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Transportation
Train travel is the best way to get around Europe. Eurail
is the network of trains, and they have a variety of options. You
can get unlimited travel for a certain period of time, or a certain number
of travel days in a few weeks or months. You can also buy your tickets
the day that you travel. I bought a Eurail
pass that gave me 15 days of travel in two months. It's hard
to say if that was the best deal. Students (or those under 24) received
a big discount on train tickets. :Looking back, I might have just
bought point-to-point tickets. A problem with that is then you'd
have to budget for travel, and a Eurail pass is paid for before you go.
You must buy it before you leave, because they will not mail it to any
address other than a USA address.
The picture is from a train in Scotland, when Jason (right) and I were on our way to Edinburgh. It was the night of a huge rugby game between Scotland and Wales. These guys started drinking Iron-Bru, vodka and Miller and wouldn't let us not join them. (Drinking is legal pretty much everywhere in Europe. It's not illegal to drink on the street like it is here.)
If you'd like to compare prices for tickets, a timetable of train schedules and fairs is available. I found that the fares listed here are about half price for students. Also, this includes high-speed trains, which you have to pay a bit extra for.
Train travel seems a bit intimidating at first, because we aren't used to it here. Finding the right track is like finding the right gate at the airport. Stations have electronic displays with the time and number. Just double-check the train number with the track, and you'll be fine. I never got on the wrong train -- a couple of other Americans did though. It worked out though.
Air travel is really only the way to get to another country. Search around for student tickets -- they're much cheaper. If you fly from the east coast, your ticket will be much cheaper than the midwest. Expedia and Travelocity are good travel centers, and Priceline is a place to look, but to get cheaper student tickets, I'd make sure you call Council Travel. You can buy tickets online. Council Travel's number is 1-800-2COUNCIL, but be prepared to be on hold for a while.
EasyJet is a discount plane service than runs to many destinations in Europe. If you're wondering how to hop from Madrid to Manchester, I'd definitely consider EasyJet. It cuts prices by not assigning seats and not serving free beverages during the flight. Tickets are usually around $80, depending on where you want to go.
Renting a car is something to consider, but I'd advise against it if you're
under 26.
This photo was taken a few miles away from Stonehenge. Jenn is trying to forcibly take the keys to our rental car from Shawna. Driving on the left side of the road is a bit different, and Shawna went a bit to far to the left and went off of the pavement, bursting two tires and bending both rims. We had two rental cars so we put both spare tires on the one car. We hadn't been able to get extra insurance because we were under 26, so we were responsible for the first 400 quid ($600) of the repairs, plus what we paid to rent the cars. Ouch. Just an expense we didn't need. If you do want to rent a car, there are rental agencies all over, and will also be listed in your guidebook.
This is a SmartCar. They're all over Europe, especially in Italy.
They're great because they are tiny, fuel efficient and can park anywhere,
including across the sidewalk!
This is my size of a car.
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