Planning Transportation
Transportation is a very important consideration when planning a European vacation. It’s a big expense area; most travelers are very concerned about booking flights and finding the best fares. And once you finally book those flights, other transportation decisions must be made. How best to travel? How to find the best prices for rental cars and trains? Should you use budget airlines to fly between European cities instead of trains? How do you master driving in a foreign country? The links in this section will provide a variety of resources to help answer these questions.
Traveling by Air – General Information
Advice for getting the cheapest airfare
Understanding open jaw ticketing
Skytrax reviews of airlines and airports
Seating plans for different types of airplanes
Directory of air travel internet links
Flyertalk – a resource for frequent flyers
Making your Frequent Flyer miles go further
Airfare Comparison Websites
www.kayak.com (this site is usually where I start)
www.tripstalker.com (download software – you’re notified when target fare is available)
Online Travel Agencies
These well-known online travel agencies help you compare fares and schedules, including major airlines and some consolidators. You can also book your flights (and hotels and flights) through these sites.
Flying within Europe
These two websites identify airlines that fly between pairs of European cities.
Traveling by Train
Seat 61: traveling by train in Europe
Point to point tickets vs. railpass?
Traveling by train in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Train System Websites
Check schedules and book tickets on these sites.
www.raileurope.com (US-based online agency for booking trains in Europe)
National Rail (British trains website)
Trenitalia (Italian trains website)
SNCF (French trains website)
SBB (Swiss trains website)
DB Bahn (German trains website) – I find this site the easiest to use to check schedules throughout Europe.
OBB (Austrian trains website)
Driving and Renting Cars
Renting Cars
Most major car rental companies operate in Europe. We prefer to use brokers who can find you the best rate based on their volume discounts with the rental companies. Most brokers will also match the price if you find a better fare and can offer assistance if you run into problems.
Kemwel This is our preferred broker for rentals in Europe. We’ve found the prices are usually the lowest and they will beat a lower price if you find one. They also offer a lease-buyback program for longer-term car rentals more than 17 days.
AutoEurope (a sister company to Kemwel)