European Travel

Currently, I am trying to book a weekend vacation for somewhere in Europe. I say somewhere, because there are a plethora of options to choose from.. Prague? Venice? Berlin? Too many choices!

For those of us looking at Europe from across the pond, it seems like everything is right around the corner. Short flight here, quick train there. It isn't as easy as it seems. Here are some problems I have encountered:

1. Multiple airports in cities. Prime Example? London. 5 airports. FIVE! 1 city! Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead, Luton, City...Seriously?! All are accesible by trains through the city center.. but this means that if you are coming from outside the city you must either take a train to the middle of London, then back out again, or drive/take a taxi. Crazyness.

2. "Flight times". We were researching flights from London to Venice. Direct flight- 2 hours and some change. Indirect? 10-14 hours.. what?! Obviously, they do not fly around in circles for the other 8 to 12 hours, that is layover time. But that is a huuuuge difference!

3. Driving time. In the US, we love our road trips. For most of us, a 5 hour car ride to see grandma is normal. Concert in another state? No problem! To drive from St. Augustine to Key West is about 7 hours. 1 state. Distance wise, driving that long in England means you have covered most of the whole country. BUT not really. Thanks to an endless supply of roundabouts and small towns, 7 hours in the car might really get you from St. Aug to Ft Lauderdale. And thanks to the fact that 90% of the cars in the UK are tiny hatchbacks, the journey will be far less comfortable (compared to getting to stretch out in the back of a big 4x4).

4. Weekends vs Weeks. Interestingly enough, it is usually the same price to travel for 2 days as it is to travel for a week. Sometimes, more for the weekend! It makes sense, when you think about it, that the weekend costs more than weekdays- but 7 days is the same cost as 2? Crazy!

5. Distance. Really, all of "Europe" is pretty much the same size as the US. So, going from Florida to California is quite comparable to going from Ireland to Greece. Not quite close enough for a day trip.

6. Cost. Europe is expensive! 1 GBP is equal to 1.5 USD. 1 Euro is equal to 1.23 USD. Doesn't sound like a big difference, but trust me, it adds up. Plus, things are more expensive here. I go to the store to buy a soda, and it costs £1.34. Thats $2.09 for something that costs $1.19 in the states! Needless to say, I am buying a lot less things, especially "whims" (Dr. Peppers and candy).


7. Currency. I bet you think that everyone in Europe uses the Euro? Nope.  23 countries do (According to this list from 2011 http://geography.about.com/od/lists/a/euro.htm) but that is not all in the area. Most places take Visa and Mastercard (American Express here and there too) but you get hit with a fee. Not so nice when you think you have spent a certain amount of money, only to realize later that you spent a lot more.

8. Languages. Duh, big issue. Most places have people who speak English, but that doesn't necessarily mean all important signs and information will be too.

So, all of these things having been considered, we have booked our first weekend away - Prague! I am super excited. Everyone says great things about it, about the beauty and history of the city. Check back in 3 weeks for my review of the city!