Solo Travel in Europe

For my first ever solo adventure I packed a (very large) backpack and headed to Europe with my life savings, a head full of lonely planet fuelled ideas and no end date. Over the five months I was travelling and in the years I've spent in Europe since I've tried many different methods for getting around. I now consider myself a somewhat seasoned traveller and feel comfortable sorting out transport as I go along. But as a young, solo, female I enjoyed the security of some pre-planning. This article sums up the pros and cons of some of the organised transport options in Europe. If you're looking for a cheaper option and are happy not to plan too far in advance then check out my article on Budget Travel in Europe.

Organised Tour

There are many companies that offer these nowadays and all of them vary in price, length and standards. Some reputable ones are Contiki, G Adventures and Topdeck.

Pros

• Instant travel buddies - This is great if you are a solo traveller and looking for other like-minded people to travel with.

• Convenience - There is a schedule and you're picked up and dropped off where you need to be. There is no need for negotiating your way from city to city or trying to pick out a good hostel with a vacancy.

• A guide - Someone who knows the areas and can give advice. They can give you tips for places to go when you have free time and give a lot of information about the places you visit.

• Security - Depending on where you are, traveling in a group might be safer and more relaxed. I joined a group tour through Turkey and Greece as these were areas I was less comfortable in during my first solo adventure.

Cons

• Planned itinerary- This can be limiting and is often very rushed as these tours aim to see as much as possible in a short time.

• Group tourism - While it's great for socialising and security anyone can tell you that travelling in a group can get annoying. It takes longer to get anywhere, you're stuck with the same people and enjoying little cafes and quiet areas is near on impossible.

• Price - These tours are almost always considerably more expensive than what it would cost to do it yourself.

Hop-on Hop-off Bus

Busabout offer various tickets and routes around Europe. The idea is that you take a bus, stay in the city/town as long as you like and take another bus onto the next destination when you're ready.

Pros

• Flexibility - This system offers you the ability to make up your plans as you go along and change them as you want, knowing you always have transport to your next destination.

• Meeting people - Because you're in a bus only with other people who are using Busabout you can always meet people who are going to the same destination as you. If you end up getting on well you can always tweak your itineraries to travel together.

• Tours and Accommodation - While these are not included in the price there is always a tour guide on the bus who will help you book these for your upcoming destinations.

Cons

• Price - While the pricing is decent it is still more expensive than doing it all yourself.

• Bus trips - Bus trips in Europe can be looooong. Unless you have a lot of time you can waste a lot of your trip getting between places where a train or a cheap flight would allow you to enjoy more time seeing the sights.

• Set stops - The buses only stop at set places along your route. They cover most of the main tourist destinations but if you want to see anything smaller or off the beaten track you will need to organise this yourself.

Eurail/Interrail

Depending on if you live in the EU or not this is the same company offering passes for trains around Europe. There are various combinations of passes for an amount of time, an amount of journeys or specific countries. There are discounts for EU residents and under 25s.

Pros

• Fast travel - The trains in Europe are generally the fastest way to get around. Although they are prone to delays and strikes they are still the fastest and most comfortable way to get from A to B.

• Flexibility - Having a rail pass leaves you flexible to travel where you want, when you want. Europe is you oyster!

• Long Distances - Because the passes offer travel anywhere you can use them to cover a lot of distance in one day, including overnight trains.

• Variety - Because of the number of passes offered you can always find something that will suit your travel plans.

Cons

• Lack of Socialising - Because you are taking the public trains you're less likely to meet other travellers along the way but there are always hostels for this.

• Reservations - Especially in peak season the trains will fill up. Certain trains only let a limited number of interrail pass holders on the train so you need to book in advance and sometimes pay extra to book a seat.

• Price - Even though you can get a good deal on passes (especially if you're under 25) it is still cheaper to book it yourself if you are flexible with dates and times.

Do it Yourself

If you're feeling confident and don't want to be confined to any set plans then you can always plan as you go. Europe is mostly safe and easy to navigate and you will always meet other travellers along the way.

You can use websites such as Trainline or Flixbus to book transport in advance throughout Europe and Booking.com covers a huge range of accommodation in each country.

I have tried all of these and at the time they worked really well for me. Now that I know Europe and am a little more budget conscious I would always do it myself but for a first time or solo traveller the other options can be worth the extra bit of money.

If you're on a budget these articles might be helpful:

Travelling Europe on a Budget

Guide to Finding Cheap Accommodation

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