I'm going to Brussels as part of my Erasmus+ project. We'll have housing, breakfast and travel paid for, but we'll have to pay for everything else.
We'll get about 600€ in allowance for the 25 days, so I'm thinking here, how do I save most of it to bring back home?
My goal is to save at least 300€, I think it's pretty realistic goal so I want to hear some ideas or life hacks on how to save as much as I can!
Give me some of your tips on how to stay frugal on a 25 day trip to different country.
byu/bugagub inFrugal
Posted by bugagub
8 Comments
From my experience staying in other countries with a stipend: Same as in the US, figure out where to get cheap groceries and make your food back at wherever you’re staying. You probably *will* want to go out to eat once or twice just because you’re in a new country, and there might be times when everyone else wants to go somewhere together.
Look for free museums rather than paid ones in advance. If you have a museum you want to go to that’s *not* free, try to budget for that.
If you have someone you know is expecting a souvenir, magnets are usually pretty cheap.
Bring a couple travel sized toiletries (probably 2 of each for 25 days) rather than buying them when you get there.
If the breakfast is a “buffet” then maybe you can take a few rolls/croissants et and maybe some “spreads” for lunch or snacks. Same thing for say coffee, if they don’t limit it then you can maybe “travel mug” some.
25 days is a long time. Hopefully you have notified your card companies/bank that you will be out of the country for x time.
I managed about a month of scrimpin by because I did “fill up” at breakfast and whatnot. I also “raided” the hotel room fridge for snacks etc but I refilled it from the market downtown and kept them from noticing by the “Do not disturb” sign on the door so housekeeping etc was less likely to check.
My advice would be to not try to save this money. If you’re in Belgium for the first time, try spending it on experiences, museums, maybe trips to neighbouring countries!
See if you can snag anything on Too Good To Go
Your question is basically travelling on a budget.
Backpacker forums will have loads of good info, but if I had one recommendation it would be to bring two travel water bottles.
One for water of course, and one to fill with free coffee at breakfast.
I have successfully been a ‘cheapskate Charlie’ overseas using this method. Not that you need to take vitamin supplements if you are using this technique for more than 7-8 days.
Take a single mug (unbreakable), one spoon one fork. Get food at supermarkets. Breakfast is cereal and milk (you don’t have to worry about this cos it’s paid for) then a large cup of contemplative tea or coffee. Lunch is ramen 🍜 noodles in a mug with an apple (and bread bun from breakfast buffet if hungry). Dinner is noodles plus some hard tofu/ whatever meat substitute. Rinse and repeat.
Only do this if you are really skint. Travel is meant to be enjoyed
Consider bringing adderal like meds very carefully. A friend of mine made a driving mistake, was pulled over by Belgium police and they found a script for adderall. They had to pay $1000 to get it resolved. They didn’t care that it was a US prescription. They thought they were drug trafficking.
Do you know if your accommodations will have a microwave or fridge? That would help you to save a lot. Utilise grocery stores. Carrefour and Albert Heijn has ready-made pasta and rice dishes if you can heat them, plus meal salads and wrap sandwiches. You can also buy shelf stable foods to keep in your room. Tuna pouches, bread, rice cakes, peanut butter, etc.