Cheap Ways to Travel Across Europe
August 4, 2008
Europe is not always the cheapest place to travel around. Transportation costs can cause havoc on any budget, especially if you are traveling long distances. The increasing value of the Euro and the decreasing value of the US dollar has made traveling across Europe even more expensive. It’s especially ridiculous in England where they use a pricing method similar to the airlines (book early). Just hoping on a train can be as (or more) expensive than hoping on a flight. It cost me more for a 2 hr train ride than it did to fly to Amsterdam from London. Despite the expensive Euro, high transportation costs, and the general expensiveness of Europe, there are still a few ways to travel around Europe cheaply:
Megabus
A cheap way to travel get across the United Kingdom as fares can cost as little as one pound. You’ll need to book at least a month in advance on popular routes to get the one pound fare. Even if you don’t scoop up these amazingly cheap deals, you can still travel for a fraction of the cost you can on the National Rail system. Fares rarely top fifteen pounds. Most Megatrains and buses leave from London but you can also get intercity links from many of the country’s main destinations. (As well as major destinations in Wales and Scotland.) It’s simply the best deal around. Travel in the UK is ridiculously expensive and even if you change your plans, you are only losing a pound. This should be your first option for UK travel.
Busabout
A hop on/hop off again service similar to the OZ or Kiwi Experience. You can get on and off whenever you like and, once you buy the ticket, you don’t have to worry about transportation the whole way. There is an onboard guide that can help you with accommodation. They’ll help plan events and tours for you too. Busabout is not the cheapest option on the list but for those looking for something different, it is a good way to get around hassle free while knowing you’ll be around other backpackers. What you are really paying for is a scaled down tour and, for the first time traveler, this can be a good option if they don’t feel comfortable yet traveling on their own.
Low Cost Carriers
By far the cheapest option for traveling Europe, these airlines are so prolific that excess capacity and competition help keep fares cheap. You can often find tickets where the fare is just the taxes. Companies like SkyEurope, Transavia, EasyJet, and RyanAir offer flights throughout the continent for dirt cheap. It cost me 20 pounds to fly from London to Amsterdam, 25 euros to fly from Paris to Germany, and 60 euros to go from Stockholm to Amsterdam. Book early and you’ll scoop up the best deals. Remember though: read the fine print as not all airlines offer refunds for cancel flights. Moreover, check what airport they fly into. Many fly into secondary airports to keep costs down but sometimes those airports are so far from the city center, transportation from them can be very expensive.
EuroRail Pass
Getting a rail pass is a good option if you are going to be traveling across vast distances. The European rail system is very good and very cheap over short distances. However, when you start boarding night trains across multiple countries, the rail system becomes a bit more expensive. Rail Passes are a great way to save quite a few euros and are a must for anyone looking to take the trains over long distances.
Use these options and you are bound to save money while you travel around Europe! Europe is expensive but there are still cheap ways to get around!
Related Posts
Comments
12 Responses to “Cheap Ways to Travel Across Europe”
Got something to say?
-
SUBSCRIBE TO THE RSS:
-
Recent Posts
- Top Signs You are a Backpacker
- How to Travel the World, Part 2: On the Road
- The Weekly Photo: Vancouver
- Why Americans Don’t Travel Overseas
- How to Vote in the U.S. Election While Overseas
- How to Travel the World, Part 1: Pre-Trip
- The Saturday City: Bristol
- The Weekly Photo: Belize
- How to Have Sex in Hostels
- Unusual Place of the Month: The Mars Restaurant
-
Topic Categories
- Airlines
- America
- Asia
- Australia
- Blog Carnival
- Central America
- Europe
- Guest Bloggers
- How to
- Interviews
- Random Musings
- Saturday City
- Teaching
- Thailand
- Travel Advice
- Travel Lists
- Travel Movies
- Travel Photos
- Travel Products
- Travel Tips
- Travel Videos
- Unusual Places
- Weekly Photo
Book Your Holiday Here!!
Get Your Travel Gear Here
Hey, does this mean you’ve ended up in Amsterdam? If so, look me up! Another way to save money when traveling in Europe is to have strangers buy you a cup of coffee.
Hey Matt,
I’d definitely second your vote for Megabus, we’ve used them heaps when travelling through England. The Eurail pass can be a good option too, but only if you’re travelling through expensive countries like Switzerland or Germany - I wouldn’t use it for Italy, for example.
We talked about when to use a Eurail pass at http://www.indietravelpodcast.com/podcast/023-eurail-tips/, and about budget travel in Britain at http://www.indietravelpodcast.com/podcast/033-budget-travel-in-britain/ - we also mention Megabus a fair bit.
We’ve also got a competition going for a Lonely Planet book, go to http://www.indietravelpodcast.com to enter.
You’re right. Train travel can be really expensive. Thanks for the tips! I hadn’t heard about Megabus or Busabout before.
I’m glad to see you included Eurail. Sometimes, thanks to all the cheap airlines, I feel like the train is going the way of the dodo (at least for travelers). But I think everyone ought to spend at least some of their travel time in Europe on a train because it’s a great way to see the countryside, plus it’s comfortable and I’ve met more than one travel companion aboard a train.
There are several bus systems that work pretty well in Europe. I remember taking Eurolines http://www.eurolines.com/.
A really good hack for saving money is to take an overnight bus. Not only do you save on sleeping costs for 1 night but the bus is also safer.
@tamara: be there next week! don’t worry i’ll be looking you up!!
@linda: yes, travel in italy was very cheap. I remember the trains real easy to get on without a ticket too!
@theresa/elizabeth: eurolines is pretty good too but I haven’t found them the cheapsest this time around.
@erica: glad i could help!
I live in the UK and didn’t even realise megabus did trains too! Thanks for the tip, I shall look them up next time I travel by train, otherwise it can be so expensive in the UK.
Good advice about booking early as the cheap seats sell out really quick!
Very useful tips ..last year we went to Europe and travelled only by buses, trams and trains..We had purchased a multi country pass and that was 50 % of my actual expenses
Matt, I’m so jealous of your itinerary! Are you subliminally trying to get me to stay in Europe forever?
Thanks for the tips, Matt.
The Megabus sounds really interesting.. I looked at the website, unfortunately it doesn’t go to Brighton, so I guess I don’t have other option than use the train.
I’ve tried the Sky Scanner before, and I couldn’t find very cheap fares there. It’s been always cheaper when I search on the airlines websites directly. Well.. maybe for Europe it might be different, I’ll give it another chance.
@tanya: yes!!!! I am!!
@cris: SkyScanner is really good for cheap euroean flights. I always find them to be right in line with the company websites.