How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

I plan on quitting my job in a few months and using the money i've saved from living with my parents to travel around the world for as long as I can. Im wondering how far/long will 10 G's get me. The plan is to quit and fly to europe with no real game plan except to explore and see where the road takes me. If I'm staying in hostels and living rather frugally, how long can I realistically live off of 10 grand? what about 15 grand?

Thanks.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

awesome gl man

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

don´t know how long this would last.

It depends a lot on which countries you are going to visit. Eastern Europe is a lot cheaper than GreatBritain, Skandinavia, Switzerland,...

You should definitely make some sort of plan. Then you can save some money by using benefits

Check out Interrail for travelling by train

and yeah thats awesome

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

Probably 3 weeks if you're not extravagent. Maybe 4 weeks if you do it cheap.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

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Probably 3 weeks if you're not extravagent. Maybe 4 weeks if you do it cheap.

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lol your an idiot. Plz to be going back to your shortstacking.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

Unfortunately this is the worst time to do this since the dollar is at historic lows against the euro and many other currencies. You probably have some guide books so just keep in mind everything will be more expensive now. On the other hand, the consensus seems to be that the dollar may get even weaker so this may be the time to go.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

3 month, maybe 4

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

3 months? Do you people live in tents? Seriously, it will get you a month at most unless you wanna live off noodles and live in a dorm like a loser.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

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Probably 3 weeks if you're not extravagent. Maybe 4 weeks if you do it cheap.

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So if we take off say a grand for the flight over, you're saying a budget of $300/day is doing it cheap? Don't be ridiculous, unless you're ballaing it up it'll last two months or more easily.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

$300 easily. A cheap hotel room will be $150. $50 on meals if you eat [censored]. Then $100 on entertainment, sightseeing, taxis, trains, beer, whatever.

$150 will get you a basic 3 star hotel room and in most places not even that.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

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If I'm staying in hostels and living rather frugally

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$150 will get you a basic 3 star hotel room and in most places not even that.

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Try reading first. The reason I didn't post was because I have no clue what it costs to stay in hostels or what someone who stays in hostels spends on food / entertainment.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

After a quick google search. It seems $20-40/night is the going rate for hostels. So I figure $150/day so 2 months seems like a good estimate.

Threads like this though are not very useful without explaining what you plan to do. Going clubbing is going to cost you a lot more than just going to see the sights. Depending on what you want to do $10k could last a weekend or it could last 2 months.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

Some of these estimates are stupidly high given the OP's indication of hostels and frugality.

$700 plane
$300 train/bus/transport

Normal day

$30 for bed in hostel
$6 for coffee and a bagel for breakfast
$12 for a sandwich and a bag of chips for lunch
$15 for a dinner somewhere
$15 for museum admissions and a snack during day
$20 for boozing at night

that's under $100.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

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If I'm staying in hostels and living rather frugally

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$150 will get you a basic 3 star hotel room and in most places not even that.

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Try reading first. The reason I didn't post was because I have no clue what it costs to stay in hostels or what someone who stays in hostels spends on food / entertainment.

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I read it just not properly. I just assumed someone on a poker forum wouldn't wanna live like a bum. Food and entertainment costs would be about the same anyway. You've gotta eat regardless.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

Basically in The Netherlands and countries like it, like Scandinavian countries, Brittain, Belgium, Germany, Swiss, etc, expect $10,000 to have as much value as ~$7,000 in the US would have. Especially with the current currency rates, it's probably even worse.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

My experience with London is that I basically found myself paying about the same as I'd pay in Canada just in pounds. The rest of Europe was not as bad.

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I read it just not properly. I just assumed someone on a poker forum wouldn't wanna live like a bum. Food and entertainment costs would be about the same anyway. You've gotta eat regardless.

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I also don't see the value in an experience like this but it is not my place to judge. Food and entertainment would change as well. Someone staying at hostel will also find just getting a sandwich at a deli or eating fast food is acceptable. They also will not be paying cover to get into clubs. They will walk or take public transit rather than cab etc. I can see him making it by on less then $150 a day. I would say $100 if not for the fact the US currency is very weak.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

I'm pretty well off and I have no problem staying in a decent hostel. The facilities are usually fine and they are a great place to meet other travellers and make friends imo.

People who say stuff like 'lol hippies' at people who stay in hostels are utter tools imo. Not everyone (esp. college kids who make up the bulk of hostel users) has the disposable income that a lot of this board does.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

~20 Euros a night for a hostel
~10 Euros a day for food if you prepare it yourself
~15 Euros a day for miscellaneous stuff (sights, transportation, etc.)

That's around $70 a day, and you can probably live more cheaply than that. It'll be even cheaper if you know your plans a month ahead of time or so, and this will also make your inter-city transportation cost less.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

I sort of explained this in the OP but this trip isnt really to go clubbing or to dine on fine foods, its more spiritual than anything. A couple months ago, in the midst of having a nervous breakdown, I sat down and totally reevaluated what I wanted to get out of my life. I was about 9 months removed from almost making the biggest mistake of my life by marrying a girl who couldnt be faithful to a square of toilet paper let alone a man. It's much more complicated then that, obviously, but through lots of reflection, inebriation, and a little masturbation, I came to the conclusion that I knew nothing of the world besides the small California town in which i'd lived my whole life. So I came up with a plan to try and explore as much of the world as I could on my limited budget.

The plan is to really have no plan. I just want to go do it and figure it out along the way. I have no problem walking, biking, taking buses, sleeping next to the highway, eating tuna cans 3 days in a row etc.

Maybe this isnt the best forum to be asking these questions, i dunno. I'm an avid 2+2 troller and from what I can tell there are some smart people on here. I guess what I really want to know is is spending money unavoidable? I mean, can I buy a loaf of bread and some salame and live off it for a few days while im traveling to a new city? Is that even reasonable?

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

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I sort of explained this in the OP but this trip isnt really to go clubbing or to dine on fine foods, its more spiritual than anything. A couple months ago, in the midst of having a nervous breakdown, I sat down and totally reevaluated what I wanted to get out of my life. I was about 9 months removed from almost making the biggest mistake of my life by marrying a girl who couldnt be faithful to a square of toilet paper let alone a man. It's much more complicated then that, obviously, but through lots of reflection, inebriation, and a little masturbation, I came to the conclusion that I knew nothing of the world besides the small California town in which i'd lived my whole life. So I came up with a plan to try and explore as much of the world as I could on my limited budget.

The plan is to really have no plan. I just want to go do it and figure it out along the way. I have no problem walking, biking, taking buses, sleeping next to the highway, eating tuna cans 3 days in a row etc.

Maybe this isnt the best forum to be asking these questions, i dunno. I'm an avid 2+2 troller and from what I can tell there are some smart people on here. I guess what I really want to know is is spending money unavoidable? I mean, can I buy a loaf of bread and some salame and live off it for a few days while im traveling to a new city? Is that even reasonable?

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You can prolly last 3-4 months off $10k. If you plan on staying in Hostels and not living extravagantly, then you can live quite well off $100-$120 (£50-£60) a day in all but the most expensive places in Western Europe. In Eastern Europe you can live fine off about $60-$80 (£30-£40) a day.

Just don't visit (or spend long in) the crazy expensive places like London, Amsterdam, etc and try to spend some of your time in Eastern Europe where the cost of living/traveling is so much less and it'll last fine.

Juk [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

Nickerbocker,

I spent a week in Paris with some friends, here was my barebones budget (we did go out to a few good dinners, but heres what we did) Prices in american dollars

Breakfast- One baguette and a small container of cheese split three ways and coffee ($3 each)

Lunch- Skipped it or shared some pizza ($6 each)

Dinner- Sandwich and water ($7 each)

Tons of wine drank in the hotel ($5/day)


Add in $25 for a hostel bed and all other than that, all expenses are optional.

You definitely could just bum it and buy a couple loafs of bread and some meat if you got a fridge to stick it in.


When I graduate school, in the time before I start work I plan on going to Eurpoe for a month by myself on barebones budget and then have my gf join up with me for a proper nice hotel/museum/spa vacation.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

also read Canuck's backpacking thread its probably in the sticky here

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

thats what im talking about noah wine is where its at

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

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I came to the conclusion that I knew nothing of the world besides the small California town in which i'd lived my whole life. So I came up with a plan to try and explore as much of the world as I could on my limited budget.

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Since your goal is spiritual rather than sightseeing, have you considered going anywhere other than Europe? Maybe somewhere where your budget could be stressed considerably further? Where I am, you could live well for an entire year on $10k.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

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I read it just not properly. I just assumed someone on a poker forum wouldn't wanna live like a bum. Food and entertainment costs would be about the same anyway. You've gotta eat regardless.

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Hah.

Many people on this forum are students or have full time jobs and just play poker for fun. Also, if you've never done the hostel experience you're missing out. When I've traveled with friends we generally choose hostels over hotels because they're way more fun. You meet a lot more interesting people and can find some good traveling companions. Its not like you're going to be hanging out in your hotel so who cares if all you have is a clean bed and a locker.

With a minimum of effort you can survive off of an average of $100 a day. Buying food occassionally and cooking your own meals can save you a fair bit of money. After airfare and travel I think you can make your money last one and a half to two months pretty easily.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

Check hotels.com for good rates (common knowledge?), do east and south europe and 10k is no problem for 2 months.

Fly in Paris, find cheap airticket too prague, then use trains going south. Yoy dont save much on interrail is my experience, if u are travelling south europe. + You might track cheap air tickets too save alot boring time. Hostels can be great to get to know people.

Croatia is a must, then i would head for eiter greece or going back from croatia trough venice and italy, esp if u fly out trough france could be awesome. Then is also Spain and Barca ''close''.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

nickerbocker i've traveled a fair dea, after reading your post i strongly recommend you go anywhere BUT europe, europe is the most expensive and most similar to the place you live (w. europe of course). do you know any other languages? what about a south america trip? or an asia trip? maybe you go to australia for a few months and get a job while you're out there, then spend a few months split up in thailand, vietnam, korea, china. a trip like that is v. popular for europeans, israelis, australians... it's just americans that odn't do it.

do you know any other languageS? any other cultures youa re paritculary interested in? how afraid are you of trying new things/of thiss trip?

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

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I read it just not properly. I just assumed someone on a poker forum wouldn't wanna live like a bum. Food and entertainment costs would be about the same anyway. You've gotta eat regardless.

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Hah.

Many people on this forum are students or have full time jobs and just play poker for fun. Also, if you've never done the hostel experience you're missing out. When I've traveled with friends we generally choose hostels over hotels because they're way more fun. You meet a lot more interesting people and can find some good traveling companions. Its not like you're going to be hanging out in your hotel so who cares if all you have is a clean bed and a locker.

With a minimum of effort you can survive off of an average of $100 a day. Buying food occassionally and cooking your own meals can save you a fair bit of money. After airfare and travel I think you can make your money last one and a half to two months pretty easily.

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I stayed in hostels when I was young and poor. They suck, and most the people in them have the same boring stories. I couldn't think of anything worse than sharing a room with weird poor people I don't know.

I would honestly just go to Europe for 2-3 weeks and spend the 10k that way. I find the first 3 weeks of travelling are the best, and after 6 weeks you're completely sick of it. Travelling on a budget I'd be sick of it after 5 days.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

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Nickerbocker,

I spent a week in Paris with some friends, here was my barebones budget (we did go out to a few good dinners, but heres what we did) Prices in american dollars

Breakfast- One baguette and a small container of cheese split three ways and coffee ($3 each)

Lunch- Skipped it or shared some pizza ($6 each)

Dinner- Sandwich and water ($7 each)

Tons of wine drank in the hotel ($5/day)


Add in $25 for a hostel bed and all other than that, all expenses are optional.

You definitely could just bum it and buy a couple loafs of bread and some meat if you got a fridge to stick it in.


When I graduate school, in the time before I start work I plan on going to Eurpoe for a month by myself on barebones budget and then have my gf join up with me for a proper nice hotel/museum/spa vacation.

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Sounds like hell being malnourished and drunk on cheap wine, living in what feel like halfway houses. Those figures are completely unrealistic unless you wanna do nothing more than stare at monuments and swap boring travel stories with backpackers.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

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My experience with London is that I basically found myself paying about the same as I'd pay in Canada just in pounds. The rest of Europe was not as bad.

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I read it just not properly. I just assumed someone on a poker forum wouldn't wanna live like a bum. Food and entertainment costs would be about the same anyway. You've gotta eat regardless.

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I also don't see the value in an experience like this but it is not my place to judge. Food and entertainment would change as well. Someone staying at hostel will also find just getting a sandwich at a deli or eating fast food is acceptable. They also will not be paying cover to get into clubs. They will walk or take public transit rather than cab etc. I can see him making it by on less then $150 a day. I would say $100 if not for the fact the US currency is very weak.

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London is not excessive by western european standards. Paris is more expensive, Switzerland more expensive, even Ireland is more expensive now.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

If you want to stay in Europe for a long period and money is an issue I think staying in southern or eastern Europe most of the time is the way to go. While norther Europe has a lot to offer it is expensive compared to south and east, and the Scandinavian countries are not recommended if you are travelling on a budget and dont want to stay in a tent. Some people might find Germany expensive, but Danes travel to Germany for cheap goods, Swedes travel to Denmark for cheap goods, and Norwegians travel to Sweden for cheap goods.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

yeah, defo blitz the north europe and spend the time there doing cultural stuff maybe not getting hammered all the time cos drinks are so expensive in london. Head for eastern/southern europe and spend more on drink here/having basic fun.

Good luck OP, have a blast.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

In a bigger German city(600k+ people or more) you have to spend around: 50€ or 65(?)$

hostel: ~20€
breakfast:
-you get breakfast in most hostels in Germany
-but if you want to go out for eating breakfast ~10€
-if you buy something at a discount backer ~3€
lunch:
-if you cook something for you in the kitchen at the hostel ~2-4€
-if you buy some fast food (burger king etc)5-7€
-if you go in a normal restaurant (or even a great one) you can have a "mittagstisch" for 8-12€
diner:
-the same like lunch but if yo gou to a restaurant you have to pay around ~20€+

Sightseeing
-museums entrance etc around 10€ smaller museums are cheaper.

Nightlife
-discotheque entrence around 10-15€ and often you have to drink at least for 5€. cost of a beer is around 2.5€. Discotheques have a strict dress code in Europe. Most of the time sneakers are not allowed (chuck allstars are allowed because they are modern but many others are not).


-bars: Theres no entrance fee and the people there are much friendlier than in a discotheque
a beer costs around 1.2€ (0.2).

Most other European citys have the same costs just the eastern country's are cheaper.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

Do you play poker? Is there any way of generating some income as you travel, or is this not something you want to do? You could extend your trip almost indefinitely if that was the case.

It's been said already but I would definitely work out what you want to do in advance, and book your tickets beforehand. Plane/train tickets go up a lot last-minute.

As for cost of living, it all depends on exactly what you want. You've been given a lot of varying costs from a lot of different posters saying what *they* paid but the range really is anywhere from like $60/day to $200/day, not including travel expenses. Do you want to visit a lot of tourist attractions, or just experience the local culture? The latter is obviously a lot cheaper, and better imo.

Re: How far can 10 grand get me in Europe?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I sort of explained this in the OP but this trip isnt really to go clubbing or to dine on fine foods, its more spiritual than anything. A couple months ago, in the midst of having a nervous breakdown, I sat down and totally reevaluated what I wanted to get out of my life. I was about 9 months removed from almost making the biggest mistake of my life by marrying a girl who couldnt be faithful to a square of toilet paper let alone a man. It's much more complicated then that, obviously, but through lots of reflection, inebriation, and a little masturbation, I came to the conclusion that I knew nothing of the world besides the small California town in which i'd lived my whole life. So I came up with a plan to try and explore as much of the world as I could on my limited budget.

The plan is to really have no plan. I just want to go do it and figure it out along the way. I have no problem walking, biking, taking buses, sleeping next to the highway, eating tuna cans 3 days in a row etc.

Maybe this isnt the best forum to be asking these questions, i dunno. I'm an avid 2+2 troller and from what I can tell there are some smart people on here. I guess what I really want to know is is spending money unavoidable? I mean, can I buy a loaf of bread and some salame and live off it for a few days while im traveling to a new city? Is that even reasonable?

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I had a similar spiritual experience, and in 2005 spent about 5 months living in Budapest, Hungary. I figure the whole experience (including all travel to other countires while there) cost me about $20,000. This is a pretty high figure, becuase I when I started the trip, I was still in the mindset that "more $$$ = better," so I rented an apartment right on the Danube in the priciest district in Budapest. With that in mind, you could definitely do 4 or more months for 10K.

To make it work, you just have to be willing to immerse yourself in the culture of the country you're in. Open up to locals, find out where the non-touristy areas are, and eat and shop there. Part of my spiritual experience was getting out of the mentality of being a tourist, and learning about the everyday people there. While in Dubrovnik, Croatia (amazingly beautiful city, btw), I got there during the height of tourist season. The cheapest hotel room was about 400 euro a night. Many of the locals, however, will rent out spare rooms to tourists. For about 30 DOLLARS a night, I stayed with a family that had a beautiful house on the hill overlooking the sea. I had coffee with them as they told me stories about the war, and how they rebuilt the city afterwards. To me this was way more interesting than staying at some 5 star hotel with a bunch of snobby business travelers.

Definitely check out Eastern Europe - To many Americans never go further east than Vienna. In doing so, they're missing out on great cities like Budapest, Krakow, Lake Bled, and one of the most beautiful countries on the planet, Croatia. The biggest problem with Eastern Europe is the women - they're so hot that when(if) you get back to California, it will take you awhile to find American women attractive again.

You might want to become active on a sight like
hosptialityclub.org . Start talking to people there now, and you may be able to find people willing to let you stay with them for free during your entire trip. If you can do that, you could spend close to a year in Europe. You also might want to read Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to Long Term Travel . The author has made trips last for 2 years on low income as an ESL teacher.

Good luck with your journey.