So You Want to Travel Europe...

I'm not Rick Steves. Or Lonely Planet.

But we lived / backpacked through Europe for about 5 months so I feel like maybe we have something valuable to share. (And my new best blog-friend, Amanda, asked me to... so thanks for the idea!)

As a summary, we have been to: Iceland, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, France, England, Ireland, Austria, Italy and Greece. [This summer we will most likely be adding: Finland, Croatia, Poland, Czech Republic, Spain, and maybe Portugal, Morocco & Russia.] But we're not 100% sure yet, because we're still in the planing phase.

If you want to have a cheaper, not so stressful journey...you should PLAN & research, a lot. The tricky part about giving this type of generic Europe advice is that every single traveler is SO different. Different budgets, different interests, different "styles" of traveling. So I'll forewarn you: if you're cheap, young, and adventurous, then this post is for you. If not... read it anyways. Maybe you'll still learn something. There are no "rules" to traveling Europe, just guidelines. And there are always exceptions.

Step 1: Transcontinental Airfare 

Book early. I would recommend about 4-6 months, but start searching at about 7 months and look for trends. The cost will probably go up and down, but once it starts to gradually rise... it usually doesn't go back down again. Unless you're lucky. It's cheapest to be flexible. Sometimes there are random combinations of dates / cities that are the cheapest. They say it's best to travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and best to book earlier in the week ...but there isn't always a method to the madness. You just have to keep searching. I prefer Kayak and Orbitz... however, this time we got the best deal directly from the Finnair website. [Orbitz displayed a super cheap price, but then when we went to book it, it disappeared and said the cost had gone up $200. So we went direct to the airline's website and got it even cheaper!]

Lucky for us, my in-laws live outside New York City so we are able to drive there from Ohio, and then fly from JFK which definitely makes it cheaper. (For those who don't live near the east coast, sometimes it's cheaper to buy a domestic flight to JFK and then fly internationally from there.)

Check Multi-City Options! (especially if you plan on traveling around to more than one city/country). It's usually about the same cost as a roundtrip to one city, and in our case- it was cheaper. For $622 (& one free checked bag), we're flying into Rome and out of Madrid in June/July which is peak time and usually most expensive. The roundtrip flights in and out of Rome were $1200... we definitely got a good deal! Multi-city is the way to go because you'll save yourself money on traveling back to your original city, plus save the time it takes to do so.

Step 2: Where Do You Want To Go?

I can't answer this question for you. A lot of it depends on the time of year and what your interests are. I can tell you that it's really hard to rank destinations. It's basically impossible to compare the beauty of the Cliffs of Moher, with the awe of the Colosseum, with the London skyline. One's not better... they're just different and wonderful in their own way. But my technique for these decisions is simple: Google Images, Wiki Travel and Pinterest. Plus...you can't really make a wrong choice. It's all amazing.

But just in case you're wondering, my favorites (so far) in no particular order are:

• Paris, France (Don't miss the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur!) 
• Heidelberg, Germany
• Munich, Germany (Excursion to: Neuschwanstein Castle!) 
• Rome, Italy
• Venice, Italy 
• Cinque Terre, Italy (Cliff jump in Manarola!)
• Lausanne, Switzerland
• Limerick, Ireland (Excursion to: Cliffs of Moher)
• London, England
• Ghent, Belgium (Legal/encouraged Graffiti in the Street Art Alley!)
• Santorini, Greece (Pack sunscreen!)

 

Step 3: How to Get Around

By Plane
If you are short on time and don't have a lot of baggage - take the cheap European airlines between cities/countries. You can search on Skyscanner for some local airlines or the two cheapest ones are: Easy Jet & Ryan Air. Flights will be cheapest if you book early (6-8 weeks before.) Also, beware of the add-on fees for baggage, seat reservations, etc.

By Train
It seems like EuroRail passes are pretty popular, but we actually haven't gotten them before. We took plenty of trains, but usually just booked the tickets separately through different train companies. If you are traveling in, through, or to these countries, check these sites:

Traveling SNCB in Belgium 
Traveling Thalys between France, Germany, Belgium, Holland
Traveling EuroStar from London to Paris
Traveling SNCF in France
Traveling High Speed TGV in France
Traveling DE Bahn in Germany
Traveling Trenitalia in Italy

I'm sure there are others... but those are the ones I've used. Once you arrive in your city, there is almost always a local bus, tram or subway system.

By Bus
If time is not an issue and money is... take a bus! There's plenty of companies and they are usually super cheap compared to trains and flights. The ones I've used are:
Eurolines (All over Europe!)
MegaBus (Mostly UK)
Bus About (Tons of tours and a SWEET hop-on-hop-off bus that makes loops all around Europe with passengers that are mostly free-spirited young kids from Australia. Super fun. Do it, but don't pay full price. Wait for them to go on sale.)

By Bike
This is mostly a local city option... but renting a bike for a day is super efficient way to see a city! Some cities have "bike share" when you can pay a fee per hour or per day, drop-off and pick-up in different locations. Just make sure you aren't signing up for a yearly program... we did that and had a big mess with our credit card company because they tried to charge us for a whole year. Luckily, we got out of it.  Just make sure you understand the fine print!

By Car
This should be your last resort. But it was a good choice for us when we went to Ireland because we were able to travel almost the whole country, on our own schedule, and visit some beautiful scenic places that we normally wouldn't have been able to see. The down side is it's EXPENSIVE. Gas is ridiculous over there. Plus in places like Italy, rental cars get stolen ALL the time. Could put a damper on your plans.

Step 4: Where to Stay

Hotels
Just like the U.S. you can find tons of hotels on Priceline, Hotwire, Orbitz, etc. Local hotels are the best because you can barter prices. Like in Santorini when we got off the ferry and found a cute, old Greek man who gave us a beautiful room for only 25 Euros/night and then let us rent a moped for only 10 Euros/day.


Hostels
(Sharing your sleeping room with others) can also be found online. One popular company is PLUS Hostels. They have regular hostels and also "camping" hostels which are super cheap but you basically just get a cot, camp-style bathrooms and  WiFi. It's not glamorous but it's cheap! They're in Berlin, Prague, Florence, Rome and Venice. [We were so cheap that one night we shared a twin bed to save half the cost. Haha but you don't have to be that extreme.] Also, some of the best hostels you find by just walking around... like Mamma Rosa in Cinque Terre! We bartered her down to 25 Euros for our own room instead of 25 Euros per person.

Air B&B
Renting an apartment from someone for a few days. We've never done this, but have friends who swear by it! Sometimes it's cheaper than a hotel, but not always.

Couch Surfing
My favorite, favorite way to travel! You stay with local people - either on their couch, spare bedroom, mattress, etc. Our hosts were ALL wonderful. They fed us, showed us around their city, told us about the best kept secrets...seriously, Couch.Surfing.is.awesome. It seems creepy, but as long as you check people's references and research their profiles to find good matches... you will love it. We never had a bad experience!  And best part of all... it's FREE!

 

Step 5: Warnings & Tips

- Watch out for pick-pockets.

- Watch out for people trying to charge you extra because you're a tourist. If it's a local place: Barter.

- Always be aware of your surroundings.

- If you travel during summer... be prepared for lots of smells. Gross smells. Like that guy hasn't showered for the past 10 days and is standing 2 inches from me. Or that girl is smoking next to me in line and blows her smoke-breath in my face.

- They charge you extra for ketchup.

- They charge you extra for refills.

- Water is almost never free. (Unless it's from an ancient-looking fountain)

- Remember that the USD is NOT as strong as the Euro. It's easy to forget... like "Only 20 Euros, oh that's not bad!" (Actually $27). Or "150 Euros for a hotel, that's decent." (Actually $200)

- Eat the local food. You miss out on amazing things if you don't. (Rosti, Bratwurst, Carbonera, Canolis, Raw Herring... whatever it is.. do it!) Food = Europe. You can't experience one without the other.


- Don't try to see TOO much. You'll get worn out and won't appreciate things. Like me... most people LOVE Florence, Italy. And I should have too. But by the time we got there, we had been rushing around from city to city and were exhausted. I would have rather poked myself in the eye, then visit one.more.church. But we did anyway. And I didn't even really like it. Which is sad! You should love your Europe journey. So don't overdo it and ruin the experiences. Be selective.

- Plan A LOT. But don't expect to actually follow your plan. Things will change. You'll get lost. You'll miss your train. Things wont always go like you think. But that's OK! Let it be. That's part of the adventure. It was hard for me, but I came to accept it. Instead of crying, laugh. Hitch-hike. Explore. Whatever you choose, however your European journey turns out, I know you'll love it. And if you're like me, you'll come back to the USA thinking: I'm SO glad to be home... but I can't wait to go back again and see more!