Sure, everyday small charges like cafe cremes in Paris (€2-4) and vaporetto rides in Venice (€6.50) do add up and can make a Cheapo panic. However, these are relatively minor charges when compared to the big-ticket items in your budget: flights, hotels, car rentals and train tickets.

Luckily, there are simple steps you can take right now to minimize these big expenses. Some of these tips may be old news to you, bien sur. But even if one tip comes in handy, it could save you a whole wad of euros.

Kayak’s price alert

1. Set up airfare alerts

Haven’t booked your airline tickets yet? Set up airfare alerts to find a flight deal on Web sites like Kayak.com and Airfarewatchdog.com.

On Kayak, do a search for your desired travel dates and then click “Get a price alert” on the left side of the page. Once you register, they’ll email you with daily or weekly airfare deals for your route.

On Airfarewatchdog, “Deal Hounds” sniff out the lowest ticket prices for your route and send similar email updates. On both sites, you stand a much better chance of scoring a deal if your travel dates are flexible.

2. Pack lightly

As we mentioned last week, most transatlantic airlines have introduced ridiculous baggage fees for checking a second, third or overweight bag. For flights from the US to Europe, these fees can be as high as $200 per bag (one way!).

Check out our roundup of airline baggage fees and only check one bag.

The RoissyBus taks passengers from Paris to Charles de Gaulle.

3. Take public transportation to and from the airport

Alas, how many people have we dissuaded from taking a taxi from Charles de Gaulle to their hotel in Paris! Every one of the major European cities we cover on EuroCheapo offers public transportation from the airport to the center of town, and the majority offer both train and bus options.

Whether you’re getting from Charles de Gaulle to Paris or Schiphol to Amsterdam, there’s a budget-friendly (and usually quite efficient) way into town that doesn’t involve an expensive taxi. Check out our city guides for more information.

4. Think twice before booking a rail pass

For Americans, the lure of the Eurail Pass is strong. Just reading the descriptions of the passes on their Web site can get you excited and ready to hop on board!

It’s easy to forget that these rail passes are not always a good deal. Sure, they offer some convenience and peace of mind, but they don’t always save you money over simply buying individual point-to-point rail tickets (like the millions of Europeans who take trains daily).

Aboard the Renfe train between Cordoba and Granada. No need for a rail pass.

To find out if a rail pass offers “rail” savings, compare the pass price to the point-to-point ticket prices found on the railways’ official Web site (and not the Web site of a rail pass re-seller).

For much more information on this, read these posts: Read this before you buy a European rail passes; Extra charges for rail pass holders; Deutsche Bahn fares better than rail agents; How to book French rail tickets (in French)

5. Book major train tickets in advance

If booking rail journeys directly with the European railways, like the SNCF (France), Deutsche Bahn (Germany) and Renfe (Spain), book those seats in advance. For long-distance train travel, ticket prices climb as the travel date approaches, so advance booking is essential to getting a deal. Most of these railways release tickets three or four months in advance. (Local trains for small jaunts, however, do not need to be booked in advance.)

For more information, read our post on the “three-month rule.”

The EuroCheapo gang rented this car in Berlin. We weren’t smiling two weeks later when we paid the bill.

6. Know the real cost of renting a car

How much will that rental car really cost you? When you do a quick rental car search online, the rates you see will most likely not include taxes or insurance, and certainly won’t include the price of gasoline or the tolls you’ll pay on major highways.

Read our quick guide to calculating the real cost of renting a car in Europe. Then weigh those costs against other options, like trains or budget flights.

Then, use EuroCheapo to search and compare car rental quotes from competing agencies.

While you’re at it, know whether or not to buy extra insurance for your car. (And for that matter, know if you should buy travel insurance for your entire trip!)

7. Choose your hotel wisely

Your hotel expenditure will probably be the most expensive part of your trip. Here at EuroCheapo, we’re obsessed with hotel values. That’s why our editors spend so much time snooping around hotels, taking photos and writing reviews. We can tell you that two hotels sitting side-by-side can charge radically different rates for remarkably similar rooms.

The Hotel Tiquetonne in Paris is central, clean and cheap.

When choosing a hotel, consider “losing a star,” downgrading perhaps from a three-star to a two-star hotel. Decide which amenities you require in a room: Do you need a minibar? cable TV? elevator? If you’re open to a simpler hotel, you can save a bundle and you might find the hotel to be more charming, as well.

Also, give careful consideration to the hotel’s location. If you decide upon a hotel located outside the city center in order to save money, will there be an easy and affordable way home at night? We usually opt for simpler hotels near the center, within walking distance of nighttime activities, if possible.

Read our reviews of budget hotels all over Europe and take our advice–we’ve been there!

8. Know what’s for breakfast

This may sound minor, but breakfast is a big business for hotels. Whether or not breakfast is included in your room rate can add a jarring amount to the bill or save you in the end. It’s a tad confusing, too, as breakfast offerings tend to change by city.

These water bottles in Venice are cheaper at the supermarket.

In Paris, for example, most hotels do not include breakfast in the room rate. When you pay for breakfast, you’ll often be disappointed by what’s set down in front of you: a croissant or piece of baguette, butter and jelly, coffee and juice–for about €10. You’d pay about half that if you headed to a neighborhood cafe, stood at the bar and enjoyed breakfast with the locals.

In London, meanwhile, hotels and B&B’s pride themselves in their included breakfasts, which often come with eggs, bacon, sausage, beans and toast. It’s not necessarily healthy, but it’s good for your budget! (It also helps you eat a lighter and cheaper lunch.)

In many cities, hotels sometimes include breakfast in the room rate, depending upon conditions when booking. The only way to really know if it’s included is to check when reserving your room.

There’s another easy way to eat a healthy breakfast and pay a fraction of the price: Head to a neighborhood supermarket after checking into your hotel to pick up the essentials (bottles of water, oranges, bananas, etc.). If your room has a mini-fridge, you could store yogurt, milk or juice. Bon appetit!

9. Be careful with American iPhones

Americans heading to Europe should be careful before powering up their iPhones abroad. AT&T offers various European travel plans, and almost all of them are too expensive to be a serious option for budget travelers.

We recommend leaving your iPhone set to “Airplane Mode” throughout your trip, and only using it when connected to a Wi-Fi network. Read more in our guide to “Using an American iPhone in Europe… without going broke.”

10. Understand bank fees before using your credit cards or an ATM

How much will your bank charge you to use your credit or debit card abroad? How about withdrawing money from an ATM? When’s the last time you checked?

American banks have “adjusted” their fee structures during the past few years, so we’d recommend checking in with your banks before heading to Europe. If you have multiple cards at your disposal, chances are that they’ll charge different foreign transaction fees. Knowing who charges what will save you money in the end.

Read our quick overview to ATM, Debit and Credit Card charges abroad.

Your tips for saving on European travel

What tips do you have for saving on your “big ticket” items when traveling in Europe? Have a question about any of the tips mentioned above? Share your thoughts in our comments section.

The post Cheapo Basics: 10 ways to save on the “big items” in your travel budget appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

On past trips, I’ve made the mistake of underestimating these other charges, imagining that they’re probably not that much more expensive than in the States. Not surprisingly, I’ve experienced sticker shock when my credit card bill arrives and I add it all up.

Related: Search and compare rental cars in Europe

Quite often, the initial rental fee will be less than half of the total cost of the final rental experience. With a little planning, however, that shouldn’t shock you.

Why take the time?

Why should you go to the bother of calculating the “real cost” of renting a car before your trip? Quite simply, because you have options beyond just driving. Depending on your itinerary, you may be able to take a train, bus or airplane. By calculating the true car cost, you can make an informed decision about which means of transportation works best for your budget.

Not the final price.

For this post, I’m going to side-step the question of which mode of transportation makes the most sense for your trip. Instead, we’re sticking to cars and their “real cost.” It’s a puzzle worth solving—and should only take you about 20 minutes. Ready?

Our 10-day trip

For demonstrative purposes, let’s take a trip together next March, shall we? Against my better judgement, we’re also going to over-pack our itinerary, visiting four cities during our 10 days in Italy. (I’d prefer three cities–or even two. But this is a typical itinerary.)

We’ll start in Rome, where we’ll spend two nights. Then we’ll drive up to Florence, and spend three nights there. (During one of those days, we’ll explore Tuscany by car.) Next, we’ll head to Venice, where we’ll spend two nights. We’ll then spend one day and night in Verona. Finally, we’ll speed back down to Rome, for one night, before heading home.

With a March 1, 2011 kick-off date, the itinerary looks like this:

March 1: Arrive in Rome. Sleep in Rome.
March 2: Visit Rome. Sleep in Rome.
March 3: Pick up car in Rome, drive up to Florence. Sleep in Florence.
March 4: Visit Florence. Sleep in Florence.
March 5: Drive around Tuscany. Sleep in Florence.
March 6: Drive to Venice. Sleep in Venice.
March 7: Visit Venice. Sleep in Venice.
March 8: Drive to Verona. Sleep in Verona.
March 9: Drive back down to Rome. Sleep in Rome.
March 10: Drive to airport. Return car. Fly home.

For this trip, we’ll pick up our car in Rome on day three and return it one week later. (There is no need to pick it up on your first day in Rome. It will do you no good while you’re visiting Rome and will just run up costs at a garage!)

Good; we have our schedule. Now, let’s find a car.

1. Start with the car rental agency quote.

Let’s get started by searching around the web for the cheapest rate for a car we like. (We’d suggest doing a car search on EuroCheapo. You can search several car rental companies at once.)

After searching around, I found a good rate for the week at Auto Europe. Their quote is $381 for a seven-day rental for a cute little Ford Fiesta, an “economy” class option. Clicking on “terms and conditions,” you’ll find the following details:

This price includes: Unlimited mileage, sales tax, and airport surcharge. There is also theft protection and collision damage coverage, but with a very high deductible.

This rate does not include: Insurance to cover personal injuries to anyone in the car. Gas. Road tax of €2 per day. Tolls.

Cost: $381

2. Add additional coverage.

This part is up to you. Your insurance options will vary, depending on the car rental company you use, the country in which you’re renting and the type and level of coverage that you’d like to purchase. As noted above, our rental comes with some collision damage coverage, but the deductible is high—in our case, we’re liable for the first €1,200.

At the rental office, they’ll probably offer CDW, or a “Collision Damage Waiver” that isn’t technically insurance. Rather, it states that the company will “waive” their right to hold us to the deductible in case of damage to the car. Sometimes this CDW is a good deal, but it, too, can have a high deductible (in which case the rental car company may offer an additional “zero-deductible coverage”). This sort of protection usually runs about $15–25 a day.

Some American credit cards offer the same sort of CDW protection when you purchase the rental with their card. This can save you some serious cash. However, if you take advantage of this, the car rental company may also place a hold on your card—perhaps up to the retail cost of the car itself! (This can obviously wreak havoc with your available credit during your trip!) In case something goes wrong (the car is stolen or you’re in an accident), that card will be charged the full amount—and then you’ll have to take up the refund issue with your credit card company. (For more information on CDW and credit card insurance coverage, check out Rick Steves’ excellent overview.)

For our example, let’s say we’re not covered by our credit card, so we purchase a decent Collision Damage Waiver at $22 per day.

Cost: $154.

3. Calculate distance and approximate gas charges.

Map it out on Google

This can be tricky—and illuminating. Please, stick with me!

To determine the distance we’ll be driving, I just plugged each of these cities into Google Maps in the following order: Rome – Florence – Siena – Florence – Venice – Verona – Rome. If driven directly, on the highways, without stopping to explore, the trip would be 1,363 km (847 miles).

We will be stopping and making little diversions, however, so let’s call it 1,609 km (1,000 miles).

But what’s the fuel efficiency of our car? Again, a little search (for “Ford Fiesta fuel efficiency”) leads us to Cnet, which reports that the 2011 manual-shift Fiesta fuel economy is 28 mpg in the city (11.9 km per liter) and 37 mpg on the highway (15.7 km per liter). We’ll be doing more highway driving, so I’ll average it out to 35 mpg (14.88 km per liter). (To get the mpg-km/liter conversions, I simply typed “35 mpg” into Google, and the conversion came up automatically as a suggestion.)

Doing a little division (1,609 km / 14.88), I can approximate the need for 108 liters of diesel for the trip.

The average cost of diesel in August 2010 in Italy was €1.25 per liter. Multiply liters by price, and we reach €135, or $175.

Cost: $175

4. Calculate tolls.

If you thought calculating distance and gas charges was fun, wait until you start in on tolls! This site, however, makes it possible to view current toll charges on Europe’s main highways.

All European toll roads are not created equal, and charges fluctuate quite a bit depending on the country. For example, France has more expensive toll roads than Italy, while Germany’s Autobahn is free for passenger cars. Also, even in countries with expensive highways, smaller and more charming roads are almost always free to use.

In our case, we have quite a distance to cover, so we’ll stick to Italy’s highways for most of the driving. Looking between Google Maps and the toll calculator, I came up with this:

Rome – Florence: €14.60
Florence – Siena: We won’t take highways. No toll.
Florence – Bologna – Venice: €6.50 + €5.60
Venice – Verona: €3.70
Verona – Bologna – Florence – Roma: €5.30 + €6.50 + €14.60

Total cost for tolls: €56.80 or $74

5. Road tax.

In Auto Europe’s terms and conditions, we find that Italy charges a road tax on car rentals of €2 a day, up to €32 for the rental. This will tack on €14 for our 7-day rental.

Cost: €14 ($18)

6. Parking.

And here we are at our last major charge, but one of the most significant: parking garages. Parking is hardly ever included in the cost of a hotel room when renting in the center of a major European city. (It is often free, however, in more suburban spots or along highways, where there’s often a parking lot.)

In our case, we’ll need to park the car seven overnights in a garage. The price will vary, of course, depending on the garage and city. With some searching, you can figure it out. In our case, we hunted around and found the following rates:

Florence garages (3 nights): €18 per day
Venice garages (2 nights): €20 per day in Piazzale Roma
Verona (1 night): €15 (approximate–couldn’t find specific rates)
Rome garage near Termini (1 night) : €28 per day

Total: €137 ($178)

7. Additional charges

There are certainly other considerations. Here are a couple of charges:

Will you pay extra for a GPS system? Baby car seat? Extra luggage rack?

Will you incur any traffic or speeding tickets? (Those can really get you—you’ll pay for the ticket, PLUS a “processing fee”! Read our earlier post about how speeding tickets make lousy souvenirs.)

Are you crossing any bridges or driving through tunnels?

Are you a young driver? In the case of our rental, the minimum driver age is 23, and drivers 23 and 24 years old will have to pay an extra fee.

Total: In our hopeful case, $0.

The bottom line

We’re ready for the fun part. Let’s add it up:

Car rental: $381
Insurance/CDW: $154
Gas: $175
Tolls: $74
Road tax: $18
Parking: $178
Additional charges: 0

Total: $980

Rather incredibly, the $381 car rental has ballooned to a $980 expense!

It’s not fun (for most people) to trudge through all of this data, but now we at least have an approximate total cost. Now we can more realistically compare this amount to the cost of taking the train between each of these destinations. We might even choose to take a budget flight between Venice and Rome.

Or we might still rent the car. The most important thing, however, is that we make an informed choice—and don’t wind up shocked by incidental costs.

Tell us about additional costs – and your experience

Have you been surprised by the “real cost” of renting a car in Europe? Did you notice a way for us to save on our hypothetical rental? Did we overlook another cost? Have a story to tell? Share your experience in our comments section.

The post How to calculate the “real cost” of renting a car in Europe appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Why, you ask? Allow us to demonstrate photographically what happened on a recent journey when we overlooked this critical step. Come, Cheapos, let’s take a ride…

Step 1: Fill ‘er up

Unleaded? Diesel? Who cares! Just fill ‘er up. In our case, we filled up a diesel-only car with unleaded gas.

Step 2: Hit the beach

Drive (a short distance) to a picturesque location and park the car. For us, it was Lake Como, Italy, where we spent the day swimming and frolicking, nary a care in the world.

Step 3: Try to start car and panic

When the car doesn’t start and you realize that you didn’t use diesel, go ahead and briefly freak out, perhaps for three or four minutes. Then, if you don’t speak Italian, do your best mime routine to the locals and hitch a ride on the back of their ninja motorcycle.

Step 4: Back to the beach

After repeating your mime act at the gas station – much to the delight of both yourself and the assembled audience – hop in a car with the head mechanic and drive back to your stranded car. (Preferably, your car ride should follow directly behind a circus trolley that is inexplicably carrying the head mechanic’s children.)

Step 5: Get towed

Watch with embarrassed relief as your car is hoisted onto the back of a flatbed truck to take you to the gas station.

Step 6: Say goodbye to paradise

Snap a photo and wave goodbye to Lake Como from inside the car (there’s not enough room in the truck’s cabin, natch) as you make your way to the gas station.

Step 7: De-gas and re-gas

Hang around the gas station and watch all the “bad gas” get sucked out of your car’s tank. Try not to concentrate on how much the gas originally cost. Pose confidently for a photo.

Step 8: Learn your lesson

Swear you’ll never do this again. Yet allow yourself to appreciate the experience you just had.

The post What happens when you put unleaded gas in a diesel rental car? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Check out these tips to save energy, time and money when arriving in Florence:

Lean toward Pisa (the airport, that is)

Florence has 1.5 airports. The official airport is Firenze Peretola, which is where most people arrive. However, there is also Pisa, Florence’s bratty little cousin. Pisa’s Galileo Galilei Airport has a longer runway and a higher volume of flights. (Pisa now sticks his tongue out.) Pisa also serves low-cost airlines such as Easyjet and Ryanair.

Getting into Florence from Pisa airport is easy. I recommend that you hop on the Terravision bus, which drops you right in downtown Florence at the Santa Maria Novella Train Station. The trip takes about an hour and a round-trip ticket will cost you €16. Be sure to book online, as the bus tends to fill up in the summer months.

A train also makes the journey, which takes about an hour and fifteen minutes. For more information see the “getting into Florence” article in our city guide.

Arriving at Florence’s airport

Florence’s airport is microscopic. And it’s old. But it doesn’t have to be unpleasant. I suggest going to the bathroom before you arrive (i.e., while you’re still on the plane) since there is only one stall per gender in the arrivals hall. Do take advantage of the free luggage carts and get ready to jockey for a position near the conveyor belt. Consider this a prelude to the challenges you’ll face lugging your heavy suitcase.

Florence is a city of cobblestone streets, razor-thin sidewalks and never-ending stairs. Elevators are as rare as unicorns and can be extremely small. So why not pack super light? A small suitcase will be easy on your watch and your sweat glands—remember that Florence is as hot as an oven during the summer months.

For your return flight, be sure to check the airport website to avoid commuting there for nothing: Because of the airport’s short runway and quick-changing weather, flights out of Florence are often delayed or diverted to Pisa.

Renting a car in Florence

So you’ve delightfully retrieved your lightweight suitcase, passed through customs and are possibly now ready to tackle another task: claiming your rental car. Turn left once liberated from the arrival hall and head out of the airport while staying to your left.

Here’s a tip: Have a hat and a (full) water bottle ready. The car rental desks are outdoors and you will be waiting under a scorching, merciless Tuscan sun. Plus, you could be in that waiting line for quite some time during peak summer months.

Bonus tip (because I’m such a nice guy): Keep your speed under 50 km/h when fleeing the airport. There are speed cameras set up all along the road to the city center. A speeding ticket makes a lousy souvenir.

For more information, also see our article on renting a car in Florence.

The ATAF Volainbus from the Florence airport

If you arrive at Florence’s airport, take a right from the arrival hall and exit the airport through the main entrance. Wiggle your way through the snake of idling taxis to get to the ATAF Volainbus. It is by no means a rocket, but it will get you downtown to the Santa Maria Novella train station in about 20 minutes. The bus departs every half hour. Tickets cost €4.50 can be purchased from the driver. Buy a round-trip ticket to save money.

Taxiing into town from the Florence airport

If you want to play big shot and take a taxi into downtown Florence, then expect to spend between €15-25, depending on traffic and extra charges. Know that there are extra charges for everything in an Italian taxi cab (luggage, pickup location, rotation of the moon, etc.). Should anyone successfully decode the logic of these charges, please alert the author.

Did you know?

Did you know that Florence’s airport has two official names? It also goes by Aeroporto Amerigo Vespucci, named after the famed Florentine explorer. Two names for an airport, only in Italy!

The post Florence Transportation: Tips on getting in from the airport appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.