It's also more satisfying than hotel food. Goes longer. I was in Spain. I got spaghetti with acquaintances at a hotel. It was good because I learned my lesson. In Portugal I went where our tour director recommended and met a local and saw what Portuguese ate (it was quite different), so it gave me a broader experience.
Don’t forget a bowl of soup for supper. Filling and less expensive. Also, hit up Europe thrift stores. My son and I got some cool things in Amsterdam for little money.
we try to grocery shop for breakfast and even lunch and then have a dinner out. This doesn't mean you can never experience a local coffee shop or lunch delicacy; however, not eating three meals out every day saves a lot in my opinion. It's also kind of fun to find the local grocery stores and browse around and try new things. You have to have an open mind as well, we are open to trying the local produce and dairy and have never had a problem!!
I've been around on a budget. First rule is, don't go unless you have the money to enjoy and see the location. After that, it's the big 3, food, room and transportation. The food and room you can budget. In Europe, I've eaten a lot of kebab as food prices for a nice meal are often more than a hotel room and i would often stay out of the city center in a hotel on one of the subway lines. Sometimes out on the local train line. The one thing is, you often trade savings for time. If you want the best bang for your dollar and to eat like a king for cheap, south America. On a 58 day, 7 country trip, I never spent more than $40 on a room.
Always do an OVERESTIMATE of the total cost of your trip. Plane tickets, accomodation and car rental being the biggies, always factor in a few extra hundreds for meals, unexpected taxis, museums and other attractions. You gotta plan to wing it a little bit but still stay within your overall budget.
The thing that gets me are hotel costs - plane tickets can be easy to shop around for and get a good deal, especially with enough lead time - but dang, stay at a hotel for a week or two and ouch...
Great video. Suggest you also check if anything closed. The reason I say this is we were on a Mediterranean cruise and had a 2 day stop in Barcelona. Sunday & Monday. The big Mercado that I wanted to see was closed both days as it was a National holiday that weekend.
All of my travels have been on a budget, a small one at that, so the best advice i would give to people is several. First try to travel when you have the money to do it. Different countries cost and it can pay a toll on your finances if you're moving on a small budget. One example is me making a trip to Switzerland, amazing country but very expensive to be in. Second once your finances are straight, doing research on the areas you're going to can and will make a big difference, best to know the general cost of things before getting there.
Three things: 1. Thumbnail photo looks great! Keep up the weight loss, fellow traveler. 👍 2. Love captioning on auto correct: 'Hello F lo travelers...' 3. When thinking about expenses, remember that the one thing you spend but can't get back is your time. Invest your time wisely before and during your trip.
Thank you for setting realistic expectations. With all the influencers posting eye catching glamours pictures of their perfect moments overseas, it almost seems as if people like you all just had the unlimited budget. Hearing about budgeting tips from you helps me realize traveling doesn’t have to break the bank. Super helpful. Thank you 😊
Just clicked on this video. Setting in my hotel about to go to sleep. I’m literally in Barcelona right now. Great city to visit!!! Been here before and I will be back here again!!!
Book way in advance too. I don't know about elsewhere, but Gatwick in the UK has got massively more expensive since Covid and UK trains are too unreliable to hinge your holiday on. Book too late and you're paying hundreds of £ just to park your car.
So helpful. We have an adjusted model based on chronic illness- my husband and I both inevitably will spend some time in bed recovering after days out, so we try to prioritize a comfy bed and room that is at least open and bright.
Minor point but I found that the cost of travel insurance for a year-long subscription has been cheaper than buying it per trip. I have also found that using the services of a good travel agent, while not necessarily cheaper, usually enabled me to get better places to stay than I might have found for myself.
I would add - don’t over-plan, meaning if you have a week or two just stay in one or two neighboring countries so you can explore more, take trains and still enjoy the view.
It is cheaper to stay at nearby seaside resorts such as Santa Susanna rather than Barcelona itself. The trains to and from the resorts to Barcelona are frequent and not expensive.
This is great! I planned a trip for 2021 but am not going until now for various and sundry reasons, so my budget has "expanded" shall we say. Yay inflation. Not. At least I don't eat fancy food.
Would love to learn some information from you about the different types of travel insurance that would cover medical expenses if you needed to seek treatment for any illness. Where is it best to purchase such Insurance from? How do you know if you’re being ripped off or if the cost is reasonable? Are there different types of insurance you can look at if you’re over the age of 50? Any help you can offer is appreciated
Nice drone shots of Barca, curious if you took them or if these are available through a web service? Guessing the latter as you probably need a drone license let alone having to pack a drone.
You forgot to mention that travelers should also budget for their phone’s roaming charges, tipping and any unexpected expenses due to delays in their flights.
Great video. I rarely make a budget myself though, as I don't want to think about money when I'm on vacation. I did that on my first trip to USA back in 2000 and it was horrible. Every time we found something interesting we had to skip it, if it was not on the budget. Today I rather skip a travel or two to save more money, si I can do what I want without thinking about the cost, like deciding to spend $900+ to take a plane ride from Key West to Dry Tortugas NP
My thoughts exactly. Don't go if you can't afford to see what's there. Things will pop up. Save on all the stuff like food and hotels so when something comes up, you just go do it.
@@theodoresmith5272 Agree, only if I want to stay in a certain hotel, or BnB I'll just do it and pay the cost. Like back in 2022 when I visited Santa Fe, NM. I wanted to stay at Inn of the Govefnors, s8 I accepted to pay the price and didn't have to find somewhere else because it was over my budget.
One suggestion to save a little is to eat where the local people do. The food is often better than is the touristy areas as well as less expensive.
It's also more satisfying than hotel food. Goes longer. I was in Spain. I got spaghetti with acquaintances at a hotel. It was good because I learned my lesson. In Portugal I went where our tour director recommended and met a local and saw what Portuguese ate (it was quite different), so it gave me a broader experience.
Don’t forget a bowl of soup for supper. Filling and less expensive. Also, hit up Europe thrift stores. My son and I got some cool things in Amsterdam for little money.
we try to grocery shop for breakfast and even lunch and then have a dinner out. This doesn't mean you can never experience a local coffee shop or lunch delicacy; however, not eating three meals out every day saves a lot in my opinion. It's also kind of fun to find the local grocery stores and browse around and try new things. You have to have an open mind as well, we are open to trying the local produce and dairy and have never had a problem!!
I've been around on a budget. First rule is, don't go unless you have the money to enjoy and see the location. After that, it's the big 3, food, room and transportation. The food and room you can budget. In Europe, I've eaten a lot of kebab as food prices for a nice meal are often more than a hotel room and i would often stay out of the city center in a hotel on one of the subway lines. Sometimes out on the local train line.
The one thing is, you often trade savings for time.
If you want the best bang for your dollar and to eat like a king for cheap, south America. On a 58 day, 7 country trip, I never spent more than $40 on a room.
Great tips! We are a retired couple & we can’t eat a lot. When we go out we always split meals. We have never had any push back or weird looks
Always do an OVERESTIMATE of the total cost of your trip. Plane tickets, accomodation and car rental being the biggies, always factor in a few extra hundreds for meals, unexpected taxis, museums and other attractions. You gotta plan to wing it a little bit but still stay within your overall budget.
That is smart. Juat like remodeling a house. Just expect to spend more 😀
The thing that gets me are hotel costs - plane tickets can be easy to shop around for and get a good deal, especially with enough lead time - but dang, stay at a hotel for a week or two and ouch...
Great video. Suggest you also check if anything closed. The reason I say this is we were on a Mediterranean cruise and had a 2 day stop in Barcelona. Sunday & Monday. The big Mercado that I wanted to see was closed both days as it was a National holiday that weekend.
Used to backpack for 3-4 months in Europe. Had about $400 covered everything, plus nice gifts. Those days are gone.
This had to be in the 90's or prior!🤣🤣
@@KingMK31late 1970s early 1980s.
But only making 90 cents an hour working back home, though.
Saved all year for the trip.
@@Lili-xq9sn Do you/did you live in Europe?
@@KingMK31 my trips were from usa to Europe
So helpful! I just love your travel videos, tips and “Do’s” of places! Thank you for sharing
Thank you Mark! Always so helpful.
🏆 Excellent tips, as always...thanks Mark! 🙌
Budgeting is a major 🔑
the Church behind you is spectacular on the inside too... I miss the tapas...
All of my travels have been on a budget, a small one at that, so the best advice i would give to people is several. First try to travel when you have the money to do it. Different countries cost and it can pay a toll on your finances if you're moving on a small budget. One example is me making a trip to Switzerland, amazing country but very expensive to be in. Second once your finances are straight, doing research on the areas you're going to can and will make a big difference, best to know the general cost of things before getting there.
Three things:
1. Thumbnail photo looks great! Keep up the weight loss, fellow traveler. 👍
2. Love captioning on auto correct: 'Hello F lo travelers...'
3. When thinking about expenses, remember that the one thing you spend but can't get back is your time. Invest your time wisely before and during your trip.
Thank you for setting realistic expectations. With all the influencers posting eye catching glamours pictures of their perfect moments overseas, it almost seems as if people like you all just had the unlimited budget. Hearing about budgeting tips from you helps me realize traveling doesn’t have to break the bank. Super helpful. Thank you 😊
Just clicked on this video. Setting in my hotel about to go to sleep. I’m literally in Barcelona right now. Great city to visit!!! Been here before and I will be back here again!!!
I also factor car parking at airport extra for just in case
Book way in advance too. I don't know about elsewhere, but Gatwick in the UK has got massively more expensive since Covid and UK trains are too unreliable to hinge your holiday on.
Book too late and you're paying hundreds of £ just to park your car.
So helpful. We have an adjusted model based on chronic illness- my husband and I both inevitably will spend some time in bed recovering after days out, so we try to prioritize a comfy bed and room that is at least open and bright.
Minor point but I found that the cost of travel insurance for a year-long subscription has been cheaper than buying it per trip. I have also found that using the services of a good travel agent, while not necessarily cheaper, usually enabled me to get better places to stay than I might have found for myself.
it depends on where are you from and where are you gooing. My last insurance for 5days cost me around 7 Euro.
That’s Incredibly Awesome! Cheers for more exciting and lovely globetrotting adventures!🥂❤️✨
Was just thinking about this recently before my trip to Europe. Thanks, Wolter!
Glad to help!
Wonderful video!! Thank you
I would add - don’t over-plan, meaning if you have a week or two just stay in one or two neighboring countries so you can explore more, take trains and still enjoy the view.
Wishing you and the family an amazing day!😊❤
Thanks 🙏 All good suggestions
It is cheaper to stay at nearby seaside resorts such as Santa Susanna rather than Barcelona itself. The trains to and from the resorts to Barcelona are frequent and not expensive.
This is great! I planned a trip for 2021 but am not going until now for various and sundry reasons, so my budget has "expanded" shall we say. Yay inflation. Not. At least I don't eat fancy food.
Great advice, Mark.👍
I would get both regular and medical travel insurance which I do on an annual basis
Useful budgeting tips 💰
Would love to learn some information from you about the different types of travel insurance that would cover medical expenses if you needed to seek treatment for any illness. Where is it best to purchase such
Insurance from? How do you know if you’re being ripped off or if the cost is reasonable? Are there different types of insurance you can look at if you’re over the age of 50? Any help you can offer is appreciated
Great tips Mark thanks!!
Stayed at the Hotel Colon in 2016 when we visited Barcelona. Nice but pretty expensive. Thanks again Mark for a great travel advice video
This is great info. Do you plan out a detailed itinerary? Or do you keep it simple. Any tips for creating a good itinerary ? Thank you
However much money you think you need, bring at least double. You never know if the prices will skyrocket overnight.
❤❤❤
Nice drone shots of Barca, curious if you took them or if these are available through a web service? Guessing the latter as you probably need a drone license let alone having to pack a drone.
Storyblocks
@@woltersworld nice, this site looks like a must have for a TH-camr.
Switzerland is my dream destination but it’s so freakin expensive 😭
You forgot to mention that travelers should also budget for their phone’s roaming charges, tipping and any unexpected expenses due to delays in their flights.
Great video. I rarely make a budget myself though, as I don't want to think about money when I'm on vacation. I did that on my first trip to USA back in 2000 and it was horrible. Every time we found something interesting we had to skip it, if it was not on the budget. Today I rather skip a travel or two to save more money, si I can do what I want without thinking about the cost, like deciding to spend $900+ to take a plane ride from Key West to Dry Tortugas NP
My thoughts exactly. Don't go if you can't afford to see what's there. Things will pop up. Save on all the stuff like food and hotels so when something comes up, you just go do it.
@@theodoresmith5272 Agree, only if I want to stay in a certain hotel, or BnB I'll just do it and pay the cost. Like back in 2022 when I visited Santa Fe, NM. I wanted to stay at Inn of the Govefnors, s8 I accepted to pay the price and didn't have to find somewhere else because it was over my budget.
Asad3456