Side hustles to short trips: how Aussies are affording 'Euro summer'

Research reveals only 10 per cent can afford the trip.

While your social media feed may be filled with friends flaunting their European holidays - new research suggests these trips aren't as prolific as they seem online.

By Grace Dudley

Updated July 16 2024 - 9:32am, first published 7:00am

Research from ING Bank reveals that it takes almost two years for Australians to save for the "Euro summer" and while 81 per cent of Australians would love to go only 10 per cent can actually afford it.

How Aussies travellers afford their 'Euro summer'. Picture by Shutterstock

The bank found that those who did make it to Europe had made significant adjustments to their money habits in order to afford the trip.

Get exclusive travel tips, hidden gems & expert insights: delivered to your inbox

For example, Phil Buhagiar and his husband made a last-minute decision to cut back their Europe trip due to interest rate rises.

"We booked the trip 10 months in advance and then three months out, we decided to shorten the trip," Mr Buhagiar said.

"After all the interest rates started going up, up and up .. we decided to cut it back. If you can cut it short by a week you're saving thousands."

Phil Buhagiar and his husband on a European holiday. Picture supplied

Making sacrifices

Some travellers are funding their European holidays by taking on side hustles. ING's research found that 34 per cent of travellers would pick up additional work to afford the trip.

Mr Buhagiar's husband, for example, started teaching online courses "on the side" to earn extra spending money.

"I think the big thing is having a bit of a side hustle and being diligent with our paychecks, we have our paychecks filtered into different accounts - and that helps with not spending as much." Mr Buhagiar said.

Another strategy Australians are using to make their Europe summer dreams a reality is choosing destinations that are more affordable or "off the beaten track."

By visiting countries like Hungary and Montenegro, Mr Buhagiar avoided the more costly destinations like France and the United Kingdom, which were ranked by ING as the most expensive countries for Australian travellers.

"I thought Budapest was about the same price as Sydney ... it was a bit cheaper than I'd say going to London or Paris or one of the big cities, but nothing's cheap in Europe," he said.

Cutting back clothing

ING Bank also found that 33 per cent of respondents would sell their unwanted clothes online to save some extra cash.

While Mr Buhagiar didn't sell any of his clothes he made a conscious decision not to purchase any while he was overseas - a departure from his usual habits.

"This trip, we actually didn't buy anything until we were forced to buy clothes when we lost our luggage," he said.

"But we didn't go on any big shopping sprees."

"I think with globalisation, most of the clothes are the same everywhere in the world. Nothing is that unique anymore, especially in menswear."

Even though these money habits allowed the couple to go overseas, it's not the case for everyone like Mr Buhagiar's two friends who were joining them on the trip but decided to cancel to save money.

"They were renovating their apartment and they said "you know what, that's several grand that we'd be able to save," he said.