I am been off blogging for a while and soaking in the culture of other countries for a while and it has been, wait-for-it, absolutely amazing to begin with. Of course we had our share of planning the last moment and actually acing it like a pro. Unfortunate for us, our travel agent backed out and we were left with just a sketchy plan and the money we had saved for the trip.
Get A Pass:
When you know that you have to go and the VISA stamp is staring right on your face then just make a travel plan. The best thing you could do is get a euro rail pass. This railway pass is divided into three categories- single country, four countries and 24 countries. The gobal pass is the most flexible if you want to change the route you had planned earlier. This pass means that you get to use any train from country to country but (And yes, you have a magic formula that I will tell you now), you have to get a reservation done which is as less as 3 to 4 euros. And without a reservation, its as good as not carrying a eural rail pass, so avoid any drama with the TT in the train and get reservations done as soon as you reach the first country.
Get a multi currency Card:
Getting a multi currency card will ensure you with money that could be transferred from India too. Your relative could put the money if are short and that way you will not feel penniless. It's better to check out the currency of each country before deciding on one. My suggestion would be if you are adding Budapest and Prague in your list of countries then you have to have Krowns and Forints
with you.
Carry Cash:
If you plan to visit the country side and want to just relax away from the city then it's best that you have cash in hand. Also not only will you save on food but also you will have change with you for souvenirs on your way. The kebab stalls and the Asian food stalls are cheap and sometimes great on the go if you are in a hurry to get on with out sight seeing.
Cheapest deals online:
Accommodation should be your next priority. If you are looking for hotels and have enough to squander on stay then go ahead. It will cost you a bomb even if you plan to only sleep in the room anyway. The best favor you could do to yourself is check the websites like Airbnb.com and Lastminute.com. Do give breakfast and bed accommodations a chance. They worked out great for us and that could be the best way for you to meet the locals.
Carry a GPS aka Smartphone
After getting your accommodations done, save them all on your maps. That way when you arrive, you will know the exact location of your destination. Also if you think that you will need to come back to the particular place then keep saving locations. It works great offline too and you will have cafe's wifi and hotspot wifi everywhere in Europe so you will have no problem in saving locations.
Airtickets:
Contrary to what people say, air tickets are not expensive the last minute. You will get good airlines like Air India too. But be sure to book them before you leave.
Booking tours:
You can reach your destination and book your tours right in the city. There are tour offices that provide you will deals and combo deals that would suit your itinerary. But do not pinch money now that you have reached your dream place. Just go for what makes you happy and will make your memories evergreen.
This are a few tips to have a holiday if you really do want to get your hands dirty with planning at the very last minute. You will actually get so much confidence in yourself that you will already be on your way on ditching the travel agent for your next trip abroad.
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| Planning in one of our journeys in train |
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| From Prague To Budapest |
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| Paris Metro Station. The best connected city. |
Get A Pass:
When you know that you have to go and the VISA stamp is staring right on your face then just make a travel plan. The best thing you could do is get a euro rail pass. This railway pass is divided into three categories- single country, four countries and 24 countries. The gobal pass is the most flexible if you want to change the route you had planned earlier. This pass means that you get to use any train from country to country but (And yes, you have a magic formula that I will tell you now), you have to get a reservation done which is as less as 3 to 4 euros. And without a reservation, its as good as not carrying a eural rail pass, so avoid any drama with the TT in the train and get reservations done as soon as you reach the first country.
Get a multi currency Card:
Getting a multi currency card will ensure you with money that could be transferred from India too. Your relative could put the money if are short and that way you will not feel penniless. It's better to check out the currency of each country before deciding on one. My suggestion would be if you are adding Budapest and Prague in your list of countries then you have to have Krowns and Forints
with you.
Carry Cash:
 |
| At Berlin central station |
If you plan to visit the country side and want to just relax away from the city then it's best that you have cash in hand. Also not only will you save on food but also you will have change with you for souvenirs on your way. The kebab stalls and the Asian food stalls are cheap and sometimes great on the go if you are in a hurry to get on with out sight seeing.
Cheapest deals online:
Accommodation should be your next priority. If you are looking for hotels and have enough to squander on stay then go ahead. It will cost you a bomb even if you plan to only sleep in the room anyway. The best favor you could do to yourself is check the websites like Airbnb.com and Lastminute.com. Do give breakfast and bed accommodations a chance. They worked out great for us and that could be the best way for you to meet the locals.
 |
| And we relaxed because our planning was just going perfect. Yes alcohol is permitted on board. |
After getting your accommodations done, save them all on your maps. That way when you arrive, you will know the exact location of your destination. Also if you think that you will need to come back to the particular place then keep saving locations. It works great offline too and you will have cafe's wifi and hotspot wifi everywhere in Europe so you will have no problem in saving locations.
Airtickets:
Contrary to what people say, air tickets are not expensive the last minute. You will get good airlines like Air India too. But be sure to book them before you leave.
Booking tours:
You can reach your destination and book your tours right in the city. There are tour offices that provide you will deals and combo deals that would suit your itinerary. But do not pinch money now that you have reached your dream place. Just go for what makes you happy and will make your memories evergreen.
This are a few tips to have a holiday if you really do want to get your hands dirty with planning at the very last minute. You will actually get so much confidence in yourself that you will already be on your way on ditching the travel agent for your next trip abroad.
Nice tips Sonia! I did much the same last year for a 20 day 10 cities trip in Europe last year on almost a shoe string budget with cities spanning from Zurich, Marseilles , Barcelona to Vienna Budapest Prague and Berlin to name a few. I almost relived the memories as I followed your posts:)
ReplyDeleteThx Rahul :). We had a 20 day trip too
DeleteVery nicely written Sonia. You can be a good travel writer.
ReplyDeleteThx Shivangi :). I plan to write more on travel now.
DeleteVery nicely written Sonia. You can be a good travel writer.
ReplyDeleteVery nicely written Sonia. You can be a good travel writer.
ReplyDeleteThese are really wonderful tips to mange your travel and to have the best time in limited resources. Nice post. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Gaurab :).
DeleteGreat Tips Sonia
ReplyDeleteWaiting for more.
Thx Vikram. Hope to add more pretty soon.
DeleteThanks so much for your blog! I have seriously been considering ef college break, and this was very helpful! How were the hotels that you stayed in? Were they dirty and far away from the main cities?
ReplyDeleteday trips from rome
Great info! Very simple and easy…nobody can explain as interesting as this. I appreciate your time and effort on making things simple and easily understandable.
ReplyDeleteCurrency Exchange San Francisco