Sometimes Cheaper isn’t really cheaper. I learned that the hard way. I really thought I had it figured out, but as it turns out, I just do a really poor job of planning.

I’m always looking to spend less money when I’m traveling. The only place I won’t stay in is a ‘hostel’. I’m a bit more of a private person. Plus in Europe I had packed too much stuff and I was an open invitation for thieves (I’m not saying that hostel occupants are thieves…..just the transient life style leads to a few undesirables).

Most of the places I stay while traveling are Airbnb rentals. That may change, but for now it’s airbnb’s.

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There are some really fine rentals thru airbnb. I only had one really ‘bad’ experience with an owner and the fine folks with airbnb customer service got the problem taken care of. Oh, I forgot there was the first European experience (right outside Lisbon, Portugal) where the owner basically said I ransacked his apartment. I felt that since I was American, he was trying to reach into my wallet and get what he could….once again, airbnb customer care was excellent.

Other than the airbnb’s in Europe there are some nice discount hotels without any whistle and bells. Some are located by their nearby luxury hotels and you can visit some of their amenities there (at a cost).

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But, the worst thing planning wise with me was the locations.

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While I wasn’t too concerned about being convenient to the tourist areas, that ended up being my ‘biggest’ mistake.

I was seeking a travel lifestyle of moving around from one place to another. With no house note to concern myself about back in the U.S., the rental would take the place of that and the plan was to keep it lower than my house note. It wasn’t always possible but that was okay because I could make that difference up on a future rental.

The problem was ‘ground transportation’. I didn’t factor that in, it really didn’t cross my mind. I wasn’t gonna have a rental….there are some extremely good deals but the insurance is a financial killer. In Costa Rica I rememberthe insurance cost me 3 times the rental!!! Aaack!!!

So, my goal was to avoid that. That left bus, taxi, subway, and train (other than walking).

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Add to the transportation dilemma is the language barrier. I got the ‘hello’, ‘good morning’, and ‘thank you’ down pretty good in most countries….but sorely lacking otherwise.

Flying around Europe is cheap. But, the airports are located quite a distance making ground transportation clumsy. There’s options, but finding them upon arrival can be a disaster. The easiest and quickest thing to do is to get in line for a taxi. Along with most people.

In Paris, a taxi (actually a driver lying about being a taxi) cost about $75 U.S. for the ride. The best was in Croatia where the airbnb owner provided the ground transportation and I provided the tip of a suggested $20.00 Euros (about $24 U.S.).

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Madeira Island, Portugal (off the northwestern coast of Africa) could have been probably the best. Not knowing can be costly. I took a taxi to the airbnb unknowing that there was a bus that would have dropped me off about 3 blocks from the apartment for about $5 U.S.!!! I took the bus upon departure.

It seems that staying closer to the tourist sites would have been cheaper (maybe) and more convenient than trying to be cheaper staying a long traveling distance. But, my intentions weren’t just to see the tourist sites, I wanted to mingle with local people and experience their lifestyle up close and personal. And I did. That was the best tourist attraction to me. But, when you’re in a city that has those awesome sites such as The Eiffel Tower…..you’re gonna visit.

The best ground travel experience was by bus from Naples to Pompeii, Italy. The arrival was a bit strange though. There’s not a bus terminal in Pompeii, we were dropped off in a vacant parking lot!! No taxi around!! GPS’d the airbnb and walked about a mile, it wasn’t too bad. The airbnb wasn’t exactly as advertised as there was no elevator and the room was on the 3rd floor!!! But, it was a block away from the Pompeii Ruins.

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I really just wanted to take my sweet time moving about thru Europe, but not paying close enough attention to transportation cost and cultural proximities….that proved to be a disaster financially. I just wanted to do too much!

Subways and trains were very inexpensive. Sometimes they weren’t available to the next destination was the only problem. Still the problem was that those trains and subways weren’t available in the outskirts beyond the airports.

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To and from the airports averaged $65 one way. So, that’s a $130 round trip for a stay. By itself that may not seem too bad especially for an extended stay which was in most cases, but the other jaunts ate at my finances like leprosy.

I’ll do better the next outing. Already, in the works…..viewing all methods of transportation, proximities to sights and sleeping arrangements. It’s really no small task. You may think that it would be easier and more cost effective to use a travel agent…..but it’s not, well, it would be easier but way too expensive.

As my discoveries develop, I’m be writing more!

Peace, love, and beaches,

John

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