Transportation

This post is going to be short and sweet relating to all your transportation questions. Traveling to any location in Europe from America is generally more expensive than traveling domestically. Although it’s not always possible, traveling during the off season is a great way to save some money.  We traveled during the winter which was cheaper however, much colder.  Overnight flights are great because you really do not waste any time traveling.  They usually leave around 8 or 9pm and when you wake up you are at your destination!

Here are some popular (and often really cheap) airlines that fly locally between various European countries. Although these are usually smaller planes there is just as much security so still arrive early to the airport. Most U.S. based airlines allow one carry on bag per customer as well as one ‘personal’ item.  This can be a purse or a briefcase.  However, these smaller airlines only allow one carry on bag. Nothing else.  For girls this means do not over pack because you will have to cram your purse into your bag to go through security.

Ryanair http://www.ryanair.com/en

easyJet  http://www.easyjet.com/EN

Public Local Transportation

Something Europe does great is public transportation.  In every city we visited there were always buses which ran throughout the cities.  In London and France there was an underground transportation system which makes traveling extremely easy. (And in my opinion much easier to navigate than the NYC subway system.) These form of transportation are relatively cheap around 2Euros one way and I highly suggest taking advantage of them.

My Most Important Tip of All:

Give yourself enough time. Security lines can be long and vary with the time of day.  Always anticipate more time than less.  It is much better to wait for a little bit then to miss your flight and have to rebook. Also, the airports/ train stations are usually very confusing especially when you do not speak the native language

Here is another website I found with lots of useful travel tips from Rick Steve’s Europe – How to fly in Europe on a Budget.  http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/flights.htm