Comments on: Cheapo Basics: 10 ways to save on the “big items” in your travel budget

By: Ted & Sheila

Ted & Sheila — Sun, 13 Jul 2014 18:30:24 +0000

We are two seniors heading to Copenhagen in Oct for 3 nites then to london for 4 nites and then Barcelona for 4 nites

need advice on most economical and easy ways to get fm Airport in Copenhagen to Central terminal

need advice to get from Gatwick to hammerschmitt tube in london

we like buffett restaurants gives us a chance to try many different foods in one spot so any ideas in the above cities for buffett at economical prices

any suggestions on your past experiences in the above three cities would be greatly appreciated

we will sail out of Barcelona on Sunday Oct 26 for 13 day trip back to Ft Lauderdale

Thanks gang

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:09:13 +0000

Hey Carrie
There are TONS of short term apartment rental sites …..I have really good luck with VRBO.com, an acronym for Vacation Rentals By Owner. Lots of variety, lots of price points and degree of budget to luxury. We are traveling to France in a few weeks and I have two cottages rented, one near Bordeaux, the other ( with pool)in the Dordogne Valley. As we fly out of Paris, I have a sweet studio apartment near Place des Vosges. All three have been rented thru VRBO.
One thing to look into is method of payment, the Paris apt owner accepts Paypal, the two country cottages I had to bank transfer deposit, which was a bit of a pain, I had to go to a bank( when was the last time that happened?), had to have correct address for receiving bank, IBAN number, correct address for recipient and the fee to send a wire transfer was $27.50 Canadian.
I have heard good things about AirBNB.com, but many of these are actually sharing space with the owner. Couchsurfing.com is really budget and you are crashingon some bodies couch! That is a little too much for my sensibilities!
If apartment rental sounds like something you would be interested in, just use your Google fu and start searching……Have Fun!

By: carrie

carrie — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:44:32 +0000

any tips for finding apartment rentals?

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 01:08:15 +0000

Another good tip is short term apartment rentals. Most cities have apartment rentals and the minimum rental is usually three days, but can be negotiated! Renting apartments also means having access to laundry and a kitchen. The laundry is essential to traveling light. I do, however, have some reservations with European washer/dryer combos. The full cycle can be hours. Drying is usually some kind of steam dry. Once I figure out the shortest wash cycle, I usually opt for hang dry. If a clothes rack is not provided, the bathroom shower rod and some hangers work well. Once in Barcelona we had a terrace facing onto an inner courtyard. Every resident hung there laundry on lines on their balconies. I felt like a real local.
Obviously having a kitchen saves tons of money, and shopping like locals in markets and the the local stores adds so much to ones travel experience. Not that I have spent hours in European kitchens, but it is nice to not have to rely on restaurants for all meals.

By: Pete Meyers

Pete Meyers — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:08:09 +0000

Oh man, how right you are about tickets, Robin. We also found that in various cities the traffic police on foot can be aggressive in handing out fines. We were fined twice in London, both times for being 10 minutes late in feeding the meter. Granted, we were late, but still…

By: Robin | My Melange

Robin | My Melange — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:33:59 +0000

I’m also a budget traveler – I mainly travel to France and Italy and I follow many of these excellent tips!

Something else to consider if you will be renting a car – tickets. Cameras in Italian cities will capture you (and your license plate) driving or parking where you shouldn’t be – and you WILL get tickets sent to your home address. Fines can be hefty.

And in regard to #10 – I use my local credit union credit card and ATM oversees – they offer me the best rate and don’t tack on any extra fees.

By: casacaudill

casacaudill — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:03:39 +0000

We had a hard time with breakfast in Paris. The cafes near our hotel were either gross or overcharged for a basic meal. By lunchtime, after walking for hours, we were usually famished. One way we saved money was to buy bread, cheese & meet from the local markets and picnic at the parks, under the trees. Our lunches were much more economical than going to a restaurant and the settings couldn’t be beat. My only recommendation is to avoid drinking Orangina if you’re eating Camembert.

By: Timeless Drifter

Timeless Drifter — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:00:27 +0000

Also keep in mind not all bed and breakfasts actually include breakfast in their fees. Weird?! Indeed! Just cruising around Italy, I was surprised how many B&Bs charge extra for the second ‘B.’ (Do they think B&B simply means ‘we serve breakfast’) I don’t get it, but it’s a real fact and important to check before you ‘ciao.’