Originally posted by Nick z: If you belong to a group,club or almost anything check for specials. Avis has special deals for non-resident Italians visiting Italy. There is also the Italian governments IT card.
But many groups negotiate special rates for members.
Not only affiliation groups but employers. If you work for a multi-national check with your human resources department. They might be able to give you names of fellow employees in the UK, Ireland, Italy, etc.. As mentioned nothing like somebody who lives there to know the cheap deals.
Standing room tickets at events like the Opera do exist and are significantly cheaper than even the nosebleed seats. I have a friend who took one of those canes that has a pop down seat. Was he comfortable? No but he heard opera in Italy.
Somethings that haven't been mentioned in terms of cheaper lodging. Home swapping is free. Except for a $69 listing fee you live in someone's home while they live in yours. Many times the exchange includes a car. The exchangers usually leave you a list of great places to go, membership cards you can use, etc..
If the idea of home swapping scares you or you live in a non-tourist destinations buy a "used" time share. They are available all over the web for cheap, cheaper, cheapest. Make sure you get the ones with the highest swap value because European capitals go for the highest points. The RCI time share in Rome is a converted hotel. After your initial investment which is usually about the same as a 10 day stay in a hotel you can take your pick of places throughout Europe for the cost of the yearly maintenance fee - usually $500 or so. So your future stays in Europe are at a guaranteed set price.
Another option is one we did when we were young and poor. Now we are AARP and STILL poor but we are smarter. CAMP, yep you read that right CAMP. But understand European campgrounds are virtually nothing like american camp grounds. Many of them allow you to rent what we here in the US would call a cottage. Small kitchen, living room, bedroom(s). Cost is 1/2 of any apartment I've found with the equivalent square footage. The campground I know about in Rome is out on the Cassia about a 1/2 trip from centro by bus. It is located in a forest of Italian pines and has incredible amenities including swimming pool, playgrounds, games and equipment like you wouldn't believe. Everything from croquet to volleyball. They have reasonably priced meals in the main kitchen and if you are traveling with kids they love it.
CAMP, yep you read that right CAMP. But understand European campgrounds are virtually nothing like american camp grounds. Many of them allow you to rent what we here in the US would call a cottage. Small kitchen, living room, bedroom(s). Cost is 1/2 of any apartment I've found with the equivalent square footage. The campground I know about in Rome is out on the Cassia about a 1/2 trip from centro by bus. It is located in a forest of Italian pines and has incredible amenities including swimming pool, playgrounds, games and equipment like you wouldn't believe.
Yes, this is really a GREAT secret that most Americans do not seem to know about and most middle class Europeans take great advantage of.
Of course, I think going for longer in small motorhome is the best way to save money! We are having a wonderful, luxurious tour all over Europe for very, very cheap.
That includes our 5 month winter stay in Spain in a 4 bedroom ocean view village house where we live on about 33 dollars a day for a family of three. ( Less than friends with a similar family could stay in SE Asia).
We usually spend a little more on the road, but often not much and sometimes its about the same. We like to stay a while in each place, so that cuts down on gas costs as walking and mass transit is super cheap and a great way to get around.
I love shopping in local markets and taking mass transit like the locals and we love to cook and BBQ. We tend to buy lunch like others have mentioned instead of dinner out if it is expensive or we want to try a high end place.
Although we occasionally splurge. Last night we had a fabulous dinner at a high end place in Prague that would have costs twice as much in Paris.We try to spluge smartly.
We stayed at one of the top boutique hotels in the world, but it was in Turkey, so was great luxury for very little. He upgraded us to a suite and gave us a deal, so we stayed longer.
We get bags full of great avocados in Spain for free from friends who have the trees in their yard. We only pay 1 euro for a huge bag of sweet potatoes, mandarins,potatoes,sweet peppers etc fresh from a farmers garden at the local market.
We usually buy our basics at hyper markets on the road and in Spain and pick up other things at open markets or road side stands of produce for locals.
We find it MUCH, much cheaper to travel Europe and the world than to live in California. Where in California can I rent a four bedroom apt with two large, great ocean view terraces for 600 dollars a month?
We did put some dollars into Euros and pounds when the dollar was high, so that has helped us. It may not go to the same heights, but the dollar does have a blip up from time to time, so that is still a possibility for some.Buy euros when the dollar is at its strongest and get informed on currencies and market patterns.
Some of the most fun things in Europe are free. Just walking in cities or small villages, sitting on benches or at a cafe ( buy one drink and linger),trekking in or driving in the countryside, having a picnic in a vineyard in France or in a park or by the sea, swimming in the sea, window shopping, people watching etc. !
Everybody is not rich in Europe, so if you live like a local you have more fun and you save lots of money. Spend more time in the beautiful countryside and charming small villages and less in the cities.
When you stay outside of the tredy hotspots (Rome, Florence/Tuscany, Amalfi, etc) you not only save on accomodations and restaurants, but just about everything else as well. That bottle of water will cost 1/3 less than it costs in the tourist trap... An espresso in a bar or a gelato will likely be half the price. general shopping will be significantly cheaper, etc. etc. Remember that the trendy areas have seriously jacked up prices for the tourists.
Vacation Rentals... Quite often that vacation rental apartment will be MUCH, MUCH more beautiful in every respect than the 5 star hotel you would otherwise be paying 300% more for. Additionally, they may offer MANY more services than the hotel does, and you will get an amazing.. REAL experience.
You can often spend a MONTH in an amazing and beautiful vacation rental for what you would otherwise spend for a week in a cookie-cutter Sheraton or Hilton in Italy.
All these ideas are great! We decided to take our two young children (ages 6 and 4 years) to Europe next August, 2008. In order to do this, we have come up with the following cost-saving strategies: 1.) I put a lamented index card in my wallet in a VISIBLE location with "Italy August 2008" marked on it. You'd be amazed at how many times I'll be at a checkout counter and after looking at the card, decide I didn't "need" that extra box of cookies or magazine! 2.) We started an "Italy or Bust" fund by labeling a BIG cup and depositing all of our change and any money we made by selling no longer used items on ebay! The kids are even involved in this! They see the change growing and want to help contribute too! My 4 year old son wants to sell his tricycle at the consignment store to add to this fund! 3.) We eat out less! Instead of the 2-3 times a week we had been eating out, we now try to eat out just once or twice. That's a $35.00 savings if we don't eat out for lunch or $55.00 for dinner for our family of four! This savings was $280 last month! AMAZING! Since we have the benefit of ten months before our trip, these cost cutting strategies will really add up! We our on track to save $3,500 for this trip while showing the kids savings, discipline and hard work!
A great way of travelling is to buy "used" timeshare. For an outlay of around $2000 for a week plus $500 per year you can travel for a number of weeks for about $200 per week. How? - Timeshare exchange companies operate library systems where if you do not want to use your week at your resort you can put it in the library and draw out a week at another resort. The big bonus is that for some reason more time is deposited than drawn out so the libraries sell off excess stock for low prices. You may have one week but you could get say 5 or 6 bonus weeks for $200 per week.
Sounds good. It is. A friend of mine has just returned after nearly three months in USA using 9 bonus weeks and he only owns 2 weeks.
The trick of course is not to get caught up in the sales pitch for a new resort but buy second hand into a good resort for about one tenth of the new price.
The system works well where there are a number of timeshare resorts but is difficult in cities such as Paris or Venice because there is not much stock and big demand. The best times are offpeak and in reverse school holidays are difficult.
We just spent a week in a lovely resort for $220 where the normal daily rental would be similar.
Posts: 337 | Location: Melbourne, Australia | Registered: 16 January 2007
One of the best ways to save money (that is also part of the Slow Travel credo) is to get off the beaten path. While I love Rome and Tuscany is certainly appealing, let's face it, they are very expensive places. Venture out to lesser known regions and the prices drop dramatically, but you will still encounter beautiful hill towns, rolling hills covered with vineyards and Italian hospitality.
I love all these money saving strategies, particularly the index card reminder in the wallet - I'm going to try that.
This is a great thread especially considering the dollar/euro situation. Here are some of my tips:
I check out hotels through online reservations systems such as venere.com and if I find a good hotel I contact them directly to see if I can get a cheaper rate.
I know this is a nominal cost, but every bit counts: in Rome I always refill my water bottle from the fountains found throughout the city.
In Italy you can order just a primi. I know this is not how it is supposed to be done, but it is cheaper than ordering the full meal deal Italian style.
If you are buying luxury goods usually there are outlets, especially in Italy. I've gotten really good deals at the Prada outlet in Montevarchi (30 Euros for Prada shoes!!).
Also don't forget to fill out paperwork for your value added tax (VAT) refund if you spend the minimum amount.
If I buy souvenir items I try to buy them in markets where I can haggle a bit over the price, especially if I'm buying in multiples.
I've got some http://travelista.com/?page_id=179&preview=true tips listed on my website and I'm glad to see they're on track with slow travelers- I consider y'all the experts. Just as in the case of WT's comments really the best things in Europe are free, just enjoy the experience.
I'm not sure if this has been covered already but in addition to house swapping, there is simply couch surfing. Several groups - couchsurfing.com and hospitalityclub.org are two that come to mind - offer their members a 'couch'. This is usually a free room, in their home, for a few nights. Often, people who can't travel often but love international contact find this a great way to meet people from other countries. I belong to both, as do several friends of mine.
A couple of old ideas revisited. I'm hopelessly addicted to coca cola. But I buy it at the supermercati in 6 packs and use my soft sided cooler to have a cold coke at lunch. Coke IS more expensive than wine in every italian restaurant I have ever eaten.
Zip loc bags. Pauline and I can laugh (and cry) about this. Nancy Lytle (Mindzye) was a good friend to both of us. We'd go visit her in Florence and she'd bring along zip loc bags and have the restaurant put the leftovers in the bags. Doggy bags are very rare in Italy. So now I go and take my zip locs and remember Nancy. Requiescat in pace dearheart.
As mentioned house wine can be more expensive than label wine. De Orso 80 is notorious for this. The house red is $16 the house white is 6. And believe me the house white is spectacular while the red is mediocre at best.
Change your beverage of choice. I found wonderful beers in Italy - way better than Coors or your standard american pilsner. Many italian white wines are fabulous. Because the country isn't known for white wines they get second class treatment but are really good.
Watch what your italian friends do - they are making ends meet on lira salaries in a euro world. They split portions or they only order primi. Price fixed, small mom and pop restaurants, a local bar that serves sandwiches for lunch are all options.
I'm in the "It's my vacation too why should I cook?" camp so any apartment we rent tends to be pretty minimal in the kitchen department. BUT, having said that we make our own espresso every morning (2 euro saved) and we make our own sandwiches for lunch popping them into the cooler with the cokes - 3-4 euro saved. Italian sandwich meats have forever spoiled me for american sliced meats.
We try to hit the places that have antipasta buffets and get a full plate. It is good for you (99% wonderfully prepared vegetables) and runs in the 3-6 euro range. This is a great meal. We will have this then stop for gelato or cookies at the forno for desert.
Carry out pizza from the shops that sell those big square pieces. Yummy and again in the 4-6 euro per person range.
I tracked our last trip very carefully and after airfare and lodging our biggest expense? Museum admission. If there is a discount card - whether it be the Roma pass, the 3 euro you save at the Dori pamphilji if you have visited the Borghese within 2 days, any discounts you can get take them!! But you are in Italy, France, wherever because of the museums. It is the ultimate folly to skip a museum because the admission is too expensive. Pay it and cut back other places.
Two of my cafeteria selections for health plans at work now offer international coverage (again - finally) which saves $300 before we even get on a plane.
Some things money can buy. The wonderful experience of sitting in Piazza Navona having a tartuffo and a glass of a big red - priceless. But that tartuffo is 9 euro so split it. Nobody gets excited - all americans are on diets.
In Rome if possible round up an italian to go with you. There is a difference in what is charged. We paid 5 euro each for a prosecco in an enotecca across from the chiese bautista. We met a wonderful old italian lady whose dog Scarlett Ohara broke the ice. We got to talking and when she found out what we had paid for our prosecco went out and berated the bartender and got us 6 euro back. It was a lesson quickly learned. So whenever possible we'd round up our baptist minister friend and take him to lunch. We paid for him and still paid less than had we gone alone.
One of the cheapest restaurants in Rome is Brek. Located on the Largo Argentina go upstairs (downstairs is an overpriced tourist haunt) where cafeteria style you can get a hot pasta made fresh, a meat (usually chicken or pork) and a beverage for 5 euro.
Stay away from the american franchises except for bathroom breaks - and an occasional coca cola. They are expensive. Two exceptions - the McDonalds on the west side of termini has an excellent antipasta bar which costs 3 euro and the one at the Spanish steps has the cheapest gelato in the area (note I did not say the BEST - just the cheapest).
Longer stays not only equal less expense per day but they also equal a better chance to meet locals and interact. Too often our only interaction is with sales help, waiters, tour guides. Find a charitable group and donate some time. Sant Egidio meets at Santa Maria in Trastevere nightly and feeds the poor (or did so in 2006). Go and volunteer, particularly volunteer to clean up, because afterwards everybody goes out and eats.
I met a wonderful italian lady in the supermercati who helped me figure out italian vanilla. She asked me what I was making and I said brownies. She was intrigued so I invited her to come over and watch. We had a wonderful afternoon, she loved brownies and I asked her to teach me how to make fried zucchini fiori. We never had a chance to get together again but she insists I come when we return.
One of the saddest things we saw were elderly italians begging. NOT the typical "watch out for those guys" but real italians whose pensions are about 10 days too short for a 30 day month. I have asked them to lunch if they spoke english. I have gotten some wonderful "Italy during and after the war" stories. It was a moment that will never be replicated and who cares what it costs.
I feel like I'm giving dating advice - you know - pick up italians in the grocery store.
Carry out pizza from the shops that sell those big square pieces. Yummy and again in the 4-6 euro per person range.
yeah, my daughter and I like to eat this for breakfast. I have been known in Rome to stop at one of these places on the way home from dinner and buy some just to eat for breakfast the next morning.
At Pompei it was what we had for brunch every day that we went to the ruins orthe Circumvesuviana stop. it was more expensive that the by the weight big squares but less expnsive that the sit down lunch. http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/showphoto.php?photo=30413&cat=527
Posts: 3641 | Location: St Paul, MN | Registered: 10 February 2006
Originally posted by Monty: The system works well where there are a number of timeshare resorts but is difficult in cities such as Paris or Venice because there is not much stock and big demand. The best times are offpeak and in reverse school holidays are difficult.
I agree. We bought into a timeshare with RCI, and except for one trip to Spain, have not found it to be suited to our travel needs (apart from skiing, our annual 1 week in Whistler, which works out). We travel off-season, but the places we want to go on "bonus weeks" such as Provence & big cities in Europe are impossible to get. From what I can see, places such as Mexico & Spain where there has been an overbuilding of resorts, you can get rentals easily. But even Hawaii is tough, a lot of usage from Americans & Canadians. I will check this board for timeshare posts & advice, I really feel as though we are not getting our best value from membership & wonder if I just don't get all the tricks.
For an outlay of around $2000 for a week plus $500 per year you can travel for a number of weeks for about $200 per week.
Unless you can get bonus weeks in places you want to go to (as other have indicated that this is unlikely), this really doesn't seem like a very good deal. My rental apartment in Rome in the off season is 620 euros per week ($930); a lot less than $2500.
As for the 5 or 6 bonus weeks assuming there were in palces you wanted to go to) who gets that much vacation that they could use them when they have a full-time job. I am lucky if I get to spend 3 weeks a year on vacation in Italy. My dates are usually not flexible either.
Posts: 3641 | Location: St Paul, MN | Registered: 10 February 2006
One of the cheapest restaurants in Rome is Brek. Located on the Largo Argentina go upstairs (downstairs is an overpriced tourist haunt) where cafeteria style you can get a hot pasta made fresh, a meat (usually chicken or pork) and a beverage for 5 euro
Some excellent ideas in this post....however, I have to let you know that the Brek at Largo Argentina is no more. It has mysteriously morphed into a Neapolitan pizza place called Rossopomodoro.
Here is a link to Shelly's blog (Really Rome Apartments) describing the new place (very favorably). Rossopomodoro
For cheap filling sandwiches on fresh warm pizza bianca near the Piazza Navona, you can't beat Lo Zozzone at Via del Teatro Pace, 32.
I saw a mention above about rentals where you can pay in US dollars before you go. Does anyone have any recommended websites for bookings? I am looking for Italy and/or France. Thanks.
You can find many rentals online that accept payment in dollars, and most places do want payment ahead of time. VRBO.com is a good place to start looking. Anne
One of the cheapest restaurants in Rome is Brek. Located on the Largo Argentina go upstairs (downstairs is an overpriced tourist haunt) where cafeteria style you can get a hot pasta made fresh, a meat (usually chicken or pork) and a beverage for 5 euro
Some excellent ideas in this post....however, I have to let you know that the Brek at Largo Argentina is no more. It has mysteriously morphed into a Neapolitan pizza place called Rossopomodoro.
OH NO!!! Say it isn't so!! Did they get rid of all the wonderful theatrical pieces upstairs? The "Jackson Pollack" room? I am utterly devastated.
Unless you can get bonus weeks in places you want to go to (as other have indicated that this is unlikely), this really doesn't seem like a very good deal. My rental apartment in Rome in the off season is 620 euros per week ($930); a lot less than $2500.
As for the 5 or 6 bonus weeks assuming there were in palces you wanted to go to) who gets that much vacation that they could use them when they have a full-time job. I am lucky if I get to spend 3 weeks a year on vacation in Italy. My dates are usually not flexible either.
I checked on E Bay and there are a number of timeshare weeks available at less than $500.
