Bargain 7: Hostelling International's Annual Membership Card
One of the time-tested techniques for affording European travel is to stay in hostels. This membership card opens access to more than 4,000 hostels worldwide (many of which are in Europe), discounted phone calls, travel insurance and other benefits. The cost is $28 USD per year (ages 18-54). If you're under 18, it's free. If you're older than 55, it's $18.
Bargain 8: Book a Cruise
Travel to Europe and Cruising are two things that previous generations conceded to the wealthy.
How about combining the two and actually saving money?
Cruising is an excellent way to see Europe because you're paying a fixed, volume price for a number of high-priced commodities: travel, accommodation, and food. Shore excursions can be costly, but independent travelers can still plan their own adventures outside of whatever the cruise line offers. The only catch is that you must work within the general itineraries set by the cruise line. You won't be able to linger an extra day in Copenhagen if the ship is leaving at 5 p.m.
If you can live with the time limitations, there are plenty of places to book bargain European cruises. Carnival, for example, offers 12-day European cruises from $1149. Use rate code BCA.
Need to jump start your planning? Check out some ideas for planning a European cruise vacation.
Bargain 9: Spend a Night on the Train
The cost savings are significant, especially on an extended trip. Replacing three nights in a hotel (which could easily cost $300 USD) with train stays should cut your expenses for those nights by two-thirds.
More importantly, think about the time savings. You will own the daytime to sightsee, eat, drink and be merry. This makes your travel hours more cost-effective.
Arriving early in your new destination brings advantages, too. You'll be first in line at the museum, tour office, or budget hotel of your choice.
Fair warning: Not everyone can sleep well during a series of starts, break squeals, and stops. This option is not for everyone, and certainly not recommended for more than a few nights (probably not consecutive nights) at a time.
Bargain 10: Lastminute.com Package Deals
There are many places on the Internet to find good travel deals, and we don't endorse any of them.
If you're more interested in a short-term escape than the full three-week tour, consider specials from Lastminute.com.
One recent example: a long weekend (Friday-Tuesday) in Frankfurt from New York was found from the front page starting at $358 USD/person for air and hotel.
Beware: When taxes and other fees are added in, this price nearly doubles to $624. Your cost could go even higher (or maybe not as high) based on what hotel rooms and flights are available at the last minute. In short, don't expect to find this exact offer. It's one example.
Still, if you take out the two travel days, you're getting three days worth of hotel and airfare to Europe for an average of $208/day. Considering the average price of hotel rooms in major European cities, you can look at this as free airfare with the purchase of a full-priced room.
Bundled airfare/hotel deals are not always the best bargains, but they can be when volume of sales is a key factor. Prices rise and fall with the seasons.
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