TRAVEL BLOG
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
European Bus Passes
A Eurail or Interrail pass is often the first thought when it comes to getting around Europe with a travel pass. While a bus pass may not get you to as many places as the train, it's a far more economical option and thus a worthy consideration with the current value of the Euro.
Here are some bus pass options for travel in Europe.
Europe Wide
For pan-European bus passes there are two major choices: Eurolines and Busabout.
Eurolines is a network of bus companies across Europe that operate international services under the Eurolines brand. A Eurolines Pass offers unlimited coach travel to 45 cities across Europe. Passes are valid for 15 or 30 days travel.
Busabout is a hop-on hop-off style network that caters for backpackers. The Busabout network covers the most popular cities across western and central Europe.
Eurolines and Busabout have their distinct differences so it is a matter of weighing up what is important for you before deciding which is the right pass. Here are some advantages of the two passes.
Eurolines:
- It's the cheapest bus pass available.
- Available all year.
- Travel with locals.
- More city stops available.
Busabout:
- Travel with fellow backpackers.
- It is hop-on hop-off, but they can arrange hostels bookings and pick up and drop off at the hostel, saving the hassle of finding accommodation.
If you are planning to travel within one country there are some bus passes available from national bus lines. You will need to work out if you will do enough travel to make the pass worthwhile.
U.K
Travel across Britain with a Brit Xplorer pass from National Expressg(156400)a(392360))
. There are passes available for 7, 14 and 28 days.
For travel in Scotland Explorer Pass from Citylink has 3,5 and 8 day passes.
Ireland
Ireland's national bus company Bus Éireann has a list of Tourist Travel Passes that are valid for travel in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (with Ulsterbus).
France
A backpacker style hop-on hop-off bus service for the south-west of France.
Ze Bus
Switzerland
Switzerland is so well connected with trains that bus travel is mostly used for the smaller places. Post Bus offer a 4-Pass tour that loops Meiringen – Grimsel Pass – Nufenen Pass – Gotthardpass – Andermatt – Sustenpass – Meiringen.
Turkey
Fez Travel is a tour company that offer a hop-on hop-off service to the most popular spots in Turkey.
Fez Travel
Here are some bus pass options for travel in Europe.
Europe Wide
For pan-European bus passes there are two major choices: Eurolines and Busabout.
Eurolines is a network of bus companies across Europe that operate international services under the Eurolines brand. A Eurolines Pass offers unlimited coach travel to 45 cities across Europe. Passes are valid for 15 or 30 days travel.
Busabout is a hop-on hop-off style network that caters for backpackers. The Busabout network covers the most popular cities across western and central Europe.
Eurolines and Busabout have their distinct differences so it is a matter of weighing up what is important for you before deciding which is the right pass. Here are some advantages of the two passes.
Eurolines:
- It's the cheapest bus pass available.
- Available all year.
- Travel with locals.
- More city stops available.
Busabout:
- Travel with fellow backpackers.
- It is hop-on hop-off, but they can arrange hostels bookings and pick up and drop off at the hostel, saving the hassle of finding accommodation.
If you are planning to travel within one country there are some bus passes available from national bus lines. You will need to work out if you will do enough travel to make the pass worthwhile.
U.K
Travel across Britain with a Brit Xplorer pass from National Express
For travel in Scotland Explorer Pass from Citylink has 3,5 and 8 day passes.
Ireland
Ireland's national bus company Bus Éireann has a list of Tourist Travel Passes that are valid for travel in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (with Ulsterbus).
France
A backpacker style hop-on hop-off bus service for the south-west of France.
Ze Bus
Switzerland
Switzerland is so well connected with trains that bus travel is mostly used for the smaller places. Post Bus offer a 4-Pass tour that loops Meiringen – Grimsel Pass – Nufenen Pass – Gotthardpass – Andermatt – Sustenpass – Meiringen.
Turkey
Fez Travel is a tour company that offer a hop-on hop-off service to the most popular spots in Turkey.
Fez Travel
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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Sunday, May 11, 2008
Low Cost Bus Services in Europe
The abundant supply of low cost airlines in Europe has created the situation whereby flying can work out cheaper than getting the bus to some places.
To counter the competition from the airlines, low cost bus services have started up across Europe. Traditional bus companies have also answered the call, offering cheap bus fares in the same manner that low cost airlines sell tickets.
Here are some low cost bus deals for travel in Europe.
U.K
It's no surprise that the leading country of low cost airlines in Europe should also lead the charge for low cost buses.
Megabus offer bus tickets across Britain starting at £1, plus a 50p booking fee. The booking facility works like an airline booking service, so the earlier you book, the cheaper the ticket. Megabus is operated by Stagecoach, who also operate a train franchise in the UK, so as a bonus you can also book £1 tickets on their train services as well.
Competition from Megabus stimulated the national bus service National Express into action. They offer the £1 Funfare to many destinations in Britain. Like Megabus, the earlier you book the better chance of a £1 fare.
Citylink in Scotland have fares starting from £1 for the Glasgow - Edinburgh route.
In London getting to airport can sometimes cost more than the flight. It only made sense then that the easy group (of easyJet) introduced easyBus. They have service from central London to Luton, Stansted and Gatwick Airports.
g(160043)a(392360))
Ireland
Eurolines go from London to Cork or Dublin from £15.
Continental Europe
Eurolines can take you from London to Amsterdam, Brussels or Paris from £15. That is especially a good deal when you consider that you travel from central locations, saving you the cost of airport transfers.
Getting the bus from London to the Continent also means you get a ferry ride in the ticket. Sail across the English Channel instead of flying over it and you get to see the White Cliffs of Dover, as well as adding another experience to your European trip.
For Eurolines deals for the rest of Europe check the promo fares from the Eurolines operators in each European country.
Touring in Germany have a special fare for the service running from Hamburg to Mannheim. The route is for Hamburg - Frankfurt - Heidelberg - Mannheim. Tickets from 9 euros for early bookings.
Orangeways is a low cost bus company from Budapest with a network covering Eastern Europe. Destinations include Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, Krakow, Cluj Napoca, Bécs, Vienna, Zagreb and Ljubljana.
Sample prices include Budapest - Prague from €15 and Budapest - Ljubljana from €8.
To counter the competition from the airlines, low cost bus services have started up across Europe. Traditional bus companies have also answered the call, offering cheap bus fares in the same manner that low cost airlines sell tickets.
Here are some low cost bus deals for travel in Europe.
U.K
It's no surprise that the leading country of low cost airlines in Europe should also lead the charge for low cost buses.
Megabus offer bus tickets across Britain starting at £1, plus a 50p booking fee. The booking facility works like an airline booking service, so the earlier you book, the cheaper the ticket. Megabus is operated by Stagecoach, who also operate a train franchise in the UK, so as a bonus you can also book £1 tickets on their train services as well.
Competition from Megabus stimulated the national bus service National Express
Citylink in Scotland have fares starting from £1 for the Glasgow - Edinburgh route.
In London getting to airport can sometimes cost more than the flight. It only made sense then that the easy group (of easyJet) introduced easyBus. They have service from central London to Luton, Stansted and Gatwick Airports.
Ireland
Eurolines go from London to Cork or Dublin from £15.
Continental Europe
Eurolines can take you from London to Amsterdam, Brussels or Paris from £15. That is especially a good deal when you consider that you travel from central locations, saving you the cost of airport transfers.
Getting the bus from London to the Continent also means you get a ferry ride in the ticket. Sail across the English Channel instead of flying over it and you get to see the White Cliffs of Dover, as well as adding another experience to your European trip.
For Eurolines deals for the rest of Europe check the promo fares from the Eurolines operators in each European country.
Touring in Germany have a special fare for the service running from Hamburg to Mannheim. The route is for Hamburg - Frankfurt - Heidelberg - Mannheim. Tickets from 9 euros for early bookings.
Orangeways is a low cost bus company from Budapest with a network covering Eastern Europe. Destinations include Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, Krakow, Cluj Napoca, Bécs, Vienna, Zagreb and Ljubljana.
Sample prices include Budapest - Prague from €15 and Budapest - Ljubljana from €8.
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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Friday, May 09, 2008
Travel Blog Friday - 09 May 2008
Here are this weeks travel blogs that have been added to the directory.
flyingcritic.com
A frequently updated blog about airline and travel news, travel tips and tricks, reviews, daily travel photos, and more.
The Flying Critic
vietnamtravelnotes.com
Vietnam travel information, articles, tours, resources and travel tips. Vietnam Travel Notes - Let the journey begin.
Vietnam Travel Notes
tour-dubai.blogspot.com
Read about the best hotels in Dubai, cheap airfares and about the best places to dine and stay in Dubai.
Dubai Travel Guide
soekershofwalkabout.blogspot.com
Developments in and around and the latest news about Soekershof; Private Mazes & Botanical Gardens in South Africa.
Soekershof: The Blog
karansguesthouse.wordpress.com
Some details about jaipur of interest to a tourist.
A few details about Jaipur
interknitional.blogspot.com
I love to knit and travel and have been an exPat overseas for 20 years, so my blog combines all of these. I talk about trips we've taken and yarn stores I find in those places and the knitting I'm doing.
InterKNITional
carefreetrip.com
Get the latest destination information, travel news, advise, specials, deals and last minute ideas.
Carefreetrip.com :: Travel Blog
tunafishicecream.blogspot.com
One man's vaguely humorous account of how he went from a fat, lazy, wiseass couch potato to Thai Jungle Guide.
Taste the Tuna Fish Ice Cream
backpackerben.co.uk
Backpacking and independent travel blog on Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia & South America including photos, things to do and places to stay.
Backpacking Travel Blog
blog.oyvind.info
A travel blog about me (Øyvind), my girlfriend and our backpacker tour around the world. Including backpacker packing and planning tips.
World tour 2009
If you have a travel blog and would like to be in the directory and featured in this weekly post then follow the details here: submit travel blog
flyingcritic.com
A frequently updated blog about airline and travel news, travel tips and tricks, reviews, daily travel photos, and more.
The Flying Critic
vietnamtravelnotes.com
Vietnam travel information, articles, tours, resources and travel tips. Vietnam Travel Notes - Let the journey begin.
Vietnam Travel Notes
tour-dubai.blogspot.com
Read about the best hotels in Dubai, cheap airfares and about the best places to dine and stay in Dubai.
Dubai Travel Guide
soekershofwalkabout.blogspot.com
Developments in and around and the latest news about Soekershof; Private Mazes & Botanical Gardens in South Africa.
Soekershof: The Blog
karansguesthouse.wordpress.com
Some details about jaipur of interest to a tourist.
A few details about Jaipur
interknitional.blogspot.com
I love to knit and travel and have been an exPat overseas for 20 years, so my blog combines all of these. I talk about trips we've taken and yarn stores I find in those places and the knitting I'm doing.
InterKNITional
carefreetrip.com
Get the latest destination information, travel news, advise, specials, deals and last minute ideas.
Carefreetrip.com :: Travel Blog
tunafishicecream.blogspot.com
One man's vaguely humorous account of how he went from a fat, lazy, wiseass couch potato to Thai Jungle Guide.
Taste the Tuna Fish Ice Cream
backpackerben.co.uk
Backpacking and independent travel blog on Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia & South America including photos, things to do and places to stay.
Backpacking Travel Blog
blog.oyvind.info
A travel blog about me (Øyvind), my girlfriend and our backpacker tour around the world. Including backpacker packing and planning tips.
World tour 2009
If you have a travel blog and would like to be in the directory and featured in this weekly post then follow the details here: submit travel blog
Labels: travel blogs
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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Thursday, May 08, 2008
Open Skies for Australia
Australia and US
When booking international flights from Australia it is not uncommon to see the ridiculous situation of flights to London being cheaper than flights to Los Angeles.
This currently stands because only two airlines, Qantas and United, are allowed to operate direct flights between the US and Australia.
This is set to change with the Open Skies Accord that was agreed between Australia and the US. V Australia will commence flights between the two nations in December, which has already prompted fare reductions from Qantas.
Australia and Europe
The next frontier is for an open skies agreement between Australia and the EU. Talks have already begun for an Open-sky pact with the EU.
There are currently no European airlines operating flights to Australia. No Continental European I should say. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic still fly to Sydney. The obvious cultural ties keeping British long haul services active. Austrian Airlines was the last Continental European airline to fly to Australia, ceasing operations in 2007.
Further reading on the Flight of the European airlines.
I recently saw a reminder of European airline presence in Australia with a JAT Yugoslav model aeroplane, like you used to see in travel agents, at a second hand shop.
JAT Yugoslav. Seen at tarlo & graham, 60 Chapel St Windsor, Vic
An open skies agreement may not bring back the European airlines to Australian skies anyway. The big Asian and Middle Eastern airlines are better suited to operating between the two lands, and the European airlines only need to fly to an Asian hub and partner with an alliance airline from there.
An open skies agreement between Australia and the EU would benefit Qantas, who plan to operate Jetstar services to Athens and Rome.
Airfares to London and L.A
When booking international flights from Australia it is not uncommon to see the ridiculous situation of flights to London being cheaper than flights to Los Angeles.
This currently stands because only two airlines, Qantas and United, are allowed to operate direct flights between the US and Australia.
This is set to change with the Open Skies Accord that was agreed between Australia and the US. V Australia will commence flights between the two nations in December, which has already prompted fare reductions from Qantas.
Australia and Europe
The next frontier is for an open skies agreement between Australia and the EU. Talks have already begun for an Open-sky pact with the EU.
There are currently no European airlines operating flights to Australia. No Continental European I should say. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic still fly to Sydney. The obvious cultural ties keeping British long haul services active. Austrian Airlines was the last Continental European airline to fly to Australia, ceasing operations in 2007.
Further reading on the Flight of the European airlines.
I recently saw a reminder of European airline presence in Australia with a JAT Yugoslav model aeroplane, like you used to see in travel agents, at a second hand shop.
JAT Yugoslav. Seen at tarlo & graham, 60 Chapel St Windsor, Vic
An open skies agreement may not bring back the European airlines to Australian skies anyway. The big Asian and Middle Eastern airlines are better suited to operating between the two lands, and the European airlines only need to fly to an Asian hub and partner with an alliance airline from there.
An open skies agreement between Australia and the EU would benefit Qantas, who plan to operate Jetstar services to Athens and Rome.
Labels: airlines, australia, europe, usa
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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Monday, May 05, 2008
European City Names
Many cities in Europe are spelt differently in English to how they are actually spelt. For example Firenze in Italian is Florence in English.
First time visitors to Europe may not be aware of different spellings for city names. Some name changes are obvious enough as only a small change is made. Roma becomes Rome for example, or an umlaut or accent is dropped, so Zürich becomes Zurich.
Some aren't so obvious though. You might be Eurailing through Germany on your way to Cologne, not realising that you should have got off at Köln.
It is not just English that changes names to suit. Most languages will spell a city in their own way to make it sound phonetically correct to them. For example London can be spelt around Europe as:
Londen (Dutch)
Londra (Albanian, Italian, Maltese, Romanian, Romansh, Turkish)
Londres (Catalan, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Ladino)
Londona (Latvian)
Londonas (Lithuanian)
Londyn (Polish)
Londýn (Czech, Slovak)
Lontoo (Finnish)
Lundúnir (Icelandic)
Here is a list of some European cities in the original and English spelling.
First time visitors to Europe may not be aware of different spellings for city names. Some name changes are obvious enough as only a small change is made. Roma becomes Rome for example, or an umlaut or accent is dropped, so Zürich becomes Zurich.
Some aren't so obvious though. You might be Eurailing through Germany on your way to Cologne, not realising that you should have got off at Köln.
It is not just English that changes names to suit. Most languages will spell a city in their own way to make it sound phonetically correct to them. For example London can be spelt around Europe as:
Londen (Dutch)
Londra (Albanian, Italian, Maltese, Romanian, Romansh, Turkish)
Londres (Catalan, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Ladino)
Londona (Latvian)
Londonas (Lithuanian)
Londyn (Polish)
Londýn (Czech, Slovak)
Lontoo (Finnish)
Lundúnir (Icelandic)
Here is a list of some European cities in the original and English spelling.
Antwerpen Baile Ath Cliath Bâle Béal Feirste Beograd Bruxelles Bucuresti Caerdydd Casnewydd Den Haag Dunkerque Firenze Genève Genova Göteborg Ieper København Köln Lisboa Luzern Milano München Napoli Nürnberg Oporto Oświeçim Plzen Praha Roma Sevilla Torino Venezia Warszawa Wien Zürich | Antwerp Dublin Basel Belfast Belgrade Brussels Bucharest Cardiff Newport The Hague Dunkirk Florence Geneva Genoa Gothenburg Ypres Copenhagen Cologne Lisbon Lucerne Milan Munich Naples Nuremberg Porto Auschwitz Pilsen Prague Rome Seville Turin Venice Warsaw Vienna Zurich |
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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Friday, May 02, 2008
Travel Blog Friday - 02 May 2008
I'm starting a new feature where every friday I will list travel blogs that have been added to the travel blog directory.
Here are this weeks blogs, with a description from the author.
conradwoodring.com
This blog is a record of my life in Turkey as an American. I focus mostly on my interactions with Turkish culture and the divide between east and west.
An American Life in Istanbul
greatwall.se/blog/
The purpose of this blog is to describe my trips to the Great Wall and hopefully this can be an inspiration for other Great Wall enthusiasts and tourists with a general interest in the Great Wall.
Great Wall Blog
sah.i.ph
This site is about my travels and photographs I have taken. The journeys I have taken in my life and the lessons I have learned.
Photography, Travel and Life
homeexchangetravel.blogs.com
Covers all topics related to home exchange vacations - tips and advice, answers to common questions, stories by experienced home exchangers and special home swap offers.
Travel the Home Exchange Way
If you have a travel blog and would like to be in the directory and featured in this weekly post then follow the details here: submit travel blog.
Here are this weeks blogs, with a description from the author.
conradwoodring.com
This blog is a record of my life in Turkey as an American. I focus mostly on my interactions with Turkish culture and the divide between east and west.
An American Life in Istanbul
greatwall.se/blog/
The purpose of this blog is to describe my trips to the Great Wall and hopefully this can be an inspiration for other Great Wall enthusiasts and tourists with a general interest in the Great Wall.
Great Wall Blog
sah.i.ph
This site is about my travels and photographs I have taken. The journeys I have taken in my life and the lessons I have learned.
Photography, Travel and Life
homeexchangetravel.blogs.com
Covers all topics related to home exchange vacations - tips and advice, answers to common questions, stories by experienced home exchangers and special home swap offers.
Travel the Home Exchange Way
If you have a travel blog and would like to be in the directory and featured in this weekly post then follow the details here: submit travel blog.
Labels: travel blogs
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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Thursday, May 01, 2008
What Is RSS?
Anyone who reads blogs or news sites will have by now have seen this icon
, but not everyone is aware of what it does. It means that the page you are reading has an RSS feed. So just what is RSS?RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS is a convenient way to bookmark websites that has content updated regularly, such as blogs or news sites.
For example you will notice that this site has a feed option at the top of the page.
Subscribe in a Reader
When you click the text or icon you are taken to the feed page which shows the latest content, and you are given the option to subscribe to the page. You can unsubscribe at any time, and you can check for updates as often or as little as you like.
RSS is a great way to bookmark sites because you are alerted whenever there is new content. You can follow hundreds of websites, and only have to check sites that have been updated.
How to use RSS
Whenever you see this icon
, it means that the page you are reading has an RSS feed. Sometimes you will see this icon 
or even this icon 
. Don't worry, they all do the same thing, though has become the accepted icon for RSS feeds.There are different types of readers that you can use to subscribe to feeds.
- Online Readers -
There are plenty of online feedreaders out there, including Google Reader, My MSN, My Yahoo and Bloglines.
Online readers are good if you are on the road without your computer and you still want to be able access your favourites. You also have the option of sharing your favourites for public viewing, like here: bloglines.com/public/itravelnet.
- Desktop Readers -
Desktop readers were popular before feedreaders became built into web browsers. A popular desktop download is FeedDemon.
- Browser Reader -
If you are using a browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, feedreaders are now built into the browser. If you are using an older version of IE or Firefox then you will need to download an updated version.
The browser will automatically detect if the page you are viewing has a feed and will show the
icon.Start Reading
So, now that you are versed in the ways of RSS, it's time to start subscribing to feeds. You can start by subscribing to this site
.Labels: rss
Posted by James Clark - editor of itravelnet.com
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