How to afford Europe

Given the economy, the No. 1 question I’ve gotten lately from people is whether to go to Europe. It’s true that many people will put off their trips for another time. But millions of globetrotters will find a way to keep on traveling.

Let’s be honest. Europe is expensive. Prices are high for locals — and for Americans. Yet, the best travelers are not those with the thickest wallets, but those with a knack for connecting with locals and their culture.

If you’re wandering through Spain’s Santiago de Compostela and you hear music and dancers in a gym, pop in and observe. As you enjoy the Galician folk club practicing their traditional dance, you realize northwest Spain is actually Celtic — where flamenco meets “Riverdance.”

Even in London — Europe’s priciest city — you can have a world-class experience for next to nothing. In Italy, to see Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment,” Leonardo’s “Last Supper” and Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus,” it will cost you about $50; but in London, seeing the Tate Gallery, British Museum and National Gallery won’t cost you a pence. And when the seats at London’s Royal Albert Hall are sold out, standing-room spots are often available.

Budget travelers need to know their money-saving options, and take advantage of them: Ride the shuttle rather than the taxi in from the airport (saves $40 in Vienna). Order house wine instead of a bottle of fine wine (saves $20 in Rome). Choose a two-star hotel rather than a three-star one (saves $60 per night in Paris). Buy the transit pass rather than individual tickets (saves $5 per ride on London’s Tube). Buy a scratch-off phone card at a European newsstand for calls home, and you’ll pay pennies rather than dollars per minute.

When you travel, time really is money. Don’t waste your valuable time in lines. In Europe’s most crowded cities (especially Paris, Rome, and Florence), easy-to-make reservations and museum passes — which pay for themselves in four visits — let you skirt the long ticket-buying lines. If it costs $1 to use your cellphone to confirm museum times, but it saves you trekking across town to discover the sight is closed, that’s a buck very well spent. And sometimes, calculated “splurges” save both time and money: A taxi ride split by four people can cost less than four bus tickets.

Your biggest budget challenges are accommodations: Hotels are pricey just about everywhere in Europe. But, equipped with good information, you can land some fine deals — which often come with the most memories, to boot. Be open to new experiences. Join the Scotsman who runs your B&B in a game of lawn bowling, the Frenchman who runs your pension in a game of “pétanque,” or the Greek who runs your hotel for a game of backgammon.

Rick Steves writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on PBS. Write him c/o: P.O. Box 2009, Edmonds, WA 98020 or visit Rick Steves.