Cheap Travel in Europe

By Steve Sanoski

Like many students, I was on a tight budget on my first visit to Europe. Living in England at the time, I found a package deal through the Eurolines bus network that seemed to be what I was looking for. Eurolines is downright cheap compared with European rail passes. On England’s Eurolines web site, www.eurolines.com, you may see their inexpensive current rates for 15 and 30. My mini-pass started and ended in London, by way of Brussels, Amsterdam, and Paris.

The advantages of traveling by train over bus include more legroom, more frequent opportunities to stand up and stretch, more destinations, and significantly more punctual schedules. In addition, sleeping cars are available, meaning you’ll be refreshed after a night of travel.

Complete Eurail price lists and schedules are available at www.railpass.com. Eurail passes can be customized to your specific travel plans.

If you’d rather skip ground travel all together, airlines such as Easy Jet (www.easyjet.com) and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) offer cheap daily flights all over Europe. If your travel dates are flexible, discount flights can save you time and money.

Ultimately, when deciding how to get around Europe, you must consider not only your budget but also how much time you have to spend on traveling and how much you value comfort.

Having sampled all three options on separate 1-month trips through Europe, I would suggest you seriously consider taking a train or airplane over a bus network. You’ll find you have more access to Europe and more time and energy in which to explore it.