Everyone wants to get value for money when they travel but you have to ask yourself how low you are willing to go. What is budget travel? To some people, others budget travel may appear pretty upmarket. Personally I’m an in-betweenie, I’ve never been into backpacking and camping or staying in hostel dorms but neither have I been prepared to fork out to stay in fancy hotels. I’m looking for basic, clean, comfortable accommodation with a private bathroom and a variety of interesting activities with pleasant pit stops for meals and refreshments.

The turrets of Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh

Here is my sample budget for £100 per day for two including accommodation, food and entertainment. I’ve based my example on staying in Edinburgh as in my opinion it’s one of the best places to visit in Europe. There are several Travelodges close to the city centre including Haymarket, West End and Learmonth.  It’s possible to find Traveloge rooms for as little as £9 a night in their Sales but as long as you book in advance and stay outside peak season, there are often rooms for £29 and £19 on the Saver  rate.  Edinburgh offers a wide array of museums and galleries such as the National Museum, Gallery of Modern Art and the Museum of Childhood, much to see and do off the beaten track and a good bus service with all day tickets costing £3.00.

Leith, Edinburgh’s port

£29 – Travelodge Saver room

£ 4 – Buy food for breakfast eg, croissants and fruit, tea and coffee making facilities provided in room

£18 – Buffet with soft drink

£20 – One course dinner in pub with drink

£ 6 – Two all day bus tickets in Edinburgh

£ 8 – A couple of coffees or teas per person

£12 – Two cinema tickets

TOTAL £97

Here are  my tips for having a great stay on a modest budget of around £100 sterling for two travellers per day to include accommodation, meals, transport and entertainment.

1 Travel outside peak season. I’d only suggest city breaks during the period from the end of October until the end of March, due to the limited daylight hours. At least in a city there’ll be plenty to do and see in all weathers. If you want to see the countryside too, I’d suggest April to June, excluding Easter, or September to October. June can be great as the days are really long, although you can’t be sure of warm, sunny weather.

2 Book in advance to get cheapest hotels and rail tickets. I know this means that your itinerary is inflexible but it saves you serious amounts of cash. You pay £19 for a Travelodge room if you travel off peak and pay 3 weeks in advance. where the standard rate is between £50 – £80. I paid £28 for a off peak rail ticket booked well in advance for which that my husband paid £220 for exactly the same journey but travelling peak hours.

3 Look for set menus or buffets in restaurants. It’s generally cheaper to eat out at lunchtime when a lunch menu or buffet costs around £7, whereas the same meal in the evening will cost a few pounds more.

4 Entry to public museums is free of charge in the UK and most cities have several museums and galleries where you can happily spend hours.

How much do usually allow per person per day for a trip in western Europe? What’s your best European travel tip to keep the budget low?