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Not a traveler per se, but I was talking with a friend about how many countries I visited recently in Europe. He's like "how can you afford to drive to all those countries when gas is expensive over there?" I told him I didn't drive; I had a Eurail pass and took the trains cheaply. And then he's like "how the hell are you supposed to get around without a car?"
It's clear he's never been to Europe; any visitor's gonna have a much easier time getting around by train than driving and navigating their disorganized roads, foreign traffic rules, and road signs in other languages.
It's clear he's never been to Europe; any visitor's gonna have a much easier time getting around by train than driving and navigating their disorganized roads, foreign traffic rules, and road signs in other languages.
Not necessarily so. The last time I went to Europe, 20 years ago, now, there were three of us, and we rented a little car for three weeks, and we stayed mostly in farmhouses and village inns. We could buy market food and carry it with us easily, stop where we wanted for photos, It was a lot cheaper than three Eurail passes, even counting the gas. Roads were well-marked, we never got lost. Road signs don't have languages on them they have intuitive symbols easily learned, the names of places in our alphabet, and arrows. Rules of the road are same as here: Keep right, stop at stop signs, signal turns, don't pass on curves.
But keep in mind this was in 2008.. with the equivalent of $10/gallon gas in Europe..
If you rented a car with 40 mpg and traveled an average of 300 miles a day, that's $75/day in gas, on top of rental fees. By comparison, the eurail pass was about 40 euros a day (about $64 under the worst exchange rates.)
Not to mention being able to relax and enjoy the scenery on the train.
Then again, if you don't travel alone and can actually find a car to rent that's big enough to fit all your suitcases, it may be worth while.
Traveling today, three Eurailpasses would cost $1,788, for 21 days, covering the countries we visited, from Netherlands to Croatia.
A car like the one we had would rent today for $757 for 21 days, plus $200 for insirance, and we drove about 3,000 miles, so call that 75 gallons @ $7 (the actual current price), or $500, total $1,450.
We got to go where we wanted, and see and do what we wanted, the way we wanted to do it, and never had to carry our bags or take a taxi, a lot cheaper than Eurailpass. You haven't sold me.
And I do know what train travel is like, too. I spent seven months there on the train almost everywhere. I've driven a car in 48 countries, so that's no problem, either.
Traveling today, three Eurailpasses would cost $1,788, for 21 days, covering the countries we visited, from Netherlands to Croatia.
A car like the one we had would rent today for $757 for 21 days, and we drove about 3,000 miles, so call that 75 gallons @ $7 (the actual current price), or $500, total $1,250.
We got to go where we wanted, and see and do what we wanted, the way we wanted to do it, a lot cheaper than Eurailpass. You haven't sold me.
I agree with you. We too rented a car in 2008 and drove through 5 countries. So much better and more flexible than being stuck on a train. However, you don't have to go with the Eurail pass. My family that lives in Europe says they never pay that, those are tourist prices. When we take the train from Poland to Czech Republic, it's mere dollars.
Traveling today, three Eurailpasses would cost $1,788, for 21 days, covering the countries we visited, from Netherlands to Croatia.
A car like the one we had would rent today for $757 for 21 days, plus $200 for insirance, and we drove about 3,000 miles, so call that 75 gallons @ $7 (the actual current price), or $500, total $1,450.
We got to go where we wanted, and see and do what we wanted, the way we wanted to do it, and never had to carry our bags or take a taxi, a lot cheaper than Eurailpass. You haven't sold me.
And I do know what train travel is like, too. I spent seven months there on the train almost everywhere. I've driven a car in 48 countries, so that's no problem, either.
Maybe be worth it for 3 people but definitely NOT 1 when I traveled alone!
Dumbest travellers or at least travelers that for some reason bug me.
The lady going through security with her carry on, her purse, umbrella, and her roller - and her cup of starbucks. Like you need to bring that through the security line and have to dedicate one hand to that cup and try to control all your other belongings. Like a security blanket or something.
The guy with the suit jacket and jeans. Such a dumb look. I suppose there is a reason like you can fold your pants in your luggage but not your suit jacket.
Buying food on an airplane. Dumb. Bring your own.
Buying drinks on an airplane at $7? It is perfectly legal to bring those little shooter bottles of vodka or whatever through security as long as they fit in a one qt bag. Orange juice is still free.
The guy with the suit jacket and jeans. Such a dumb look. I suppose there is a reason like you can fold your pants in your luggage but not your suit jacket.
I'm very curious to know how old you are. This look is huge right now, and many guys in LA, Vegas and NYC wear it to clubs, etc. It's not a work outfit and I highly doubt they even have pants to go with it. However, blazers are the right thing to wear, not suit jackets. It's a very popular look for the guys in their 20s. Fashion trends, like anything else, change with the times.
I'd much rather see this look than the hideous outfits most wear these days, mostly the men and women in their 40s and 50s who try to look younger but fail miserably! Really, do people have no mirrors anymore?
Other than that, senior citizens that have five carry on items is a bit ridiculous.
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