Budget Traveling to Europe, What Do You Need to Know?

Budget Traveling to Europe, What Do You Need to Know?

If you plan to cross the Atlantic Ocean, there are a few tips that can help you before starting your first Europe vacation.

First of all, you need to understand and be fully aware during your trip that Europe is very different from the United States in every possible way. Even in the UK.

In consequence traveling through Europe is also completely different than traveling to any American city.

Transport

Even if you can afford it, you should never rent a car to move around any city. There is completely lack of space, there is no place to park and driving directions in most European cities are not as straightforward as we are used to know.

Public transportation in most major cities is very affordable and easy to use. It is the most used method of transportation for everybody either tourists or locals. If you do not like public transportation, you can always hire a cab.

The countryside is very nice all over Europe, and driving conditions differ from what I described above. Traveling from one city to another with a rented car, will allow you to stop in incredible and nice towns where you will discover very nice things almost in anyone, if you can afford the time.

I rented a car once in the French Riviera to travel from Nice to Monaco, very nice, but I did it for a couple of days, returned it and continued my trip.

However, roads are very narrow and dangerous, so be extremely careful. Trains are the most used transport all over Europe to go from one city to another. They are cheap, safe and reliable.

Safety

Most European cities are safe, at least in the tourist areas. However, pick pockets are all around Europe looking for tourists. Take extremely care about them. Split your money, hide it very well and be careful when taking money out because they will notice where do you hide it.

Do not leave bags or purses unattended or hanging from restaurant chairs. If you use a back pack, do not carry money or passports within it. I personally saw once, how they cut the bottom of a back pack with a knife to steal a passport.

I always use a special pocket which hangs from my neck and goes under the underwear shirt. This shirt has to be inside your pants to avoid any falling in case the string is cut.

Money should never be taken out from that bag in public and you should carry the money that you will use for each day somewhere else, therefore if you loose that part, you won’t regret it very much, or at least you won’t be broke.

Traveler’s checks are sometimes difficult to change in Europe. Therefore if you prefer to take them, consider some time to change them in a bank, as they are not widely accepted everywhere as in the US.

When eating, check menu prices before sitting. Most restaurants display their menus at the entrance. If the menu is not displayed, avoid going into that restaurant or at least ask for a menu with prices before ordering anything.

There are some places in Europe, where they charge you differently according to the place you sit in the restaurant.

City Guides

Carefully plan your days and get city guides for every place you will visit. You can get them on the Internet or printed in any bookstore. Time is very valuable as there is always more to see than time available.

The Euros have made life easier for tourism and now you don’t need to change money in every country as it used to be, but there are still some countries like UK, that do not use Euros yet.

There are hundreds of money exchange stations all over Europe in every city, train station or major attraction, but be careful about the exchange rate. Always ask local people for the best place to change money. Or do your own research writing down the exchange rate in every place you see near your hotel.

Exchange your money before going anywhere. Usually the exchange stations near tourist attractions have very bad exchange rate.

Do not forget to exchange back the money you won’t use anymore or that can’t be used in countries you will visit next, as some currencies are difficult to change once you leave Europe. Also, remember that coins are not changed, so get rid of them before leaving the country.

These above are some general tips and information, to make your travel nicer. You will always need to research further and carefully plan your trip to get the most out of it, and you can find thousands of sites with additional resources.

Low Cost, No Frills Airlines: How To Fly Cheap

Low Cost, No Frills Airlines: How To Fly Cheap

Cheap Airline Tickets – Cheap Airfares

The year 2008 witnessed an increase in airfares especially in the third quarter. The average cost of air travel rose by 10% in the second quarter only to be superseded by the airfare prices in the third quarter which recorded an all time high, because of an increase in fuel prices. The fourth quarter of 2008 witnessed a fall in the cost of airfare by 3.7 percent. However, despite a fall in the prices of flight tickets, there was a 12 percent drop in the sales of air tickets. This trend, which continued into the first quarter of 2009, resulted in airlines reducing fares for travel in February, by as much as 63% as compared to the previous summer. The drop in airfares, for more than 80 percent of the routes, for travel within the US, is an effort to boost air travel during the recession. Airlines, in the face of reduced demand, have chopped the price for domestic travel on 136 routes. This may be the best time to purchase tickets for summer travel. Unlike domestic travel, the cost of traveling to Europe has increased during the same period since airlines have eliminated cheap tickets for travel between Europe and US. Tentatively, this trend is likely to continue till the 17th of August.

Low Cost, No Frills Airlines

Low cost airlines, JetAirways, have managed to retain their popularity by ensuring that people travel at an affordable price without having to compromise on safety and punctuality. In fact, Southwest, a low cost carrier, has the best on-time arrival ranking with a punctuality score of 80.5. Low cost airlines are usually no frills airlines that aim to reduce operating expenses by eliminating amenities which are not mandatory for a reasonably comfortable trip. The modus operandi of low cost airlines, includes maintaining the same model of airplanes, in order to reduce servicing costs. Airbus 320 and Boeing 737 are the commonly used airplanes. Fast turn around time, flying simple routes and encouraging the use of direct flights, are also common practices. Since these carriers are no frills airlines, people are expected to pay for refreshments. Many low cost airlines, in the US, have started charging extra for baggage. People are encouraged to travel light and check-in only limited baggage. Some airlines have even started reducing the size of cutlery and are carrying limited cutlery in order to make air fares competitive! Taking a cue from the low cost US airlines, some European airlines have decided to go the extra mile in order to reduce fares. The third largest airline in Europe, in terms of passenger numbers, has decided to adopt measures that would make air travel cheaper than before. These measures include plans to make passengers haul their own luggage, charge for online check-in and for using the restroom on the flight! Some of these measures may be adopted by other Jet Airways Konnect and Jet Konnect , low cost airlines in India, thus, making air travel cheap but uncomfortable. This brings us to the question of how a person can fly cheap without loss of comfort.

How to Fly Cheap While Ensuring Comfort

Off Season and Middle of the Week Travel: A person can travel during off-seasons and avail huge discounts. Traveling off-season confers the ability to fly cheap without having to necessarily fly with a low cost carrier. It has been noticed, that Wednesday being the middle of the week, is the best day for cheap travel. Again, one can fly with a relatively expensive airlines without having to worry about the cost of travel.

Flying First Class at Coach Prices: Many a times, airlines offer steep discounts on first class fares. This is done in order to fill up the vacant first class seats. The discounted first class fare is comparable to the full fare coach price.

Buying a Package Deal: Jetconnect India offer last minute deals that include a rental car and hotel accommodation. Since the price of the flight ticket is heavily discounted, one can consider a package deal even if one doesn’t need it.

Looking for airfare coupons, making use of frequent flier miles and traveling to popular destinations during off-seasons, are some ways of reducing the cost of flying while ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable trip.