EUROTRIP

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04-26-10

what to do, where to go, how to do it

I’ve been doing MASSIVE amounts of research on the internet and if I don’t share I’m going to burst! So we’re getting really close to having a basic outline on where we’re going to go, how many days we’re going to be there and how we’re going to get there.

The thing that takes the most amount of time, after figuring out what cities to go to, is planning how to get to each one. Of course the biggest factor that helped us decide was, which was cheaper, plane or train? Trains are easier to get on compared to the hassle of airports, but they can get pricey. Planes can save time and many flights are surprisingly cheap.

The other hard part was figuring out what airline to use, Andrew’s brother showed us this site, Which Budget, which made things so much easier. You basically say, I want to fly from _____________ to _____________ and it tells you which airlines offer that connection as well as the cheapest.

I also found this site for trains/rail, Rail Saver. You can plan out your trip, even do more than one city at a time, choose if you want it to be an overnight train, etc. Rail Saver will then suggest whether it would be better/cheaper for you to get a rail pass or buy individual tickets for your trips.

This is my first trip to Europe ever, let alone my first backpacking trip. I’ve been combing the internet on advice from other traveler’s and came across a super helpful forum called Backback Europe Bulletin Board. I spent many days reading through all the posts and got a better idea of what to bring, what kind of things to be prepared for, what kind of clothes to where; all the different random things I was worried about. I was even worried about little girly things, like hair straighteners. By recommendation of the forum, I ended up getting this dual voltage mini hair straightener. It’s about the size of a fat sharpie and even comes with a heat resistant pouch so you don’t have to worry about it burning/melting things.

I’ve been also trying to figure out cool things to do. Design*Sponge has a great list of city guides put together (including ones in the US) of things to do, shop, eat, etc. Which is where I found out about Fat Tire Bike Tours. Basically it’s the guided tours by English speaking, history buffs who show you all the highlights of the city while riding a bike. They have day tours, night tours and some cities offer specialty tours like wine tasting. I’ve been against doing super touristy things, but I think taking a bike tour would be way more fun; plus I can ask the guide about the non-touristy stuff to do later.

04-20-10

Lonely Planet iPhone Guides for Europe: Free for a limited time

Thanks to Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull Volcano, many people in Europe are stranded without a plane home.
Lonely Planet decided to offer 12 of their iPhone guides of Europe to download FOR FREE until April 23rd so those stranded people can “make the most of their “unexpected” holiday”. I saw this and immediately started downloading! Those things cost about $17 a pop! The cities include: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Copenhagen, Istanbul, London, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Rome & Stockholm. I recommend downloading them with a wifi connection instead of 3G, otherwise it will take FOREVER.

I have played with these apps some and review them below: Read more…