Every experienced traveler will say that there is nothing complicated in planning your next trip. But for a beginner, this task may seem not so much difficult as new and frightening. After all, the success of the entire journey largely depends on preparation. Logistics, accommodation, on-site programs, country specifics, local prices and the “right” places to shop are just a small part of what needs to be found and implemented. And for this, we have collected useful resources and services that can be useful at the initial stage of real travel.

I don’t know what will force me to buy a ready-made ticket from a tour operator now (except for a super-unrealistic price that will cover the costs of flights and accommodation), because planning independent travel simply and easily. Often the trip turns out, if not cheaper, then much richer and more interesting. So let's get started!

How much?

Numbeo- convenient option find out how much housing, food, transportation, etc. cost in the country where you are going to go. Just select the desired criterion and estimate the budget for your trip.

How to get there

Kayak- We are looking for plane tickets. In my experience, he was the one who always gave me the cheapest prices for air travel. And, of course, don’t forget about flying out of Russia.

And if you don’t know where to go on a trip, you have a direct route to Drungli. This site will tell you where you can fly cheapest from your city on a specific date or display a table of prices for the entire month.

What to look for: what airport the plane arrives at (important for logistics or transfers), conditions for returning and exchanging tickets, baggage rules, meals on board.

Where to live

Hotels Combined - decent metasearch engine for hotels in different countries ah, thanks to which you do not have to check all the booking sites you know. On the site BedandBreakfast you can find a B&B hotel (I just love them). Apart from searching for hotels, there is also a good content section with travel ideas and tips.

But hotels are not the only possible option for stopping while traveling. On service Airbnb you can find an apartment, and on the website Hostelz- find a cheap hostel. The website is useful for travelers with children Kids@Coe oriented towards family travel.

What to look for: Are local taxes, meals, and cancellation conditions included in the price?

What to do on the spot

Personally, I love getting to know real life in every new country and the city where I visit, so I always look for local friends on Couchsurfing. After all, they can not only give practical advice, but also arrange a tour, show you life from the inside, and even feed you lunch. In addition, you can always track parties and other activities organized by “surfers” in a particular city. Meeting similar travelers in person is always interesting and fun.

Second option - organize an official tour with a local resident, for example, using the service Tripster. By the way, here you can not only find a tour from the locals, but also ask the service participants a question of interest.

Smorodina- a startup guide to Russia that will tell you where to go and what to do without leaving your home country. Also from travelers for travelers.

In addition to Couchsurfing and Tripster, there are several other resources for finding travel tips and advice.

TripAdvisor- reviews of hotels, restaurants, beaches, etc. - a huge database of all kinds of objects and activities around the world. By the way, here you can find reviews about the hotel that you liked, for example, by price or location.

Gogobot - is somewhat similar to TripAdvisor, but also has a large community of traveler interests. On Gogobot you can ask a question or make a recommendation to others.

Travelers for travelers– another community of travelers from different countries focused on budget travel and getting to know local life and culture.

Find an expert

Don't have the desire or time to do everything yourself? Increase your budget by 10 - 20 € and order the desired service from others.

GO2- on this platform there is a good services section, where experienced travelers offer their assistance to beginners. For example, developing logistics, searching for plane tickets or housing options. There is no fixed price for any service, so you can negotiate with each expert individually.

Skillflick - A resource for finding local services in London, from excursions to clarinet lessons or professional wedding photography.

I think most of these services are familiar to experienced travelers or have alternatives. However, they will certainly be useful to those who are just taking their first steps in organizing independent trips.

The other day I returned from a mini-trip around Croatia, which we went on with family and friends. Although in all previous years we preferred beach holiday in all-inclusive hotels, this time they decided to add variety and completely refused the services of various travel agencies, trying to organize the trip on their own.

It didn’t take us long to choose a country; we had long wanted to visit Croatia, and the lack of need for a visa only strengthened our desire to go there.

As a result, a month and a half before the proposed trip, I started booking hotels, buying air tickets and renting a car, because... we wanted to go not only to the sea, but also to see the famous Plitvice Lakes and several large Croatian cities.

As a result, our route according to plan was as follows: we fly to Zagreb, take a car there and go to Plitvice Lakes. There we look at them for two days and move out to the sea in resort town Makarska. We live at sea for 6 days, and we don’t just lie on the beach, but visit islands and interesting nearby cities. Then on the eighth day we go back to Zagreb and spend the whole day exploring this city. On the last day we return the car and fly home.

There is a plan, all that remains is to prepare everything so that this plan can be translated into reality.

The first thing I did was find out the availability of air tickets to Zagreb. Aeroflot found a suitable option. To be on the safe side, I went to the airline’s website, booked tickets and paid for them using a MasterCard.

There are three hotels and a car left to book. To book hotels, I used the website booking.com, where you can quickly book almost any hotel in any country. Having chosen suitable hotels, I made a reservation, entering the details of my MasterCard card to confirm my intentions. No money is usually charged at the booking stage. They can only be removed if you cancel within a few days of the booked date.

There are hotels, there are tickets, there is still a car.

I had no experience in booking a car, so after reading the reviews, I used the website rentalcars.com, which, as I understand, is a partner of all major car rental companies and allows you to find the best deal for a particular car.

Since we were 4 adults and one child, I needed a car that was roomy enough, so I settled on an Opel Astra with an automatic transmission, climate control, and also ordered a child seat as an option. I also entered my credit card details and confirmed my order. As a result, the next day I received confirmation that the car was booked with EuropCar.

At this point, the booking process was completed, and all that remained was to wait for the departure date. For money on this moment it turned out to be 46,000 rubles. per person.
A month and a half flew by unnoticed, and now we were already on the plane on the way to Zagreb. We arrived normally, the weather was good, and the border guards were friendly and efficient.

We quickly found the EuropCar office, signed the necessary papers, left a deposit (they took it from my MasterCard) and hit the road. The only mistake we made at this stage was not inspecting the car before leaving for any “jambs” that could then be pinned on us when we return the car. And as it turned out later, there were such “shoals” there.

So we're on our way. The first thing we decided to do was find the nearest bank and exchange money for local currency. The navigator gave us the nearest bank, which turned out to be a local post office, where we successfully bought local currency.

Well, then the first point of our journey awaited us - Plitvice Lakes, not far from which the first hotel was located. I gave all the coordinates and addresses of the hotel to Artem Basmanov, who went on this trip with me. He entered them into his navigator, which was pre-installed on his iPad.

After 200 km we realized that the navigator was taking us in the wrong direction...))
It turned out that Artem had entered into the navigator something very similar in name, but not ours at all locality. We turn around, enter the correct coordinates and drive another 300 km along the highway in the opposite direction.

Here we encounter a second interesting point. On the autobahn we run into some piece of metal at high speed and completely destroy the rear left tire!

We stopped, took out all the things from the trunk and began to change the wheel, thank God the spare wheel was in place, and we only punctured one wheel, although a piece of metal got under two wheels.
Here's how it went:

The adventure begins!

While they were changing the tire, a local policeman drove up to us and asked what happened and if we needed help with anything. I said that we were tourists from Russia and just had a flat tire, so no help was needed.

Our mini-hotel was beautifully decorated with flowers, and it was located at the very entrance to national park.

Almost all the tracks in this national park made of rounded wooden boards, which are carefully laid over the lakes.

Huge schools of fish swim right under your feet. Fishing is prohibited there, so they swim without fear)

I actually put this photo on my desktop. Just a fabulous view!

Airplane))

I trained a lot in photographing waterfalls, fortunately there are a lot of them there.

The largest of the local waterfalls, about 75 meters.

And here are greetings from the friendly Chinese (or Japanese), who were the most tourists there)

And although swimming there is also prohibited, there were comrades who violated this prohibition and enjoyed the local water. I caught one of these at the crime scene))

As for access to the Internet via Wi-Fi, in the first hotel there was a good signal only on the street terrace, so Artem and I occasionally went there with our laptops.

Then we moved towards the sea to the city of Makarska. This is where we decided to refuel for the first time. At a gas station, the system is like this - you drive up to the pump, fill up as much gasoline as you need and leave and go pay at the cash register. With our money, a liter of 95 gasoline cost us 56 rubles. It turns out exactly twice as expensive as in Russia.

The road to Makarska took us about 3 hours and 80% passed along toll highway.

With autobahns, the system is as follows: when entering the autobahn, there are automatic barriers. You need to drive up to him and take a special one. a coupon that records the place and time of entry onto the highway. When exiting the autobahn, there is also a barrier plus something like an ATM, where you need to insert your coupon received upon entry and your VISA or MasterCard card. Money is debited from the card depending on the length of the route traveled along the highway and the barrier opens. Sometimes, instead of an ATM, there is a booth where a kind guy sits and accepts cash.

On the autobahn, people travel at an average speed of 130-150 km/h. We decided not to stand out from the crowd and drove about the same, maybe a little faster. But comrades regularly “flew” past us, who were definitely driving well over 200)). There was even a Bentley Continental GT.

Unfortunately, I left my radar detector in the car at the airport, so I can’t say whether there are radars at all in Croatia, and how many speeding fines we collected there.

When we arrived in the city itself, we spent about an hour looking for the hotel where we were to live for the next 6 days. The navigator could not accurately indicate this place and gave only approximate points, so we had to resort to the help of local residents.

Checked in... Wi-Fi is available, the flight is normal))

There are a lot of people on the beach both during the day and in the evening, so it is best to go swimming early in the morning.

Learning to swim

Embankment

Every day, returning from the sea, we went to the market and bought fruit, took a large watermelon, melon, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries and many other tasty and healthy gifts local nature.

Lots of all kinds of natural oils, lavender, honey, dried fruits...

With our money, a watermelon cost about 32 rubles. per kilogram. You can buy whole, half or quarter.

Once we rented a catamaran. We had a good time jumping from it...

In the evenings we walked along the embankment

These were the sunsets...

One day we sailed to the islands. I pretended to be the captain of our ship.

Several other ships sailed with us.

The famous Croatian beach "Golden Cape" on the island of Brac.

I'm testing the waters of the golden cape. The water was good that day.

One day we went to the city of Split. We arrived in the city, parked the car in a paid parking lot and went for a walk.

First of all, we climbed to the very top high tower in the city.

This tower used to be a bell tower, but now tourists are allowed into it for a small fee. They did a lot with the tower beautiful shots.

We also bought a Croatian flag there for our collection. We bring a flag and a mug from each country.

The city of Split in the rays of the setting sun.

On the penultimate day we returned to Zagreb and walked around it. There are no special attractions there, but it was still interesting.

Local tram

Local yogis who sit right on the street in front of a crowd of passers-by.

One of the angels near the main temple of Zagreb

This is how our trip turned out, full of adventures, new sensations and different emotions. With a child, of course, it’s a little difficult, especially for mom, but in any case, on the whole, this trip left us all unforgettable experience and the positive experience of independent travel, in which we made almost no mistakes.

Our "rakes" that may be useful to you:

1. Inspect the car together with a representative of the rental company and write down on a special sheet all the chips, scratches, and damage that you notice. In the future, this will save you from disputes over whether you or not are to blame for this or that scratch on your car.

2. Start booking hotels 3-4 months before your trip (if it happens during the holiday season). We booked 1.5 months in advance, and by this time all the “delicious” options had already been taken away. Although we also more or less successfully got through all the hotels, but if we had done everything in advance, it would have been even better.

3. Enter your destination into the navigator using the digital longitude and latitude coordinates, which are always indicated for the hotel when booking it.

I will be glad to see your comments.

P.S. All photos were taken with our Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera. I learned to take photographs, am learning and will continue to learn at our

Today I will tell you about how to organize an independent trip to Asian countries, or rather to Southeast Asia, that is, to countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and others.

If you find yourself in Southeast Asia, for example, in the glorious country of Thailand, then you can absolutely take the opportunity to visit several more countries :)

Since in Asia there is such a wonderful company airasia, which has a very nice prices for flights between Asian countries. Well, plus, the distance between these countries is very close - within 2-3 hours of flight.

And today we will talk about how to do it yourself and let’s, as usual, go step by step:

Step 1. Create a travel itinerary and decide on dates and deadlines

So, to begin with, of course, you need to draw up a travel itinerary, that is, how many days and in which country you would like to spend.

For example, during our first winter in warmer climes, we lived in Thailand for 1 month (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao and Krabi), lived in Vietnam for 1 month (Nha Trang, Mui Ne, Da Lat), and spent 3 days in Singapore. and lived in Bali for 1 month (Kuta, Ubud, Lovina, Nusa Dua)

During our second winter, we lived in Thailand for 2 months (Hua Hin, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui), flew to Malaysia for reconnaissance for 1 week (Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi island), and spent 2 weeks in Sri Lanka (Hikkaduwa and Mirissa)

And of course, decide on the starting and finishing point. In my opinion, there are two of these points - Bangkok (Thailand) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

Step 2. Resolve the issue with visas.

Complete everything required visas, if you need them.

According to data as of April 13, 2012 for Russian citizens:

Thailand

Malaysia— visa-free entry for up to 30 days.

Vietnam— visa-free entry for up to 15 days.

Singapore— visa-free transit for up to 96 hours, provided that you arrive from one country and fly to another. That is, your route, for example, Thailand - Singapore - Malaysia.

Indonesia— a visa can be obtained upon arrival for a period of up to 30 days. Cost $25. To be paid at the airport

Sri Lanka - The visa must be applied for in advance online on the ETA website or at the Sri Lankan consulate. The cost of a single-entry tourist visa for 30 days is $20

When organizing your trip, be sure to study the current conditions for obtaining visas for your dates, as these conditions sometimes change, for example, a year ago entry into Sri Lanka was visa-free

Step 3. Buy all necessary air tickets

How much will it cost to fly to some cities and countries in Asia?

I looked at flight prices on the AirAsia website. If you decide to fly with other airlines, the price may be several times higher.

When booking AirAsia tickets, be prepared for the fact that this is a low-cost (discount) airline., which means you will not be fed for free during the flight, and you will also need to pay extra for luggage when purchasing a ticket.

So, let's take Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, as our base point.

Flight Bangkok - Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) will cost you approximately: $70-90
Flight Bangkok - Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) - $70-150
Flight Bangkok - Denpasar (Bali Island, Indonesia) - $100-200
Flight Bangkok - Singapore (Singapore) - $70-200

By the way, flights from Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) will be even cheaper and there will be even more flight options.

For example,
Flight Kuala Lumpur - Singapore (Singapore) 20 - 40 $
Flight Kuala Lumpur - Denpasar (Bali Island, Indonesia) $100 - $130
Flight Kuala Lumpur - Colombo (Sri Lanka) 90 - 160 $
Flight Kuala Lumpur - Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) 50 - 150 $

These are the tempting prices for flights around Southeast Asia.

Why is there such a wide range in prices and how to buy tickets at the best price?

The earlier you buy your tickets, the cheaper it is. The cheapest tickets will be if you buy them earlier than 2 months before departure. Well, accordingly, as you get closer to the departure date, the price will increase.

Also from Thailand and Vietnam you can easily plan a visit to Cambodia and Laos. And also from Thailand (Bangkok) or Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) to fly to the Philippines.

Step 4. Route details

Plan specific places in each country that you would like to visit.

If you are planning to visit Vietnam, then read my article carefully, it will help you choose the most interesting places for travel.

If you are planning to visit the wonderful island of Bali, I advise you to read my article. We have already been to the island of Bali twice and the love for this fantastic island has firmly settled in our hearts.

If you are planning Malaysia, Singapore, then articles on these countries I do not have much travel experience yet; in Malaysia we spent only 1 week on the island of Langkawi and 3 days on the island of Penang. And we were only in Singapore for 3 days.

Step 5. Book hotels along your route.

There will most likely be no difficulties at all. Go to booking.com and go ahead.

If you have questions about booking on the site, then read my article carefully and if you have questions, ask them in the comments, I will definitely answer.

Or enter the dates and destination you need in this search form:

Step 6. What you need to be prepared for when traveling independently in Asian countries

1.You will need English, at least at a conversational level.

In all these countries you can find people who speak this language and there are many such people. Although he is not native to them. But without speaking English, traveling will be much more difficult.

By the way, I can recommend one very cool method on how to master spoken English in 30 days.

Enter your Name and email in the form below and click on the “Get Course!” button. After that, confirm your subscription to the course, and it will be sent to your email :)

How to decide on your first independent trip abroad. Which country to choose so as not to experience problems, have fun and save money. Which countries are the easiest to travel to on your own if this is your first time?

Still studying travel agency advertisements and listen on the phone to the manager’s revelations about heavenly holiday in Egypt And luxurious Pattaya beaches . You may be ready to change your hotel reservations Sharm El Sheikh And Antalya to the expanses of the central Turkey; and also, not the most best coast Pattaya with a walk along the evening Beach Road in the company of drunken compatriots on deserted snow-white beaches small islands and the atmosphere of the northern provinces of Thailand. I don't know the language! I do not know how to drive! I'm afraid of the unknown in a foreign country! I'm afraid of being left without money! Where to start, in the end, which country should you go to for the first time if you have no experience of independent travel? These are roughly the questions that novice travelers ask themselves, as they increasingly think about cheating on a tour operator and organizing a trip abroad on their own. It’s no secret that often, along with a tour package, they have to look at the local garbage dump under their window and fall asleep not to the sound of the evening surf, but to the sounds of a bulldozer under their window, accompanied by rich expressions of local builders.

I analyzed about 50 countries that I could recommend to those who want to go organize your own trip - from the moment of purchasing a ticket and booking accommodation to planning the route. I took 7 main criteria to make it clearer why these countries actually are. The 5-point rating scale is closer to me, so I will evaluate the criteria according to it. Then, by mathematically adding the points, I selected the countries. I would like to present the result of my research below.

One more thing. Why exactly 5 countries? And not, say, 7 or 10. Because after visiting these five countries, you will practically not care where to go next. You will only be faced with the question of choosing a direction.

So, the criteria by which I studied the possibility of an independent trip as a novice traveler. The order in which these criteria are laid out is random without any hidden meaning.

• Visa regime
• Language and friendliness of the residents.
• Transport accessibility and ease of movement within the country.
• The country is interesting for tourism in general.
• Price level.
• Safety.
• Infrastructure and service

Many countries that seem easy to visit are not included here based on the same criteria.

Türkiye

• Türkiye visa-free country for Ukrainians and Russians, so Welcome. ( 5 points)
• English and Russian are spoken here, although only in tourist places, but for the first time this is enough; Lack of knowledge of foreign languages ​​in the Turkish hinterland is compensated by the friendliness of local residents and sign language helps. ( 5 points)
• high-quality roads and a developed bus network, airports in key tourist spots, proximity to Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. (5 points)
• tourism is Turkey's strong point and there is hardly any need to convince anyone of this. (5 points)
• Turkish prices do not amaze with their low level, but they also do not make you think about the insignificance of your income; (4 points)
• in Turkey it is dangerous, probably only for long-legged blondes, who also diligently show the local hot guys their other advantages; everyone else has nothing to worry about; ( 4 points)
• tourist infrastructure and service are almost European and much higher than in South-East Asia; (5 points)

Total points - 33

How to find budget accommodation in Istanbul

Thailand

• visa on arrival ( 5 points)
• V Thailand everyone understands basic school English and is fluent in sign language - ( 4 points), since many at school studied French or German...
• organizing internal travel in Thailand is the dream of any traveler. Any place in the country can be reached by plane, bus, train, car or by water. In addition, all this is incredibly cheap, and there is plenty of information about traffic patterns on specialized forums or on the Internet. The only “but” is that it is a bit far from our region. That's why - ( 4 points)
• Personally, I don’t know a more interesting country for tourism than Thailand, if anyone knows, please share. Beaches, history, exotic, local kitchen… (5 points)
• island still remains a very country low prices for everything: transport, housing, food and services; a small problem for car enthusiasts - driving on the left, which you get used to in half an hour, the path to Thailand is also not close, so - ( 4 points)
• V Thailand there is a specially created tourist police, so if you behave decently, there will be no problems, even in the case of indecent behavior, the probability of problems arising is equal to the probability of snow falling in the Sahara ( 5 points)
• here everything is the best - for tourists, the service in general will probably have a lot of problems for snobs and those who are accustomed to Arab luxury, but overall it’s a solid four - 4 points.

Total points - 31

How to find budget accommodation in Thailand

• a visa is not needed for 96 hours, this is enough to see the country and imagine what the Kiev Troyeshchyna could look like in 150 years ( 5 points)
• 98 percent of the residents speak English, so I don’t see any particular problems... nevertheless ( 4 points)
• a car in Hong Kong is a superfluous, expensive thing and is more of a luxury item than a means of transportation; You can get to any point in the country and at any time of the day by bus, metro or taxi. From our latitudes the route is not close and not cheap, so ( 4 points)
• local attractions are compactly located, and their number would be the envy of any more or less tourist-attractive country; ( 5 points)
• prices are perhaps the only serious drawback of the country, so if you are registered in the employment fund, it is better to postpone a trip to until there is a white streak in your life; ( 2 points)
• Even if you want, the probability of encountering the Hong Kong mafia, if you are not a drug dealer or a human trafficker, is practically negative. Hong Kong - absolutely safe country (5 points)
• excellent infrastructure, good service is directly proportional to the price ( 5 points)

Total points - 30

Review of travel to Hong Kong

How to find budget accommodation in Hong Kong

Budget accommodation or hotels in Hong Kong can be found through the booking system Hotels Combined, a service I use myself. The advantage of the service is that it compares prices from dozens of booking systems - you just have to choose Best offer. In each article or report, I provide links to hotels where I stayed and which I liked.

How to buy a budget flight to Hong Kong

Flight from Kyiv You can buy directly from the airlines, but it is best to take advantage of flight offers on directionKyiv-Hong Kong from aviasales.ru

Croatia

• until recently, a visa-free country now allows our citizens only if they have a stamp in their passport; The procedure is simple, but some people are stopped by this - ( 4 points)
• Here they know English no better than most Russians or Ukrainians, the situation is saved by the commonality of languages ​​- even a traffic cop can learn a dozen necessary phrases. ( 4 points)
• The country is located along the sea, which is considered one of the cleanest in the world, mountains, lakes and a number of ancient monuments. ( 5 points)
• Croatian autobahns are some of the best in Europe and there is nothing to do here without a car, although the bus network is decent ( 4 points)
• prices are lower than the European average, although the dynamics are not encouraging ( 4 points)
• V Croatia it’s safe, but it’s better to leave the soviet mentality at home, after all, Europe won’t understand ( 4 points)
• It’s probably not worth going here for Hiltons and other hotel amenities (with the exception of Dubrovnik), everything else is a solid four ( 4 points)

Total points - 29

How to find budget accommodation in Croatia

Budget accommodation or hotels in Split , budget hotels in Dubrovnik or on popularHvar Island aviasales.ru , an aggregator that I use myself. The service selects the most advantageous offers - you just have to choose the best by price, departure time or airline.

The European continent always attracts many tourists. Someone wants to admire the amazing artistic masterpieces, some are interested in unique culinary delights, others just want to see the famous cities with their own eyes. Many reasons motivate people to visit France, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic and other countries. But there are only two alternatives in organizing this trip: pay travel agency and go along the “beaten path” already ready-made tours, or start an exciting adventure in the form of an independent trip. Both options have their pros and cons. Organized tour does not require any advance planning efforts from you, but it seriously limits your freedom of movement and action. Traveling on your own means planning your route and daily activities without looking at other people, getting to know and discover the real, non-tourist Europe. But this is also responsible preparation, without which it is difficult to get only joy and pleasure from the trip. Read this article on how to organize your own trip!

Route planning

Planning your route before independent trip to Europe is a very exciting process in itself. At first, you should leave your rationalism aside and allow yourself to dream up. Which European countries attract you most? What cities and attractions give you a thrill when thinking about them? Open the map, go through it with your eyes and write down the places you would like to visit.

Then fantasy should be relegated to the background and rational thinking should be included. When traveling on their own, most tourists are limited by time and resources. You can, of course, plan to visit, for example, all European capitals, but is it really possible to do this in two weeks without flying on private jets or using fantastic transporters? Choose the most attractive ones from all the places on your list and think about how they can be combined into one route.

Choice of transport

One of the most economical ways to travel around Europe is to use low cost aircraft. Their ticket prices are really low and the level of comfort is excellent for short flights. But such air operators have two features that must be taken into account. Budget planes visit many, but not all cities. The number of tickets for them is limited, and they are in demand. Here are a few names of European low-cost airlines: Wizzair, EasyJet, Ryanair, Air Berlin, Vueling. Each of these companies has its own website with convenient maps of directions. Match actual flights with your list. Select the most convenient port for starting your trip, possible flights within the European continent, and the final destination from where you will return.

By traveling to Europe on your own, you don’t have to limit yourself to visiting just one country. If you wish, you can quickly move even to the opposite part of the continent if you select the appropriate flight and thoughtfully fit this flight into your route.

When planning travel on your own, tickets should be purchased in advance. Especially if you want to save money. If you are not tied to specific dates on your trip, this will allow you to save on tickets. Indeed, on “hot” days (weekends, holidays, holidays, tourist season) flight prices increase significantly. And when passenger traffic weakens, companies significantly reduce their prices. More tips, to Europe.

Already planning a trip? Check out the flight options available right now:

Don't limit yourself to just flying. It is convenient to move within a certain country by train. As a rule, the distances between cities are not very large. And traveling around Europe by train is an interesting adventure in itself, which will allow you to feel like a local, watch people, get acquainted with the peculiarities of the country and gain a whole bag of impressions that you will enthusiastically tell your friends about. Of course, for this kind of movement it would be good to know at least English language(or be fluent in sign language!) Given the relatively close proximity of European capitals, you can also travel between countries by train. To plan train trips between European countries The website Interrail.eu will be useful. In addition, it is quite easy to find information on local bus and train services within the country of your choice on the Internet.

If you feel confident behind the wheel and crave maximum freedom of movement, take it. This travel option will allow you not to depend on the schedule and have maximum freedom in planning your route.

Choosing a hotel and obtaining visas

Perhaps in every more or less large European city there is a sufficient number good hotels. You should choose a hotel and book in advance. In addition, this is required to apply for a Schengen visa yourself.

First of all, you need to decide on the type of trip and your needs. If you plan to spend a lot of time in one city, then you need to be especially careful when choosing a hotel. What area is it located in? Where do the windows go? Which Additional services are provided in it? Pay attention to reviews from real people.

Accommodation options in the suburbs or on the outskirts, as a rule, allow you to significantly save on accommodation. But check in advance how you will get to the city center and the objects of interest to you. Perhaps the inconvenience and costs associated with transport will force you to change your choice.

If saving is more important to you than comfort, then you should pay attention to mini-hotels or hostels. This a budget option accommodation, and it is especially suitable for those tourists who plan to travel a lot between cities and spend little time at the hotel.

Renting apartments and rooms is becoming increasingly in demand and popular. This option allows you not only to save money, but also to get to know the life of the locals better. Check out what airbnb has to offer and compare with hotel options to make the best choice.

When going on a trip to Europe, you can use the opportunity to visit several countries at once with one visa. It is not difficult to obtain a Schengen visa on your own if you strictly follow the official rules presented on the websites of embassies and consulates. Get to know them and prepare necessary documents and apply for a visa without any worries. It is easier to obtain a visa for some countries - this largely applies to the Eastern European members of the Schengen agreement. Remember that you will have to enter Europe through the country that issued the visa. If you want to simplify the process of obtaining a visa as much as possible, you can use a special one.

Check which accommodation options are currently available for booking:

Travel without haste

When planning a trip, it is important to remember that independent travel to Europe is not a competition in terms of the number of attractions viewed. The main thing about them is the journey itself and the joy it brings. By organizing a trip yourself, you have the opportunity to create a “handmade” route, directly for yourself. Travel at your own pace, follow your interests, and not just the recommendations of guidebooks. There is no need to rush between all the attractions in the city. Choose the routes that suit you and enjoy the trip! And they will help you with this.

Peaceful walks around historical center or leisure, nice gatherings in a cafe or visiting museums, carefully examining great architectural masterpieces or observing local residents - spend enough time on what you love!

Think over your cultural program and don’t be afraid of the unexpected

If you are traveling on a package tour, then the issue of organizing leisure time is largely decided by the tour operator. This is not always convenient - everyone is offered the same program, regardless of individual preferences. When traveling on your own, you can plan your days as you please. Visiting museums and attractions, dinners in certain restaurants, shopping trips, excursions out of town...

Don't be afraid to go off the beaten path hiking trails— learn about lesser-known, but no less interesting places. Be a pioneer, feel the spirit of the city, get to know it from a new side unknown to tourists. Study in advance information about your chosen destinations, tips and recommendations from experienced travelers. Mark what you like the most. Remember to coordinate your plans with all travel partners. Try to pick up different types activities to know exactly what to do with yourself. But still, you shouldn’t follow your plans too rigidly. Be prepared for the unexpected and change your mind easily!

Chat with locals

Europe is not a distant planet inhabited by a form of life unfamiliar to us. Ordinary people live there and will be happy to communicate with interesting personalities. And the fact that you are a carrier of another culture and go on a trip on your own makes you interesting. Feel free to get acquainted with local residents, ask them questions about their city and country, just have fun with them! And if you manage to show off your knowledge of at least a few phrases in the local language, you will almost certainly win over your new acquaintances.

It is very convenient to arrange meetings with “natives” in advance, via the Internet. There are special websites for travelers, where people offer to take a walk together, show them interesting places, and help them “fit into” local life. For example, this is couchsurfing.com - the site is also aimed at finding free accommodation in different cities, but its users are much more willing to make contact when they are not asked to spend the night, but simply offered to meet and chat. It's unlikely you'll find out European cities It’s just as good if you wander around them entirely on your own. Naturally, for this you will need knowledge of at least English.

Don't take a lot of luggage

The lightness of luggage is a significant factor in have a nice trip. Think in advance about what you need to take with you on your trip and make a list. Reduce the list to the essentials, eliminating from it everything that you can do without. Do you really need a thick book on the road? Maybe three pairs of jeans is too much? Each tourist has his own individual needs, so it’s better not to look for a universal list of things. The less luggage you have, the more mobile you are. Ideally, everyone should have one medium backpack on their back or a small bag and free hands. And instead of heavy guidebooks - conveniently on your smartphone and headphones!

Careful planning and a reasonable amount of adventurism

The experience of solo travel is truly amazing. It reveals the boundaries of your worldview and allows you to look at the world in a new way. When going on such trips, you need to follow a simple but important rule - enjoy everything that happens! Careful planning will save you from unnecessary worries. Internal readiness for the unexpected will allow you to see in unforeseen situations an opportunity to learn something new and a unique chance to experience an exciting adventure. Tourists who have tried to go somewhere without a tour operator are often so imbued with this fascinating experience that on their next trips they do not even consider the option of participating in a “mass” tour. The main thing is to decide on the first one!