Traveling in Europe: Transportation Overseas

One of the things we need to touch on is about the main method of transportation when I'm overseas...TRAINS!

Most of Europe is connected by railway. It's fast, safe, convenient, and can be a bargain if you're traveling as a couple or solo!

If you are intent on driving, there are some things you should take care of before you go: First, reserve your rental car while you're still in the U.S. so you can lock your rate in U.S. dollars. It's not a necessary evil but it might save you some money in the long run. Next, check in at AAA to get your international driving permit. I've read about lots of people that drive in Europe with nothing more than their U.S. license and have had no issue with it but I guess for me, I'd rather be safe than sorry and get my international permit. I'm a little, ahem...let's just say I'm a little "obsessive" about details so I'd rather have one than not. Third, and most important (in my humble opinion), keep an eye on gas prices. For example, a few months ago in Italy, gas was priced at 1.33 euros per litre. That calculates to about $1.95 per litre and don't forget that a litre is generally a bit more than a quarter gallon so you're paying roughly $8.00 a gallon for gasoline for your vehicle.

Using that bit of information, if you're traveling solo, a good chunk of your budget will be eaten up by relying on the convenience of driving.

During my trip to Italy, I relied solely on the rail for transportation with only one exception and I'll talk more about that in a second. There are many websites that supply information on Eurail and how to purchase passes. Try RailEurope and Rick Steve's website for more detailed information on using Eurail to get around.

If you're staying in one country, consider single country passes and if you're intent on driving you can even combine your rail travel with driving by purchasing a Rail n' Drive pass.

During my trip to Italy, I did a rough calculation to determine how much I thought I might spend on rail travel and decided to wait until I was in the country to purchase my train tickets. For this trip, I decided instead to purchase a BritRail pass prior to arriving in England because my rough calculations of what I might spend ended up being more if I purchased tickets separately than if I purchased a regional pass.

Overall, each trip will probably be different. Read, research, calculate to decide which method will be most cost effective for you and make the most of it!
So now, we've discussed why using the rails as your main form of transportation while traveling overseas is a good idea. To recap, it's fast, clean, reliable and a reasonably priced alternative to renting a car.

If you remember, I briefly mentioned in my last entry that when I traveled in Italy, I used the train to travel to all of my destinations except for only one time.

Bus travel, or "coach" as it's commonly referred to in Europe, is another wonderful alternative to renting a car to travel within the country you're visiting.

Even though I chose to use the train the majority of the time, I had done my research (reading guide book after guide book) and in one of my favorite guidebooks, specifically, Rick Steves' Italy, he made mention that sometimes train engineers go on strike and that sometimes those strikes last for a few hours up to a few days. When I made my way to the train station in Orvieto to purchase our tickets to go to Siena, I was told that the trains were not running due to a strike. Rather than going into panic-mode, I calmly asked about when the coach was running and found that it was due to leave within the hour and the cost was even more reasonable than the train! Bonus!!!

The coach was clean and convenient. It delivered me to my destination a bit later than I had planned but the drive made its way down winding roads through gorgeous countryside that I might not have seen had I taken the train.

Now, my personal preference is for the train. Not because of money or time but because I have a tendency to get carsick and eventually, bus rides make me feel ill. However, for me, it was just fine in a pinch.

If you're on a tight budget and you have ample time between destinations, a coach would be a wonderful alternative to the train. And speaking of alternative modes of transportation, if you get the chance to use them you should. One of the more memorable modes of transport I used as I traveled from Naples to Sorrento was via hydrofoil! I spent a beautiful afternoon eating luch at the docks in Napoli as I waited for the hydrofoil to take me to Sorrento. It was a great trip (even if I got a little seasick) and one I'll never forget!

Ok...I suppose by now you think I've beat a dead horse but I haven't really. Aside from the money for your lodging, the money you spend on transportation will probably be your next largest expense so you need to make sure that your spending your money wisely, no? I suppose if you aren't a budget traveler like I am it might not be that big a deal but if you travel on a tight budget, you'll want to know exactly where your money is going and what you can do to save a bit if you can.

Remember above, I mentioned that I traveled exclusively by rail when I went to Italy (minus the one coach trip). I basically tallied ahead of time the number of trips I would have to take using Rick Steve's rail-friendly map and determined it would probably be cheaper to purchase my tickets for travel while I was in Italy and on the day of travel.

For my recent trip to England, though, I used the actual website for train travel in the UK (National Rail) and using it, determined that it would probably save me more money to purchase my rail pass now rather than wait.

You can purchase your rail passes through several websites as I pointed out in one of my earlier blogs, I used Rick Steves' website and got 20% off some travel gear I wanted to order as well.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you do your research, (or hire me to do it for you) plan in advance and you'll be fine.