Hi everyone. Me and a friend are planning on travelling around europe for a month next year. I have had a look and the easiest ways to travel seem to be to buy a flexible european bus or train ticket. This would be ok however we have a couple of concerns about this. Firstly we would be staying in campsites and hopefully visiting places outside of the major cities. We are worried that since the buses and trains would stick to the major cities we would end up spending a fortune on taxis and extra buses to get around to these places. Secondly we are concerned about having to carry our large backpacks around with us everywhere which we think would ruin the experience a little. Im wondering if its possible to leave your luggage in lockers or anything along those lines in the major cities while you go for day trips etc. For these 2 reasons we have been considering going by car, which would give us total freedom as well as a place to store our stuff. There are downsides to this of course such as the extra expense, and slight worries about navigating our way around! I would love to hear from anyone who has travelled in either of these ways about whether the luggage and exploration points are a major problem if going by bus or train.
Posted by
Seattle, USA
990 posts
It will definitely be cheaper to ferry your car to Europe. Check out www.ferrybooker.com--it'll give you exact quotes for your date and itinerary. I played around with some July dates and got a quote of just over 70 pounds on the Dover-Calais route. You'll notice that it costs more than twice as much to take your car over via the Chunnel compared to by ordinary car ferry. Similar dates were quoted at about 220 pounds for taking a car via the tunnel.
Driving on the "wrong" side of the road with a right hand drive car is a bit disorienting at first, but you can get used to it pretty quickly (especially when you remember how much money you are saving!) You might think about getting a GPS to help with navigating. You'll still save a packet over the costs of trains and busses for two!
Do be careful about where you park, though. A car with GB plates is a beacon to thieves that you're from out of town and might have good stuff onboard. So, out of the way and sketchy carparks should be avoided.
Posted by
Granite Bay, CA
1931 posts
Hi Chris, Where in Europe do you plan on traveling?
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19284 posts
Every trip is different and only you can tell what works best for your trip. Only you know the places to which you want to go and the accommodations available.
I suggest you do some analysis. Find out the cost of renting a car big enough for both of you and your large backpacks. Besure to include the cost of fuel. Add the cost of staying in campgrounds.
Compare that to the cost of hostels or rooms in private homes and the cost of point-point transportation or railpasses.
I think that what you save on cheap accommodations won't pay for the extra cost of having a car to get to them.
I've spent 14 weeks in Europe in the last decade, and before every trip, I do this kind of analysis. I usually find that I can save 50% to as much as 65% on transportation using trains/buses. That would buy a lot of private rooms.
And, BTW, I find that many, but not all, train stations where I have been have lockers.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19284 posts
On my last trip to Europe, 13 nights, the best car rental quote I got, plus fuel estimates from ViaMichelin for the major part, but not all, of my transportation, was €500. That was transportation only, no accommodations.
I actually spent €202 on ALL train/bus travel, so I saved about €300 on transportation. I spent about €400 on accommodations with breakfasts, €100 more than I saved on transportation. How much will it cost you for overnight and breakfast?
I guess, in the final analysis, the cost would be quite similar. It comes down to, do you like camping more than rooms in private homes, or vice versa.
Posted by
OP
Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
3 posts
I was thinking more of using our own car than renting one which would negate much of the cost, or is there other difficulties doing it this way that I am unaware of? Also I noticed that buses are much cheaper than trains for the all europe flexi-pass kind of thing, has anyone got experience of the buses and if so how was it?
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9249 posts
If you have your own car, it might be cheaper to drive than do trains, especially if you want to camp. Just drive near to the cities, park and ride the metros, etc. in town. I would do a rough estimate of the distances, figure up your gas usage, and see if it is less than taking a train. Schlepping a tent and cooking gear around on trains and through cities does not sound like a lot of fun to me, so a car really might be better. What does it cost to take a ferry or train with your car across the channel? Would it not be difficult driving a British car on the opposite side of the road too? Just thinking about all your pros and cons.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12315 posts
For two people, public transport is usually the cheaper option.
Buses will cover more areas than trains. It would probably work best to use trains for your longer city to city hops and buses to get to more out of the way locations.
The biggest problem with public transport is time lost to connections, good planning helps but doesn't eliminate the problem.