My 23-day Trip to Europe on a Budget

This trip was two years ago and this type of itinerary is ideal for those who want to see as much as possible. I had everything nicely planned in Google Calendar which took me three months to plan for that 23-day trip to Europe. Driving instead of taking the train was much cheaper, far more than 60% off. Much more flexible too.

Excluding airfare from Los Angeles which was in First Class using my frequent flyer miles... all my food, hotels, gasoline, parking, tolls, parking, three separate car rentals, two flights within Europe all cost me approximately $2,700 total or about $120 a day.

The Jaguar in Dublin was $50 (other websites showed $120 a day while Priceline had it at $50, don't ask me why), the Jeep Renegade (one-way rental from Glasgow to Southend) was about $220 for five days, and the Audi A6 (then Audi A7) in Düsseldorf was $600 for 17 days.

A flat tire forced me to trade the Audi A6 in Paris for an even bigger Audi A7, and Sixt didn't charge me extra except for the cost to replace the flat tire and I felt that was fair. I have consistently been very happy with Sixt's flexibility and their willingness to let me drive luxury cars in Prague of Central Europe.

After Dublin and Glasgow to Edinburgh to London, in Köln, I drove to the cities in that order: Düsseldorf, Amsterdam, Baarle-Nassau, Brussels, Paris, Chamonix, Genoa, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Pompeii, Bologna, Venice, Dachau, Munich, Prague, Berlin, then to Frankfurt. Nine countries total.

Two flights were from Dublin to Glasgow (I had intended to fly to Edinburgh but Glasgow was at least $100 cheaper at only $24) then another one from Southend Airport, it had just opened up and is now one of London's many airports. I found a sweet £19.99 (about $26) deal from Southend to Köln on Flybe. I checked in, went through security, and right before the flight, they had people trying to fit their bags in the container. If the bags didn't fit, it'd be a £40 fee. Hey, I could have done that at check-in and paid less but thought I'd get away with it. Whoops.

The Audi A7 was plenty fast, I found it very pleasant to drive in Germany. I picked the luxury car because the air conditioner blowing on the floor will keep my bottled water in the right seat nicely chilled and Sixt was the only one that would let me drive an Audi A7 in Prague, the other rental places had varying rules, sometimes it was no cars above intermediate, no Volkswagens allowed, etc.

Because a lot of the hotels were outside cities (usually 10-15 miles outside downtown or between two cities), I averaged $54 per night. I used Kayak.com well in advance and made sure the hotels had free parking. I stayed a few days in Rome at a hotel run by nuns, it was perfect because it had air conditioning, free parking, and free breakfast. Casa Per Ferie Margherita Diomira of Rome was perfect for my three-day stay.

The Audi A7 got about 40 miles per gallon and gas was usually about $5 per gallon so that lowered my gas budget. Oil was also really cheap two years ago, I don't think that's the case anymore. In Italy, it was the highest but I discovered that gas stations in cities were far, far cheaper than gas stations on highways. In fact, lower than a lot of Europe.

Oh, another thing about Italy, I got numerous tickets for breaking the ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato or Limited Traffic Zones). Thirteen after my five days in Italy - four from Pisa, two from Florence, six from Rome, and one from Venice. All were about €80 to €110. The signs weren't kidding and it didn't matter if the car I was driving had French plates. I got two within five minutes because I had to go around the block twice. I paid all and I admit I didn't include that in my $2,700 budget. The best part? They sent me the violation notices almost a year later. The Italians really do take their time. What sucked was that I had to pay within five days of receiving the notices or the fines would increase by around €30. Geez, they take a year but only gave me five days!

If you're driving, try to stay in the big cities on weekends since parking would be free. That's another advice to consider, especially London since some areas charge £1 every 15 minutes or £4 an hour! Then there's the £11.50 Congestion Zone Charge (but it's free on Saturdays and Sundays).

Any questions about traveling in Europe.. feel free. Yes, I travelled all by myself and had an incredible time!