- Thread starter
- #21
Thepurplem0nkey
New Member
No problem man. I am going to be in Paris for this upcoming New Years, and am then moving on to Amsterdam to finsih up my vacation, so I am definately in the mood to talk about such things 
Just to inform you, Amsterdam, like Paris, is an expensive city. FIrst time travelers always bust their budgets, it's almost unavoidable. Here's a few tips on how to travel and live hapily in Amsterdam without spending all of your money in one day....
1. Cook your own food. If you are in a hostel that has a Kitchen, use it! You will save so much money if you meet up with some people and split the cost of some food that yuo cook. In Paris, I split the bill with 2 other folks for a whole roasted chicken, some boulon cubes, thai noodles, and some fresh veggies. We made some deliscopus chicken noodle soup and it was extremely cheap.
2. Eat Middle Eastern food. If you can't cook your own food, your cheapest bet is middle eastern food. In Western Europe, middle eastern food is THE cheap food to buy (Like the cheap mexican restauraunts in California). There is a fallafal stand on almost every corner, where you can buy pita bread stuffed with meat and veggies for way cheap.
3. WALK! Only suckers take taxi's. Europes public transportation is so incredible, there is no need to pay a taxi driver to bring you somewhere. I can walk across Amsterdam in about 30 minutes, from one end to the other, or I can hop onto their metro and get there even faster. Walking also allows you to see parts of the city that you would never had seen if you were stuck in a cab. In Paris, you dont need to WORRY about getting lost. There is ALWAS a Metro (IE: Subway) station nearby. one of my favorite activities to do in Paris is to pick a street and walk down it for miles. When I had no idea where I am, I locate a Metro station (and all metro stations have huge map displays) and take it back to my Hostel.
4. Drink wine! In Paris, WINE is cheaper than soda pop. You'd be amazed how happily you can get by buying a fresh loaf of french bread, some deliscous french cheese, and a bottle of wine can satisfy you all day until dinner.
5. Buy small amounts of weed. I know, I know, a blasphemous thing to say about Amsterdam. But take it from me....the more you buy, the less you will be able to sample the variety. If you have a limited budget dont waste it buying tons of one type of weed. Instead, buy small amounts of diferent types of weed. EVERY TIME I go to Amsterdam, I ALWAYS have leftover weed. It's easy to think you will smoke it all befoer you go....but there is only so much Amsterdam strength weed you can puff before you freaking pass out. Buying in small amounts allows you to find unique strains and gives you the variety that, for the most part, is lacking in the United States. Also, do NOT be afraid to share a joint or bowl with a fellow traveler, as they will most certainly share their stash with you later on.
6. COnvert lareg sums of money at once. WHen you convert American dollars into Euros, you will awlays lose money. Not only is the Euro about 20 cents MORE valuable than the dollar right now (Menaing you get 80 Euro Cents for every American Dollar), but every time you exchange currency, you are charged a fee on top of the exchange rate. It's more economical then to exchange large sums of money at one time, as oposed to making several smaller transactions, paying those fees each and every time. This being said, when you withdrawl money from the ATM's in Europe, withdraw larger sums (most machines charge 6 Euros or MORE for foreign account access EACH TIME you withdraw money) to save money. Keep however much money you feel comfortable carrying on you, and the rest hidden away in a money belt or similar device. Traevlers checks are a must when I travel, I usualy get about 400 in Travelers checks. 200 is used as emergency funds, the other 200 is used at the begining of my trip when I land in the airport. I immedtialey cash in the 200 dollar travelers checks at the airport so I have a nice chunk of local curerncy before i leave the airport. DOnt exchange too much money in the airport however, as the airport has the WORST exchange rates available.
7. Be descriminating in where you go. Amsterdam is chock full of Coffeee shops. That does NOT mean that they are ALL good. Chances are, if you get off the train at the main station, and directly across is a coffee chop, that shop is probably over priced and rude. They dont need to compete with other business when anxious American smokers rush into the fiurst club that meets their eyes, as opposed to walking down he street 2 block and seeing the cannabis cup contenders establishments. Do some research before you leave and locate the best clubs in Amsterdam. There are MANY, and you should visit them. Walking into the first club you see is very tempting, boy do I know...but why spend double the money on shitty or questionable weed when you could be spending less money on fantastic strains that contended for the cannabis cup in well etablished clubs that exist due to their high quality grass and friendly customer service?
8. Roll your own joints. Yes, they do sell packs of joints at some places, and it's very conveninet to be able to walk in and buy a 4 pack of stadium (baseball bat) joints. But.....theres no way of telling the quality of weed that went into the joint. It's most likely just the shake from the weed they sell. Instead, roll some fatties of your own to save cost and experience the true strength and representation of Amsterdam Weed. Every coffeeshiop I went to had a display rack of Joint Papers of all different varieties. You didnt have to pay for them, you just walked up and peeled whichever paper you wanted to use from its container, and go back to your atble tor oll a joint. It's almost like asking for a ketchup bottle at Dennys'......it's simply part of the meal ;-) Also, remember to tell someone you are about to share a joint wiht that it is pure weed. MOst Europeans I met rolled their weed with tobacco, and it's curtious to let them know that there is no tobaco in your joint.
9. Possibly the best budget byusting advice I can give you: make copies of ALL OF YOUR DOCUEMNTS, including:
passport, travelers checks, credit cards, drivers liscence, student card, hostel/hotel reservations, airplane tickets, and travel itinerary. Let me tell you why this is a budget saver; one time, while traveling in Germany, a very skilled pick pocket managed to snatch my airplane ticket home. I had previousley caught a pickpocket at the train station trying to liberate me of my wallet, but a quick punch to the kidneys made him run off. However, someone with more skill managed to lift my ticket. Even though I had purhased the ticket, it cost me 90 Euros to reprint it. That's 90 Euros.....at 20 euros a night for a hostel, and about 20 a day I would need to survive, thats 2 more days in Europe I could have spent, now gone because I was careless. In the event that your passport, travelers checks, or ticket are stolen, have COPIES, all organized and kept together, so you can quickly, and cost efficiently, get those items back. I ALWAYS carry copies of those documents, organized and placed in a plastic ziplock bag, burried deep in my luggage....and I also leave a second copy of everything wth a trusted individual at home (Mom, for me). So if my luggage is stolen, or I somehow lose posession of MY copies, I know someone back home can fax or email me another copy.
-PM
Just to inform you, Amsterdam, like Paris, is an expensive city. FIrst time travelers always bust their budgets, it's almost unavoidable. Here's a few tips on how to travel and live hapily in Amsterdam without spending all of your money in one day....
1. Cook your own food. If you are in a hostel that has a Kitchen, use it! You will save so much money if you meet up with some people and split the cost of some food that yuo cook. In Paris, I split the bill with 2 other folks for a whole roasted chicken, some boulon cubes, thai noodles, and some fresh veggies. We made some deliscopus chicken noodle soup and it was extremely cheap.
2. Eat Middle Eastern food. If you can't cook your own food, your cheapest bet is middle eastern food. In Western Europe, middle eastern food is THE cheap food to buy (Like the cheap mexican restauraunts in California). There is a fallafal stand on almost every corner, where you can buy pita bread stuffed with meat and veggies for way cheap.
3. WALK! Only suckers take taxi's. Europes public transportation is so incredible, there is no need to pay a taxi driver to bring you somewhere. I can walk across Amsterdam in about 30 minutes, from one end to the other, or I can hop onto their metro and get there even faster. Walking also allows you to see parts of the city that you would never had seen if you were stuck in a cab. In Paris, you dont need to WORRY about getting lost. There is ALWAS a Metro (IE: Subway) station nearby. one of my favorite activities to do in Paris is to pick a street and walk down it for miles. When I had no idea where I am, I locate a Metro station (and all metro stations have huge map displays) and take it back to my Hostel.
4. Drink wine! In Paris, WINE is cheaper than soda pop. You'd be amazed how happily you can get by buying a fresh loaf of french bread, some deliscous french cheese, and a bottle of wine can satisfy you all day until dinner.
5. Buy small amounts of weed. I know, I know, a blasphemous thing to say about Amsterdam. But take it from me....the more you buy, the less you will be able to sample the variety. If you have a limited budget dont waste it buying tons of one type of weed. Instead, buy small amounts of diferent types of weed. EVERY TIME I go to Amsterdam, I ALWAYS have leftover weed. It's easy to think you will smoke it all befoer you go....but there is only so much Amsterdam strength weed you can puff before you freaking pass out. Buying in small amounts allows you to find unique strains and gives you the variety that, for the most part, is lacking in the United States. Also, do NOT be afraid to share a joint or bowl with a fellow traveler, as they will most certainly share their stash with you later on.
6. COnvert lareg sums of money at once. WHen you convert American dollars into Euros, you will awlays lose money. Not only is the Euro about 20 cents MORE valuable than the dollar right now (Menaing you get 80 Euro Cents for every American Dollar), but every time you exchange currency, you are charged a fee on top of the exchange rate. It's more economical then to exchange large sums of money at one time, as oposed to making several smaller transactions, paying those fees each and every time. This being said, when you withdrawl money from the ATM's in Europe, withdraw larger sums (most machines charge 6 Euros or MORE for foreign account access EACH TIME you withdraw money) to save money. Keep however much money you feel comfortable carrying on you, and the rest hidden away in a money belt or similar device. Traevlers checks are a must when I travel, I usualy get about 400 in Travelers checks. 200 is used as emergency funds, the other 200 is used at the begining of my trip when I land in the airport. I immedtialey cash in the 200 dollar travelers checks at the airport so I have a nice chunk of local curerncy before i leave the airport. DOnt exchange too much money in the airport however, as the airport has the WORST exchange rates available.
7. Be descriminating in where you go. Amsterdam is chock full of Coffeee shops. That does NOT mean that they are ALL good. Chances are, if you get off the train at the main station, and directly across is a coffee chop, that shop is probably over priced and rude. They dont need to compete with other business when anxious American smokers rush into the fiurst club that meets their eyes, as opposed to walking down he street 2 block and seeing the cannabis cup contenders establishments. Do some research before you leave and locate the best clubs in Amsterdam. There are MANY, and you should visit them. Walking into the first club you see is very tempting, boy do I know...but why spend double the money on shitty or questionable weed when you could be spending less money on fantastic strains that contended for the cannabis cup in well etablished clubs that exist due to their high quality grass and friendly customer service?
8. Roll your own joints. Yes, they do sell packs of joints at some places, and it's very conveninet to be able to walk in and buy a 4 pack of stadium (baseball bat) joints. But.....theres no way of telling the quality of weed that went into the joint. It's most likely just the shake from the weed they sell. Instead, roll some fatties of your own to save cost and experience the true strength and representation of Amsterdam Weed. Every coffeeshiop I went to had a display rack of Joint Papers of all different varieties. You didnt have to pay for them, you just walked up and peeled whichever paper you wanted to use from its container, and go back to your atble tor oll a joint. It's almost like asking for a ketchup bottle at Dennys'......it's simply part of the meal ;-) Also, remember to tell someone you are about to share a joint wiht that it is pure weed. MOst Europeans I met rolled their weed with tobacco, and it's curtious to let them know that there is no tobaco in your joint.
9. Possibly the best budget byusting advice I can give you: make copies of ALL OF YOUR DOCUEMNTS, including:
passport, travelers checks, credit cards, drivers liscence, student card, hostel/hotel reservations, airplane tickets, and travel itinerary. Let me tell you why this is a budget saver; one time, while traveling in Germany, a very skilled pick pocket managed to snatch my airplane ticket home. I had previousley caught a pickpocket at the train station trying to liberate me of my wallet, but a quick punch to the kidneys made him run off. However, someone with more skill managed to lift my ticket. Even though I had purhased the ticket, it cost me 90 Euros to reprint it. That's 90 Euros.....at 20 euros a night for a hostel, and about 20 a day I would need to survive, thats 2 more days in Europe I could have spent, now gone because I was careless. In the event that your passport, travelers checks, or ticket are stolen, have COPIES, all organized and kept together, so you can quickly, and cost efficiently, get those items back. I ALWAYS carry copies of those documents, organized and placed in a plastic ziplock bag, burried deep in my luggage....and I also leave a second copy of everything wth a trusted individual at home (Mom, for me). So if my luggage is stolen, or I somehow lose posession of MY copies, I know someone back home can fax or email me another copy.
-PM
