Sometimes my family and friends who go to Mexico question how we travel to Europe on our salaries. You see, both my husband and I are in education, and the money we do make is primarily spent on travel and experiences. Going to Europe three times since 2019 has been relatively easy given it is what we prioritize. And, something I tell the less experienced world traveler is that once you get to Europe, lodging, transportation, food, and activities are cheaper than in the states and certainly way more affordable than the outrageous costs in Denver, Colorado. This was even before the dollar had more buying power in Europe, too.
Understanding our Circumstances – Traveling to Europe on US educators’ salaries
Before I explain how we travel to Europe on our salaries, I have to qualify our circumstances because they are different from others.
I grew up as a saver. We didn’t have much money growing up. My parents did their best, and I learned to hoard money away for rainy days. I took loans and sometimes worked three jobs to pay for my college. I still have savings from my twenties that have not been used or allocated towards something.
I teach at a university in Denver, and my husband Jon works as an administrator at a different university. Before you start assuming that I am one of those faculty who make $$$ and will retire with a golden parachute, which can often be upwards of $250K a year in retirement, let me stop you there. I teach English, not engineering or another STEM field. I wasn’t hired back in the day when tenure lines were one of the only avenues for faculty in higher ed. For the past 16+ years, I have taught composition, rhetoric, research, English to speakers of other languages (some of you know this as ESL), and in a teacher education program for K-12 teachers. My meager salary when full time, even with two terminal degrees and 10+ years of experience was laughable and still brings tears and anger. At my highest point in the academy, my salary would have qualified me for Section 8 affordable housing. Yes, I know I chose this field, but the priorities our country places on education is a joke. This is something I could go on a rant about but will not here.
Jon is middle management. While he makes more than I ever would in my field with two terminal degrees, he still makes far less than he would if he were in a corporate job. He also grew up with parents who believed in saving. He is not quite the saver I am, but he is far better than many others I know.
We don’t drive new fancy SUVs or trucks. I have a 10 year old Subaru that needs a lot of upkeep and really would be better to sell than fix up because of the $, and Jon has a 15+ year old Nissan Pathfinder that on good days will start only after one try.
We don’t live in a new build that is 3,000+ feet with new furniture or in some awesome or trendy neighborhood. We were fortunate to get in on the crazy Denver housing market at a time we thought was nuts but ended up being way better than the following years. Our mortgage is cheaper than what some of my friends pay for a bedroom in a shared space.
And, my clothes usually come from cousins who pass them down or as random gifts from folks.
Not that there’s anything wrong with folks who live like differently; we are just not those people.
We do not have human kids; couldn’t physically, which was sad for us both because we wanted it. We don’t have to save for college and worry about healthcare, sports, and all that comes with having kids.
We are lucky to have two amazing dogs, who we think of as our kids. But, we couldn’t have traveled to Europe three times recently without the help of my parents. Did you know that when we go on a weeklong trip, that is $100 a day in petcare? Yowza! We have spent $1,000+ on dog sitting on some vacations for a Rover sitter. Thankfully, the three times we have gone to Europe since 2019, my parents watched Rolo and Ruby and saved us a fortune. They are amazing and willing to help out us because they love us and the dogs. This is a huge blessing and helps knowing the dogs are having the best time with the grandpawrents. They get to bark at deer and wild turkeys multiple times a day, eat human food, go on multiple daily walks, and get endless love with retired folks. Some of you might say, well, you probably shouldn’t travel so much if you have dogs. Believe me, I would take them with me if I could. At this point, this is an option and works great for us.
Setting your Own Priorities – Traveling to Europe on Many US Budgets
Now, I realize that many of you do not have the freedom and flexibility that we have with our finances, schedules, and family ties. I am not here to say that everyone can afford to go or have flexibility because of their circumstances to go to Europe 3 times in five years. I am here to give you some tips if you want to go Europe and have a tight budget.
Planning is key!
When I met Jon, we were obviously both single. The two previous years, I had backpacked in South America over my winter breaks. You see, I have a seriously wanton need and desire to see and experience the world, so travel is what I have spent my money on. Jon had not traveled as much and had only been out of the states to Mexico, the Bahamas, Ireland, and England before we met, which is more than many but not close to as many places as people I have worked with and am friends with. That’s what you get when you have a Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Jon quickly caught my travel bug and has been on board for the many adventures out of the country and in the states. When we got engaged, I told him I wanted to elope in Croatia. I had never been, but when I was in my twenties living in Hawaii, I had seen these amazing images in National Geographic of pre-war Croatia and all the amazingly beautiful nature in the country. I had been dreaming of traveling there for years. While I could not convince Jon to elope there, I was able to convince him that our first trip to Europe should be there. It wasn’t until 2019 that we made it to Europe.
Now, you’re thinking. Aha, I see, Dr. Mely; this is where the planning comes in. Yes, this is it!
We met in 2012, got engaged in 2013, and were married in 2014. In 2013, I opened a United Explorer Mileage Plus credit card because I knew the spending on our wedding and honeymoon would set us up for a future European trip and would continue adding to my miles from previous travel on United. We got 75K miles as a sign up bonus, and then continued to use our card for all of our everyday purchases. Previously, I had been using a Capital One Rewards card and had a substantial amount of points built up as this was my first credit card I had signed up for my freshman year in college. We chose to add a United points card because if you are flying out of Denver, you are likely flying United, Frontier, or Southwest. With Denver a hub for United Airlines, I knew I wanted a card that had a strong airline partnership for international travel.
When we went to Croatia in 2019, we had enough United Mileage Plus points for two roundtrip economy class tickets and all of our 14 nights of lodging paid through my Capital One rewards card. We only paid for food, drinks, and activities. What we spent for the two of us was less than what we would have spent for one person had we booked an all inclusive vacation for 7 nights in Cabo or the Riviera Maya.
Today, we use our United Mileage Plus card for everything we can, which includes travel, groceries, gas, utilities, home upkeep, eating out, health care and vet care, and everything and anything in between. *We pay off the full amount every month; I never carry a balance to the next month. I never use cash unless absolutely necessary and never use my debit card. Since we started using the card, we have gotten free roundtrip flights to Croatia in 2019, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Germany in 2022, and Portugal in 2023. We are looking into South Africa for next year or the following – you need more points for that since it is a further distance.
This is not the only way to travel to Europe that is cheaper than booking your next all inclusive trip to Mexico. It is just one of the options. It is just how we planned and actualized our three European trips and how many of you could too. So, how will you get to Europe and enjoy the stunning continent?
