Around The World: Making Europe Affordable This Summer

If you’re planning to travel to Europe this summer, you’ve probably realized that you may have to rethink your budget. Airfares are up due to the rise in fuel costs, and the value of the U.S. dollar has declined drastically against the Euro and other currencies.

When you look to book, you’ll find that bargains are scarce. But instead of abandoning your destination dreams, look for ways that you can cut costs and, hopefully, realize your plans.

How?

First of all, look for discounted airfares. These usually have many restrictions, including advance booking requirements, and they tend to sell out quickly. Before booking, compare ticket prices on all airlines that fly from your home airport to your desired destination. You may discover that an airline you’ve never considered flies to or connects through the city of your choice, and offers cheaper tickets. Discount fares are usually sold out quickly, so decide on your travel dates and book as soon as possible.

Secondly, scout for alternative lodging. Doing this successfully can be your biggest budget saver.

Forget about staying at big name hotels. The luxury brands have budget-busting rates that begin at around $600 for their most modest rooms, and even hotel chains that used to be considered in the mid-price range now charge at least $300 to $400 for their least desirable rooms. If you’re at all budget-challenged, these rates are prohibitive.

Instead, turn to the moderately priced Europe-based hotel chains that are popular with traveling Europeans. These are not well known in the U.S., but are perfectly pleasant, comfortably furnished, quite clean and usually very well situated for sightseeing. What do they charge for a room? Most are priced at $200 or less per night. That’s not exactly cheap, but compared to the other rates, it’s a bargain.

How do you find them? Browse the Internet or ask your travel agent to suggest them. To help you get started, here’s a list of some reliable brands:

Ibis (www.ibishotel.com) has more than 600 properties located primarily in France and Germany. This is the budget brand belonging to Accor, the French hospitality giant. The hotels vary greatly in their standards and amenities, so do a little background check on each one before booking it. In general, you’ll find that the rooms are quite small, but the average overnight room rate is 100 Euros, or roughly $150 per night. In Paris, where hotel accommodations are always at a premium, you can get a room at Ibis Gare du Nord Lafayette (conveniently near the Eurostar train terminus at the Gare du Nord) for as little as $130 per night. You’ll find that hard to beat.

Intercity Hotels (www.intercityhotel.de) is the budget brand for the better known Steinberger Hotel Group and has multiple properties in German cities (in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich, for example) and Austrian cities (in Vienna, primarily), as well as several hotels in Switzerland, The Netherlands and Italy. The hotels are centrally located, usually near the train station and with easy access to tourist sites. Rooms tend to be small but are comfortably furnished, many with queen-size beds. Rates start at about 100 Euros per night.

Easyhotels (www.easyhotel.com), located in the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Hungary), is a rapidly expanding chain that offers no frills accommodations for less than $100 per night. No frills means that rooms are a bit like closets and some have no windows--but they all have flat screen TV, go figure--and you get but one towel per person, and no maid service. Well, that’s not quite true--you can get maid service and more towels for an extra fee. But if you don’t mind making your own bed, and don’t plan to hang out in your room, you’ll find these hotels pleasant enough and conveniently located, usually within walking distance from the train station.

Premier Inns (www.premierinn.com) has about 500 hotels scattered across the United Kingdom. Properties in London are centrally located, within walking distance of train or underground stations. In other cities, they may be on the outskirts of town, but all located near public transportation. And all are reasonably priced at around 65 to 80 pounds (about $130 to $170) per night. Rooms are a bit larger than they are at most budget hotels, and you can choose a king or queen size bed. The chain recently refurbished most of its properties, upgrading with new mattresses provided by Hypnos (mattress purveyor to the Queen--so you can have a queen size bed fit for a Queen to about $130 per night!).

Thon Hotels (www.thonhotels.com), a Norwegian hotel chain, has two categories of reasonably priced properties. Thon’s “Budget Hotels” are the cheapest, while the “City and Conference Hotels” are a bit more expensive. Still the chain offers great value--especially in Norway, a country Americans find incredibly expensive, where rates at the Thon Hotel Astoria in Oslo start at a mere 895 kroner (about $170 per night. Rates are even more affordable in Brussels, where Thon Hotel Brussels City Centre offers double rooms for 95 Euros (about $140) per night.

Again, with these smaller chains, quality can vary from property to property--as it does with better known brands. So check Internet chat boards for comments before booking. But looking for these moderately-priced accommodations can make it possible for you to take that trip to Europe this summer.

The third way to cut expenses is to eat on the cheap. You can save by buying your staples in local grocery stores. Many of the hotels offering bargain prices don’t offer breakfast (which is often included in European hotel rates), but you can stock up on yoghurt, granola and other morning munchies and spare yourself the expense of a sit down breakfast in an expensive café. And, you can make your own sandwiches for a brown bag lunch. Also, ask the hotel staff for suggestions of cheap nearby eateries, where you’ll find not only tasty sustenance but a memorable slice of local life.