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| 21st March - 9th May |
Why Hello there!
Yes you! I'm hope the caption has caught your attention, Because if it did, then... SUCCESS!
and YES, you've read it right. I did only spent so much on my 50-day Europe (semi) backpacking trip, that I went with my friend (Oh that's her btw, in the picture on the left).
Why did I mention "semi"?
Well, we figured we aren't so bold unlike others who literally Backpacked. We had some level if comfort in our trip as well.
Anyway, the amount includes Food, Transport, Entertainment, Nightlife, Accommodation & Shopping.
And So, I will tell you how we did it.
Back Story:
Talya (my friend) and I were fresh polytechnic graduates (unofficially at that time) and we needed break from all the craziness happening in Singapore. We couldn't handle the stress of school, the fast pace of people during peak hours, the crazily packed busses and trains, as well as the terribly hot and humid climate. We Just Can't! We are so sick of it and we just needed a get away.
Hence, the Europe trip has come into place!!
We are not much of planners to be honest, because we believed that plans never really work out the way we intend them to. Throughout this whole Europe Tour, everything was Impromtu - From inter-country/city transport to Accommodation. Nothing was really planned and we basically went with the flow.
It turned out pretty well :)
So there are 4 categories I'd be mentioning throughout the post, which are: Length of stay, Accommodation, Daily expenses and the cost of intercity transport.
Please take note that the cost of my Daily Expenses covers mainly on food and transport, and it is based on average. It's just an estimation because I can't possibly take note of how much i spent every single day for 50 days. Well i could, but that would be incredibly exhausting.
The Europe Trip Begins!
SINGAPORE to DOHA to PARIS
We decided to splurge a bit more on flights because since we'd be flying for awhile, might as well be an airline thats fanatastic.
so i guess Qatar Airways it is!
Plus, it has a 40% discount promo... teeeeeheeeeeh
AND
Qatar Airways is the No. 1 Airlines in the World... So....
WHOOOOHOOOOO!
Btw, the safety video is incredibly cute!
I'm totally kidding.
But we had like 4 seats to ourselves which was fantastic!
and there was this little boy that was running up and down the airplane. Man, I wish I had done that.
Amenities include Free wifi on board, charging ports, world class entertainment, and of course most importantly... UNLIMITED BOOZE :D
I personally had 7 cans of Heineken on each plane ride, and the air steward even had to ask me how much beer i've had.
That's like... 14 cans in 13 hours, not too bad.
OH WELL
Cost of Flight: SGD 1095
PARIS, FRANCE
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| Taken the day of the Brussels attack |
Length of Stay: Apprx 1 week.
Accommodation: Free
(My best friend lives in a little apartment in Paris and she was really awesome to have us for about a week. Thank You so much and I misssss your epic random antics that are still replaying in my head)
Daily Expenses (On Average): Apprx 5 Euros/ Day (Food & Transport)
Entertainment: 7 Euros. Mainly shisha-ed, which was only 8 euros (!!!) but the 3 of us shared.
Total: 42 Euros
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS:
By far, one of my favourite cities ever!
Been there 3 times, But it has not once disappoint me.
Paris - Amsterdam: 18 Euros (Flix Bus)
Length of Stay: 4 Days, 3 Nights
Accommodation: Free! (CS)
Daily Expenses (on Average): 7 Euros/day (Food, Shopping & Entertainment )
My CS host looked after my friend and I really well and he had a car, so our transport was basically free as well. He also refused to let us pay for anything. So basically, you could say that our Amsterdam stop over was (Almost) free.
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Amsterdam Sex Museum.
4 euros
A definite must go!
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The cost to visit Zaanse Schans, aka the Wind Mill Village, from any hotel or hostel in general, costs 40 EUROS
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(Im not even kidding).
But my host had a car, so.... teeeheeehee.
For the record, he brought us here. I honestly had no clue there was an actual windmill village, though I knew Netherlands is famous for windmills.
Total: 83 Euros 43 euros
HAARSEWINKEL, GERMANY
Haarsewinkel is small Suburban area, apprx 15 minutes by car from Gutersloh, a small town, thats about 45 minutes away from Dortmund, by the German Railway DBahn.
We felt really exhausted from the constantly partying in Paris and Amsterdam, and we really needed a break. Hence, we decided to pay a visit one of my friends who came to Singapore on a bagpacking trip months ago.
Amsterdam - Glutersloh: 19 Euros
Length of stay: 2 Nights
Accommodation: Free! (Friend's House)
Transport: Free! (She has a car)
Food & Shopping: Average 3 euros/day
Total: 25 Euros
DORTMUND, GERMANY
AhhhH! One of my all time fave places as well!
Partially because I'm a fan of Borussia Dortmund :D
This would be my 2nd time in Dortmund, First time being in 2014.
In this part of my trip is when I spent the most, mainly on merchandise shopping, teeheeh! I couldn't resist all the Black and Yellow fan shops that were EVERYWHERE!
It was one of the hardest places to actually save money, because the temptation to shop at all the fan shops was real.
If you're not a fan of Borussia Dortmund, then I doubt this part is relevant for you.
Gutersloh - Dortmund: 19 euros (DBahn)
Length of Stay: 4 Nights
Accommodation: Free (CS)
Food: Average 3 Euros/Day
Transport: Free. (My CS host had an extra transport card that we could share, and we walked most of the time)
Shopping: 65 Euros (@ BVB Fanwelt) + 40 Euros (Primark)
Entertainment & Drinks: 12 Euros
Borussia Dortmund Stadion Tour: 8 Euros
Borussia Dortmund VS Bremen Match: Free!
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| The Dortmund Gang! |
( YES! There was an actual game happening that I HAD NO CLUE OF! Can you imagine the happiness i had when we found out that we could get tickets to watch a match of my all time favourite football team in the Biggest Stadium in the whole of Germany?! I swear I almost fainted that we could get FREE tickets.
How did we get free tickets? Well, my CS host's husband's friend works for Borussia Dortmund)
Total: 156 Euros
ouch....
BERLIN, GERMANY
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Dortmund > Berlin: 10 Euros (Megabus)
Length Of Stay: 4 Days 3 Nights
Accommodation: 16 Euros for 2 nights (Singer 109). We camped out on the last night.
Food & Transport: Average 5 euros/ day
Party & Drinks: 15 euros (Anti-pubcrawl)
Sightseeing: 18 Euros (Concentration Camp)
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Must visit a concentration camp at least once in your life!
I will elaborate more on the Anti-pubcrawl, but i strongly believe you look into that. It's going to be one really amazing experience.
Total: 79 Euros
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
One of the most beautiful cities i've laid my eyes on.
Czech Republic is generally very very very VERY cheap. So don't be scared to splurge a little more than usual here :)
and btw, if you think Germans can drink, wait till you see the Czech.
And btw, a must-do here is to drink their beer. AMAZING. Their beer is really really cheap! You can get 500 mls of their beer for only 1.5 Euros. How cheap is that!
Prague is easily one of my favourite cities, not just because of how beautiful the city is, but the people. I've met so many amazing people that made our trip just on point!
Prague is easily one of my favourite cities, not just because of how beautiful the city is, but the people. I've met so many amazing people that made our trip just on point!
Berlin > Prague: 15 Euros (Flixbus)
Length of Stay: I'm not to sure. I think about 6 days
Accommodation: Free! (CS and Friend's place)
Transport: Average 2 euros/day
Nightlife & Entertainment: 10 Euros
Little advice, please don't try to avoid paying for transport here, there are a lot of patrols happening because there are many cases where people don't pay for train tickets (Which my friend and I always do). If you do get caught, which one of my friends did, You have to pay 30 Euros as a fine. It's not much, but it still hurts the pocket
So please, Don't risk it.
Total: 37 Euros
VIENNA, AUSTRIA
Vienna was generally really beautiful and surprisingly, Very Clean!
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Austria is pretty popular for their coffee.
So I recommend you go to a cafe there and try their coffee and also, the apfelstrudel.
Yummmm!
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| Prater |
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| Must Visit: Schonn Brunn Palace Give it a good 3 Hours. The place is seriously very very Big! I honeslty dont know how long the cleaners take to clean this Palace and the backyard up. |
Vienna is slightly alittle more towards the expensive side, but generally still cheaper than Germany.
Prague > Vienna: 13.50 Euros (StudentAgency)
Length Of Stay: 5 Days (I think, Sorry I forgot)
Accommodation: Free (CS)
Transport: Free! (Most of the time we walked, and sneaked into the Trams, which btw are pretty easy, but just watch out for Controllers)
Food: 4 euros/day (We cooked most of the time)
Shopping: 3 Euros (well, I only bought a lighter as a souvenir)
Total: 36.5 Euros
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
Ahhh, Budapest!
What can i say about it?
Well, firstly, it's pronounced as " BU-DA- PESH-T". Please keep that in mind.
Budapest is somewhat similiar towards Prague, which is the fact that it is also FILTHY CHEAP! So feel free to splurge, ESPECIALLY on Hungarian food which is super yummy and super unhealthy!
I don't know about you guys, but personally I am a sucker for old, run down buildings or things. I simply love the rustic charm it brings to the atmosphere. Well, another reason is Mainly because in Singapore, everything is practically well maintained, sooo we don't really get to see that sort of stuff.
Also, Nightlife in Budapest is Spot on! Lots of Clubs, lots of bars and the crowd is pumping. Generally pretty affordable, not affordable enough for me :p
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| Hungarian Parliament Building |
Vienna > Budapest: 12.10 Euros (Student Agency)
Length of Stay: 4-5 Days? (I also forgot)
Accommodation: 5 euros (For 1 night @ The Hive), Free for the remaining. (CS)
Transport: Free (We walked, ALOT)
Food: 15 Euros. (Spent a little more here, because the food is G L O R I O U S)
Shopping: 5 Euros (I bought Paparika :D )
Nightlife & Drinks: 5 Euros.
Dracula's Cave: 6 euros
Now you are wondering, WTF? 5 EUROS FOR NIGHTLIFE?! WTF?! Well, trust me it's possible. Not only is the reason because alcohol is generally cheap, but also we made a lot of (guy) friends along the way who thought we were pretty awesome and they basically sponsored our drinks the whole night and really looked after us. They weren't looking for anything nor doing any hanky panky stuff. They just generally wanted a good night out, which i think that's pretty rad!
So that's what I love about travelling as well- the never ending surprises it gives you.
Total: 48.10 Euros
MUNICH, GERMANY
Ahhhh Munich! Words can't explain how grateful I am to actually drop by Munich.
Initially Munich was supposed to be just a stop over to our route back to Paris.
Until a little birdie came along and told me that I was just in time for Spring Fest.
Now what is Spring Fest?
It's basically like OKTOBER Fest, but on a smaller, less Havoc scale.
But what's more important that knowing it, is the fact that I GET ACCESS TO BEERS THAT ARE GOING OUT FOR 5 - 10 EUROS PER 1 LITRE.
Very important for me.
Beers.
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| Spring Fest is held on the same ground of Oktober Fest, which is this amazing theme Park. |
Had some beers at the famous Beer Haus that Adolf Hitler went!
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| ALL THESE BAVARIAN FOOD OH MY |
Budapest to Munich: 30 Euros (Pricier, but it was a 14 hour Drive)
Length Of Stay: 3 Days
Accommodation: Free (CS)
Transport: 3 Euros / Day
Food: 10 Euros
Beers: 40 Euros (It was very Hard to Resist)
Total: 89 Euros (Ouchhhhhhhh...)
PARIS, FRANCE
Headed back to Paris to rest and visit my friend for a day before heading off to Amsterdammmm again!
Munich > Stuttgart > Paris : 5.82 Euros + 18.18 Euros (Flix Bus)
Length of Stay: 1 Day
Accommodation: Free (Friend's House)
Transport: 3 Euros
Food & Drinks: 7 Euros Each (We cooked)
Total: 34 Euros
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
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| Bunch of Orange people on boats drinking and smoking shit. |
YES! We returned back to Netherlands, specifically Amsterdam, for KIIIINGGGSSS DAYYYYY!
Basically, It's the King's Birthday. Google it now.
Okay I would totally explain how my 1st King's Day Celebration in the next post. For now, Let's just say IT WAS AMAZING.
Paris to Amsterdam: 24 Euros (Megabus)
Length Of Stay: Apprx 1 week
Accommodation: 15 Euros (30 euros/ Bed per Night, but we split)
Well this is kinda funny, because our host totally bailed out on us and we ended up sneaking into a hostel and sleeping with our friends for most of the time, because we didn't want to spend on a bed which was 30 euros per bed. Insane???
But on our last night, we decided to just book a bed and we split it amongst each other.
Transport: Free (walk, Walk, walk, walk walk)
Food: apprx 5 Euros / Day
Entertainment & Drinks: 8 Euros (Strip Club) + 2 Euros (Peep Show) + 4 Euros/day for 4 days (for Wine) + 15 Euros
Heineken Experience: 16 Euros
Total: 131 Euros
GRONNINGEN, THE NETHERLANDS
Groningen was the last city of our whole Europe Trip.
We wanted to go somewhere, where we could chill, relax, be lazy and rest before heading back home. Since my best friend, Whom I haven't seen in months, lives in Groningen, why not pay him a visit? :)
Definitely, one of the highlights of my trip.
Because i literally get to do absolutely NOTHING. I just lazed around and rest all day and netflix by myself and occasionally go out for dinner.
Amsterdam to Groningen: 26 Euros (Train)
Length Of Stay: 1 week
Transport: 4 Euros (Taxi Ride on the Last day)
Accommodation: Free (Best friend's House)
Food: Apprx 25 Euros (Including Groceries)
Drinks: Apprx 15 Euros (I can't really remember)
Shisha: 10 Euros
Total: 80 Euros
PARIS, FRANCE
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| Antwerp |
Groningen to Eindhoven: 5 Euros
Eindhoven to Antwerp: 9 Euros
Antwerp to Paris: 15 Euros
Accomodation: Free (Bestfriend's House)
Total: 29 Euros
So now...
The moment of Truth...
How much does that Add up to?
Paris to Amsterdam to Glutersloh to Dortmund to Berlin to Prague to Vienna to Budapest to Munich to Stuttgart to Paris to Amsterdam to Groningen to Eindhoven to Antwerp to Paris :
The total spent in Europe: 829.60 Euros (SGD 1286.13)
Total Spent on this Entire Trip, Inclusive of flight tickets : $1286.13 +$1095
= $2381.13
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Indeed Madness.
I honestly expected to spent $3000 on this trip, but not bad aye? :)
Now, I know you have a lot of questions, like..
1. Eh eh! How come all your accommodation free ah?
Well, first of all, It's safe to say I'm blessed with international friends.
Also, my travel buddy and I REFUSED, and i put strong emphasis on it, to pay for accommodation at all, unless it is the last resort. Accommodation is one of the contributing factors to why people spend so much when they're overseas.
We mainly couchsurfed, and try to make friends along the way. & on several occasions, we were pretty lucky because eventually they took us in and let us sleep in their house for a few days.
2. Couch surf not scary meh? Safe meh?
First times are always scary. Fortunately, it's not my first time couchsurfing nor my first time in Europe.
It is somewhat safe as there are references posted by other travellers to give a small first impression of what the host or surfer is like.
However, if you want to couchsurfed, requests must be sent early, or else you will be stranded.
We found ourselves stranded on several occasions, but God always sends one of his angels to help us out. For that, we are truly fortunate that we could escape the homeless phase.
3. How come some places you can spend so little?
When you travel, you expose yourself to new environments, cultures and people. and if you're lucky, you may meet generous people who'll take you under their wing and look after you throughout your stay.
For example, In Prague, I met this guy on a Tinder date, and he took me around the hot spots and basically paid for my meal which I thought was so generous of him, although unnecessary, but really generous.
So you;ll never know the kind of people you meet while travelling. But I always believe that If you're kind to others, kindness will be showered upon you. This is my evidence.
4. What other tips do you have?
(i) Bring some instant noodles, food along
If you want to splurge on food, at least splurge it on special occasions or on certain foods that are popular in each country you are visiting
(iii) Cook instead of eating out.
If your hostel has a kitchen or your CS host allows you to use the kitchen (which they normally do), cook up a storm! Eat as much as you can so you don;t have to worry about being hungry. Packing a sandwich to go also helps when you're cautious about spending to much money.
(ii)Plan Ahead
This applies to Inter-country/city bus or train rides.
Certain companies, like Flixbus or Megabus, have promotions, and you can get bus tickets for as cheap as 1.50 euros.
I'm not even kidding.
(iv) Plan your money well.
This is the advice my bestfriend always emphasize.
PLAN PLAN PLAN.
Know your budget for each city.
(v)Walk
Transport in certain countries/cities can be expensive, and sometimes renting a bike can be pricey too, so the best option is to walk.
Another hack my friend and I did, we walked into each train station in different countries and didn't pay for the fare :p
But trust me, don't risk it too often.
(vi) Control your shopping urges.
My first time in Europe was in 2014.
and boy! Did I splurge alot! Especially in Primark!
If you don't know what is Primark, I'm mentally strangling you now.
I remembered spending over 300 euros in Primark in the period of 2 days. Not cool. After that trip, my wallet hurt a lot.
So always ask yourself, do i need this or want this? And if you want it, ask yourself if you would use it a lot or not.
(vii) Tinder
Yessss, You read it right.
No no, I'm not asking you to sell your body or anything.
During this trip, i learnt that the faster way to meet knew people and escape the
"should i approach this person and start a conversation first" phase, was to use Tinder.
(vii) Tinder
Yessss, You read it right.
No no, I'm not asking you to sell your body or anything.
During this trip, i learnt that the faster way to meet knew people and escape the
"should i approach this person and start a conversation first" phase, was to use Tinder.
Fortunately, the guys I met up with in all the different cities we went to, weren't looking for a One Night Stand or anything. They just simply wanted to meet someone new, have a beer and improve their english, which I thought was the cutest thing ever!
(viii) Have Travel Buddy
Travelling solo can be really lonely, and sometimes it'll be nice to sharing special moments with someone. I know how it feels. IT SUCKS.
Thankfully, I have my partner in crime with me, Talya Jane Shelley, for 50 days as we brought our own sense of humour and shenanigans to every city we stepped foot it :)
Not only do you feel accompanied, but also it is indeed much cheaper to go with a friend because the hosts of food, accommodation, alcohol etc etc are all spilt by the both of you.
(ix) Don't be afraid to ask.
"Do not talk to strangers or they'll kidnap you"
well no.
I assume that by the time you travel alone, you are pretty much old and capable enough to even wipe your own buttocks.
Really though, if you're unsure, just ask. Don't feel shy, or intimidated by people. Plus, who knows? You'd end up making friends with the random stranger that you initially was scared of.
(viii) Have Travel Buddy
Travelling solo can be really lonely, and sometimes it'll be nice to sharing special moments with someone. I know how it feels. IT SUCKS.
Thankfully, I have my partner in crime with me, Talya Jane Shelley, for 50 days as we brought our own sense of humour and shenanigans to every city we stepped foot it :)
Not only do you feel accompanied, but also it is indeed much cheaper to go with a friend because the hosts of food, accommodation, alcohol etc etc are all spilt by the both of you.
(ix) Don't be afraid to ask.
"Do not talk to strangers or they'll kidnap you"
well no.
I assume that by the time you travel alone, you are pretty much old and capable enough to even wipe your own buttocks.
Really though, if you're unsure, just ask. Don't feel shy, or intimidated by people. Plus, who knows? You'd end up making friends with the random stranger that you initially was scared of.
(x)Keep an Open mind.
You're travelling around the world, and not the world is travelling around you.
Keep an open mind and heart and expose yourself to culture shocks or uncomfortable situations.
These are the memories that you will keep for as long as you live.
(xi) Remember why you started
This is by far one of the most important rules I bring with me whenever I travel.
You know how sometimes shit happens? Well, it can get to you physically and emotionally, and you end up being unhappy.
But always remember why you started, and the effort it took to even start travelling.
Don't let it go.
Because while you're busy being unhappy about, for example. someone stole your money, in Europe or America, others are dreaming of being in whichever country you are dropping by.
So never forget that!
If you come across a road block, find ways to overcome it, ask for help, do anything to get pass it, and once you're successful, it'll make you a stronger person than you were before you overcame it.
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So that's about it!
If you have any questions or doubts, feel free to voice out @ victoria_anne13@hotmail.com
or you could PM me on my faceboook.
if you have any opinions..
well i don't care.
Till then!
Over the next period of weeks, i'll be sharing with you city by city, my expenditure for my period of stay!
Stay Tune :) NEXT POST:
What we did for 9 Days in Paris for SGD 108
