Here are ways to save money on your next trip to Europe:

Travel in 2022:  Prices for travel in 2023 are going one way: up.  In our small group tour business, we request hotel rates 12-18 months in advance of a planned stay.  Based upon what we found, plan on hotel rates being about 20% more in 2023 and 2024 than they are now.  There are also less crowds now.  On top of that, which way do you think airfares will go in 2023?  If you answered "up", you are probably right.  So, to save money, travel in 2022.

Get Cash in the Airport:  Europe, especially countries like Norway and Iceland, are moving towards a cashless society.  Use a credit card (with no currency conversion fees of course) as much as possible.  If there is a need for cash, get it at the airport upon arrival in Europe.  That's because Europeans are using cash less and less which means there ATM machines are much harder to find in cities than a few years ago.  Credit/debit cards for the most part, provide a "true" currency conversion rate with little or no commissions.  Never go to a currency exchange booth - the fees are obscene.

Think About Flying on a Discount Airline:  There are new players in the game like Play and Norse Atlantic Airlines.  They wil get you over to Europe at a fraction of the cost of those legacy carriers like American, AirFrance, British Air and Delta. 

Go to Less Traveled Destinations:  To paraphrase Yogi Berra, "No one goes to Rome, Florence, Paris or Barcelona anymore - it's too crowded".   In those big cities it's expensive too.   Try out places like Padua, Italy or Bremen, Germany.  Great destinations at a much lower price for lodging and food.

Try Food Halls:  Restaurants can be terribly expensive and who can eat at a restaurant continuously for breakfast lunch and dinner on a 10-14 day trip?  Most cities like Oslo, Rome, Florence have food halls that provide plenty of options at the right price.  In Oslo we like Vippa food hall.  In Rome there is the Mercato Centrale.  In Florence there is the Mercato Centrale Firenze.  

Buy the Museum Pass:  You have heard The Professor tout the Museum Passes.  For instance, on a recent small group tour to Paris, we purchased the 6-day Paris Museum Pass for about 78 euros giving us VIP admission to all the great sites of Paris including the Louvre, Versailles, and Orsay.  The Oslo Pass not only gives admission to attractions, it also provides unlimited tram, bus and metro transportation around Oslo.

Join The Traveling Professor on a small group tour to Europe.