2 weeks in Berlin ($500)

Flights: $90 We flew with Ryanair and have no complaints! I know that Ryanair gets a bad rap when it comes to budget airlines, but I have been finding them to be one of the easiest. You get a carryon rolie PLUS a personal bag. The only downside is that your rollie will most likely get stowed under the plane (for free), so pack accordingly! All of your batteries need to be with you in the cabin pressured body, otherwise it will explode. (true story!)

Accommodation: $0 We had a 3 bedroom house swap in Grunewald just outside of Berlin that we house swapped. We loved this area! Hundreds and trails outside your back door and each house looks like a gingerbread house, it's crazy charming.

Transportation: $ 80 We initially booked a car for this trip, but when we arrived we discovered that they had overbooked us and it was going to cost us an arm and a leg for a last minute reservation. Berlin has amazing public transportation (although far more expensive than Rome's), so we rolled the dice and decided to ditch the car, saving us several hundred dollars. We picked up 3 day passes (kids are free) and did a tiny bit of day tripping.

👉 Tip! 👉 Download the Moovit app to get you from A to B in a cinch - literally saved my life!!

Groceries: $490 (not included in overall budget) Groceries were a little cheaper here than we were used to, however we decided to implement a new wheat free diet that made our grocery shopping more expensive than usual. It's true what they say, healthy food is more expensive!

Excursions: $55 We rented bikes in Potsdam for the 5 of us to explore the city for the day and it was tons of fun!

Dining Out: $80 We only dined out only once and feasted on sushi when we were touring Berlin for the day, plus a few beers and sausages during the Berlin Beer Fest, which were obviously non negotiable (wheat free of course, bleh)

Total: $305 - well under budget for this leg - hurray!