Switzerland and Surrounding in One Year!

1. Sorry about the spelling error! 2. We have a few travel books on order :) 3. I should have focused my question more; within Switzerland, we want to stay as cheaply as possible on weekends. I've heard great/bad things about the following: camp grounds, hostels, and privatzimmers, mountain huts and homes (we like to hike). Which do you find to have the most value? We are not picky, and we don't need a bathroom in our room.

Sarah, The RS Guidebooks have good suggestions for reasonably priced accommodations, so that would be a good place to start if you want to save money. The places listed range from somewhat "upscale" Hotels to Hostels, so there's lots to choose from. If you just want very "basic" accommodations, you might consider using Hostels. Some have private rooms available, although I've found these are often priced about the same as a double in a budget Hotel. Check This Website for details on one Hostel organization. Buying an inexpensive membership will provide cheaper rates as well as preferred bookings. You'll probably find that travel within Switzerland tends to be a bit "pricey" most of the time. One of the favourite areas for many travellers is the Berner Oberland / Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland. If possible, try and spend at least a few days there (if your budget will allow). Happy travels!

"How do we start planning?" For weekend travel or living in Switzerland? Or both? But to start off... if you think you will make frequent rail trips into or through Germany, consider purchasing a Bahn card. This will allow you 25, 50 or 100% discounts (depending on which card you buy) on the price of rail tickets.

Tom,
Thanks! To clarify, 'how do we start planning for travel' was the focus of the question. We'll take more tips if you have them. -Sarah

Start by checking out a lot of guidebooks. Go to your local library or bookstore and look at all of them, current or not, just to get an idea of what is nearby to where you will be, what you might like to see further distant (on your longer trip), etc. We have no idea what your interests are, so only you know what you might like to see or do. When I am planning a trip, once I have made a list of potential places to visit, I start looking at viamichelin.com to plot out a route. Since you will be doing a series of shorter trips, you will be using it to look at distances and times for travel. Once you settle on a destination (or several), we will be better able to make suggestions about accomodation, how to get there, etc.

There is a Rick Steves book called "Best of Europe 2011" - why not begin with that? Also, it's Schaffhausen. For the single 1-2 week trip I'd go to Italy or else, fly to Paris for a week and then go over to London for the second week. For weekend trips the possibilities are virtually endless, just look at the map. I'm assuming you'll have a car....

Hi Sarah First, based on your last sentence, just to let you know that we are all fellow travelers here, volunteers, not ETBD or RS staff. Do you also want advice on making an overseas posting, especially Europe, especially Switzerland? Or are foreign postings something you have done before? There are several ex-pats on this helpline.

You will find answers to many of your questions about living in Switzerland here: http://www.thelocal.ch/#

You will probably also want to familiarize yourself with the website for Swiss Federal Railways: http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html Looks like they also offer various types of passes and discount cards.

It's good you've been saving for a year; to live in Switerland you will need it. It's the most expensive country in Europe--no kidding. Double the price of everything. Hiking trails in Switerland are well marked and excellent, as they are in Austria. Schauffhausen is a cool little town too. I envy your opportunity. Devra