Some women find it scary and intimidating to travel within the EU. There are many valid reasons, such as, language barriers, currency differences and the simple fact that you're a young American girl. Once you are able to set these all aside, it is so convenient, cheap and easy. I found it to be easier than traveling within the continental US. There are so many ways to do it and I'm going to help a sista out.
PLANES//
Actually getting to the EU can be very expensive. If you play your cards right, you can find a cheap flight. From my experience, it is better to buy tickets in the off-season. So be sure you avoid times like Christmas, summer, and school breaks. It is also typically more inexpensive if you buy your ticket one-way instead of round-trip. It can be a little scary to click that button, with no plans of returns, but it really ends up to the the best thing.
Once you're in the EU, that's when plane tickets start to get hella cheap. I flew from Vilnius, Lithuania to Frankfurt, Germany for €15, which is equivalent to $17 USD. To put that in to perspective, that's a trip from Chicago to Dallas for less than $20. The main website I used while there was https://www.skyscanner.com/. There are many other websites, but this is the one that I became most comfortable with and felt safest using.
HEADS UP GIRLY! The reason these flights are so cheap, is because they get you with your baggage. They weigh every piece of baggage you have, and if it weighs over a certain amount or measures too big, they are going to charge you ridiculous amounts of money. You need to be extra super careful about what you pack and the size of bag you're bringing unless you want to get drained of all of your money.
TRAINS//
I haven't had any personal experience on the trains in Europe, because they are not as popular in the Eastern part. I have had many friends that have used the train system and loved it! It is a system where you can buy different packages that allow you to access the train in multiple different countries. The website is http://www.eurail.com/. When buying your passes, be sure that you are buying the one that will allow you to reach all of the countries you need to. If you buy one that will only get you around one country, you are going to need to buy another one. So be sure you read all of the details!
AUTOMOBILES//
I never actually used any taxis or Ubers while I was in Europe. I tried to stay as safe as possible while there, and I still felt uneasy about being in a car with a European man. When I was in my home city, I used their public transportation system. It is a system of buses. I highly recommend this. If this is something you're going to do, be sure to buy a bus pass, and be sure to scan/punch/activate it every time you step on that bus. Even if it is just for one stop. In Europe, they have police officers that do random checks at bus stops to be sure that you have scanned your bus pass. If you need help buying or activating your pass, try and make friends with a local that speaks english and can help you. It will be much easier than trying to figure it out on your own, because it can get pretty tricky.
So, for my main ways of travel to different countries, I took a bus! I travelled to multiple countries via bus. It is extremely cheap, and it is pretty quick. Many of the buses that I took were night buses and fairly comfortable so you could get a nights sleep. The bus company that I used was https://luxexpress.eu/et. When making your reservation, be sure that you are booking it to the right bus stop. Many of the major cities have multiple stops, and you want to be sure that it is closest to your destination.
I hope this helped! Happy travels.
xx,
ann
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