Each country still maintains its own transportation systems which makes travelling cheaply and investigating the possibility of cheaper travel virtually a nightmare. That is the reason in the places I blog about,  I make a point of pointing out the hidden travel cost saving tips,  because they are simply different even regionally within the same country.

Travel By Car ?

Great flexibility is a big advantage  but the rentals are not so flexible when you rent it from say Berlin and want to return it in Rome.

As you travel across different countries – so do the languages ; Zentrum (German), Centro (Italian), Centrum (Dutch)  – all points to the city centre.

There are also the different traffic rules – where in certain Autobahns in Germany it is possible to drive as fast as you want.

You also have to take the speed limits seriously – and some are seriously clownish – with a space of a few meters where the speed changes from 100 to 70 to 50 with the cops waiting after the 50 mark , confident to collect money. I was the victim of such a “scam” in Croatia where a fine for 150 Euros was collected.

Parking is yet another challenge. You will see parking spots with some rules when you have to pay for the ticket however they are in a language you might not know , in Slovenian for example.  Parking at hotels are NOT a given, some hotels expect quite a high payment for parking in the garage. Please check the parking allowance at the hotel page before booking.

The Road Tax also differs from the different countries – If you are travelling say from Germany to Croatia , you will have to pay road tax for Austria, Slovenia and toll in  Croatia as well in order to drive through them.

Accomodations

When I travel around in Asia – it was not a real issue how many people stay in the hotel – We would book a room and have 5 even 6 people cram in for cost savings sake. This is not the case in Europe – hotels or apartments take seriously how many people per room and charge accordingly. It may have something to do with also the consumption of water and energy for additional people using the Room, which in Europe does cost a lot. So if you do not want to experience the unpleasantness of arguments and extra cost charged, be upfront and have a smooth holiday.

Especially in the smaller hotels or apartment rentals, do take note of things that are not working as soon as you check in to the room, and if something is not right, tell the reception straight away, to avoid being charged for something faulty or missing that is not your fault. I have also made this experience with a colleague- at a longer stay apartment – the owners wanted to charge for a spoilt pan with a burnt back which was not done by any of us. A huge argument and obviously tense situation ensued which put a real damper on our stay.

Travelling by Plane ?

If you fly with especially the low-budget airlines eg Ryan Air, Easy Jet and the likes – the prices could be super attractive but if you so much as ignore the fine print – it is very possible you pay a whole lot more than you would if you had travelled on a non-budget airline in the first place.

Do not take for granted – the luggage you can take on board , both size wise as well as weight. It’s in the fine print. I made this expensive mistake on my low-budget airline flight to Brindisi, Italy. I had a pull-trolley cabin baggage that I usually carry on as hand luggage on my long haul flights, as well as a backpack. At the airport , there is a size checking device , where you would put your luggage in to check if it fulfills the criteria.

No amount of pushing or forcing could make my luggage fit unless i remove the wheels and that costed me both time and money – I had to pay almost 100 Euros more – an expensive lesson to learn and I had to also scramble to ensure I bought a  check-in luggage option then for the flight back. I found a solution thereafter – I bought a CabinMax bag which has the exact dimensions of so far all the Budget airlines for carry-on luggage.

The airlines also seriously check how many pieces of luggage you are bringing on , that backpack I was carrying constituted a second baggage piece. Of course that was resolved because I had to check-in my bigger hand luggage and only then carried the backpack aboard. Be aware that the 2nd piece of luggage could then also be chargeable.

Another important thing , make sure you are really on time to check-in and also to the boarding gate. They mean business and close the gate and presumably sell off your ticket if it is a full flight. You must then buy another ticket which costs 3 times more.

Travelling by Train ?

You never notice how long a train really is , until you have to run the entire length of it, to get to another platform.  Besides the fact that trains do have delays , you should really check that you have enough time to make the change of trains – 30 minutes is the minimum for a train change. Otherwise make sure you have a good strong heart for the running and to handle the stress.  I could really tell you stories on this.

You often find cheap train tickets on offer , if you travel only on that specific train – missing to get on it, is a real bummer for your budget, and not to mention if you have to be somewhere on time. If you think there is a chance of not making it onto a specific train, better to buy a flexible ticket.

Very often the trains stop for just a few minutes at a station 5-10 minutes tops. So , there is really not that much time to search for and get on the right compartment. Thankfully there is a way to prepare for it. Look for the boards on the platform itself – a lot of them show the train – which parts are 1st and 2nd class and also where the Restaurant on board is. They should also show the compartments and the corresponding designated platforms you should wait on.

So, why is it important that you get on the right compartments , on the train ?  One is – it is not for sure you can go through all compartments to get to the right one from inside the train.  The other – not to assume the whole train will stay intact throughout your journey. It is sometimes the case the half of the train breaks away one going east and the other half goes to the west. You should keep your eyes open also for the destinations placed at the sides of the train before you get on.

If you are on a long train ride, it is best to reserve your seats on the train. Benefits to this is, you are of course guaranteed a place to sit for the duration of the journey. I have done a 9-hour journey from Rome to Villach – on a full train , sick with flu and had to stand for 9 hours! Trust me , you wouldn’t want that, sick or not..  The other benefit is that you are then sure you are on the right train compartment heading to the right direction.

Valid travel documents. Of course you need this regardless of the kind of transportation you take.  On the train , when it is cross-country , there are custom police checks. I have witnessed some people being directed to get off the train , sometimes in the middle of nowhere – and this is a more serious situation because you cannot take the train back because then you are asked to get off again and would need to search for alternate transportation and pray that they don’t check for passports. So don’t leave home without it!

Summary

Of course in the end , travel mishaps and incidents are part of the travel experience. You even have more interesting tales to tell around the dinner table or in a blog page 😉  I wish you Happy and Safe Travels.

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