In just under a month, I will be in Ireland. While that thought both terrifies and excites me, I am at those planning stages, going over budgets and finances. I have noticed a pattern with emails I receive. Most want to know how to travel and how I travel. How can you afford to travel? How do you budget?
To be honest, I have never really been strict with a budget until this trip. I generally have an idea in my mind of what I am looking to spend. As I will be traveling around Ireland for an entire month, organization proves to be key toward keeping a budget. Before things get out of hand and before my bank account takes a nosedive, I thought I would outline how I am budgeting for my month in Europe. Hopefully you can apply these tips to your travels no matter where you may be headed.
Set a Price and Stick To It
I set an amount I want to pay for accommodations, transportation, food and tourist sites for the month. In order to keep track of all of these items, I have a spreadsheet with each category in a separate column. For each day, I plan to track my spending. Above each column, I have a total amount on each area I can afford. By having the numbers right there in front of me and in an organized manner, I have found I am sticking to the prices I have set when booking. If I had just started booking bed and breakfasts without a set rate I want to pay each night, my budget would quickly get out of hand.
Over Estimate What You Will Spend
If you over-estimate how much you can spend on a hotel or dinner each night, you will be pleasantly surprised when you save $10 here and $10 there. While I set goals for each category and how much I want to spend, I know my goals are a little bit more than I expect to spend. By over-estimating, you and your budget will feel more accomplished in the end when you see the totals much lower than originally expected.
Budget For The Fun and Frivolous
I think part of the reason I hate budgeting is that I often feel like some travelers are too frugal when they travel. You can miss out on a great deal of experiences if you set up a budget that doesn’t allow for fun. Just because a museum entrance ticket may cause you to shell out extra foreign currency than you expected, doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it. If you don’t have that “fun money” left over, your trip may be extremely limited.
Don’t Rely On Just Travel Search Engines
When I started looking for accommodations in Ireland, I went to hostel and hotel search engines. While these can be great at times for finding deals, I found most quoting much higher than the establishment’s actual website. Perhaps it is just Ireland, but many accommodation options offered better rates on their personal websites and even special deals you won’t know about if you just booked accommodations using a hotel search engine. While search engines with compiled lists can be convenient, they are not always the best deals.
Personal Email and Phone Inquires Can Go A Long Way
If you are looking for a car or a certain hotel rate, it never hurts to send a personal email to the company or establishment. Sometimes rates quoted online may be different than what someone answering an email or phone call will give. Once again, perhaps it is just Ireland, but so far I have found asking if there are special rates here or there to work on occasion. It never hurts to ask.
What are some of the ways you budget for a big trip? I would love to hear more budget tips as I finish up my planning.
Great tips Suzy! I definitely agree about setting conservative estimates. It always makes you feel good when you are prepared for a higher price and then you end up spending less than that. The tip about directly contacting hotels is a good one that I was unaware of. But you are right, in the end when you reach a destination, you cannot miss out on museums and such just because of the ticket price. You made it all the way there, so be sure to budget for that. There’s no point in getting somewhere only to be unable to do anything!
When are you coming over, Suzy? Are you planning to make it down to Cork? Also, are you on Couchsurfing? Let’s have a hot port together! 😀
Good luck in Ireland. If you know anything about me, you’d know that I live for Dublin! Love it there, and I have family in both Dublin and Galway. Both amazing cities. Don’t forget to go check out Cork to meet Katrina! Your budget will really depend on if you’re into drinking at the pubs. If you’re a drinker Ireland can be very expensive. If not, you may save yourself a bunch of Euros! 😉 Also, don’t miss my post titled: “7 Great Things to Do and See in Dublin” here: http://su.pr/1xy4OJ . Also, be sure to take a FREE walking tour of Dublin… for more info go here: http://su.pr/5hx3A2
Enjoy yourself, and be sure to keep us posted on how much fun you’re having!
You have some profitable ideas, Suzy. I always contact the owner of the place I’m looking to rent directly. I just let them know that I’m a single, mature woman traveling on a limited budget and, more times than not, they discount more than the website publishes. Also, if you have the option to cook and/or store food, that can save money. I don’t travel around from place to place as much as you seem to be planning, so I’m not sure how much that will benefit you. There are some great podcasts available online for free that you can download. That allows you to visit an attraction with your own “guide” without paying for one. Good luck. I’m looking forward to seeing ideas other readers will have for you.
Rosann
Look forward to seeing you in Dublin make sure you contact me directly we will arrange a special offer on our Wicklow Glendalough day tour for you.
I’d say for Ireland, take your typical beer budget and triple it – then add anther 100€ just for good measures. 🙂
Really excited to hear about your experience in Ireland – it was where I went on my first working holiday and where I, “caught the travel bug,” as cliche as that phrase is!
If I had to recommend one place to check out, it’d be Doolin in County Clare – fantastic wee village with Ireland’s best traditional music. From there see the Cliffs of Moher, but don’t go at them via the traditional entrance. Hike up from Doolin – absolutely stunning.
We just went to Ireland in November (on a budget too) and LOVED staying at the Parkway Guesthouse 5 Gardiner Pl. Seamus, the owner was fantastic and helpful and directed us to the best deals in town regarding food, travel, etc. His breakfasts filled us until dinnertime (or a stop for the first pint before dinner at least) and we’ll look no further than his place on our next trip. Seriously, check him out. We did a Wicklow Glendalough tour as well and it was absolutely magical (small van, maybe 10 people.) We also did a full month in Europe for a family of 4 with a budget of $10K half of which covered airfare. It can be done!
PS – The Parkway Guesthouse is in Dublin, walking distance to everything 🙂
Great tips! I like your spreadsheet – you can also use this when you get to your destination to track your spending and make sure you ARE sticking to the original plan. Also, the overestimating is useful. You get a little surprise when you save a bit of money! 🙂
We’re spending three weeks in Ireland later this year too! Haven’t started figuring out costs yet but I think it will be expensive. I agree that it is important to over budget because things always crop up and you’re right…if you’re too frugal you do miss out. I think it is important to pay attention to the things you personally spend money on. Other people’s budgets may not reflect your own needs. And we always remember to budget for non-travel expenses that may crop up during a specific trip…bills and other things like that we have ongoing.
I can’t wait to read about your adventures in Ireland!
And these are some really great tips. I especially love the one about budgeting “fun money.” This is so important! It’s one thing to travel budget-conscious. But it’s another to refuse to do anything that costs money when you’re traveling. Sometimes shelling out that extra 10 or 20 dollars is worth it.
Ireland can sneak up on you. so I’d go with Matt’s advice and triple your beer budget. The pints can get pricey, especially in the popular drinking areas, but even the B&B’s and hostels in the middle of the countryside can be pricey in the high season. Best of luck, can’t WAIT to read all about Ireland. Loved living there myself and can’t wait to get back for a visit this summer!
Thanks Suzi!
I just happen to be looking into budgeting to travel for a month around Ireland myself… look forward to reading the articles on Ireland!
i often worry about being an “over planner” but your article just put my mind at ease a little
Thanks Suzi!
I just happen to be looking into budgeting to travel for a month around Ireland myself… look forward to reading the articles on Ireland!
i often worry about being an “over planner” but your article just put my mind at ease a little
Hi Suzy,
Few things on Ireland – first get yourself acquainted with the bus system. Buses are cheap and will save you a lot of money instead of taxis or trains. Many places in Ireland charge a different price if you are going to eat in / or take away. Always say take away (for a sandwich, etc) to pay the cheaper price. Remember that all advertised prices include tax so you won’t need to stretch your budget in that way. Also – the Dublin Bikes program offers free bike rentals (all you need is a credit card) at 40 locations throughout the city. Check out my blog for more Dublin tips – and send me an email if you have any specific questions. Enjoy your trip!!!
Jessica.
Hi Suzy!
I would like to travel to Ireland, but i would like to live in the same town for a month. I’ve been searching info about de B6B but it’s so expensive… like 1800€/month, very much more than a flat rent!!
I’m a little lost about what to search.
Do you have any tip?
Thank you so much!
P.D: How was your stay in Ireland?
Hi Suzy,
My sister and i are eighteen and wish to explore ireland for a month at the end of the year but are unsure as to how we might get our way around. Any tips on how we can travel around Ireland cheaply?