Campgronds in Portugal and Spain. Pictures

John & Angela wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
Seeing those teeny campsites and teeny RV's makes me really glad to RV in America.

Yah. RVing is different there. But we have learned that different is not necessarily better or worse. Just different. There is so much to see and experience in Europe. Dozens of cultures and languages. History that makes your head spin. Everything has pros and cons and of course not everyone has the same interests.

We found the campgrounds cheaper there but other things like restaurants were more expensive. We spend quite a bit of time off the beaten track and things are cheaper away from the touristy stuff. Groceries are comparable.

Agreed. We've found on the whole pretty much anywhere is similar cost for a similar lifestyle. For each thing that is more expensive, there is usually something less expensive that balances it out.

It's only if you have specific needs that are expensive or cheap that your cost of living goes up or down.

Also, throwing off estimates is a lot of people do a 2week trip stay in the heart of the most expensive cities eating out, taking taxis etc...Do the same thing in Chicago or NY and you will see big $$$$ but if you have time to travel slow, it's a whole different ballgame.

Where you can save money is taking advantage of what's cheap. In Spain going to a sit down ala-cart restaurant in the evening can be expensive but many restaurants had a preset 3 course lunch special including drinks and desert (ie: beer or wine) for 8-12 euro. We've found similar in many areas around Europe. There's a place we like in Barcelona that is actually a Chinese buffet but there isn't much Chinese food. Most people would stick their nose up going to a Chinese place when you are in Spain but it's mostly fresh seafood...easily 2 dozen types of seafood (muscles, shrimp, fish, snails, many we had never seen)...with a bottle of wine and a small tip, we are out the door for 30euro.