How Much Will It Cost?
Pre-Trip Expenses
Backpack
The cost of your back pack is entirely up to you. The average cost of a backpack in Canada and the States is as low as $90 to $250 full price. I suggest if you know your going ahead of time you take your time looking for a bag and snag one on sale, if your on a budget. Do not compromise on a comfortable backpack for a more affordable one, you will just regret it in the end. For tips and information on how to choose a backpack please visit our Backpacking 101 page. |
Travel Guides
Travel guides are definitely a good idea to have. Get them and try to read them beforehand as they contain a lot of information that will benefit you while travelling. You can also look online and try to find information but if you don't have an computer then getting a travel guide would be a good idea. Eye Witness Travel Guides is a good source if you want general information on
Travel guides are definitely a good idea to have. Get them and try to read them beforehand as they contain a lot of information that will benefit you while travelling. You can also look online and try to find information but if you don't have an computer then getting a travel guide would be a good idea. Eye Witness Travel Guides is a good source if you want general information on
different countries. They offer travel guides for all of Europe or for individual countries, these are available on Amazon for approximately $18-$50.
Travel Accessories
There are things you should buy, for example toiletries, dirty laundry bags, silk sleeping bag and pillow liners, sewing kit, utensils, rain poncho and flashlight You may already have some of these items already but keep in mind you want to pack light. It's not advisable to bring your whole sewing kit, go to the dollar store and get a small travel size one. Look to spend roughly about $200 depending on the quality of some items that you may chose to purchase.
Student ID and Discount Membership Card
Look into getting a student ID or Memberships cards to help you get discounts. Some of these are hard to obtain while traveling so try and get them well in advance. Some example are CAA or AAA, STA Travel and VIP Backpackers card. See below to learn more information.
Airline Ticket
If you are looking to travel from North America to Europe you're looking at an approximate ticket price of $300 - $1300. If you're looking for a ticket from Europe to Asia it is considerably cheaper, from 40+ Euros. If you are not flying don't forget to take into consideration your means of transportation to your first destination. Explore your options such as www.travelzoo.com (here you can find cheep flights) and also look into your credit card or Air Miles points, you might just have enough to get your ticket.
Credit Cards
You should probably look into getting a credit card as 98% of hostels require a credit card for booking and/or in the case of damages. Also, you can always use your credit card to assist in transferring money online. With a debit card, it is probable that you will get charged a transaction fee every time you use it and most banks charge you more for use in a different country. Most credit cards do not have these fees, while also providing you with benefits such as insurance for rental cars and travel insurance.
Passport
Don't forget about your passport. You most likely already have it, but if you don't get it! Getting your passport may take quite some time, so make sure to apply for it well in advance. If you already have one make sure it is not going to expire while you are gone, there is possibility of being stuck in another country if it expires. In addition, if you can apply for dual citizenship it would be beneficial to you.
Total Pre Trip expense: $200 - $800
All these expenses can add up to quite the lump sum. Try cutting down the cost by asking for such items for religious holidays (such as Christmas), birthdays, and graduations. Family is often a great support. If that isn't an option, or even if it is, keep your eyes open for sales and deals - these too will help you cut costs.
Travel Accessories
There are things you should buy, for example toiletries, dirty laundry bags, silk sleeping bag and pillow liners, sewing kit, utensils, rain poncho and flashlight You may already have some of these items already but keep in mind you want to pack light. It's not advisable to bring your whole sewing kit, go to the dollar store and get a small travel size one. Look to spend roughly about $200 depending on the quality of some items that you may chose to purchase.
Student ID and Discount Membership Card
Look into getting a student ID or Memberships cards to help you get discounts. Some of these are hard to obtain while traveling so try and get them well in advance. Some example are CAA or AAA, STA Travel and VIP Backpackers card. See below to learn more information.
Airline Ticket
If you are looking to travel from North America to Europe you're looking at an approximate ticket price of $300 - $1300. If you're looking for a ticket from Europe to Asia it is considerably cheaper, from 40+ Euros. If you are not flying don't forget to take into consideration your means of transportation to your first destination. Explore your options such as www.travelzoo.com (here you can find cheep flights) and also look into your credit card or Air Miles points, you might just have enough to get your ticket.
Credit Cards
You should probably look into getting a credit card as 98% of hostels require a credit card for booking and/or in the case of damages. Also, you can always use your credit card to assist in transferring money online. With a debit card, it is probable that you will get charged a transaction fee every time you use it and most banks charge you more for use in a different country. Most credit cards do not have these fees, while also providing you with benefits such as insurance for rental cars and travel insurance.
Passport
Don't forget about your passport. You most likely already have it, but if you don't get it! Getting your passport may take quite some time, so make sure to apply for it well in advance. If you already have one make sure it is not going to expire while you are gone, there is possibility of being stuck in another country if it expires. In addition, if you can apply for dual citizenship it would be beneficial to you.
Total Pre Trip expense: $200 - $800
All these expenses can add up to quite the lump sum. Try cutting down the cost by asking for such items for religious holidays (such as Christmas), birthdays, and graduations. Family is often a great support. If that isn't an option, or even if it is, keep your eyes open for sales and deals - these too will help you cut costs.
On-The-Road Expenses
To save money abroad is fairly easy. If you have some time on your hand and you want free food and accommodation check out our Helping Abroad page.
Most of your money will be spent on the road while travelling on things such as accommodation, eating and having fun.
Sleeping
If you are backpacking you will mostly likely be staying in hostels. The average price for a hostel is €10 to €35 per night. Prices vary depending on certain factors: Weekends, larger and more popular cities, high season(summer), as well as festivals and events will all cost you more per night than normal. However, there are exceptions to everything. Larger cities do tend to have a lot more hostels which means more competition, so often times they do offer good rates. A point to note, booking online can sometimes get you a very good deal. To learn more view our page about hostels. If you are looking to save a few bucks on accommodation and food, you can look into volunteering your time at a hostel or on a farm or in someone's house, if you plan to be in that city/country for a while. There are great websites to help with this such as HelpX. The hosts mostly provide you with food and a nice bed in exchange for your help. Chris has done this twice and loved every experience; he had worked at a hostel in Bulgaria and also at a Winery in England.
Eating
Food will roughly take about €10 to €20 out of your savings a day. Although it all depends on a few things. Food prices can be more expensive during festivals and in larger cities. The estimate given is if you are on a budget. You can hit up all the restaurants and be spending the daily estimate on one meal. However most hostels do have a kitchen for guest to use - where you can also buy and then store your groceries at the hostel. I find this is definitely a money saver if you are with more than one person (for example if you buy a pack of ground beef, that's usually enough for 2 people or more, but they don't sell it in a personal one person size pack.)
Having Fun
Well let's be honest here, having fun is not always cheep. But if you watch what you spend your money on, then it can be. It's simple, if you don't eat out everyday then you can see and do more. You will probably be spending about €10 to €30 a day, unless you plan on walking everywhere. You will easily hit the estimate cost between museums and attraction such as the London Eye in England. Also we all know that going out drinking is not cheep. If you plan on doing a lot of drinking you might want to double the estimate, or find out where to buy cheap beer.
On The Road Total
15 days=€675-€900
45 days=€2,025-€2,700
60 days=€2,700-€3,600
90 days=€3,600-€5,500
Remember this does not include your airline ticket and your other "Pre-Trip Expenses" The prices can also change. It is up to you on how much you spend!
These prices are only ESTIMATES. You could spend more or less. For rough idea take your number of days and multiply it by $50. (For a safety net add 10%)
How To Save Money
Discount Cards
STA Travel Student travel agency offering special travel discounts for students.
ISIC Student, Youth, or Teacher Identity Card If you are a full-time student or teacher, or if you are under 26, there are many discounts and special arrangements available to you at home and when you travel. Recognized in over 100 countries, an international identity card can prove you belong to one of these special groups anywhere you go.
AARP Get great discounts on hotel/motels, car rentals, and airlines like Virgin Atlantic & US Airways
Elderhostel Elderhostel is the nation’s first and the world’s largest educational and travel organization for adults 55 and over. Elderhostel offers more than 350 unique all-inclusive programs in over 100 countries
VIP Backpackers Card This will give you hundreds of locations worldwide with discounts on accommodation to match. Backpackers can choose from more than 1,000 independently operated backpacker resorts in 43 countries including over 135 in Australia, 90 in New Zealand, 65 in Southern Africa and over 500 in the UK and Europe.
International Youth Hostel Federation (Hostelling International) Simply present your Hostelling International membership card to save on things like: coach fares, car rental and currency exchange; adventure tours, trekking and diving; meals, books and internet use - and much, much more!
AAA (American Automobile Association) Show your card and save at hotels/motels, airlines, popular tourist attractions & more (ARC Europe & CAA discounts available for AAA card holders)
CAA (Canadian Automobile Association) Show your card and save at hotels/motels, airlines, popular tourist attractions & more (ARC Europe & AAA discounts available for CAA card holders)
ARC Europe Show your card and save at hotels/motels, airlines, popular tourist attractions & more(AAA & CAA discounts available for ARC Europe card holders)
ISIC Student, Youth, or Teacher Identity Card If you are a full-time student or teacher, or if you are under 26, there are many discounts and special arrangements available to you at home and when you travel. Recognized in over 100 countries, an international identity card can prove you belong to one of these special groups anywhere you go.
AARP Get great discounts on hotel/motels, car rentals, and airlines like Virgin Atlantic & US Airways
Elderhostel Elderhostel is the nation’s first and the world’s largest educational and travel organization for adults 55 and over. Elderhostel offers more than 350 unique all-inclusive programs in over 100 countries
VIP Backpackers Card This will give you hundreds of locations worldwide with discounts on accommodation to match. Backpackers can choose from more than 1,000 independently operated backpacker resorts in 43 countries including over 135 in Australia, 90 in New Zealand, 65 in Southern Africa and over 500 in the UK and Europe.
International Youth Hostel Federation (Hostelling International) Simply present your Hostelling International membership card to save on things like: coach fares, car rental and currency exchange; adventure tours, trekking and diving; meals, books and internet use - and much, much more!
AAA (American Automobile Association) Show your card and save at hotels/motels, airlines, popular tourist attractions & more (ARC Europe & CAA discounts available for AAA card holders)
CAA (Canadian Automobile Association) Show your card and save at hotels/motels, airlines, popular tourist attractions & more (ARC Europe & AAA discounts available for CAA card holders)
ARC Europe Show your card and save at hotels/motels, airlines, popular tourist attractions & more(AAA & CAA discounts available for ARC Europe card holders)
Become a Travel Writer
Get Paid To Travel?
This question is always asked in shocked questionable way. But Yes! you can get paid to travel. MatadorU is the webs #1 destination for professional travel writer. It is the worlds largest independent travel magazine.
MatadorU is a large part of the travel media network and is the starting point for thousands of writes of witch have won numerous award, scholarships and contest. A lot of Matador's students have been hired on and is one of the most important publishing venues that National Geographic Traveler look to find talented new travel writer and photographers.
People join MatadorU for all different reasons. Some want to monetize their blogs. Others want to become better storytellers. Over time Matador has found, more than anything, that students simply appreciate and benefit from being part of a supportive community. As a student your will get exclusive access to video video interview series with National Geographic Traveler. This is why we’ve made it available for you to join us for a week for $10.MatadorU connects our award-winning travel writing and photography graduates with PR firms, tourism boards, and media outlets around the world. From press trips to writer in residence programs, thus why matador create industry-leading partnerships that redefine how writers and photographers develop and publish stories on travel and place.
Matador Network is the world’s leading independent travel media company.Since launching in 2006, they have developed a worldwide community of contributors, staff, and readers. In 2009, Matador developed MatadorU as an online education center for travelers. Our faculty members include editors, writers, and photographers at dynamic points in their careers. Students get published and win awards. Graduates build successful blogs and get hired in travel media. Matador has an online magazine Matador Network, social network Matador Travel, web TV Breaking Free, print magazine Beta Mag and also they work with students abroad. Glimpse