cheapest safest travel options for solo woman

I personally think a flight to Florence or Venice would be very cool. Think Italy.

peter--thanks for putting it in those terms--you are right, combining travel with lodging really does add up. perhaps that's what i was doing wrong with my britain plans. hmm. i will have to think about that. perhaps i should just go to one other location and stay for a while, as i am doing with my husband for the first part of our trip. i think i got too caught up in the idea of seeing AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE for the solo portion. hmmm. definitely something to think about. thanks! (and, to poster above, italy would be great, but my husband would be super-bummed i went without him, as we're planning an all-italy trip for next summer...though i am tempted to do it anyway. he'll curse the day he married an independent woman!)

On the bus front you might look at http://www.eurolines.com/.

There's not really a Europe wide integrated bus system like there is for the train, eurolines is a cartel of long distance bus cos over Europe. Their website is basically a portal to local companies, select the UK as point of departure and you end up booking through National Express same for elsewhere.

With regard to expensive rail tickets, are you sure you are finding the cheapest options? US based travel agent are notorious for only showing the most expensive tickets. As a rule of thumb, non-flexible tickets bought in advance are a lot cheaper than buying flexible tickets or ones on the day.

From a guy's viewpoint: "Safe" is everywhere for women.

Ex #1 -- daughter spent one school year in France and wandered all over the place (judging by the bills I paid) and I never worried about her.

Ex #2 -- wife traveled all over europe alone prior to our marriage and she's never mentioned any concerns, but I've never asked her about it either.

Ex #3 -- wife and I travel a lot, but have very different interests, especially in cities -- we sometimes split after breakfast and meet for supper -- I don't worry about her.

Switzerland: take three pocketbooks and lots of credit cards.

Three cheapest places in Europe: France, Spain, Portugal -- in that order, with Portugal being the least expensive.

What a great opportunity for you! Either train or bus is safe. Mass transit is a way of life in Europe. For your first solo trip, Great Britain is a great choice. You speak the language (sort of) and there are so many wonderful places to see. London is a great place to visit. I also love Edinburgh. Both are relatively expensive but there are many ways to cut costs. For instance, many of the best sights in London are free. If you're ever going to GB, now may be the time since the dollar is doing about the best it's done in years.

The cheapest areas of Europe I have found are the Balkans, Russia outside of the main cities and northeast Poland, but I guess this isn't what you had in mind.

If cost is a big concern, skip Switzerland. If it's Alpine thrills you seek, any of the neighboring countries offer much the same for far cheaper. I've never been to Italy or Slovenia, but in my experience, here are the relative costs of the Alpine nations, from cheapest to most expensive: France < Austria < Germany <<<< Switzerland.

Another thing to look at is not just the cost of living in countries but the cost of getting there. It looks like you have to start from the UK so bear in mind that the cheaper destinations (Greece, Central/Eastern Europe) inconveniently tend to be farthest away from the UK meaning that it costs more to get there.

Also where are you flying home from? If you need to loop back to London then it limits how far you can cheaply travel. If you can fly home from your final destination then it's less of an issue.

My rule-of-thumb is that itineraries that involve a lot of travel or changes of location tend to be incompatible with 'cheap'. The two big expenses are hotels and long-distance transport, every travel day is one where you pay for both and they add up.

Tracy - Expanding on BG's flight suggestions to Italy... I have purchased several really cheap flights in Europe on British Airways, easyJet, Vueling and Ryanair. Many times it's easier to take a flight somewhere farther away for much less than a train ticket to a closer destination.

Also, as for inexpensive destinations, I have found Greece to be very inexpensive outside of Athens and the major tourist islands (Crete, Santorini, Mykonos).

Enjoy your trip!

Tracy, I would stick with your original plan to see more of England and Scotland. You sound like you're fairly young and you should have many more opportunities to travel to other places. You've done a lot of research and there are many wonderful things to see in Great Britain and I don't think you'd be sorry to explore the UK. I'd stick with your plan and save Italy and other countries for future trips.

Our daughter has travelled through Ireland, USA and Europe on her own several times. She has had the most wonderful experiences. Her one tip for peace of mind at night in your hotel room; take a rubber door stopper and put it under the door. Too easy!!!

Have you considered Belgium? Easy and fast to get to from Paris and you can also take a fast train from Brussels to London if you are flying round trip and not open jaw.

Belgium is very safe, easy to get around on local rail system if you aren't renting a car. Bruges makes a good base. It's nowhere near as expensive as staying in UK...good options available for budget lodging. You could see a lot of Belgium in two weeks, or you could also consider getting a cheap Ryanair flight from Paris to Dublin or Belfast and fly back to London or even ferry back to UK for your flight home.

Tracy--Do you have your flights already? If not, I think open-jaws would actually be worthwhile and cost effective because round-trip means you have the expense (money & time-wise) of returning to the original city.
With 2 extra weeks you might enjoy some time in the south of France (less expensive hotels) or taking an Easyjet flight to Italy (the earlier you book, the cheaper), maybe Paris to Pisa.
It's hard to make a decision of where to go with so many fabulous choices--for me that's one of the most challenging! Enjoy!

I have not found open jaw flights that much more expensive.

Here's my suggestion: Depart Paris for Bruges and Brussels. Take Eurostar from Brussels back to London and travel England, Scotland, and Wales with perhaps a trip to Dublin. Check out open jaw London with return from Dublin. There is so much to see in the Great Britain and you will feel comfortable. Italy, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries are expensive.

My first solo trip was 3 wks in England & Scotland. There is lots to see - more than enough for 2 wks. It's also easy. When you're on your own, some things may be a little more stressful, but generally, if you don't mind your own company, it's relaxing to only have to think of yourself. Also, if English is your only language, Britain is a good choice for first trip on your own.

But if you decide to go to multiple countries, check out open jaw flights. Be sure when you check that you don't look up prices for one way tickets - use multiple cities. I just compared tickets from Ipls to London round trip against Ipls to London with return from Paris back to Ipls. The open jaw was around $50 cheaper. When traveling to different countries, I always buy open jaw. Otherwise you also have to factor extra travel time & buy a train ticket back where you started.

Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great solo trip. Also, if you have any friends who think you shouldn't do this by yourself, tune them out.

You'll find plenty to do in the UK. It will be comfortable because there are any (well, minimal!) language issues. Be sure to get north to Scotland. I've found it very friendly for women traveling alone. What are your interests? That might help people give some suggestions. York is wonderful. Also, if you are interested in Roman history, you can go further north and visited Hadrian's Wall. There's a bus you can use to visit it. In Scotland, you base yourself first in Edinburgh and take day tours and see the city, and then head north to Inverness. You stop off at Blair Castle if you like castles on the way north. Once in Inverness there are again, lots of day tours and interesting things to see. And there are lots of B&B's and Hostels that you can stay in.

Pam

Hi Tracy, I would suggest you staying in the UK. After your husband leaves, you could take the train to Moreton-in-Marsh get a B&B and tour the Cotswolds for a few days. Take train from Moreton-in-Marsh to Oxford, then you could go on up to York, your could tour Yorkshire. Depending how much time you spend in each area you could go on up to Edinburgh. Take the train back to London the day before your flight. You could have a lovely two weeks in the UK.