Surviving and the Exchange Rate - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

bibowj · 09-18-2007, 09:00 AM

For fellow Americans on here who have traveled to the UK in the last year or two: How did you survive the exchange rate? I mean, I was just online booking a hostel in York and Im looking at like $44 USD a NIGHT! Now, I dont mind that for a hotel... but for a cheap multi person room ... Im not overly poor, however Im traveling in hostels for a reason... any advice..??

**lauren313** · 09-18-2007, 10:37 AM

What sort of budget per night are you looking at? Some towns/cities are more expensive than others, so it might even out a bit. For e.g, I just had a little look for York hostels, and Bath hostels (you are going to Bath, right?), and while ones in York are coming up at about $44pn, I found some in Bath for more like $28pn. Also the same as Edinburgh, around $30-ish.

So, it's not all doom and gloom!

But then again, I am a smug Brit with the most fantastic currency in the world, muahaha.

bibowj · 09-18-2007, 11:10 AM

Well i have a above average budget, mostly because Im booking and paying for everything ahead (ie all my trasportation is booked) ... so i CAN pay the price for the York hostels...but ...

I understand life ina hostel, so i have little problems witha place is shabby and somewhat dirty. Its only 12 quid afterall... however, if im paying 22 pounds and Im having that ...it bothers me.
I didnt realize that hostel wise it seems that York is just more expensive...

**lost in texas** · 09-18-2007, 12:35 PM

Thinking about the exchange rate is too painful. For me, I just forced myself to think in terms of local currency. If a hostel was 11 pounds, I told myself I got it for 11. The flip side is that you have to budget in local terms too. If you're in Europe trying to spend $80 a day, for instance, you have to mentally budget for 60 euros. If you're thinking about it everytime you spend money, it's just depressing.

Honestly, it's just one of those things you can't control. Either you travel anyway or you don't, that's the way it is.

**lauren313** · 09-18-2007, 12:36 PM

Yeah, I can't really understand why York is so expensive. For most things in England, you see a difference in prices between the north and south, but generally speaking it's cheaper up north!

Maybe someone who isn't actually from Englad can give you some suggestions on good places to stay!

**voyd** · 09-18-2007, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bibowj

For fellow Americans on here who have traveled to the UK in the last year or two: How did you survive the exchange rate?

Simple, I go to cheaper places like China instead of pricey places like the UK!

**Elizabeth** · 09-18-2007, 05:04 PM

stop eating

ha no seriously...next time I visit the UK I'm gonna couchsurf =]

I like voyd's suggestion too, may I suggest Ukraine

bibowj · 10-03-2007, 03:23 AM

ok so this post got me thinking...

...and its always trouble when im thinking..

The first 12 days that im in Europe for this round, Im in the UK... which ive seen most of it before.... and with the current exchange rate for me to USD, its going to use up a good portion of my funds..

Now, IF I decided to fly somewhere for a part of that .. say a week or a tad less, where should I go folks? Its not that I dont love the UK, I do. Its just that part of my motivation for going there to start my trip was too see my friends Jason in London, who has fallen off the face of the earth for over 2 months...

So Im thinking about taking a little easy Jet hop somewhere... any ideas where I can go that wont break me as bad as England? (Im already doing Paris and Rome)...

**mbo108** · 10-03-2007, 05:24 AM

I was going to type them all out, but that might get kinda tedious. Just go and check the route map on EasyJet.com

http://www.easyjet.com/EN/routemap/

Some of the cheapest should be Tallinn, Budapest, Bucharest, Ljubljana, Split, and Rijeka. That is based on my entirely stereotypical view that the more easterly you venture, the cheaper it gets. You might need to do a little more research.

**MeTurk** · 10-03-2007, 09:04 AM

It's a safe bet that anything east/southeast of Germany is going to be cheep. Spain and Portugal are the cheapest countries in western Europe.

The touristy areas along the coast are expensive but I've found that you can walk 5 minutes off the main areas and everything even cheaper again. Just avoid Irish/English pubs, buy your drink in the supermarkets before going out (massive savings).

I'd go for Eastern Europe though, for sunshine and the med try Slovenia, Croatia and the others down there near Greece.