LESSONS IN LUXEMBOURG - A terrible way to save money

The worst way I ever saved money and the crazy road trip that eventuated from it.

Elbows, knees and converses to the head. The dull tension brought about from the power struggle as you gently wrestle for space, the soft tingling of pins and needles as your limbs go numb and the unpleasant aftermath as they painfully wake from kicking the door or someone else while trying to stretch it out. This was the result of my money saving quest gone wrong. Sleeping in a car is never comfortable nor easy, much less when there’s three of you doing it in the back of a 2.5 seater Volvo and you're parked in the middle of a city you just arrived in.

Half way past drunk and in the wee hours of the morning myself and a few friends were looking over a map and discussing our upcoming travel plans when someone pointed out this little teeny country crammed in between Belgium, Germany and France. Luxembourg. After going round the table and realising none of us actually knew anything about it (in a group of expat friends alike- it was VERY rare no one had anything to say). Why had we never heard of it? Nor really even noticed it hiding there on the map? After doing a little research on the city and discovering the people of Luxembourg were called Luxembourgers and that they did in fact speak Luxembourgish it was settled that we absolutely had the go there. We all happened to have the weekend off together, something that was a rare to never occurrence. So we packed a few bags set an alarm and hit the sack. The plan? Wake up, hire a car, drive to Luxembourg (stopping in Belgium for waffles… of course) spend the night there then head to Germany the next day, spend the last night there, hit the road and be back in Holland on time for work on Monday. The only problem with this great plan was we were all dirt poor. We managed to pull together enough to hire the car and pay for gas. With no money left over we had the brilliant idea to cut costs and skip out on accommodation altogether. We have a car, it’s just for the weekend- let’s make our money well spent & sleep in it!

Three days, three countries, a car and a basket full of food. In theory sleeping in a car in a bid to avoid hotel costs seems like an awesome idea. Yeah, not so much. What I should have considered: where do you plan to park the car? Cars don't come with the privacy and comfort of a hotel room with walls, windows with curtains, a door or a bathroom. Trying to Sleep in a car parked in the middle of a city on a Saturday night is actually a very stupid thing to do as we came to understand. With the cities night life all out and about or heading home, peering eyes and drunken stares were coming at us left right and center. It seemed all the creepies where out this particular night which only added to the intensity of those stares and glares. To be fair I don't blame anyone for staring though, we probably creeped them out far more than they did us.  I'm sure they were all wondering why on earth a Czech guy and two Aussie girls were crammed into the back of a Volvo playing human Jenga for hours on end on a Friday night. Well why were you parked in the middle of the city, you ask? This brings me to lesson two. Delve a little deeper into the motto 'don't drink and drive' and some solid advice to add onto to it would be don't drive to another country, park your car someplace stupid, drink, return and be unable to move it. Especially if your car is currently hosting you as a hotel on wheels. Consider your surroundings.

After hours of shuffling around in the car we eventually gave up on the tedious task of getting comfy and decided it would be a better idea to go and sleep in the park. We happened to have parked right alongside the biggest and most amazing park in Luxembourg. Complete with giant tipi structures, tunnels, swings and a fully sized ship- it seemed more like a playground or adults rather than tikes. We spent the vast majority of the night playing in the park, building makeshift beds in the tipi structures, being creeped out by passer byes or noises, returning to the security of a locked car, making numerous attempts to get comfy in said car only to begin the endless shuffle and fight for space again. With the daylight brought the reality that no one was getting any sleep that night- so instead we locked up the car and headed off to explore.

I must say, we couldn't have been in a better place to spend the early hours wandering. The early bird really does get the worm, right? This was lesson three. I've been told for years by the early risers how beautiful and refreshing a morning walk can be and that I should be spending more time out in the sunshine than inside asleep. Mornings have never agreed with me and it wasn't until I experienced this particular one in Luxembourg that my opinion on the matter changed. Walking around the near-bare streets, breathing the smell of fresh morning air and watching the world come to life as the sun  gently kissed my surroundings. It wasn't until that tranquil and idyllic morning, probably while sitting in the silent sun, eating the berries I'd just picked from the tree I was beneath that I truly experienced the morning hours for what they are, or can be.

The people - the Volvo - the places. *Please ignore the heinous orange die job I'm rocking in these photos.

Other than opting to be more of a morning person and less of a night owl the main advice I can pass on from this lesson is consider ALL consequences and options when trying to save a quick buck. Really think about if it's going to be worth it. Know when to save and when to splurge. (Check out my post here to read more about when to spend)
I’m all for cutting costs wherever possible though in hindsight – this probably wasn’t the brightest idea we’ve had. If I was to do it again (& let’s be honest, I probably would) I’d either make the splurge for a hostel OR I’d upgrade my hotel on wheels – opting for a van or at minimum a bigger car with tinted windows.

For some money saving tips that WON'T leave you sleeping in a car, check out my post Eke out your euro.