In Paris, I’ll be visiting as many hotels as I can fit into five days, and I’m hoping that I won’t experience any conflicts with Fashion Week, which kicks off at the end of the week. (When there’s a big event in town, it’s harder to inspect hotel rooms. However, I don’t know how much crossover there is in the two camps

I’m also looking forward to watching/celebrating Obama’s inauguration in Paris. Thanks to Meredith for putting together today’s excellent post on where to watch the inauguration in Europe!

St. Petersburg will not be work, although I’m sure I won’t be able to avoid jotting down budget travel notes. (It’s a hard habit to break!) I plan to spend the week visiting the Hermitage, a few palaces, attending a ballet, and basically strolling about town.

Regarding Moscow: Thanks to all the Cheapos who suggested ways to visit Moscow a la cheapo. In the end, spending two nights in the city was too expensive for my inexperienced self, so I’ve dropped it from the itinerary. I’m still toying with the possibility of taking the train down for a day, and then returning to St. Petersburg, however. Stay tuned.

Moscow was dropped, but Riga was gained. I mentioned Tallinn in an earlier post as a possibility, but it didn’t work for my friend Carl who will be traveling with me. We found a €100 one-way flight on airBaltic from St. Petersburg to Riga on Friday, January 30th. We’ll spend the weekend exploring the town, and then I’ll stay on for a few days of hotel hunting.

Again, thanks for all the advice and well-wishes. I hope you’ll join me on this trip by checking in with the blog. I look forward to comments, questions, and tips from you.

And now–onto Paris!

The post Cheapos at Work: Off to Paris, St. Petersburg, and… appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Americans abroad: Will you be watching the festivities? Whether you live abroad or will simply be traveling, we’d like to know whether or not you’ll tune in on Tuesday to the historic event happening in Washington.

If yes, please tell us where you plan to watch the ceremony. Which city? In a bar, community center, church, or other location?  Will you get there early? At home alone? In your hotel room?

If no, please tell us why not. Not interested? You can see highlights on YouTube? The line will be finally be short at the Eiffel Tower?

Tomorrow we’ll be posting a list of spots where you can watch the inauguration in Europe’s major cities. So please, leave your comments below! Thanks!

The post Americans abroad: Will you be watching the US Presidential Inauguration? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.