You may consider a month to be a long time. It is and it isn’t.
The time actually goes fast because you’re exploring a new city, its surroundings, and all it has to offer with no real timeline. In essence, you’re living in Europe. And you’re doing it with your partner.
Over a month, you really get to know where you’re living. People become familiar; you find the perfect coffee shop… a restaurant that greets you by name… the bakery with the best croissants.
You don’t have a schedule. You decide what to do the next day while enjoying a bottle of wine the night before. You can even take a day off and read a book or catch up on optimizing your photos.
Even better, staying 30 days really doesn’t cost much more than a 7- to 10-day holiday:
- Airfare is fixed whether you stay a day or a year. Maybe even less when you stay more than a week.
- Apartment owners are incentivized to negotiate when you want to stay a month vs. a week.
- Apartments typically rent for 3 to 7 days per client. Most properties don’t even list a monthly rate, and many top-end apartments have upwards of 10 open days per month. This provides an opportunity to negotiate.
- Instead of enjoying popular restaurants every night, you are more inclined to eat like the locals and leverage the savings from making lunch your main meal. You might even consider cooking a few nights .
- Car rental rates are not linear: the longer you keep the car, the lower the cost per day/week. Car insurance from American Express Premium Car Insurance costs $24.95 for a day, week or 30 days.
It doesn’t even cost much more than living at home. Think about it: Because you’re living in Europe vs. at home for the month, the money you spend at home for certain living expenses is still spent, just not in your home town. You gotta eat. You’re gonna have some wine or a drink. You have to put gas in your car. And, you’re occasionally going to go out to lunch and/or dinner.
Spending the time to live in Europe, is a great break from your normal life. You come back rejuvenated. You get to understand the culture better. You are not a tourist; you get to really know the city, it’s people and the surrounding area.
Things won’t change in a month at home. Your dog will still love you when you get back. Your grandkids will want to hear about what you did and saw, and enjoy what you brought them. Heck, your golf game may actually get better, at least for a while, as you’ll swing slower your first week back.
GO FOR IT!! Live for a month in Europe and create amazing memories for a lifetime.
Comparison: Costs to Spend 1 to 4 Weeks in Europe in Luxury
Costs include: Airfare for 2, luxury apartment & parking, rental car with gas & tolls, food & good wine, telephone, insurances and other reasonable in-country expenses.