After that we drove in Europe by car we decided to write some tips that may be useful to those who travel to Europe on their own. It is impossible to take everything into account, therefore only what seemed important to us. Ideally, to avoid unforeseen situations, you need to thoroughly surf the Internet before the trip..
Add in the comments what is important to you. It will be useful for us too, next time we will take into account.
If you are traveling to Europe on your own by car
- Plan in advance the route, reference points. The navigator is very useful on the road. You don't have to constantly check the map to check the correct route. However, technical devices tend to be buggy, so you need to know some main points on the road and have information in printed form..
- Try to drive no more than 200-300 kilometers a day, or at least no more than 500 km. Because it takes a lot of time, and such a trip strives to turn into a race..
- Moderate your appetites for the places you visit as early as possible. As a rule, you want to have time for everything on this short trip, but it is very difficult, unless, of course, you are going to have a rest. It is much better to study in more detail one country, or several cities, than to see a hundred places almost only from the car window..
- When traveling, it is best to refuel the tank after it is half empty. We were faced with the fact that after 6 pm, gas stations close and work automatically, and our cards are not accepted by machines (this is in France).
- The road network in Europe is very extensive in comparison with Russia, it is very easy to get confused.
- A very useful thing is an inverter. With it, you don't have to think about dead batteries in your phone, camera or laptop..
- Moving along the autobahns will usually be faster, so if you just need to get from point A to point B, then this is a good option. But if you want to see interesting places and have time, then down with the autobahns. On the way, you can meet stunning small towns, like from a fairy tale, beautiful nature, and much more..
To Europe on your own
Reducing the cost of travel to Europe
- Think and find out as much as possible in advance if you want to make your trip cheaper. For example, how will you get from one city to another, or from the airport to the city (as a rule, there are always expensive and cheap options).
- If you are traveling by car, take food with you on the road, as well as a gas stove on which you can cook. Often there are parking lots with tables and benches where you can relax and eat.
- Travel during the warmer months, and then you can spend the night in a tent in campsites for a small fee, for free in parking lots or in places where no one really sees you. If you set up a tent at nightfall, and shoot at dawn, then hardly anyone will notice you.
- If you are traveling alone or are accustomed to simple conditions, then instead of hotels, spend the night in hostels, where prices are usually lower, and where you can choose both a room where 4-10 people live, and an individual one. Another plus is the presence of a kitchen where you can cook food.
- Search for hotels through the RoomGuru service. It shows prices at once in all booking systems. That is, you can see how much the same hotel costs in different systems and choose where it is cheaper. It is better to book in advance, you are tortured to look for a hotel on the spot, especially budget ones.
- Consider an option with a list or couchsurfing (what it is). Just do not treat this as just free housing, this is, first of all, interesting communication, the opportunity to get to know the country and the city from the inside.
- Sleep at the airport when necessary (early flight) instead of a hotel, as a rule, you can always find a comfortable seat, especially when there is foam. The police are loyal to such travelers.
- Get yourself some low-cost, but working health insurance. We make Liberty or ERV through this mega-useful service, where you can compare prices for 16 insurances at once and see all their conditions and assistance. Because you may have to spend money on medicine, but it is not very cheap.
- Use hitchhiking or kavoturazh in France for moving between cities.
- Buy groceries in advance in large supermarkets and markets at low prices, without waiting for expensive small shops.
- Use McDonald's when you need a free toilet, internet, and recharging your electronic devices.
Hitchhiker's Guide to Europe
When we traveled to Europe on our own, we spent about 50,000 rubles for a month of traveling for two. This is largely due to the fact that we traveled by car most of the way, hitchhiked a short section, made two flights low-cost airlines (I advise you to buy air tickets through Aviasales.ru and Skyscanner.ru, we regularly use them), spent the night in a tent, on a yacht, and inexpensive hotels, and hardly ate in a cafe.
About how we received Schengen French visas, I wrote here - How to apply for a Schengen visa yourself.
