Visit Europe!

One you can afford – seriously.

Look at how much you earn. What can you put aside for a trip? What are you prepared to sacrifice to make your trip a reality? Maybe you’ve been saving for a while and have a few thousand dollars in the bank. You do? Great. Well that’s your realistic budget. If you want to fly to Europe tomorrow and you only have ten dollars in the bank then you are not being realistic. But it might be enough to get you in to the local museum for a few hours escape.

When you are setting your budget, be practical. Everyone has different needs for their travel experience and if your travel plans include overseas flights, you will need to budget accordingly. Sure you can find great deals and get there cheaper than you might have expected, but make sure you have enough money in your budget to not only get you there but to travel around, find a place to sleep, oh and have enough money to be able to eat!

So how do you go about setting a budget? Following these steps might help:

1. Draw up a table with two columns.

2. Column A is for Expense Items. Column B is for Approximate Costs.

3. In column A write down all the things you can think of that will cost you money while traveling. These might include: air flights, car hire/fuel allowance, travel passes, sight-seeing tours, accommodation, food, insurance, immunizations, and souvenirs.

4. In column B write an estimate of how much you think these things will cost while on your trip. You can research your travel costs quite easily on the Internet. Food allowance might be a bit more difficult. If you are traveling alone, as a couple or in a family you will need to budget food costs accordingly.

5. Now add up the costs. This will give you an estimate of how much your trip will cost. Can you afford it? Yes – then this is a realistic budget for you. If not, then you may have to rethink your destination and the type of travel experience you want.

Remember that this table will only be an estimate of your travel costs. You must also budget for incidentals and prepare yourself for things to not go to plan. For example, have you got enough money in your budget to buy new clothes if your luggage goes missing? A realistic travel budget will have extra built in to it to cover emergencies. Setting yourself a budget of about sixty-five dollars a day, if traveling alone, is a reasonable amount. If you are traveling as a family or in a group, this number will be vastly different.

Also consider if you will be traveling and working. If this is the case, then you may not need as much to start with, just enough money to get you to your destination and a place to live while you look for work. (And enough money to buy you food until you begin earning a wage.)

Start making your travel plans with your budget in mind. Don’t exceed your budget, always keep a little in reserve so you can buy that fantastic Italian leather handbag or go jet-skiing in Hawaii if the desire takes you!

This article is brought to you by: Stuart S. Travel – Your Online Travel Guru

www.stuartstravel.com

Europe is the new desirable destination for personal, business and student travel. When traveling, for variable reasons, one must focus on the most important aspect of any voyage: insurance. This may be a thought pushed to the side as other preparations take precedence, such as exact location, travel details, packing – what to take and what not to take, etc. However, once in the area of destination anything can happen. It is best to be as prepared as possible. Take the time to read some of the latest insurance tips for travel, specifically to Greece. The destination point will be Greece; however, the tips will be helpful with traveling throughout all of Europe.

Studying abroad is becoming more popular and especially in Europe. With the added experience to add to resumes to a lifetime experience that will never be forgotten, students are taking extra steps to see that they are receiving as much knowledge, world knowledge, as possible. Having this in mind realize that these students are entering a new culture and this means a completely new way of living. Insurance is a crucial element to be sure that one will get the same treatment in the new country as their citizens. There are many travel insurance companies for students that are inexpensive, set out to genuinely help, and have great benefits. Often students are even reimbursed for prescribed medicines. An example of student travel insurance is HTH insurance.

This same company also provides travel insurance in general whether it is for business or pleasure. One can simply get a price quote before signing up with the insurance company and once an acceptable quote is found take the next steps. The next step could be one of a few different things. It is a good idea to check out any travel warnings that may have been issued. Online the travel insurance company of choice will have a link leading to all warnings. At this moment there are no warnings against Greece. After looking at any warnings one should research what to do in emergency situations, all can be found online. It is important to have already located the U.S. Embassy in said destination. Also, be sure to look upon the health and safety issues page. Families, including those with children, need to be aware of any issues concerning them which can be found online, such as adoption, child protection and abduction.

Having the insurance is the first major step of being precautious and prepared. Still one needs to take it upon themselves to be aware of the destination rules, regulations, ways of being, or any information regarding the country specifically. As for Greece, one can see entry or exit requirements, safety and security, crime, information for victims of crime, medical facilities and health information, medical insurance, traffic safety and road conditions, aviation safety oversight, special circumstances, criminal penalties, children’s issues and registration or embassy location. It is even urged by the Department of State that before Americans leave the country they consult their medical insurance company to be sure that their insurance works abroad and what exactly will be covered in case of any emergencies. This section will be helpful in other ways as well, such as road conditions. In Greece all motorbikers must wear helmets as some roads are poorly maintained or narrow. In case of road emergencies, in need of towing, roadside services are also available such as ELPA which is similar to that of AAA with a phone number used nation-wide 10400.

Hospitals in Greece are adequate as many of their trained doctors studied in the U.S. and can be found even in private hospitals. The Department of State can be helpful in areas concerning certain vaccinations or for further in-depth tips on particular circumstances.