A number of budget airlines have been launched, sometimes offering prices cheaper than any of the overland options can offer. So keep in mind this possibility when travelling across Europe . This option has many advantages, that is achieving a huge increase in passengers and making the large and expensive airlines shake.
Where is the trick with these airlines? The lack of frills. They fly at awkward times, sometimes to awkward airports, tickets are inflexible, no food, no drinks, no allocated seating. But the results can be crazy cheap and although big airlines claim to offer these service, it is too usual to get annoyed with their errors, starting with overbooking, luggage losing, delays, etc. Be really careful with overbooking in big companies, as they do it very often. Go several hours in advance, especially during high season .
To find the cheapest fare (in any company) you can try two ways: go to a travel agency or do it yourself online. Travel agencies use to have many offers that could be interesting, but their prices will be far from the best offers that you can get by exploring internet. However this exploration takes time, you might need to know languages and you have to trust in order to purchase the flight tickets. You can purchase your tickets on-line within minutes with a complete safety. Try official airlines web pages or known travel agencies web pages. You will need a VISA, Mastercard or American Express card. If it is a low fare airline they won´t give you a ticket, only a code to show in the airport. Write down it or print the page.
We can show some tips to make your flight cheaper:
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Check several airlines or travel agencies to compare prices.
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Enter the airline webpage and try to change dates: try to make your departure and return dates on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. as a rule it's more expensive to fly on a weekend (as well as Monday and Friday) than a weekday. Try leaving at least one weekend between departure and return (some fares may only require you to stay a minimum of 3 or 4 days). Test alternate departure and return dates to check if one day is cheaper than another.
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Change airport: avoid departing from one city and arriving in another, it costs more. If you have different close airports available for the depart or for the arrival, try each airport to see which one is cheaper. Check if one destination city offers a better fare than other if both are in your itinerary.
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Book soon: start searching flights very soon, The best international fares often require a reservation 30 days in advance. Making a reservation as soon as you know your travel dates increases your chances of finding a great fare. Airlines sell only a limited number of seats at the lowest fares. When those seats sell out, the price goes up.
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With normal airlines the go and return tickets are the cheapest. However If you are looking at a low fare airline, probably you will find the same price for a single ticket and a return ticket. Check both anyway. This means that you can go with a low fare airline and return with other. This is useful when you start your itinerary in one city and finish in other where different airlines operate or where you have found a cheaper return to home.
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Although in a low fare airline you don´t find a direct flight, try to do it with a flight change in the middle. Probably it will be cheaper than the direct flight in a normal airline.
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It is cheaper to book through internet than by telephone or in the airport.
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There are many cheap flight searcher across Internet that allow you to buy flights as well. They are a great tool to search, but once you have found a nice flight, go to the airline webpage and check the price, as probably it is lower.
As luggage is concerned be careful with overweight and read the conditions before, because it could cost you a fortune. Low fare airlines use to have more restrictive weights (15-20 kg.).
Generally, airlines allow one carry-on bag and one personal bag per traveler. Personal bags include a small backpack or even a small suitcase. If your backpack is small you should try to avoid checking in at the airport to prevent from damage or lost.
Some budget airlines don´t check in your luggage and only allow a determinate size and weight on board. Again read the conditions before having a bad surprise.
Label all your luggage (not only the things you will check in) because you may leave a bag anywhere. Put your contact information inside and out because outer tags can be damaged and disappear. It is a nice idea to slip a business card into the outer tag to insure that people don´t see your home address. Personalize your luggage with some markings so that others won't claim your similar-looking bag and leave with it.
Many airports give you a plastic case to protect you backpack when checking in.
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The European rail network is reliable, fast, efficient and connects almost every place. The European rail system is vast and encompasses over 160,000 miles of tracks. Rail travel in Europe will take you just about anywhere you can go with a car. Even the smallest towns typically have a train station. Larger cities are served by several different European rail lines, including high speed trains, and comfortable long distance overnight trains.
It is the most popular form of transport for backpackers, and most of them at some point in the trip use one the of the passes on offer, as there are many fares, passes and discounts. Ask always before buying a single or return ticket because it might be very expensive, especially in Western Europe .
The most known passes are, of course, both the Interrail (for European citizens) and the Eurail (non European citizens).
Eurail offers a great variety of passes across many European countries: consecutive or separate days, from ten days to three months and many , some or one country.
The Interrail is for European citizens (or anyone who can prove that has been resident in Europe for over 6 months) traveling in 2nd class. Europe is divided into several zones and you can buy a ticket for 1 zone, 2 zones or full. From ten days to one month. The Interrail pass also offers discounts on some ferries and especial (night trains, high speed trains, etc.) or very specific local trains.
For deeper information about the sort of trains and passes, please visit the pages included in the Tickets and Passes section.
Especial trains
Trains in Western Europe are classed into faster and slower categories. The faster trains are called InterCity (IC) or EuroCity (EC) trains, and run between many large European cities. IC and EC routes are slowly being added to Eastern Europe as well. Other high speed trains only have routes inside a country, for example the TGV in France or the ICE in Germany.
Those trains stop in fewer places and travel long distances. They cost an extra fee if you have an interrail card (6-12 euros), but if you need to travel a long distance, consider them, since the small fee is minimal compared to the time saved.
The fast trains requires seat reservation, although you have an Interrail or Eurail card. Normal and slow trains don´t require that and you can arrive to the station, enter the train and sit anywhere in the class that the card allows you to (except for some seats that have been reserved). A reservation costs an extra fee and you won´t have problems in the normal trains without it.
If you are travelling a long distance you may take an overnight train and get a sleeping berth, with a similar extra cost than a bed in a hostel. Remember that the train is noisy, uncomfortable, compartments could be full (if you are lucky maybe you have three seats of the compartment to lay and sleep), you might sleep sit, they are frequented by thefts, so you may forget about sleeping much unless you're good at doing it. It is better to have a sleeping bag or a big towel with you. It increases your chances of getting a decent night's sleep. From our experience you are really exhausted next day.
Warnings
Don´t enter a different zone, don´t get in a train if the reservation office tells you that is full and don´t go on traveling when the date of your card expires. The railroads inspectors don´t doubt if they have to penalize you and leave you in a train station nowhere. Besides you have to write down every train you take in a paper that comes with the card, or you will be asked to do that by the inspector.
The Eurail card and Interrail card are personal. A friend of you can´t use it. Habitually the inspectors don´t ask you to show your identification, but again you can be penalized if they realize that. Although you tell them that you have lost your passport, they will penalize you because you travel without documents.
There are people that enter a zone that is not included in their cards to make a short visit. Your choice, but if you are not sure about how to do it you will be probably caught. Penalties are bigger in Western than in Eastern Europe .
Tips
Europe 's railroads pride on their punctuality, so they will not wait for late arrivals. Trains also stop for only a short time to let people on and off, so enter the train just when it arrives at the station, and be ready to disembark (bags in hand, standing at the door) when it stops.
There are some guides (like the Thomas Cook´s) with the timetables of the European railroads. However you can see them in several web pages and the best choice is to ask in the train station of the city where you stay. Don´t wait for the last moment, it is better to ask and confirm just when you arrive or some days before taking the next train, just to be sure about the timetable and the different connections.
Take an alarm clock. When you take a seat in the train it is easy to fall asleep in a second. Use the alarm clock to wake up some minutes before the arrival or your itinerary will change very often J
One useful advice but not very polite is to take up as much room as you can in a compartment, putting your backpacks on the seats or lay your body. This discourage people from getting in.
Finally, bring the basic amenities of life with you onto the train: toilet paper, drinks, food. Maybe you can´t buy anything or it is quite expensive.
Reaching your interrail zone
One of the most common questions is how to reach the zone of your Interrail card. Three main possibilities:
- Go by bus or train until your zone. The national railways of your country makes a 50% discount from your city to the border.
- Take another zone in your Interrail card to reduce the cost. One example is crossing France. If you don´t have this country in your Interrail card it is cheaper to take this zone (and have two zones in your card) than paying the French train.
- Depending on where the zone you have chosen is situated, taking a cheap flight might be better than arriving there by train. A flight with a low cost airline may cost less and you save much time.
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Buses offer cheaper prices than taking the train without any especial pass. Although they are slower than the train, sometimes you need to take one when it is the only way to go.
There are two possibilities about buses. First of all you can buy simple tickets. Second, there are some companies offering different passes, that allow for a period of time to run a circuit from one city to another (many of the most popular travel destinations in Europe ) and you can stop in any place throughout the itinerary. These passes don't offer the same flexibility as the various rail passes, but in some circumstances you may prefer this option. The most known bus passes are Busabout and Eurolines.
Another option is to take a bus tour when you stay in a city and want to visit the surroundings, the landscape or some villages that would very difficult to see otherwise. Bus tours are a friendly option and a fun way to travel especially when traveling solo. The duration is variable, from a day to even a week or ten days.
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It is the way of travel that gives more flexibility and freedom. Some times it is the only way to go to a place.
There are two possibilities. First and the most common is to rent a car for the whole trip or only for a stage, when you want to know a region deeper. This is adequate when the car is the only option to move, when the rest of transports would make you waste much time and interesting places, or when you simply prefer the car.
The second one is taking your own car if the country of destiny is not very far and you are not moving across thousands of kilometres.
If you study the different car rental companies and you travel in a group of 3-4 people you can obtain a great deal similar to the other passes or even cheaper despite of the expensive petrol, tolls and parking fees.
It could be also a problem to drive in many of Europe´s larger cities, a difficulty further compounded when you don´t speak a country´s language and are unfamiliar with local rules of the road.
There are some limits to rent cars, which can vary from 20 to 23 years old. It is possilbe that you find maximum age limits from 65 to 75.
When you rent the car pay attention to what kind of insurance you have and before picking up the car notice any little mark that the car has to avoid being charged for it on your return.
The use of belts in front and back seats is compulsory in all the EU countries.
Remember that in Cyprus, Ireland, Malta and United Kingdom it is necessary to drive in the left side.
The speed limit in highways is generally 110, 120 or 130 km/h and in urbanized areas 50 to 60 km/h.
Use of the mobile phone is banned in all the UE countries although some allow to use the "free hand".
The maximum level of alcohol allowed varies between 0.2 mg/ml and 0.9 mg/ml in most countries. However, some do not allow any alcohol in blood.
There are toll roads in many countries: Austria, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom. The visitors who use the Austrian highways and the "A" highways must take a visible label or toll card in the vehicle that can be bought in the main border crossings and the biggest fuel stations. Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary have a similar system consisting of a sticker put in the windshield.
Your car insurance offers automatically, without any additional cost, the minimum cover demanded by the legislation wherever you travel within the European Union. This is also applicable to Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. If you have a full risk insurance in your country, you should check that it is like this abroad. Also you can think about contracting an attendance insurance in case of breakdown.
The green card is not necessary to travel within the European Union, but it serves as it is an insurance proof recognized internationally and facilitates the claim of indemnifications in case of accident. If you don´t have the green card, you must take the documentation that certifies that you are assured. Your insurance company can supply you with an european accident form, a standard document to easier fill up the part in case of accident in another country.
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