How to Choose the Best Travel Means for Your Holiday in Europe

Travelling is part of any holidays and it can be an enriching and pleasant experience. However, it can also easily turn into a frustrating and tiresome experience. Just think of hours lost waiting in the airport, in a train station or simply in the middle of a traffic jam on the highway. Does it have to be this way? Not always, provided that you choose for each trip the most adequate means to travel. Let's see how to do just that with 5 important questions that will guide you to the best decision.

Question 1

Are you interested in just reaching the final destination or also in seeing sites on the road?

If your interest is only in reaching the final destination, you should think of travelling by plane (see also my previous article for some tips on travelling with low-cost airlines) or by car on the highway. Keep in mind though that not all the big cities in Europe (especially those in Eastern Europe) are reacheable by travelling only on highways.

If you want also to see some sites while on the road to your destination, travelling by car on local roads might be better for you. Travelling by train might also be a compromise solution: you avoid the stress of traffic and get to see something more than the rows of cars on the highway.

Question 2

Are you planning to visit a large town or a region/small towns?

If you want to visit a large town, the best idea is to go there either by plane or by train. Going there by car will most probably be a frustrating experience as you might get caught in traffic jams when entering or exiting the town, you will spend time and money just trying to find a parking place for your car and regardless where you go in the town, you will have to always remember how to come back to your car. A town is best seen on foot, so having the car is just an unnecessary stress when visiting a large town. Going by bus has less disadvantages (no need to park it and to find it as the bus station is usually easy to find), but it still might mean time lost in traffic jams.

On the other hand, if you plan to visit a region or small towns, you need the freedom that your car offers. Relying on public transportation of any type for visiting a region or small towns might result in time lost waiting for connections and less freedom in designing your route.

Question 3

Do you travel alone, with a small group or with a big group?

For groups there are usually discounts on travelling by train, so you might want to check this. Alternatively, if you travel with a small group, it is probably cheaper to go by car than by plane.

Question 4

What are the weather conditions when you travel?

If it will be winter in a cold area, there might be snow and ice on the roads, so you might want to go by train instead of car or bus. In any case expect some delay, but at least on the train you don't have to stress that much.

Question 5

Are you travelling during public holidays?

If yes, keep in mind that there are most probably many others travelling just like you. The public holidays are the yearly equivalents of daily rush hours. So the best thing to do is to avoid travelling on Friday evenings, Saturday mornings, Sunday evenings, on the 1st of May and right before Easter, Christmas, New Year (remember to check for public holidays in each country where you go, there can be quite big differences). Try to plan in such way as to arrive at some place of interest before such rush times and to visit the place during these rush times. However, if you really have no choice, probably the train or the plane are better as you avoid at least the stress although you are still very likely to suffer some delay.