or a studio for like 20 euros a night. Did that lots of times. And it's a lot more fun than being packed in a 12 story concrete hotel building where everybody fights over a chair at the swimming pool
When I was younger Western Europe was for me THE place to travel. I really dreamed of visiting most of these beautiful cities and countries.
But now I've been to many of them and I feel that my perception has changed a bit. Probably the novelty has worn off, and I don't get the excitement I used to get before. Now I'd really like to explore other parts of the world, and I've been to a few places in Asia.
But that being said, I am not that rich to afford traveling anywhere I want. So Europe is still the place to go -- travels there are relatively cheap even from here, from Eastern Europe (low-cost airlines etc).
By the way, I have never been that interested in traveling in Russia, Ukraine, or even Baltic states and Poland, which are Belarus' immediate neighbors. For example, in Russia, I've been to Moscow only, and that's it. Not that I have this anti-Russian sentiment, just I want to see something different from my own culture.
It does seem a lot cheaper to travel and vacation in Europe, even Western Europe.
i'm going to Germany in a week, after trying to decide between Germany, Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago. Chicago, LA and Portland were all absurdly expensive. What I found odd was that LA was the cheapest of the three. Chicago and Portland prices in the summer are through the roof.
I found a budget air ticket to Frankfurt that is cheaper than flying to Portland, Oregon during the same time period. Housing is around $50 a night in Berlin on AirBNB... and that is for an entire place. Even the hotel I am staying at in Berlin the first 2 nights is less than $75. In portland the hotel was $180, and airbnb was at least $100 a night for an entire apartment. There are budget airlines between cities and trains which are relatively cheap too.
Unless food costs are utterly outrageous, 6 weeks in Europe is going to cost less than half what 6 weeks in a fun US city would cost.
You always talk about how cheaper groceries are in Europe though
Stay in Hostels instead of Hotels... Renting a car isn't always necessary but ive seen some pretty affordable rates for car rentals in Germany.
You misunderstood I think, I meant the col may be lower but the tourist areas like Paris and London are very expensive. Don't expect Europe to be cheap everywhere. Then again, the Euro has dropped a lot vs the dollar so now may be a good time to visit.
It does seem a lot cheaper to travel and vacation in Europe, even Western Europe.
i'm going to Germany in a week, after trying to decide between Germany, Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago. Chicago, LA and Portland were all absurdly expensive. What I found odd was that LA was the cheapest of the three. Chicago and Portland prices in the summer are through the roof.
I found a budget air ticket to Frankfurt that is cheaper than flying to Portland, Oregon during the same time period. Housing is around $50 a night in Berlin on AirBNB... and that is for an entire place. Even the hotel I am staying at in Berlin the first 2 nights is less than $75. In portland the hotel was $180, and airbnb was at least $100 a night for an entire apartment. There are budget airlines between cities and trains which are relatively cheap too.
Unless food costs are utterly outrageous, 6 weeks in Europe is going to cost less than half what 6 weeks in a fun US city would cost.
Hotels are really cheap in Germany. I have stayed at nice four stars hotels in Berlin for 1/3 cost of London. The four stars hotels in London are mostly awful. I do not think Chicago or LA are more expensive than Paris, London or even Barcelona.
Is Arne Bjornson your real name? It sounds like a 19th century Norwegian author or painter
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Portugal and Spain?
