My wife and I came to Germany back in 2014 for one primary objective… travel! At the time I hadn’t been to Europe, didn’t know the best way to get around, and wasn’t sure where to start. We came here employed by the US government on a 2 year contract, so like many of the military families in our community, our time was short and needed to be purposeful!
We wandered our way through Europe by car, bus, train, cheap plane tickets, and even cruises. Needless to say, our 2 year contract turned into an indefinite contract and we learned a lot about how to travel.
Below you will find travel resources, hacks, and tips we used (and still use) to take advantage of affordable travel within Europe.
EuroTrip Adventures
EuroTrip Adventures is a leading group travel company out of Germany with very affordable prices. They travel by bus and plane to nearly every country in the EU. Their trips are tailored to an entire spectrum of travel styles, whether it be a quiet hike in the Bohemia Switzerland National Park or a crazy big beach spring break in Croatia, they’ve got it all. I’ve been on almost every trip they offer and I love how organized, accommodating, and friendly they are. If you’re looking for a good time with like minded people at an affordable price, I highly recommend trying out one of their many tours they offer!
Bavarian Ticket
The train system in Europe is incredible. If you live, or plan on traveling through Germany, you have to take advantage of the Bavarian (Bayern) ticket at any DB train station. The ticket cost €25 and will give you unlimited travel for the entire day anywhere in the state of Bavaria. This includes any underground subway, above ground trams in the city, and buses. Anytime we’re traveling within Bavaria we use this ticket. Make sure you pay attention to the specific times and day of the week! I’ve definitely purchased the ticket at the wrong time and had to pay for a whole new ticket once they found out on the train. Oops!
PS: This ticket is NOT valid for ICE trains (made that mistake too!).
RyanAir
I have a love/hate relationship with Ryanair, but you can’t beat their prices. Here’s what I can recommend, download the Ryanair app and find the closest Ryanair airport to you (for me, it’s Nuremberg). Once you know the closest Ryanair airport, go to “Find Flights” and type that airport in the “From” section. Then it will show you all the possible airports you can fly into for very very low prices.
Keep in mind! Ryanair will give you low airfare on specific days, but will happily charge you ridiculous amounts of money for name changes, medium sized bags, and uncomfortable seat selections. We fly with Ryanair only if we’re going on a short vacation and can get away with bringing small carry ons.