Hi, so I planned to go interrailing this summer with friends, one month starting Amsterdam > Berlin > Prague > Croatia > Venice > Florence > Marseille > Paris > Brussels. However, with the pound being so weak at the moment it's going to cost a lot more than I was anticipating. We were originally planning to budget £1000 including all costs, but I doubt I'll be able to afford anything over that.
Any advice? Would Eastern Europe be cheaper? Would it be a better idea to do Europe another time and spend the same money (or less) going somewhere much further abroad where living is cheaper? (I found return flights to India for around £350 for example)
Any advice appreciated, thanks
Is that including your ticket? Bearing in mind your interrail ticket for a month is about £400. And then you have to get out of the UK. Accomodation in those areas your looking about £20-25 a night now the pound is so crap. And then you've got spending money on top of that.
I'm going interrailing for 5 weeks in august and I've budgeted double that minimum, so you might be better off looking further afield I vet £750 in India could get you a lot more than the same in Western Europe
Is that including your ticket? Bearing in mind your interrail ticket for a month is about £400. And then you have to get out of the UK. Accomodation in those areas your looking about £20-25 a night now the pound is so crap. And then you've got spending money on top of that.
I'm going interrailing for 5 weeks in august and I've budgeted double that minimum, so you might be better off looking further afield I vet £750 in India could get you a lot more than the same in Western Europe
Wow, double? Hmm definitely won't be able to afford that. No point in spending all my money on tickets and accomodation and have nothing left over to actually DO anything. Is your estimation of £20-25 per night for hostels too? What countries does your plan cover?
Wow, double? Hmm definitely won't be able to afford that. No point in spending all my money on tickets and accomodation and have nothing left over to actually DO anything. Is your estimation of £20-25 per night for hostels too? What countries does your plan cover?
Anyone else planning similarly?
Theres an interrail thread in the travel forum somewhere and my detailed itinerary is on there, but we're thinking of doing paris-bern-interlaken-gimmelwald-venice-salzburg-vienna-budapest-berlin-amsterdam.
We're using the global month pass but spending a few extra days in paris and amsterdam at the begnning and end so it makes it around 5 weeks. We've budgeted £25 a night accomodation x 35 nights, £20 a day spending money, £100 for train supplements over the trip, £100 flights, £50 insurance, £10 ISIC card, £400 interrail ticket and then an extra £100 for paragliding in Interlaken.
That's (hopefully) a bit of an overestimate but we'd rather go and be able to see everything we want to see as its something we're unlkely to do again.
What the poster above mentioned above about camping maybe a good idea for you though
i was going to do this, then had to cancel due to a few things, the cost included. I am now doing 4 weeks backpacking in thailand, which is also a grand (500 for flights, then very cheap once there). it will be a hell of a lot more fun! (hopefully lol)
From what I've heard camp sites are often out of the way of the cities and you end up raking up the cost travelling in between the two.
Gossipgirl, it's a good idea to overestimate, I worked out from your budget that even with £20 pernight accomodation, a week less and no paragliding, i'd still be looking at over £1500...
Going on that I'm more likely to go further abroad, but I don't want to rule out interrailing just yet. It'd be interesting to hear if other people's budgets are similar or not.
i was going to do this, then had to cancel due to a few things, the cost included. I am now doing 4 weeks backpacking in thailand, which is also a grand (500 for flights, then very cheap once there). it will be a hell of a lot more fun! (hopefully lol)
How much did you work out you were going to spend interrailing that made you drop out of it?
I'd love to go to thailand, another worry of mine is in Europe if I run out of money I still have to have enough for living on for the rest of the month, whereas in somewhere like thailand expenses are so cheap that you'd hardly need any money to live off.
How much did you work out you were going to spend interrailing that made you drop out of it?
I'd love to go to thailand, another worry of mine is in Europe if I run out of money I still have to have enough for living on for the rest of the month, whereas in somewhere like thailand expenses are so cheap that you'd hardly need any money to live off.
well, the ticket is 400 euros, so now thats what, £350. plus travel supplements, and getting to paris, travel in total will be £500 at least. thats more than a plane ticket to east asia..... then living costs, if you were to hostel every night, that will be £15-£20 a night, plus say £15 a day on food drink, activities etc. so being consevative, thats £30 a day, so for a month total cost around £1400......
For what it's worth, I'm going in April and I'm budgeting quite a bit more than a grand. I would count myself lucky if I can get away with 1500 per month excluding interrail tickets. I have already bought a return eurostar as well as an easyjet flight months in advance so that I have some "escape routes" already and won't have to end up buying at the airports.
All in all, interrail costs £385 unlimited continuous for a month. Hostels will cost £23 on average per night. Food will probably be anohter £7 on top of that per day. Plus excursions at £10 each day you're looking at £40. So £1200 per month whack on top of that alcohol and you're looking at around the £1500 mark. That's what I'm budgeting anyway. Way I see it, I've got more than enough money because I've been working full time since august, but I'm not going to skimp on a holiday I'll only be able to enjoy once in my life!
For me around Europe is the best place to travel in the world. Mix of languages and cultures - such diversity between say French and Croatian cultures. Languages are really interesting to pick up on as well. I was originally going to Australasia but I'm not sure that type of experience appeals to me. I'm not much of a thrill-seeker and wouldn't go bunjee jumping or do any of that stuff. I prefer museums and architecture. And some people think I'm boring. I wonder why.
I interrailed for 5 weeks last summer, and loved it. Gossipgirl's estimate is pretty accurate. With flight costs, insurance and interrail ticket (remember the price goes up nearer the time), I spent £2000, managed to visit 15 cities AND do a LOT of shopping.
http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/Primary...=1236295782815 - This was our bible, and sites like hostelworld.com definitely helped to keep the travel budget down.. Prague/Croatia will be much cheaper than Amsterdam and all the more western countries, so maybe spend more time there?
I interrailed for 5 weeks last summer, and loved it. Gossipgirl's estimate is pretty accurate. With flight costs, insurance and interrail ticket (remember the price goes up nearer the time), I spent £2000, managed to visit 15 cities AND do a LOT of shopping.
http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/Primary...=1236295782815 - This was our bible, and sites like hostelworld.com definitely helped to keep the travel budget down.. Prague/Croatia will be much cheaper than Amsterdam and all the more western countries, so maybe spend more time there?
if you want to keep down accomadation costs check out couchsurfing, vetted people offer beds to sleep in for free. Its great cuz theres no cost and you get to meet new people, check it out: www.couchsurfing.com
I did interrail last summer, and it was an amzing experience, but I couldn't believe how much money I spent. I went with my sister, so there was just two of us, and we kind of preferred to have our own room in hostels and stuff which kind of made it a bit more expensive most nights, depending where we were. But then we just tried to even out that cost with other things, like we only drank alcohol on two nights out of the five weeks, and that is quite often where a lot of peoples money goes to be honest!
Also, when it come to the countries you visit, that definitely does make a difference. We probably spent twice as much money in Venice when we stayed there for three nights as when we stayed for a week in Poland. You just have to decide if some of the expensive places are really worth it or not, otherwise I think eastern europe is a great idea. It tends to be less touristy the further east you go anyway which is sometimes nicer.
Whatever you decide to do, hope you have a good summer!
thanks everyone, getting some great advice
to Moleymoo, a friend recently told me about couchsurfing, there are four of us planning on the trip, is it not difficult to find someone who can put up 4 people?
By the looks of things I might have to give Europe a miss this summer, leave till I have a bit more in the bank. Although, has anyone travelled Eastern Europe or are planning to so I can get an idea of the cost of travelling there?
thanks everyone, getting some great advice
to Moleymoo, a friend recently told me about couchsurfing, there are four of us planning on the trip, is it not difficult to find someone who can put up 4 people?
If you look at the search tool, you can basically narrow down the search for anything, so you could ask it to find someone whose willing to take 4 people who lives withing a 3 mile radius of the city centre, and depending on what town it is, you might find 3-4 results. If you don't however, you could quite easily just hole up with 2 of you to a host and meet up during the day.
Also, to the other person who asked if I'd done it, I haven't done it yet, but I most definitely am planning to, especially in the most expensive places like Venice. An important point to remember about it is that its great if you like meeting strangers and want to save a bit of money, but if you're planning to go out drinking and get back late every night then it might be good to give it a miss as its pretty rude to your hosts if your waking them up in the middle of the night blind drunk (unless they take you out, in which case, let the good times roll!)
Going on holiday, interrailing, broadening one's horizons and weekends in Skegness
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To interrail or not to interrail?
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