The inspiration behind many travel writers, Europe on $5 a day is 50 years old. Created by Arthur Frommer in the 1950s the series of books spawned, South American on $5 a day and many others. The prices may be different today, but the concept is an important one in travel still today.
Then as now, Frommer insists, “budget travel is a preferable method of travel because it leads to a more authentic experience. You meet people imbued with intellectual curiosity — teachers, students, artists, normal people, people from all over the world — who want to have a genuine experience, rather than an experience whose aim is to make you physically comfortable and let you enjoy the pretentiousness of flaunting your wallet.”
The Frommers still follow some good advice that we could all take from,
Her father still rails against gourmet meals, five-star hotels, private jets and other trappings of luxury travel, and Pauline shares his tastes. He noted that she recently booked round-trip tickets for herself, her husband and two daughters to fly round-trip to England this summer on Virgin Atlantic for $595 apiece. “She saved close to $1,000 for her family,” he said approvingly.
“I never fly first-class,” he added. “It’s an incredible waste of money.”
Good advice. Budget travel today is even easier with a variety of ticket purchasing tools, ways to contact home, and stories posted on the Internet.
