This trip is different. Normally I never plan in such detail and spend the entire time in one country, but this time it is Europe, so it is different. We are planning everything far in advance to save money. And still, the estimate is running up there.
So here it goes:
$909 Flight to Amsterdam, one way (booked and paid)
free 6 nights accommodations in Netherlands - (hotel and location are very nice) 4 nights in Amsterdam paid by reward points, 2 nights with a friend in Delft
$89 train to Paris $89 (booked and paid) - great deal, good time, direct
free accommodations for 7 nights in Paris in a high-end hotel on Champs Elysees no less (reward points)
$200 tickets to Munich estimate (fares found earlier but not yet booked)
€ 230 Accommodations in Munich - during Oktoberfest (rented apartment by owner)
€ 300 Bavarian National Park 3 days accommodation estimate (rural Germany is not very expensive)
$10 Rental car in Bavaria for 72 hours - $10 (fee to renew my expiring miles that will pay for it)
€ 156 Train to Vienna
free Hotel in Vienna 3 days -with rewards points (central and luxury)
??? Transportation from Vienna to Kiev - Unknown (train or plain?)
free Kiev - accommodations - (staying with family friends who now work there)
$180 Train within Ukraine - estimate
$200 Hotel for 2 days elsewhere in Ukraine
Incidentals always change, so I know it can only be a rough estimate:
€ 250 Shopping (a piece of clothing or something to take home) - souvenirs, but a useful household item a place is famous for.
€ 3,000 Food, admissions, incidentals (€100 per day)
we will alternate between tasty street meals (like herring sandwiches in Netherlands), picnics and nice sit-down meals. I already have a list of cafes in Paris I want to try. Local food is a part of the travel experience.
€ 300 Other transportation - we plan to mainly walk, and we stay in very central hotels... but we may need to take public transportation and get to/from train stations (no taxis and we pack light)
€ 400 other activities (like classical concert in Vienna, bike day tour in France, etc)
$1600 Tickets back (estimate, not yet booked) can be 1,000 - 2,000, based on luck
So with a horrible exchange rate it nears 11K.
We will celebrate our 1 year anniversary on this trip
I hoped it would be less, considering all the free accommodations… and have put in a lot of effort and research into reducing cost, but still... Each time I promise myself that our next vacation will be simple - and that never happens.
Do you guys think this estimate is realistic?
30 days in Europe - my vacation cost estimate
July 25th, 2008 at 05:18 pm
July 25th, 2008 at 05:54 pm 1217008492
July 25th, 2008 at 08:27 pm 1217017644
July 25th, 2008 at 11:39 pm 1217029144
July 29th, 2008 at 05:41 pm 1217353296
I would put a little more toward everyday expenses maybe 24 euros a day extra to have in the budget even if you don't use it.
have a wonderful trip!