becker125
Ok we are a family of 6 looking into going to europe. Going to Venice is a must and going somewhere in france is also a must. The problem is we are on a very tight budget we only want to spend at estimate 5,000$. We are from NY and everytime we try pricing it out it comes out to 30,000! Is their a more economical way of doing things???
Answer
I don't think this is possible for $5000 for a family of six. Just the airfare alone is likely to be most of or more than your $5000 and Venice is about the most expensive place to visit in Venice.
Prices will depend on the ages of your kids (assuming you're not all adults), exactly when you visit, how long you stay, the accommodations you use and what you see/do/eat. People who backpack around Europe generally can get by for $100 per day staying in cheap hostels and carefully watching their budget (not including airfare). However, if you stay in hotels, it will cost you more. I usually spend 100 to 150 euro a night for a hotel. Prices really depend on exactly where you come from, when you visit, how you get around and what you see/do/eat.
Here are some resources that can help you plan and check options and current prices for your trip (expect prices in the future to rise):
http://www.kayak.com/ - airfares & hotels; the explore function is useful for finding the less expensive places to fly into from your starting point. Tuscany is an entire region, not a town. The most convenient airports to fly into will be Pisa or Florence, but Rome or Bologna are also reasonable options.
http://www.skyscanner.it/ - particularly good for budget flights within Europe, but you can also use everywhere as a destination to do something like the explore option on Kayak. You may not need the airfares, but you can compare to the cost of the trains to get around. this one may be more useful for you. Palermo is a long trip by train, Naples to Palermo is one leg of the trip where you might consider flying.
http://www.seat61.com/ . This includes a huge amount of information on train travel throughout Europe - much more than there is room for in an answer here. The site has links to the various national train websites where you can find schedules and prices for trains. It also includes detailed descriptions of railpasses. This will tell you how to determine whether a railpass is worth the money for your trip (in Italy where I live railpasses are almost never worth the cost), which railpass to get, and how to use the railpass. There's also information on what to avoid in particular places.
http://www.fsitaliane.it/homepage_en.html - You can get discounts on the fast Italian trains and the night train from Venice to Dijon/Paris for purchasing in advance You could also take the slower regional trains for less, but that adds a lot of travel time and may require multiple train changes. The standard fare for a berth oin a 6 bed cuchette is 100 euro for adults and 70 euro for children. However, if you book early enough to get the discounted "smart" fare, you could get the same accommodations for 35 euro per person. This is a very popular rouyte and the train often sells out quickly.
Driving can be expensive; fuel prices, tolls and parking all add up, but it can become cost effective for groups. Your problem is that it's expensive to pick up a car in Italy and drop it off in France. You wouldn't need a car until you leave Venice though. You can check sites like Avis, Europcar, Sixt, etc, for your specific rental cost. Picking up in one country and dropping off in another can be very expensive. You can get driving distances and estimates fuel and toll costs on viamichelin: http://www.viamichelin.com/ .
.
http://www.venere.com/ - hotels/B&Bs - prices for the same hotel can vary hugely depending on the season and what local events are going on. It will be cheaper to stay on one of the outer islands and take a vaporetto into the main part of Venice or to stay on the mainland in Mestre and take a bus/train between your hotel and Venice.
http://www.hostelbookers.com/ - hostels.
http://www.monasterystays.com/ - monasteries & convents that offer accommodations
You can also look into camping or couch surfing as cheaper alternatives for accommodations. There are campgrounds on Lido di Jesolo on the mainland.
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.ht⦠- festivals, exhibitions and events
http://www.backpackeurope.com/ - information & advice
For sightseeing prices: check the websites for entrance fees for the museums & galleries you're interested in. I spend anywhere between nothing and 40 euro a day depending on exactly what I go to see when out exploring. For food, I spend around 25 to 50 euro for a meal, but you can eat for less. A pizza is 8 to 13 euro and a panino or wrap is around 3 to 6.50 euro in many places. You can often get food at festivals at a relatively low price. You can also shop in the markets and put some meals together for yourselves.When I travel, I like to try the local specialties and the good restaurants. Shopping depends entirely on you.
I don't think this is possible for $5000 for a family of six. Just the airfare alone is likely to be most of or more than your $5000 and Venice is about the most expensive place to visit in Venice.
Prices will depend on the ages of your kids (assuming you're not all adults), exactly when you visit, how long you stay, the accommodations you use and what you see/do/eat. People who backpack around Europe generally can get by for $100 per day staying in cheap hostels and carefully watching their budget (not including airfare). However, if you stay in hotels, it will cost you more. I usually spend 100 to 150 euro a night for a hotel. Prices really depend on exactly where you come from, when you visit, how you get around and what you see/do/eat.
Here are some resources that can help you plan and check options and current prices for your trip (expect prices in the future to rise):
http://www.kayak.com/ - airfares & hotels; the explore function is useful for finding the less expensive places to fly into from your starting point. Tuscany is an entire region, not a town. The most convenient airports to fly into will be Pisa or Florence, but Rome or Bologna are also reasonable options.
http://www.skyscanner.it/ - particularly good for budget flights within Europe, but you can also use everywhere as a destination to do something like the explore option on Kayak. You may not need the airfares, but you can compare to the cost of the trains to get around. this one may be more useful for you. Palermo is a long trip by train, Naples to Palermo is one leg of the trip where you might consider flying.
http://www.seat61.com/ . This includes a huge amount of information on train travel throughout Europe - much more than there is room for in an answer here. The site has links to the various national train websites where you can find schedules and prices for trains. It also includes detailed descriptions of railpasses. This will tell you how to determine whether a railpass is worth the money for your trip (in Italy where I live railpasses are almost never worth the cost), which railpass to get, and how to use the railpass. There's also information on what to avoid in particular places.
http://www.fsitaliane.it/homepage_en.html - You can get discounts on the fast Italian trains and the night train from Venice to Dijon/Paris for purchasing in advance You could also take the slower regional trains for less, but that adds a lot of travel time and may require multiple train changes. The standard fare for a berth oin a 6 bed cuchette is 100 euro for adults and 70 euro for children. However, if you book early enough to get the discounted "smart" fare, you could get the same accommodations for 35 euro per person. This is a very popular rouyte and the train often sells out quickly.
Driving can be expensive; fuel prices, tolls and parking all add up, but it can become cost effective for groups. Your problem is that it's expensive to pick up a car in Italy and drop it off in France. You wouldn't need a car until you leave Venice though. You can check sites like Avis, Europcar, Sixt, etc, for your specific rental cost. Picking up in one country and dropping off in another can be very expensive. You can get driving distances and estimates fuel and toll costs on viamichelin: http://www.viamichelin.com/ .
.
http://www.venere.com/ - hotels/B&Bs - prices for the same hotel can vary hugely depending on the season and what local events are going on. It will be cheaper to stay on one of the outer islands and take a vaporetto into the main part of Venice or to stay on the mainland in Mestre and take a bus/train between your hotel and Venice.
http://www.hostelbookers.com/ - hostels.
http://www.monasterystays.com/ - monasteries & convents that offer accommodations
You can also look into camping or couch surfing as cheaper alternatives for accommodations. There are campgrounds on Lido di Jesolo on the mainland.
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.ht⦠- festivals, exhibitions and events
http://www.backpackeurope.com/ - information & advice
For sightseeing prices: check the websites for entrance fees for the museums & galleries you're interested in. I spend anywhere between nothing and 40 euro a day depending on exactly what I go to see when out exploring. For food, I spend around 25 to 50 euro for a meal, but you can eat for less. A pizza is 8 to 13 euro and a panino or wrap is around 3 to 6.50 euro in many places. You can often get food at festivals at a relatively low price. You can also shop in the markets and put some meals together for yourselves.When I travel, I like to try the local specialties and the good restaurants. Shopping depends entirely on you.
For those who have backpacked in Europe?
The Doctor
I'm conducting a little research for a marketing proposal (school project) and I was interested in the following:
What age were you when you took your trip?
How long did it last for?
What were you most interested in seeing and doing?
- historical sites?
- nitelife? bars, clubs, etc.
- nature? hiking, biking
- other kinds of adventure?
How would you generally describe your personality?
College graduate?
Thanks in advance!
Answer
I have done it when I was 23 for one month, 25 for one month, at 27 ireland 3 weeks, at 37 Ireland 3 weeks, 42 a European 'tour' again, at 43 and 45 a cycling holiday in the Netherlands and England also going from place to place.
In between I have backpacked in the USA/Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Australia as well as several shorter holidays which had some backpacking characteristics in Europe mostly in one country at a time as well as a few hiking holidays in England and Wales.
I like a combination of different kind of activities, staying in cities but also in villages, seeing historical and cultural things, go out into nature to just enjoy it but I often also done active parts like rafting, hiking or horse riding. The only 'activities' on your list I am not interested in is 'nightlife' beyond the odd visit to a pub.
I never had the need for more adventure, whatever you mean by that.
I used to be a shy kid but always willing to talk with people, I have grown into an adult who can hold herself in crowds and can face a group to hold a talk, and backpacking has helped me in that change.
The most notable change for myself is the level of my English. When I left school I could hardly communicate and that at a 'survival level' that is very poor grammar and pronunciation. Now I am fluent to the level of being about bilingual. Having to talk English (my only foreign language) for at least a month straight on all my backpacking holidays has helped a lot in that, as well as talking with people I would not have met if I had not started backpacking when I did.
My education level is just below college level, we do not have college here.
In case you had not noticed it yet, I am Dutch, so European and female.
I have done it when I was 23 for one month, 25 for one month, at 27 ireland 3 weeks, at 37 Ireland 3 weeks, 42 a European 'tour' again, at 43 and 45 a cycling holiday in the Netherlands and England also going from place to place.
In between I have backpacked in the USA/Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Australia as well as several shorter holidays which had some backpacking characteristics in Europe mostly in one country at a time as well as a few hiking holidays in England and Wales.
I like a combination of different kind of activities, staying in cities but also in villages, seeing historical and cultural things, go out into nature to just enjoy it but I often also done active parts like rafting, hiking or horse riding. The only 'activities' on your list I am not interested in is 'nightlife' beyond the odd visit to a pub.
I never had the need for more adventure, whatever you mean by that.
I used to be a shy kid but always willing to talk with people, I have grown into an adult who can hold herself in crowds and can face a group to hold a talk, and backpacking has helped me in that change.
The most notable change for myself is the level of my English. When I left school I could hardly communicate and that at a 'survival level' that is very poor grammar and pronunciation. Now I am fluent to the level of being about bilingual. Having to talk English (my only foreign language) for at least a month straight on all my backpacking holidays has helped a lot in that, as well as talking with people I would not have met if I had not started backpacking when I did.
My education level is just below college level, we do not have college here.
In case you had not noticed it yet, I am Dutch, so European and female.
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