This is a report of my friend about – How he travelled Europe in just Rupees 10,000, that too for 16 days! Of course this does not include air tickets. I am mentioning about the expenses incurred only on food, stay and travelling in Europe (continue reading to know the ticket cost). So, dear friends, firstly let me tell you that elements like comfort, luxury and pre-planning are inversely related to a budget trip. For cheap travel, you must be ready to sleep anywhere you find the shelter, use public transport, eat whatever you have in your bag and that too while having a lot of fun. While doing all this, he was lucky enough to meet wonderful people and spend quality time with them. (also read : How to stay for free in India)
The first step – Choose a cheaper destination
This was his first trip to Europe. The foremost thing to travel Europe cheap he did was choosing cheapest places to travel. After extensive research, he found Eastern and parts of Central Europe are moderately cheaper for travelling than the Western European countries. Though this is not a rule of thumb. The season is also a big factor. After searching for the best season to travel Europe, he zeroed down to The Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia & Austria. In fact, they are cheapest countries in Europe to visit. The best thing is – all these countries are the member of Schengen area. It means you do not have to spend your time and money to get a separate visa for each country. Just a single Schengen visa serves the purpose. As of October 2016, Schengen visa cost INR 4,500 in India.
The best thing is – all these countries are the member of Schengen area. It means you do not have to spend your time and money to get a separate visa for each country. Just a single Schengen visa serves the purpose. As of October 2016, Schengen visa cost INR 4,500 in India.
How to get a cheap flight ticket to Europe
Air tickets consisted the 70% of my total expenditure on this trip. For continuously 2 months he kept checking cheapest way to get to Europe. he searched the airfare almost every hour combining different cities, flights, and tricks. This gave him a fair idea of the cheapest airfare from India to any European city. he finally purchased a ticket which had this itinerary – New Delhi-Dubai-Prague & Prague-Kiev-Dubai-New Delhi for almost Rs. 34,000.Though this itinerary had layovers as long as 6 hours at Kiev and
Dubai, but this also gave me an opportunity to explore these airports and chat with airport staff and other passengers. (Read –
What did I do during the long layovers at Dubai and Kiev airports)
How did he travel in Europe
During the whole trip, he never took a taxi. Only once he travelled on a long distance train. Twice he used the long distance buses.
(Taxi from Prague airport to city centre costs 25 Euros which was equivalent to the fare of my long distance train journey+Bus ticket from Vienna to Prague+Bus ticket from Prague to Brno).
Tram in Prague
Rest of the travelling was either done by public transport or by Hitch-hiking :). Yes, you got it right. he took free lifts from the passing vehicles to travel from one place to other, even from one country to another. he said....I should say that this is the brightest part of travelling Europe. Many European countries are now a part of the European Union. The borders are almost non-existing. I could visit Slovakia and Austria from the Czech Republic as if I go from Delhi to Gurgaon. he met few travellers who had travelled through Europe by hitch-hiking.
Hitchhiking in Europe
Hitchhiking is quite common in Europe. he met a lot of wonderful people while travelling this way. Though sometimes language was a problem in Czech and Austria, but as it is said ‘Language is not the barrier, the heart is‘. It always took some time to explain ‘who I am’ and ‘where do I need to go’, but thereafter our conversations used to become very friendly. One of such person was Stephen who was travelling to his hometown in Veselí nad Moravou, but he took a detour to drop him at Strážnice, the place where he wanted to go. he got to travel in a truck and also an ultra-advanced model of Mercedes car with a Czech-Russian gentleman.
Though it is not always easy to hitchhike. he was dropped by a person near a railway station but the train had already left. Then he had to walk for about 4 kilometres to reach near a gas station (Petrol Pump) on the highway. Even there he had to wait for more than an hour struggling in the chilly winds to get a free lift. Due to the language differences, Once an old man misunderstood his destination and dropped him to a completely different location. But he believe that such uncertainties are the beauty of travelling this way.
Public Transport is cheap in Europe
In cities like Prague, Brno and Vienna he always took the public transport. It is one of the best ways to travel on a budget in these cities. Public transports consist of modern buses, trams and underground metro/subway in big cities. The best part of travelling through them is that you do not have to take a ticket for each and every ride. In Prague, he spent 110 Czech Crown (300 INR) to get a 24 hours ticket which is valid on all buses, metro and trams in the city. In Brno, the fare for the same duration is 90 Czech Crown (245 INR). Although travelling in the capital of Austria, Vienna is comparatively costlier. he had to spend 7.60 Euros (560 INR) to get a 24 hours ticket. (
Read – Useful travel apps in Europe).
Where did he stay in Europe
Whenever he do budget travelling, he prefer to stay in hostels. They are cheaper than hotels and also offer an opportunity to meet other backpackers from around the world. His first destination was Prague where hestayed in
Hostel Ananas. Booked this hostel before leaving India (from the ‘
Book now, pay later‘ box placed below this article). This tool helps to book any accommodation around the world without making payment in advance.
Besides this, he slept on airports, travelled on night buses and purposely took overnight flights. he did
CouchSurfing to stay with the locals in the countryside. This helped him to learn about their way of living, culture and habits more closely. he stayed with a person in his beautiful cottage on a hill. he met while travelling in a local bus and became friends in a short time. One of his hosts took him to Slovakia in her car and showed me nearby villages and the countryside. Another family with whom he stayed in Břeclav offered their heart touching hospitality. he stayed with them for two days. In another example, the host handed over the entire house to me and left for some work for two days. he believe, experiences through travelling this way can revitalise our senses and fundamentally transform us for the better.
(also read : How to stay for free in India)
What did I eat in Europe
Vegetarian : Rice with Hummus
Being a vegetarian, it was a problem for him to find vegetarian food in the Czech Republic and Austria, especially when people do not understand English. The vegetarian restaurants were quite costly. Then supermarkets like Billa, Albert, Müller, etc. came to his rescue. he purchased things like Bread, Milk, Cheese, Butter, Nutella, Chocolates, Yoghurt, Carrots from there and this is what he had most of the time on his trip. To add variety, he tried different types of bread, cheese and butter. It’s very cheap to buy raw food from supermarkets and then prepare whatever you like in your hostel or at your host’s place. Most of the hostels offer a kitchenette with microwave oven, kettle, hot water, plates and cutleries for free of charge. Do not forget to clean it after use for the convenience of other guests.
