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Raileurope.com: See Europe by train
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Old 08-27-2004, 10:40 PM   #1
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Okay, can I just say that I am more excited(and scared to death)to do this than I have ever been about anything in my life! On oct. 13th my boyfriend and I will be travelling to Europe for six months! I quick my job and were packin up! I would love any advice anyone can give. I have done a lot of research and there are still some things I am unsure of.

1. Is the eurail a rip off? I have taked to several people and they say it is. Is there any problem walking into a station and buying a ticket?

2. Are the pick-pocketers(sp?) as bad as everyone says? My boyfriend and I were Amsterdam last March and never had a problem.

And I swear it's the last..


3. Does anyone know how easy it is to find some temp work in Ireland? I have friends who have been in Greece for a year and they had no problems with work there.


Let my know if anyone can answer anything.
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Old 08-28-2004, 07:44 AM   #2
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hey there, welcome to the boards. First off, LUCKY you going for 6 months! We are all jealous. The eurail pass depends on which countries and how many you plan to travel through. I would imagine you are traveling through a lot of countries in 6 months so you should definitely look into it. It can save you money if you are doing some long journeys between countries. I wasted money when I got one just for Spain though. Plus it can be good for peace of mind knowing you have already laid out the money for traveling and don't really have to budget for it. Pick pocketers are around everywhere, but if you are careful you shouldn't have any problems. Use a money belt around your waist and just don't be stupid and leave your stuff for example on a bench and wander away for a bit. Keep an eye on your stuff in the train. Also, lots of people like to split their money and credit cards between different places so if the stuff in one spot gets stolen they still have the other stuff. The most recent news I heard about finding work in Ireland: I met this Canadian girl in Spain in June who had gone to Ireland and searched for ANY kind of work unsuccessfully for over three weeks before she gave up and left. She said they told her that it doesn't make sense to hire someone for a couple months when they have people coming over from the new eastern EU countries who can stay indefinitely. Plus these people I think get preference and are known to be hard workers who will work for less. So, she made it sound pretty difficult. That is all I know about that. Good luck and let us know if you have more questions!

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Old 08-29-2004, 08:59 AM   #3
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The place to watch out for pickpockets would be train stations, mass transit, etc. They make their living off the masses -- not just travelers.

Sounds like you got a great adventure planned. As for Eurail, if you're going to be moving around a lot, then yes. If you're going to spend, say, a month in Spain, three weeks in Italy, a month in the UK...then perhaps not. But if you plan on seeing a bit of lots of countries, and not just a few in depth, then give it a whirl. Plus, train travel is the most comfortable form of travel...

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Old 08-29-2004, 10:47 PM   #4
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i'm leaving for europe on sept 21 (oh yeah!!!!!) and i'm spending 2 wks in spain, 2wks in portugal, 1month in czech, and 2 wks in scotland (staying with family there so no train pass needed) is it worth it to get an individual pass for each country (i found thats the cheapest way)? 'cause i'm on a serious budget!
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Old 08-30-2004, 07:12 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally posted by cubslvr@Aug 27 2004, 09:40 PM
Okay, can I just say that I am more excited(and scared to death)to do this than I have ever been about anything in my life!* On oct. 13th my boyfriend and I will be travelling to Europe for six months!* I quick my job and were packin up!** I would love any advice anyone can give.* I have done a lot of research and there are still some things I am unsure of.

1.* Is the eurail a rip off?* I have taked to several people and they say it is.* Is there any problem walking into a station and buying a ticket?

2.* Are the pick-pocketers(sp?) as bad as everyone says?* My boyfriend and I were Amsterdam last March and never had a problem.

And I swear it's the last..


3.* Does anyone know how easy it is to find some temp work in Ireland?* I have friends who have been in Greece for a year and they had no problems with work there.


Let my know if anyone can answer anything.
Thanks guys for the advice! I am still a little confused about the pass though. So you are saying that maybe I should get a month pass and then but tickets from point to point? I have also looked into easyjet and ryan air for special airlines deals. What is your advice on them? Also we have bugeted about $70 a day...is that good enough? Keep in mind we will be staying in Prague, Krakow and maybe Greece for a month a piece to save some dough. Thanks again!
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Old 08-30-2004, 08:03 PM   #6
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Here is some advice for the budget airlines. The earlier you purchase the ticket, the cheaper it is. As the seats get filled up and the date comes closer, the price will go from maybe 20 euro a flight to 200 euro a flight. If you fly Ryan Air, be careful to make sure of which airport they operate from in the cities you want. A lot (if not most) fly out of smaller airports that are sometimes an hour out of the city and can be tough to get to. On the other hand, Easyjet does fly out of the major airports. Some others to check out are Virgin Express, German Wings, and Basiq Air. I believe these all fly into the major airports as well.

I have never had a problem on the budget flights. There is less seat room, but that is not much of a problem for me. If you want food and drinks, you have to purchase them as they don't offer any for free.

Your budget is about what the average backpacker seems to budget. In Prague and Krakow, you will be able to live very well on $70 a day (private rooms, meals at restaurants, money to party at night), but in Western Europe you will be staying in 6-8 bed rooms at hostels, cooking meals or eating cheap, and enough left over for a drink at the end of the day.
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Old 08-31-2004, 05:56 PM   #7
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Skidrage! Thanks for the info. some of those airlines I have never even heard of! I
also thank you for the info. on budget. i have really been stressing out about money. I figured we would be eating and sleeping cheap in Western Europe anyway. Thanks Again
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