I personally don’t mind spending on certain things that other budget travelers may consider a luxury; the key is to prioritize. For instance, I would definitely spend craploads of money on a concert ticket to see Beyoncé or Coldplay *fingers crossed*. On the other hand, I normally spend hours; maybe days, trying to find a cheap, yet decent, flight! I value experience and for that, I give it quite a thought on how and where I should allocate my precious savings.

I’ll be giving you a simple example of how I managed to cut down my expenses on a particular trip of mine. This was around two years ago when I was on my Erasmus in Rennes, France. My trip’s itinerary included two French cities; Grenoble and Lyon, in addition to Geneva in Switzerland. Then, I headed to Turin, but that’s an entirely different trip. I spent a total of approximately €257 (That’s around EGP 5,000 ONLY!) in 4 days! How did I manage to do that? The answer is pretty simple, accommodation!

The biggest two bulks of expenses in any trip are normally accommodation and transportation, so if you can save yourself some money that would’ve been spent on either, you’re good to go. As you can see, the three cities are pretty close to each other and that’s how I managed to save on transportation to and from each city. Trains and buses within Europe can be very budget-friendly if your travel destination is nearby. The main reason why I cut down my expenses, however, was that I spent literally nothing on accommodation! Lucky me, I had an old friend who lived in Grenoble; I crashed at her place, went on day trips to the other two destinations, and voilà!

Not everyone is that lucky to have hospitable friends living abroad, of course, but there are plenty of other alternatives to save money on accommodation.

Number one is Couchsurfing where you get to crash at a local’s place and sleep on their couch for free! Another good alternative is renting an Airbnb. If you’re traveling with friends, you can split the rent and get a pretty decent, or even fancy, stay for a very good price! On the other hand, if you’re going solo, then you can always find rooms at locals’ houses for rent on Airbnb as well.

Then, of course, there are hostels. Hostels can vary widely in terms of cost per night in Europe. For me, a good price for a decent stay was normally around 20-something Euros. If you’re heading there on your next trip, don’t miss “My Favorite Hostel Picks in Europe I Highly Recommend“. On the other side, in South East Asia, for example, hostels are way cheaper!

In case you’re embarking on an adventure and hitting the road with your friends or a travel companion, why not rent a camper van? And if you’re traveling somewhere exotic, camping is always a great idea. Another cool trick is to travel at night, that way, you’ll spend the night sleeping on the bus/train and you’ll save yourself one night’s accommodation expense!

N.B: I lived in Europe at the time. So, if you happen to be living somewhere else, then there’s the extra cost of flight tickets.

So, going back to my trip; here’s a detailed itinerary with approximate figures of what I’ve spent.

Day 1:

Train from Rennes to Grenoble:

Ticket price: €108

Duration: 6.5 hours

This one was a bit pricey. That’s mainly because I remember booking last minute and it was the holiday season, and of course, Rennes is located in the extreme west of France while Grenoble is in its extreme southeast.

On my first day, I didn’t do much. I met my friend and we went exploring downtown and since it was almost Christmas, we had to pass by the annual Marché de Noël (Christmas Market) for some holiday treats.

Day 2:

Train from Grenoble to Geneva and vice versa:

Ticket price: €49

Duration (one-way): 2 hours

Geneva is a very small city, but so diverse and beautiful in many ways. I did not spend a Franc on public transportation; it was one of those cities where I walked everywhere! Speaking of Francs, they’re almost equal to euros and both currencies are acceptable. However, Switzerland is super expensive! Food was very costly and eating at the cheapest options is not going to be your favorite experience. And of course, I don’t have to remind you, do not think about going shopping! Just don’t! Even H&M there is ridiculously more expensive than other branches around Europe!

As for sightseeing and activities, I didn’t spend a lot. Here are the places where I’ve been to:

Saint Peter’s Cathedral and Chapel of Maccabees: €5

Geneva Contemporary Art Center: €5 (normal)/ €2 (reduced price for artists, teachers, or apprentices)/ free entrance for students, school groups, journalists, professionals, children under 18, and more)

I also saw The Geneva Water Fountain; one of the city’s iconic landmarks. I walked around the old downtown and the fashion districts as well.

I had lunch before I left at Holy Cow for €15; it was overpriced especially for bad burger. Totally not recommended!

And of course, you can’t leave Switzerland without getting Swiss chocolate. For that, I highly recommend Manor for premium affordable creations. The place has a lot more in store to offer you, from luggage to beauty products, and not just chocolate.

Day 3:

Bus from Grenoble to Lyon and vice versa:

Ticket price: €32

Duration (one way): 1.5 hours

That day, I simply had lunch at McDonald’s for €7. I was on the go, didn’t want to miss my bus and preferred to explore the city during the limited time I had.

Here are the places where I’ve been and the things I’ve done and barely cost me anything:

I simply walked around the city, mesmerized at its beautiful Renaissance-era mansions and its famous rivers; the Saône and the Rhône.

I also went to the medieval Saint-Jean-Baptiste Cathedral and walked around Vieux Lyon, the old downtown, and its medieval alleys lined with old bars and restaurants.

I also passed by Place Bellecour; the vast space where you can find this iconic ferris wheel, 19th-century boulevards, posh chocolatiers, and high-end boutiques.

Tip: for the fashion enthusiasts of you, if you’re into shopping, La Part-Dieu is your place to go with a wide variety of brands to offer.

Day 4:

Grenoble is a pretty small city; when I stayed there, I spent most of the time catching up with my friend and exploring the city’s small shops and cafés hidden in its alleys.

On day 4, my last day, we went to the city’s iconic La Bastille, the 476 m high fortified mountain, before I headed off. The cable car, that cost €5.8 for a student’s ticket, took us all the way up to where we enjoyed an aerial view of the French Alps and saw the Mont Blanc. There’s a really nice café where we had drinks with a view. (She paid for that, that’s how hospitable Egyptians are!)

Bus from Grenoble to Turin

Ticket price: €35

Duration: 3.5 hours

From Turin, I took off to an entirely different trip around bella Italia! I went to Turin, Milan, Florence, Pisa, and Rome. If you’d like to know more about this trip, don’t miss my “Complete Guide to Italia’s First Timers: Art, Pizza, and More!“

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To my shock, my childhood dreams were shattered once I stepped foot in the city. I cannot deny its beauty and grace, but Paris just wasn’t for me. Unfortunately, it’s not something that I can explain, but I’m a true believer that cities speak to people in a secret language that cannot be translated into words. I’ll be talking about this feeling in future posts, so remember to keep an eye for it. Going back to Paris, the main focus of this post; I just had to celebrate checking it off of my bucket list by any means. I did it all as fast as I could; my time in Europe was running out anyway. So I had to see everything I dreamed of seeing when I was a child. I had to see it all and enjoy my time.

I went for a walk by the Seine, visited the Louvre, walked down the Champs-Élysées, went up the Eiffel Tower and reached the peak even though it was freezing cold back then. I visited every cathedral and I took photos here and there. I walked around the renown Montmartre district, watched the painters, and took a photo of the one and only Moulin Rouge. I told myself, “the show must go on!” I managed to find joy in the smallest details and at places where I least expected to find anything. After a lot of looking here and there, I found Paris in two things on this trip.

As I walked down the busiest shopping street in Paris, Rue de Rivoli, I stumbled upon the first hidden gem, 59 Rivoli. I’m not sure if it was me who found it or the other way around. I remembered seeing this building a couple of years earlier in an Instagram post by an artist I’m following. But when I saw the door locked, I couldn’t help but return again the following day. 59 Rivoli is definitely a must visit for art lovers; it’s an art collective gathering 30 artists and their studios under one roof.

I loved the doorstep; it was made of probably hundreds of coins from all around the world. People left those behind as they said goodbye as some kind of support for the artists since entry is for free. The spiral staircase leading me all the way up was a museum on its own; it was out of this world. Paintings and sketches covered the entire wall and as I went up I was mesmerized more and more. What I found beautiful the most was the fact that each artist had his own taste and style, yet their workspaces look wonderful together and in harmony despite their differences.

All that I could say again is that this underrated place is highly recommended to visit. Maybe on my next visit to Paris, I would get to talk, or maybe interview those talented artists and dedicate an entire blog post to them. Meanwhile, I’ll be telling you another story about why I enjoyed Paris.

The second highlight of my trip first started during one of my metro rides. I glanced an ad as the metro passed by one of the stops. I blinked once and twice and grabbed my phone to look it up; I had to make sure this was real, and it was. I found myself running to Fnac, France’s own Virgin Megastores, and I bought the very last ticket to The Nutcracker! One more childhood dream came true that night. As a former ballerina, this was considered huge. I’ve seen a lot of ballet shows whether by foreign ballet companies or the Egyptian one back in my hometown, but this one was incomparable. Having the chance to see the legendary Casse-Noisette and listen to Tchaikovsky’s Marche live in France was an unbelievable reality.

The music was so vivid, the costumes were wonderful, the décor was beautiful, and the gigantic Christmas tree was professionally and beautifully made. The choreography was just like it has always been; the dancers swayed in harmony as they took my breath away.

The show took place at Le Zenith Paris, a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the Parc de la Villette. You should check it out for any events if you’re in the city. Unfortunately, filming and photography were prohibited so I couldn’t document the unforgettable memory. I had to respect the rules, yes, but I still had my ticket and I have that hung on my bookshelf.

Thank you Paris, you’ve been good to me after all.

À bientôt!

The post The Reasons Why I Enjoyed Paris Were Not the Tour Eiffel nor the Seine first appeared on .

Trigger #1

It all started when I decided to take a leap of faith and travel solo for the very first time. One day, I woke up determined enough to do it; and with my family’s blessing, of course, I booked a flight ticket, made hotel reservations, and took off to a Nubian village in Aswan. Everyone thought I was crazy to travel alone, especially when I mentioned my travel destination. My friends weren’t the traveling type and they were never serious about planning a trip with me. So, I thought to myself that this shouldn’t stop me from doing it anyway.

I headed to Gharb Seheil Island in Nubia, a small Nubian village in the ancient city of Aswan, Egypt. The whole idea of traveling solo for a girl who hasn’t traveled in a long time, and to a small village, was quite intimidating. However, I managed to get through it, even though I got extremely sick during the entire trip. I couldn’t enjoy my trip as much as I wanted because I was physically consumed, but for a first-timer, it was not bad at all.

The kind-hearted Nubians and their beautiful culture and land made it up for me. I even felt like I had to do this again. What’s most important is that I learned a lot of lessons that I’ll talk to you about in details in other posts. In addition to that, for the first time ever, I stepped out of my comfort zone, but this was just the beginning.

Trigger #2

The second turning point happened only less than a year later when I went to France for Erasmus. This was definitely one of my greatest life experiences that had a major role in shaping the person that I am today. If I felt intimidated before Nubia, then I was definitely scared to death before Rennes, the city where I stayed. I acted all cool and excited about it; I’ve always been dreaming about living on my own, but deep down inside, I knew I was freaking out.

For someone coming from the MENA region; a region with a very family-oriented and family-dependent culture, it was not easy. Even though I had a strong, independent kind of personality, the whole idea sounded more like a challenge. However, I accepted that challenge, and believe it or not, I even impressed myself big time. I had to cook, do chores, go grocery shopping, open a bank account on my own, and live in a country with a language that I’m not very fluent in. I also had to establish a brand new social life so I wouldn’t be bored to death. To be honest, it wasn’t easy in the beginning; it wasn’t easy at all. I remember having a hard time adapting, but as soon as I did, I was having the time of my life.

Skipping all the not-so-boring details about my life there, there was one aspect that changed my life and made me fall in love with traveling even more. It was the extreme ease of traveling within Europe. The free movement allowed within the continent made everything feel more accessible; there was no need for a visa in most countries, there were endless options of transportation, and hostels were everywhere. This helped me explore more, and of course, it made me become obsessed with traveling, especially on my own.

On a side note, getting over my travel bug when I came back to Egypt was not easy at all. In fact, it was too depressing to handle and overcome. This was what lead to my third, and final, turning point that got me to where I am right now.

Trigger #3

It took me months to overcome my post-travel syndrome, and to be honest, I’d be lying to you if I said that I got over it completely. I don’t really think one can get over his/her travel bug. There’s only one thing to do from my point of view, which is to travel more and satisfy your need. At the time, I couldn’t travel overseas. However, I could still travel solo. That’s when I decided I should explore my own country for a change, especially because it has so much to offer. And this was when I decided to go to Sinai; now my ultimate favorite travel destination.

I went to Dahab and Saint Catherine in South Sinai, and there, I fell in love. I fell in love with a land that I felt like calling home. It’s hard to explain how or why it happened, it’s something you could only sense if you visited. All I can say is that there’s some weird and powerful energy in its air. It’s calming, soul-cleansing, and relaxing, but also feels magnetic in the sense that it draws you back to it. The moment when I first felt this energy was the exact same one when I knew that this was my calling; I wanted to travel full-time.

I enjoyed doing this, and most importantly, I felt alive doing it. Then I thought to myself, how can I do this as much as I can with adult life waiting to hit me hard in the face the moment I graduate? Since I hated routine and desk jobs and loved projects, I knew it was possible. When I thought about the things I loved doing the most; photography/videography, writing, and of course, traveling, it all made sense. A travel blogger – that’s what I wanted to become when I grow up. It just took me 21 years to figure it out, and the rest is history. And this is, ladies and gentlemen, how Curls en Route came to life.

I’ll make sure to dedicate some of my future posts to the travel destinations and the experiences I previously mentioned. All I hope is to either sound beneficial or at least inspire you in a way or another. Or even better, maybe I could help you take the step and push you towards solo traveling because it’s really worth it!

Happy travels!

Love,
Nadine AKA Curls en Route

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