Travel Alternatives in Europe

Back in September 2018, Audrey and I flew to Rome to take in the sights. Due to a variety of factors, we typically like to stay in the city where we arrived. However, most of western Europe has a very well integrated high speed rail and highway system that makes it fast, cheap, and convenient to travel without having to get on a plane.

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As a foreigner in a strange land, purchasing a bus or train ticket can be a little intimidating. Which websites are legitimate? How many local companies are there? What is the best and fastest way to get somewhere for the best price?

Fortunately, there are two websites that make this process very simple: Loco2 and Flixbus.

Loco2 is an online booking service for train travel in the UK and mainland Europe. Loco2 sells train tickets, without charging a service fee, through their website as well as their app available both on iOS and Android.

Loco2 works hand in hand with several train companies across 12 European countries to create an easy, integrated platform for purchasing train tickets. A 2014 Business Traveller article noted that booking rail tickets directly through Europe's rail operators often leads to inconsistent user experiences including credit card rejection issues, limited access to discount fares, and complicated navigation experiences.

By consolidating all these individual rail operators into one website, Loco2 provides travelers with a one-stop place to shop for tickets through multiple countries with a single transaction.

Using the website is very easy and operates just like any air travel booking site. You just pick your trip there, pick your return trip, and then pay with Paypal or any Visa or Mastercard. The user interface isn’t perfect and could definitely use some work like letting you sort search results by price or by travel time, but overall the experience is much more pleasant than using other websites.

A round trip to Venice from Rome can still run you upwards of $200 depending on the time and day that you travel. Not exactly a bargain. If that price seems a little steep and you are willing to take a slower means of transportation, Flixbus may be for you.

Flixbus works in coordination with local bus companies to operate under the Flixbus brand, similar to how regional airlines like Skywest and Air Wisconsin operate under the control of Delta and United respectively. This business model is highly scalable and has enabled the company to grow quickly.

Like Loco2, Flixbus offers passengers the ability to book travel within Europe with multiple regional operators with one transaction.

By operating under one umbrella, Flixbus and its regional operators promise a consistent product so that you as a passenger know what to expect on each trip.

You can find tickets on Flixbus that are up to 75% cheaper than taking a train, but it can also end up taking you 2 or 3 times longer to get there

Although there are several ways to find transportation across Europe, Loco2 and Flixbus are our favorite ways to find cheap tickets easily while traveling through the European Union.

Happy travels. Adventure is out there!

Luis Fayad