Getting Around
Do your research!!-Plane Tickets
Plane tickets to Europe aren't that expensive if you just look around. In the past I have used 1800FlyEurope. The first time I bought my plane ticket 5 months before the trip and spent $650 for a 12 day trip in July, the second time, we spent $750 for three week trip in June. When I booked our trip to London a few weeks ago for 9 days at the end of October, we used Expedia and spent $700. Every time I have opted to get the $50 travelers insurance. I haven't had to use it but it is nice to have just in case.
Basically, all you have to do is look and be patient. Check lots and lots of websites so you can save a couple of hundred dollars. It will be worth it, promise especially if you are a poor person just looking to see the world. You will find lots and lots of tickets for over $1000 you just need to explore your options.
Now that we are here-how do we get around?!
I like to splurge and take taxi's from the airport to where I'm staying. I like to do this for a couple of reasons. More than likely, you are just getting off a night flight and you're tired. I know I am because I can never sleep on planes mainly because I'm too excited but I digress...other reasons include: I just want to get to where we are staying, I don't want to navigate around a foreign country, in a foreign language when I'm exhausted and who doesn't want to sit in the back of a Mercedes for a little bit?! From Tegal Airport in Berlin to the city center was about $20.
Once you get your barrings and are well rested, find a map and explore your city on foot (Do a guided walking tour!! I'll talk more about that later). After the initial cab ride, I don't like to spend money on public transportation if I can't get to where I want on foot. When we were in Berlin for five days, we may have used the subway 2 or 3 times. Also, it's important to realize that a lot of these cities are not on a grid system like I'm use to in New York City. The subway or U-Bahn, in Germany, is difficult to navigate if you are in a hurry. I would definitely suggest getting familiar with it before using it and knowing specifically what stops you need to get on and off of. And always get day passes if you plan on using the U often...it just makes sense :)
Berlin Main Station or Hofbahn Haus
Gas is super expensive outside the US so the best way to get around Germany economically is by train! Definitely get a German Rail Pass. This is the best thing that has every happened to travelers in my personal opinion. Individual tickets can range from 80 Euros to 150 Euros for one ticket. one way, obviously depending on where you are going BUT for a little less than $300 you can get a nine day train pass (you can get more trips or less and the prices adjust depending on how many you want-they start at 3 day pass to 10 days). It's important to remember that these are day passes not how many times you get on a train and go somewhere. You can get on a train as many times in one day as you want and they will only stamp your ticket once instead of multiple times. Another great thing about the pass is that you can get on any train you want going any where within the country (Salzburg, Austria and Basal, Switzerland are exceptions, they are included in the pass!!). So if you miss a train or don't want to leave early, you can just catch the one that works best for you! Trains run all day, to all major cities and there are many different types of trains, Regional and ICE (InterCity Express-they are super fast at 300km/hr) and they both accept the pass. I can't say enough good things about this pass! GET IT!!!
On my last trip, we did rent a car for a weekend to attend a music festival. Since we were in Germany, renting the Car from Stuttgart (the home of...) we had to get a Mercedes...when in Rome, right? We went through Budget/Avis, who were awesome (mainly because they gave it to us with complete trust! ha). For a four day weekend we only paid $100 each. I have never rented a car before so in my eyes, this whole situation was a deal! As I said before, gas is wicked expensive (about $8/gallon--yeah you read that right) so we tried to conserve as much gas as we could and thankfully with our start/stop engine (the car would turn off every time I stopped at a red light-which took some getting use to. I thought I broke it as soon as we left the parking garage) we were able to--only used half a tank! Also driving in Germany is a lot like driving here. And NO, they don't drive on the opposite side of the road. Speed limits are different (you can go faster!!) and you better be good at roundabouts (thankfully, I am) because they absolutely love them and they are literally in the middle of nowhere. Another great perk was driving in the beautiful country side! Lots of Castles!!
That concludes today post! Hope it was informative and you got a bit out of it!
Share your travel stories too! I'd love to hear some of the tips you guys have picked up along the way!!
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