The spreadsheet of the budget holiday has the two columns: the “Essential” and the “Compromise.” The Essential is the flight, the accommodation, and the food, the things you need. The Compromise is the when, the where, and the how long, the decisions that determine the price. The cheap European vacation is the art of the compromise: the Tuesday flight rather than the Saturday (the £50 rather than the £200), the 3-star hotel in the winter rather than the 4-star in the August (the £60 rather than the £200), and the destination that is the Albania rather than the Amalfi Coast (the everything for the quarter of the price). The cheap vacation is not the deprivation, it is the creativity, the research, and the reward of the discovery. Here are three cheap vacation ideas.

1. City Break in the Off-Season (January–March)

European city in the January is the empty, the cold, and the beautiful: the museums are the quiet, the restaurants are the available, and the hotel prices are the 40–60% lower than the August. The essential cities: the Prague (the Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge, the Christmas market that has ended, the mulled wine that is still the hot, and the best value city break in Europe. The flight from the London: the £30 return. The hotel: the £50/night for the 4-star. The beer: the £2 for the half-litre, the cheapest in Europe), the Budapest (the thermal baths, the Széchenyi, the outdoor pools, the 38°C water, the steam, and the best winter experience in Europe. ~€25. The ruin bars, the goulash, the £3 for the main course, the best-value food in Europe), and the Kraków (the Wawel Castle, the Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter, the best bars in the Poland, and the pierogi, the £5 for the plate. The flight: the £25 return). The essential strategy: the £150 per person for the 3-night city break (the flight, the hotel, the meals, the attractions), and the essential time: the Tuesday–Friday (the cheapest flights, the cheapest hotels, and the city that is the quietest).

2. Camping Road Trip (May or September)

European camping road trip, the car, the tent, the campsite, and the route through the 2–3 countries, is the cheapest way to see the Europe for the week or the more. The essential destinations: the France (the municipal campsites, the Camping Municipal, the €10–15/night, the clean, the basic, and the essential value in the France. The route: the Calais to the Dordogne, the 800 km, the 2 weeks, the châteaux, the vineyards, and the best camping in Europe. The budget: the €50/day for the 2 people, the campsite, the fuel, the food from the markets, and the best value in European travel). The alternative: the Scandinavia (the allemannsretten, the “Everyman’s Right,” the freedom to camp on the any uncultivated land in the Norway, the Sweden, and the Finland, the essential: the tent, the stove, and the wild camping that is the free. The food is the expensive, the £”¬, and the wild camping makes the Scandinavia the possible on the budget). The essential strategy: the ferry (the Harwich, Hook of Holland, the Newcastle, Amsterdam, the cheapest way to take the car to the continent, the £80 return), and the tolls (the France, the autoroute is the expensive, the €100 for the Calais–Dordogne, and the essential alternative: the N-roads, the slower, the more beautiful, and the free)

3. House-Sitting

The trusted house-sitter, the TrustedHousesitters.com, the membership the £129/year, is the essential cheap holiday: the house, the pets, and the destination that is the anywhere in the world. The house-sitting is the free accommodation in the exchange for the care of the animals, the garden, and the home, and the holiday is the local, the quiet, and the beautiful. The essential strategy: the December–January (the Christmas and the New Year, the most house-sits, the most beautiful destinations, and the best time to start)