I recently embarked on a 16-day adventure through Europe: five nights in Paris, two nights in Milan, two nights in Rome and five nights in London. Sounds expensive, doesnt it? It doesnt have to be. Here are my secrets on how I saved tons of money on this vacation!
我最近刚刚结束16天的欧洲之旅，在巴黎待了五晚，米兰罗马各两晚，外加伦敦五晚。听起来花了不少，实际上却不是这样哦。下面来给大家说说我是怎么发挥穷游精神省下一大笔开销的吧！
Fly Round Trip.飞往返航班。
I started scoping out flights months in advance, and what I noticed is that round trip flights to Europe were way cheaper than flying to one country and then home from another. So I booked a round trip to London, which only cost about $600 per person (including taxes and fees). The trip started in Paris, which meant getting on another (separately booked) flight from London to Paris once we arrived, but then I ended our trip in London for easy access going home.
我数月之前就订好了机票，还发现往返欧洲的机票远比到达一个城市再从另一个城市离开要便宜的多。所以我定了伦敦的往返机票，大概一个人600美元（包含了税和机建费）。旅行从巴黎开始，也就是说我还需要额外定一个从伦敦到巴黎的航班，但我们旅行的最终目的地还是伦敦。
Stay Longer.待久点。
If you are investing in a $600 flight to Europe, my strategy is to "see it now, while you are here" to get your moneys worth. The only catch? The longer you are away from home, the more money you spend on food and other expenses, so its all about finding a balance between the two. Overall, I wouldn’t opt to fly to Paris for just two nights if you can help it, though – might as well stay longer if you are spending the money to fly across the Atlantic!
如果你花了600美元去欧洲，我的想法是“既来之则安之”，要让机票钱花的物有所值。唯一的麻烦？你离家越久，花在食物和其他方面的开销越大，所以需要找到二者之间的平衡点。总的来说，我不会只在巴黎待两晚——毕竟你可是花了钱横渡大西洋！
Visit Fewer Cities.少观赏点城市。
Every city I added on to the trip added another major expense. One-way flights and train rides between cities in Europe are often only about $100 per person, but they add up quickly. Looking back, I wish I would have skipped Milan and just gone to three cities on this trip to save even more money.
每个我加进行程的城市都增加了额外一大笔开销。欧洲城市之间的航班和飞机大概每人一百美元，但算在一起也不得了。现在回想起来，我希望当初跳过米兰，只去另外三个城市，能省一大笔钱。
Use Public Transit.利用公共交通。
Another huge money saver: We took public transportation, not only for sightseeing, but also to and from the airport. This means lugging your own suitcase up and down the stairs on the subway, fighting your way into a hot, crowded subway car with a big suitcase, etc. – but you will save hundreds of dollars this way. (I kind of enjoy the challenge of navigating public transit, so this part was fun for me!)
另一大笔省钱妙招：我们坐公共交通，不仅在城市中观赏美景，来回去机场都是如此。这意味着你需要把行李在地铁站搬上搬下，在炎热拥挤的地铁站中拖着箱子穿行，等等，但你能省下几百美元。（我完全享受那种乘坐公共交通带来的挑战，这部分对于我还是蛮有意思的！）
Stick to Free Stuff.坚持免费选择。
Pretty much every historical attraction has optional fees. You can pay to go inside Westminster Abbey, the Colosseum and Notre Dame, and while all of those places are amazing, at the end of the day you will be spending hundreds of dollars if you go into every single one of them.
很多的历史经典都有额外的费用。你需要花钱才能进入威斯敏斯特教堂、罗马大剧场以及巴黎圣母院，尽管这些地方真的超赞，但如果每个都进去观赏，你最终会发现花了一大笔钱。
We chose to explore a few, but for the most part there are plenty of free things to do, so paying is really unnecessary. In London, I recommend skipping the huge fees at Westminster Abbey and focusing on the totally free (!) museums throughout the city. In Italy, all churches are free to enter including my favorite, St. Peters Basilica. In Paris, the Louvre was worth the extra money, but I opted to tour only the free part of Notre Dame.
我们选择了一些，毕竟光免费的就够我们玩乐的了，所以花钱真的没有必要。在伦敦，我推荐跳过威斯敏斯特教堂的付费项目，好好享受城市中其他完全免费的博物馆吧；在意大利，所有的教堂包括我最喜欢的圣彼得大教堂都通通免费；在巴黎，卢浮宫绝对值回票价，但我选择观赏巴黎圣母院的免费部分。
Get a VAT Refund.记得退税。
If you do some shopping in the U.K., save your receipts! You can get a refund on taxes at the airport by showing them the item and the receipt. Look for signs when you get to the airport for the VAT refund office.
如果在英国购物，保留好小票，去机场给他们展示一下东西和小票就能退税。去机场的时候别忘了找一下机场的退税口。
