I, like Becca, am amazed
I, like Becca, am amazed and somewhat appalled at the New York Times' recent "Frugal Traveler" article about doing Paris on...drumroll...$250 a day.
$250 a day? That's frugal?? I'd hate to see what the daily cost of seeing Paris non-frugally is!
Becca and I and countless other friends could get you through a week in Paris on $50 a day or less if you don't mind staying in a youth hostel. $100 a day would be downright luxurious and would get you a decent hotel room. You might not eat at four-star restaurants, but the sidewalk cafes and random restaurants you find on back streets have far more character anyway.
I think Becca and I should offer to write a Times article on what frugal really means.
In fairness, Europe has gotten A LOT more expensive recently. J and I did France on $15 - $20 a day a couple years ago; now I'd say $50 would be a stretch. I tried to plan a trip for my parents to Italy on a budget and it turned out to be incredibly expensive.
But $250 a day as frugal is indeed insane. Is that per person or for a couple? I assume for a couple.
They are New Yorkers... of course they think $250 a day is cheap. On that in Brooklyn, you can live in a one bedroom flat. It is just a high cost of living perspective: take it from a low cost of living perspective. $250 a day here in the NEGa Mountains, I would be living in a five bedroom home!