How to travel within Europe on a budget

Many of my friends seems to be heading towards Europe this year. Certainly a good time to go to with Euro depreciating so much. While some of you tend to leave the hassle of bookings to your travel agent, others are doing it themselves - maybe to save on mullah or maybe for the love of planning :) 

Choosing how to travel from one city to another can be confusing with multiple modes of transport available, multiple companies and considerations of time, cost, and convenience.

Trains are usually the most comfortable but also more expensive. Buses are relatively cheap but take more time. Basis my experience I have put together a few tips on how to travel on a Budget across various modes of travel :

1. https://www.rome2rio.com/   is a website which provides all options - bus/train/ferry/car for travel between two destinations and approximate prices. 

Bus Travel : 

2. For travel within UK & also between major cities in Europe check out uk.megabus.com

I have used them multiple times - comfortable & prompt.

3. For travel out of Prague to nearby countries you can use www.studentagencybus.com . Very good buses (with even video entertainment and beverages) and quiet cheap.

4. For travel out of Budapest : www.organgeways.com

5. http://www.idbus.com/   is another low cost bus operator with a limited network.

6. http://www.eurolines.com/en/  has an extensive bus network in Europe. They are expensive but sometimes the only option if traveling to off-beat locations.

Air:

7. Some of the low cost flight carriers are Ryan Air, EasyJet , German Wings. Flight tickets are often cheaper than train travel in Europe. The two downsides ares - limited luggage allowance and airports being more remotely located but you'll easily get cheap bus connections to the city centre.

Train:

8. For train travel, national trains are cheaper than Eurail but you to have go searching across multiple websites. Check out http://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-tickets.htm

for guidance on the cheapest sites. In most of the countries you can save by booking in advance.

9. German rail site http://www.bahn.de/i/view/GBR/en/index.shtml    lists out timing and names of all major european train companies. You can check the schedule here and then visit individual sites for prices and booking.

The key to traveling in Europe is to plan in advance. However if you are indecisive or wish to keep your plans flexible you can explore buying a rail pass or a bus pass.