Europe | Solo Travel | Tips
Eurotrips For Everyone: Solo Travelers, Families, Business, & Budget Travelers
Still on Eurotrips! If you missed last week’s post, click here to catch up on great tips for planning a Eurotrip covering topics from when to go, where to go, who to go with, and how to get around. In this post, I’m providing tips for budget travelers, young adults, solo travelers, and families
Eurotrip Tips for Budget Travelers
- Use Couchsurfing, Hostels, or shared Airbnb to save on accommodation
- Enjoy free fun activities to do all over Europe including but not limited to:
- Checking out free walking tours (I used SANDEMANs, tipping at the end is a good idea)
- On the first Sunday of each month, Louvre, Musee Rodin, Musee Picasso, and Musee d’Orsay are free for all.
- These attractions are free for teachers and under 26 (youth) all year
- In Madrid, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is free to enter on Saturdays after 2.30pm and all day Sunday while the Prado is free all day Sunday
- Check out Fisherman’s Bastion in Budapest
- Hike Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh
- Visit the Vatican for free on the last Sunday of every month
- Watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night
- Visit underrated destinations or go during low season
- Trains too expensive?
- Flix Bus – with routes in 20 European counties, it is lauded as the best and cheapest way to travel through continental Europe
- Try Megabus (UK, Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam) – Flixbus recently acquired Megabus in Europe
- Busabout hop-on/hop-off bus service similar to Kiwi Experience in New Zealand. They’ve even got suggested itineraries on their route
Eurotrip Tips for Students (Under 27)
- Railpass offers youth tickets for travelers 26 or under. I did not know this on my first trip. If you’ll be traveling by rail a lot or for a long period, it is worth having a look at this
- If you’re a student, bring your ID or get the International Student Identity Card (ISIC) for student pricing!
Eurotrip Tips for Solo Travelers
- Hostels are a great place to meet people to sightsee with
- Hostelworld has thousands on hostels for you to look through. Read the reviews, check the hostels review on trip advisor, only book the top rated ones
- Second to hostels, group tours (think walking tours, food tours, wine tasting or any group activity) are great ways to meet people
- Europe is a great continent to try solo travel for the first time, I did it there
- See this post for European countries on my list of great solo travel destinations
Eurotrip Tips When You’re Short on Time
For Europe residents, business travelers, or visitors short on time in general, city breaks – short visits to cities – are the perfect way to take in the sights. Here’s how to make the most of your trip when you’re short on time:
- Avoid jetlag by resting on the flight, and hydrating
- While on business, if your schedule allows, plan to do something one evening during the work week
- Pack light so you can move about quickly
- Stay central and be strategic about your plans. When short on time, I’d recommend having a plan
- Plan to walk quite a bit so pack comfortable shoes
- Don’t spend time doing ‘popular’ activities if those things don’t get you excited
- Make reservations ahead of time if you plan on going to popular sites or restaurants
Eurotrip Tips for Groups/ Families
Eurotrips are great for groups and families too! Here are some tips if this is your situation
- When traveling in groups, definitely look into staying at Airbnb to save on accommodation, potentially have more space, and for bonding
- Got kids? The following cities have lots of kid-friendly activities
- London
- Edinburgh
- Paris
- Dublin
- Amsterdam
- Copenhagen
- Barcelona
- Dubrovnik
- Lisbon
- A fun way to get kids involved is to do a fun pre-travel project on the destination, that way they’re even more engaged/excited when they get to experience what they’ve learned
- When planning group activities, plan appropriately for transportation, if it is worth booking a driver for a busy day, do so
- Use an app like Splitwise to track all costs paid by group members, it is so much easier than trying to keep track on paper
What bucket do you fall into? Do you have specific questions on Europe travel that you’d like answered? Let me know!
Till Next Week,
Ms. Heels
I really thought i was going on a Eurotrip this summer but it’s not looking like it. Travelling with a green passport is such a hassle despite living in the States, because a visa is required and there are no embassies of these places where i live. Also, getting a letter from school and a travel insurance is too stressful for me, so i have decided to shelf the trip and go when i have a blue passport. It’s annoying.
Awww man I’m sorry . Yes the visa is a hassle working through schengen visa requirements . And many of them require in person interviews so you can’t just mail it. Bbbiuttt all the way until blue passport though ? Maybe if you live in a city where there’s an embassy or if you happen to visit then you can kill two birds with one stone.
I understand though I was going to do Europe after I graduated but before I started working and then the reality of visa requirements hit me, I postponed until after I’d worked for a year so I totally understand . In good time. On the other hand there are places in north and Central America you can visit with a us visa !!!!
Yeah i will just be on the lookout for when i’m in these cities with the embassies, and i’m focusing on my U.S for now. Not too bad. Thank you.