Budgeting

This is a very exciting topic: how to budget for a 4Daagse week. And I will start with a small appeal. Get your finances in order BEFORE you travel down. All participants want to spend their money on their own experience, not support others.

It should be pointed out that this is quite an expensive adventure, so it is worthwhile planning it carefully.

What do the costs consist of?

The trip is actually very simple, as most things are included in the registration fee, such as food (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and accommodation.

But in short, the costs consist of:

• Registration fee
• Flight ticket and costs for getting to and from the airport, plus possible parking.
• Train tickets to and from Nijmegen
• Bus tickets to and from the camp
• Spending money
• Personal equipment (boots, socks, hydration bladder, tape, medicine…)

It’s not really more complicated than that, but to give you an idea of the costs, I list three different options. For simplicity, I assume you are traveling from Helsinki.

DISCLAIMER: Flight prices can vary greatly depending on when you book, but if you book reasonably early, these are close to the truth.

The Poor Man’s Trip

This is a very basic concept where you only eat at the camp and do not go out into the city. A completely functional arrangement, but you risk missing out on some experiences.

• Boots – 200€
• Socks and liners – 50€
• Flight ticket – 350 €
• Train to/from Nijmegen – 50€
• Bus tickets to/from the camp – 10€
• Tape, pain relievers, petroleum jelly, and sports drink – 30€
• Hydration bladder – 30€
• Registration fee – 400€

The total sum is €1100 for a Saturday to Saturday trip. But you don’t buy any food or drink at the camp or along the route.

The Standard Trip

Here, you bring spending money for food and drinks and also spend an evening in Amsterdam before or after the march.

• Boots – 200€
• Socks and liners – 75€
• Flight ticket – 350 €
• Train to/from Nijmegen – 50€
• Bus tickets to/from the camp – 15€
• Tape, pain relievers, petroleum jelly, and sports drink – 30€
• Hydration bladder – 30€
• Registration fee – 400€
• Spending money – 300€
• Dinner in Amsterdam – 25€
• Hotel in Amsterdam (if sharing) – 100€

Now the total sum is about €1575, but you have the opportunity to go into Nijmegen one evening and eat. There is also plenty of room to buy food and drink at the camp. You have also bought some extra socks so you might not need to wash them.

The Petit Bourgeois Trip

This is a slightly larger budget that involves a more luxurious flight, two nights in the Netherlands, and more spending money.

• Boots – 200€
• Socks and liners – 75€
• Flight ticket – 700 €
• Train to/from Nijmegen – 50€
• Bus tickets to/from the camp – 20€
• Tape, pain relievers, petroleum jelly, and sports drink – 30€
• Hydration bladder – 30€
• Registration fee – 400€
• Spending money – 400€
• 2 Dinners in Holland – 50€
• Hotel in Amsterdam (if sharing) – 200€

Now the cost is around €2155, but you have a fairly free trip financially and the opportunity to look around more.

Summary, Tips, and Warnings

As you can see, there can be about a €1000 difference depending on which type of trip you choose. If you already have boots, socks, and a hydration bladder, you save that cost.

ou can certainly take the cheapest option as long as you accept that you can’t party at the camp in the same way as if you had money with you.

But it is perhaps the middle option that suits most people, as it provides a bit more freedom of choice.

When booking a hotel/flight, you should always ensure you book a rebookable or cancellable option, or ensure that travel insurance covers the expenses if you cannot go. I always book everything early in the autumn before and pay for flights and hotels the year before to avoid an explosion of expenses at the beginning of the year. Autumn is cheap to live, but spring is expensive.

Hotels are expensive in Amsterdam, so don’t be surprised if you have to pay over €300 for a double room. As always when traveling as an adult, it is good to have money available to cover a possible flight ticket home if you miss your flight for some reason—it’s not fun to start calling relatives and friends trying to borrow €500 because you were an idiot.

One thing you may need to be aware of (the undersigned has worked with a travel booking system for 10 years) is who is responsible if any segment of the trip goes wrong. If you fly with Finnair, for example, from Vaasa to Amsterdam, Finnair is responsible for getting you to Amsterdam from Vaasa. If you book a train that is delayed and you miss your flight, no one but yourself is responsible for missing the flight.

VR will not compensate your flight tickets, nor does Finnair have any responsibility if you booked the flight to Helsinki separately from the one to Amsterdam. So, if you travel down to Helsinki in any way other than with Finnair (or booked two separate routes), you should allow a good margin for possible failures. I always book the flight from Vaasa because I know that if I check in there, Finnair is responsible for any costs if the connecting flight is delayed.

That was really everything regarding finances unless someone can think of anything else?