A weak dollar and a strong euro are prompting some travelers to cross Europe off their lists for Summer ‘08 travel, but The Rough Guide: Europe on a Budget editor Andy Turner recently convinced us that even budget-minded travelers can enjoy Europe.

Below, Turner lets us in on a few of his favorite destinations and tricks for doing it up on the continent on the cheap.

Kayak: The weak dollar has trampled on many an American traveler’s spirits lately. Can you revive our hopes and dreams with your picks for the top three budget-friendly European cities to visit on a Summer ’08 trip?

Turner: You’ll find the dollar still goes a long way in Eastern Europe. For summer ’08, I’d recommend:

1) Dubrovnik, Croatia: a beautiful medieval city with a fantastic summer festival

2) Vilnius, Lithuania: a vibrant, cosmopolitan Baltic capital with access to some of Europe’s best beaches

3) Istanbul, Turkey: straddling Europe and Asia, Istanbul gives you a slice of both from traditional Turkish baths and Middle Eastern cuisine to affordable designer shopping and buzzing nightlife.

Kayak: I’m a diehard London fan, but there is just one thing I hate about the city - the hotel rates! Where would you send me for wallet-friendly accommodations?

Turner: Don’t tell anyone, but there’s a lovely boutique hotel, the Hoxton Urban Lodge, in one of London’s hippest areas, offering rooms for 1 GBP a night. Yep, $2. Okay, so they sell out super fast, but the normal rate rooms are great value at 59 GBP per night. If you really are scrimping, then try Palmers Lodge, voted London’s best hostel year on year and with dorm beds starting from 15 GBP.

Kayak: In doing research for this book, did you come across any common traveler habits or practices that are costly, yet could be easily swapped for cheaper equivalents or avoided altogether?

Turner: Eating out more than once a day is going to add up in Europe. It’s always easy to rustle up a picnic from a supermarket or deli and there’s usually a beautiful park in which to eat it a short walk away. At night, I’d say going out in central areas near the main sights should be avoided - you are always going to pay over the odds. Try heading out to the hipper, student areas where the nightlife is always better and cheaper (these are recommended throughout the book).

Kayak: Let’s face it. Even travelers on a budget want to splurge every once in a while. If we are going to drop some cash in three spots during our trip, where should we do it?

Turner: Ok, my top three European treats:

1) Dinner at the Alcazar, in Paris. It’s an authentic Parisian brasserie with the best oysters and escargots in town and surprisingly polite service (set menu from 20 euros)

2) A night La Scala in Milan. Believe it or not, you can get a seat for 25 euros at the world’s most famous opera.

3) The Edinburgh Festival, Scotland. The Scottish capital hosts the world’s largest arts festival during August. Hotel rates rocket, but you’ll be too busy enjoying yourself to notice.

Kayak: Okay, last question. Travel guide book editor falls into the “super cool jobs” category. How did you end up with such a sweet gig?

Turner: I was pretty lucky - I started out as a designer and then switched to editorial a few years ago. I think it helped in that I’ve always loved travel and had a strong idea of what makes a great guidebook. Recently I’ve been able to write for Rough Guides myself - updating the Denmark chapter of “Europe on a budget.”

This entry was posted on Monday, April 14th, 2008 at 1:47 pm and is filed under Interviews, Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.