Backpacking around Europe for very little money used to be something of a rite of passage for many young adults. In Western Europe especially, though, those days are largely over. Europe is one of the most expensive regions in the world to explore, particularly for those who don’t put in the research to find great deals. Still, there are a handful of countries in Europe that continue to present phenomenal deals. Whether you want to explore breathtaking mountains, luxuriate on sunny beaches or take in topnotch cultural attractions, the following five countries will let you do so in a very affordable way.

Lithuania – This Northern European country sits on the southeastern shores of the Baltic Sea and presents plenty of low-priced options for budget-conscious travellers. Whether you choose to explore the fascinating capital city of Vilnius or check out the amazing features at the Kernave Archeological Site, you’ll be able to enjoy a very memorable holiday for extraordinarily little money.

Finland – Out of all of the Western European countries, Finland is among the cheapest to visit. Backpacking through a string of this country’s incredible medieval towns is one low cost way of embarking on a real adventure; hiking through its pristine Lapland region is another. Better still, head over to the Aland islands for unbeatable scenery – and prices.

Slovakia – Slovakia truly has it all, from wonderfully cultural cities to vast expanses of unspoiled natural wonder. Take a tour of Bratislava and its many fine museums for a fraction of the price of many other European cities, or spend a few days in one of this country’s breathtaking national parks – Slovensky raj is one real standout.

Portugal – If a holiday to the Costa del Sol is too rich for your blood, you should consider a sojourn along the long, scenic coast of Portugal instead. There are plenty of cheap hotels to choose from in this idyllic region, and you can take day trips to visit the many nearby walled towns for a bit of variety.

Ukraine – Book a cheap hotel in or near Yalta to enjoy wine country at its finest – and least expensive. The area’s many spas will ensure that you are able to rest and recharge while on holiday here. Alternatively, spend a weekend in Kiev and take advantage of the phenomenally low prices – be sure to do a bit of shopping, too!

By Max Brockbank

www.skyeuropemagazine.com For Europe Cheap Travel

So, you have everything planned, your boss is a nice guy (or you seduced him) and your next vacations will be in Europe, you are going to stay there for more than a week. You heard the best way to travel there is by rail but you wonder which are the best and cheap train tickets in Europe for you to enjoy the most. Good, that means you are in the right article at least.

When it comes to travel to Europe, and depending on the places you are looking to visit, a rail ticket is highly recommended. I would encourage you to do that for trip in most of Central Europe, specially for France, Austria, Switzerland, and Eastern Europe. For the UK it would be also useful and probably the only two places where it does not work the best is in Southern Europe and in Scandinavia, basically because you’ve got sea in the middle and train, at least until the day of writing, can’t swim.

To find these cheap train tickets in Europe, the best you can do it to look at the official page for Eurail. This guys coordinate the rail passes for people who comes from outside Europe. If you are European, take a look at Interrail and, at least at today’s date of writing, check places that sell them in the UK, as the pound has fallen terribly during the last months and you can get great bargains when changing to your currency.

In most cases a ticket like this will be very useful and economically practical. Still, there are some thing to consider when looking for cheap train tickets in Europe. One of them is that if you are traveling by train very few, and this means less than 3 times inside a single country or 6 times on a European basis, you will not get any benefits from it. Provided that Europe is leader globally when it comes to low cost flights, a long trip with train will only be time consuming and will give no benefits in return.

In any case, and if you are planning to be on a route through Austria or Switzerland, probably a long ride will offer sightseeing opportunities that will pay many times for the price you have payed and the extra time you have spent with it. In the case you love to travel by train, then it will be the adequate decision to get one of these cheap train tickets in Europe

Finally, when planning for your budget for your cheap train tickets in Europe you must consider the different economical regions that exist there. Scandinavia is the most expensive part, including Denmark. Switzerland and Austria are also pretty expensive, but not as much normally. Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands are at the following economical level. Then you’ll find Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece and finally the place where train prices will be lower is in Eastern Europe.

By Dani Alonso

www.skyeuropemagazine.com Your quick guide to Travel Europe

Many people of all ages look forward to a trip travelling Europe. As it’s one of the most diverse continents, it helps to get as much information as possible before setting off on a journey whether you plan to go for a week or a month or more.

Europe’s area covers more than four million square miles, from the Atlantic coast to the border with Asia, and from as far north as the Artic Circle down to Mediterranean Sea. You can find every type of environment imaginable – mountains, forests, beaches, islands, and plains. There is something for everyone, every country has spectacular scenery. The climate is as diverse as the languages and culture.

Every year nearly 500 million visitors choose a trip to Europe. Now that the borders between European nations have come down, and with the majority of countries having adapted the same currency, it makes any travel easier to plan and more flexible.

Whether you are on a budget or are willing to pay more for comfort, you will find any trip to Europe an enjoyable experience. Some of the world’s most famous and cosmopolitan cities can be visited even on the shortest of trips.

Western Europe has Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Vienna, and of course London. All of which offer cultural experiences unmatched anywhere in the world. You can take in the sights and sounds of London with its unrivalled history, then jump on the Eurostar train and be in Paris in just a matter of a few hours were you can climb to the top of the Eiffel tower and look down on the majestic River Seine. If architecture is a major interest, then the cities of Eastern Europe will not disappoint. Prague and Budapest will leave you in awe of their beauty.

There is really no limit to the places to visit. Europe has endless sights to see and experience. You will want to return again and again.

www.skyeuropemagazine.com Your quick guide to Travel Europe

Many would-be travelers dream about strolling down the Avenue des Champs-Elysees but are not willing to mortgage their future to finance the trip. However, traveling Europe on the cheap does not require backpacking and hitching free rides from strangers! One affordable solution that offers a happy medium between a super luxurious getaway and “roughing it” is a packaged bus tour.

Packaged bus tours offer the best value per day, due to the tour operator’s ability to secure group rates on hotel accommodations, ground transportation, and sightseeing attractions. They also provide peace of mind, which is priceless: the discerning traveler does not need to obtain an international driver’s license, rent a car (let alone remember on which side of the road to drive!), or read train schedules in foreign languages.

To get the most out of a European bus tour, remember the following travel tips.

Tips to enjoy a Europe bus tour:

• Dress Comfortably: You will spend much of your time sightseeing or riding on the bus. Wear sensible clothes that you can wear while walking around in public areas, and that also fit well while sitting down.
• Be Camera Ready: Pack extra batteries for the camera. Packaged bus tours feature numerous attractions and will often visit multiple countries. However, once the tour leaves for the next attraction, there is usually no turning back. Get that last photo op!
• Eat Wisely: Carry snacks to ward off hunger attacks on the bus, and take advantage of any breakfast inclusions available at the hotel. Be wary of purchasing food at major sightseeing venues where prices are the highest.
• Bring Entertainment: You will have downtime in between attractions and tours. Pack an MP3 player or a book and magazine to keep yourself occupied while en route to the next exciting destination.
• Keep an Open Mind: Touring Europe provides a unique experience to enrich your mind. Interact with passengers to discover similar interests, and learn about local cultures and traditions.

So, you want to travel to Europe but you are on a budget, right? Never fear, this seemingly unsurmountable task can be easily accomplished if you follow a few tips such as knowing when to travel, where to stay, knowing how to travel. Let’s get started!

One of the biggest money savers for a European vacation would be not to travel during peak season. Some in the travel industry refer to this season as “Shoulder Season”, which is just after peak season, so you still get the great weather but miss the hordes of tourists. By traveling during Shoulder Season, generally April through early June and September through early October, you will get decent weather, few crowds, and lower airfare and hotel room charges. Plus you will meet more locals rather than tourists. That’s what you are in Europe for, right?

For sleeping, consider looking into a Bed & Breakfast rather than a pricey hotel room. You will want to know the local term, such as Zimmer in German. By staying in a Bed & Breakfast you will get a comfy room and learn first hand about the local culture. As an alternative, Europe has over 2,000 hostels. These hostels are not limited only to youths. Many hostels even have private rooms, just in case you do not like the idea of sleeping dorm style. As a plus, you can usually use the hostel’s kitchen so you can save money by not going to a pricey touristy restaurant.

Research your transportation costs while in Europe. Generally, cars are expensive when you are in a big city. It will cost you upwards of $40 per day just to store a car in a large city. A better alternative is to use the public transportation. For Eurailpasses, they offer great money savings if you are traveling a lot. But if you plan on taking short trips, look at the cost of buying tickets as you go. And Europe’s second class tickets are about 50% less than first class. To really save some dough, inquire about the local bus system. Even though they are slower, they are much cheaper. For example, a bus from Edinburgh to London costs about $40 vs. $140 on a train.

I hope this gives you some ideas about how you can start to plan your European travel while staying within your budget. All it takes is knowing how to travel, when to travel, and where to rest your head.

Excitement Unlimited

Despite the fact that a lot of people that journey to Europe do this for the thrills, for people who want a much more uncomplicated and laid back adventure then choosing a European hiking tour makes perfect sense. In fact, such hiking tours may take you to most outstandingly beautiful and incredible places on the planet and the wildlife and climate and every thing regarding Europe isn’t like what you’ll find anywhere else on this planet. So, get ready for excitement unlimited.

The key to enjoying backpacking Europe is based on planning well beforehand, particularly to do every thing inside your power to ensure which you are prepared to handle elements such as climate, heat and terrain since the more well equipped you are the more enjoyment you will acquire from of your backpacking trip.

Backpacking through Europe is majestic if absolutely nothing else and also the outdoor environment is special and distinctive and will be like what you will not manage to encounter anyplace else. The walking paths are nothing brief of incredible and also the excellent country side can make such a backpacking trip that much more unique and interesting.

Generally, it is feasible to arrange your Europe backpacking trip with any good travel company although you might have to hike in small groups of eight to ten people. The backpacking are handled by experts with exhaustive understanding about the geography which makes sure you will be safe. You can choose a short or extended European backpacking tour that might last a few hours to those that last for days. There’s something obtainable to be able to suit every kind of need.

Don’t forget, that the more you plan for your European hiking tour the more satisfaction you will acquire out of your adventures. Guided hiking tours are also easily obtainable and worth looking into too. All things considered, if you are preparing on hiking on trails that very few have been on then it pays to be able to have someone qualified guide you so that you will be in a position to appreciate secure, exciting backpacking even in the more remote locations of the world.

Are you searching for an adventurous experience of a lifetime. Taking a backpacking trip through Europe can deliver. Backpacking Europe will bring you into the most incredible and stunning places on the planet.

by Dennis Bell

Europe Trip Planning as a Method

Even if in this article I am not going to emphasize in the methodology to plan a route in Europe, I want to say that every route you plan for yourself or that you evaluate must accomplish that the distance or time invested in the route is the minimum possible provided certain cities you want to visit and/or that the activities or cities you visit are organized in a logical way. The first part means that your route distance or time must be optimized to the best in order to enjoy more time doing the activities you plan (except if you travel by train, which can be an activity by itself). The second part means that, if possible, you should try to organize the route in an intelligent way, trying to put together cities that have things in common, such as belonging to the same country.

Europe Trip Planning for a 1 Week Trip

In the case that you have only 1 week available and you want to do a trip to Europe, you are forced to select 3 major cities. Of course you can focus in only one country and visit more cities, but here I take the example providing that you wan to do an international European tour. My recommendation, which comes directly from tourist evaluation resources, is to divide your trip between London, Paris and Rome. Certainly you could spend 5 days in each of those cities, but in this case we understand you will spend only 2. Of course you are free to reduce the number to 2 of them and visit each city during 3 days. The route in this case is a triangle and there is no optimization possible, just begin from the city that has the best flights from your departure airport.

Europe Trip Planning for a 2 Weeks Trip

That’s the standard holiday people take to Europe, and it allow you to move further to explore something more than just the 3 typical capitals of Europe. In this occasion, I think the best is to include in your itinerary the cities of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Berlin in Germany and Prague in the Czech Republic. At this point, probably a global train pass would be useful but distances are very big and if you don’t take nocturnal trains probably you won’t have time to do it. If you choose the plane, always use Ryanair or, if the route is not covered by them, change to EasyJet or German Wings. If you try the normal carriers you will be charged an awful quantity of money. The way this route would be organized is, departing for example from London, going east to Amsterdam and Berlin, then moving south to Prague and Rome in Italy, and finally climbing up again going through Paris before arriving to London.

Europe Trip Planning for a 3 Weeks Trip

We have to admit it: your boss was in a good mood today when you asked him to take your holidays abroad in Europe. Probably he’s fallen in love… In any case, now you have the opportunity to explore deeper the different cultures you can find in Europe, possibly one of the most varied continents in the World if not the most. We will add in this occasion the cities of Vienna in Austria, Venice as a second city you must visit in Italy and Barcelona, the most touristic city in Spain. In this case, except the routes from and to Barcelona, the rest of the trip would be economically done buying a rail global pass for Europe.

We would depart from London again, going in the same way to Amsterdam, Berlin and Prague, but then before Rome we would visit first Vienna and later Venice, the city of love. Turning down to the italian capital, Rome, and later taking a flight with Ryanair to Barcelona. Ryanair again will guide you to Paris, and finally you can take the last train up to London.

Europe Trip Planning for a 4 Weeks Trip

For the lucky ones that are able to spend nearly a whole month in my home continent, you can go even a deeper and explore more remote regions such as Dublin in Ireland and Budapest in Hungary. Also, adding Brussels to the trip will add more value by discovering the culture of the capital of Belgium. In this occasion, and taking as a reference the 3 weeks route, we will start from London first going up to Dublin and then flying back to Amsterdam in The Netherlands. Another change in the route would be after Vienna: before going to Venice, we will place in between a visit to Budapest, Hungary’s capital. Finally, after the visit to Paris, instead of going directly to London a good idea is to first take the train to Brussels. A global rail pass for Europe would be recommended also for this trip, but certain flights such as the ones to and from Barcelona or to and from Dublin should be done by plane.

What about the airfare cost or hotel accommodation?

As I always recommend, there are some websites where you can get travel certificates for free. Some of them will cover up to $800 in flights making you pay only $80, so you can expect nearly a 90% discount by using travel certificates for flights. Also for hotel accommodation you can find goo 85% discounted travel certificates in 3,4 and 5 star hotels worldwide. Very few people know about their existence, but it’s just a matter of going to the right place. And the question is… Which is that place?

Following a series of negative financial results in a number of years (actually SkyEurope has not made profits since it launched operations in 2002), and a lot of speculation about possible bankruptcy, the airline went into “creditor protection” – a similar state to the famous US Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Earlier this summer, just a few days after they announced their protection while reorganizing, one of their planes was held up at Paris-Orly airport – due to unpaid duties at the airport. It was then communicated through the media that this had nothing to do with their bankruptcy protection and was an illegal move from the Paris Airport company. However, one of their 737s has been parked at Paris Orly for two months because a French court ordered that the airline not be allowed access to the aircraft until it pays debts owed in France… They also have stated several times during the summer of 2009 that they are paying all of their bills as required and while the reorganization takes place, passengers may count on an uninterrupted service. This was true until last Friday, when:

At the end of July they named the Austrian FOCUS Equity investor group as a partner with whom an agreement had been signed, reporting that FOCUS is willing to invest up to EUR 16.5m, its condition being the successful restructuring of the firm. Ever since this news, SkyEurope has been trying to resolve the problem with lack of cash for the restructuring process.

Just last week further bad news saw the light about the airline, when Vienna Airport announced early in the week, that it will suspend ground handling services for SkyEurope by Friday, unless its outstanding fees to Vienna International are settled by then. Most likely these fees totaling approximately EUR 4 million, have not been settled, as SkyEurope went into pro-active mode on Friday night (August 14, 2009), and simply moved all of its operations from Vienna to the close-by Bratislava airport, overnight. The airports are only 48 kms apart in the air (59 kms on the road), but the move could still lead to unhappy passengers due to delayed flights.

Even though the official announcement of SkyEurope included the word “TEMPORARILY”, it is not yet announced when the Vienna flights would depart and arrive actually in Vienna again. (The information page on their website gets updated everyday to push out the end date by one day…) This temporary measure runs “until an agreement can be reached to resume flights from Vienna.” All passengers scheduled to depart from Vienna on SkyEurope flights will be checked into their flight at Vienna airport as usual and then transferred by bus to nearby Bratislava airport for their flight departures. Passengers should arrive at the Vienna airport to check in at the normal time as they would for a Vienna departure. After check-in, passengers can board the buses in front of the departure area of Vienna Airport Terminal 2. Passengers on SkyEurope flights arriving in Bratislava rather than Vienna will be transferred by bus to Vienna airport. This will mean that the Vienna departure flights will leave Bratislava at least an hour late, and given the short turn-around time used at low-cost airlines, they will arrive back to Vienna at least an hour late. Then passengers will take the bus to Vienna, which could lead to almost a two hour delay in arrivals to the Vienna airport.

SkyEurope will give every affected passenger a free airfare voucher for a future SkyEurope flight. Vouchers will be sent to passengers via e-mail after their flights.

Undermining the “Temporarily” term in the press release about the move, SkyEurope.com has a large banner on the homepage, advertising a 40% sale for “Vienna” low fares - now departing from Bratislava – for the time period September-February (2010). As the banner suggests that these flights will now depart from Bratislava instead of Vienna – it gives the impression that this move is not temporary after all, but is planned for at least half a year – for the less busy winter time-period, for sure – but more probably for the undefined future. When clicking through the banner, you will see the following message:

“By moving our operations from Vienna to Bratislava Airport, you are now saving 40% on our lowest fares.

Booking period: Aug 18, 6pm – Aug 20, 12am.
Travel period: September 1 – February 22?

Not the banner, nor the conditions mention the word “temporarily”…

Looking at this banner also made me think, whether if the move was intended due to the lower handling costs avialable in Bratislava (which may have gotten even lower with the additional capacity bringing better negotiating power with the airport operator) and the Vienna Airport situation was only used as a media reason for the move? Just think about it. Which press release would give you a better impression of the airline:
A) “We are sorry, but due to lower operational costs, we will move our Vienna operations to Bratislava as our financial situation has worsened recently and this is one of the reorganization measures in order to keep SkyEurope in the air (for the time being).” or
B) “Vienna Airport has suspended servicing our flights due to some minor unsettled issues, but SkyEurope have managed to relocate all of those flights to nearby Bratislava – and we’ll take you there by bus for free, plus give you a free flight voucher”.
I think B) just proves to be better accepted by the flying public, and makes SkyEurope look like the champion of quick, problem-solving reaction and relocation!

Whatever the truth is, we hope SkyEurope succeeds in its reorganizational efforts, even though we have our doubts. A low-cost airline using only two basis airports is simply not destined for long-term survival, especially when it has been kicked out of two airports due to unsettled fees in recent months… Keeping our fingers crossed!

by balint01

source: http://airlineworld.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/skyeurope-airlines-moves-vienna-flights-to-bratislava/

Your travel to Europe could be as exciting as you want it to be. However, keep in mind that having a travel insurance for your travel to Europe is one way of protecting yourself from unexpected events that you cannot control.

If incase you cancel your trip from falling sick or medical emergency during your transit or visit, your travel insurance company will pay for all those travel interruption expenses including medical expenses (including evacuation and repatriation), non-refundable airline tickets, cruise and tour deposits. If incase your airline lost or damaged your baggage your travel insurance company pays the actual value of your missing bags or items including the items you purchased while waiting for your delayed baggage.

During your travel to Europe keep a copy of the insurance policy with you. It is also necessary to take photograph and receipts of your expensive items such as jewelery or cameras, as this will help a lot at the time of lodging claims.

If you think there are any losses incurred during your trip, immediately report it to the authorities.

Keep in mind that all travel insurance packages that you get from providers are not equal so always read the product disclosure statement and ensure that you understand exactly what your travel insurance covers.  Also, ensure that the medical coverage is adequate for possible expenses in the country of your destination as in some parts of the world medical costs can be very expensive.

If you’re in doubt with your insurance policy always clarify any policy issues directly with your insurer.

Image by: UggBoy

If you’re traveling on a tight budget make sure you have prepared provisions for your travel needs such as food, accommodation, travel insurance and transportation in this way if you thoroughly plan your itineraries you may save a lot of money and can enjoy more on your travel.

Some student travel Europe experts may advise you a few things that you can prepare for your travel to Europe.

1. Your destination – Europe is a multi cultural city so you might plan well your itineraries on those places you want to visit or hang out the most, you may try to speak to your travel agency to give you more options or ideas that will make your travel more memorable and enjoyable.

2. Visa (Non – EU citizens) –You may inquire to your desired European country embassy or consulate. They will provide the list of requirements for your entry to their country.

3. Air Ticket – Some airlines are giving student discounts and you may try to inquire to your local travel agency or you can find them on the internet.

4. Travel Insurance – This will provide you coverage from unforeseen scenarios such accidental death, evacuation, lost or stolen baggage and medical assistance.

5. Student ID – If you have an International Student Identity Card (ISIC), this card is the most widely recognized and accepted student identity card. Having this card will also give you discounts on travel tickets, hotels, museums and historical sites.

6. Passport- Valid passport is always needed for entering any country.

7. Cash, debit or credit card – It doesn’t matter whether you are traveling on a budget or not it is always a necessity to bring an emergency cash incase you need it.

8. Driving License – Most European countries will allow you to drive on their streets as long as you hold an International Driving Permit. Try to inquire to your local driving licensing agency if they are providing an international driving permit.

9. Accommodation – The cities in Europe are always full of hotels and hostels for students and you can always find one that fits within your budget.

When you’re in Europe and have successfully enjoyed and travel the places of your destination don’t forget to send postcards or some happy snaps to your friends and family back home or alternatively you can always share them along to your favorite social networking sites.