These travel resources for Europe were compiled to help make travel planning easier! Most links can be used for trip planning worldwide but there are some that are Europe specific. There is a link for a free printable PDF file at the bottom of the list as well. Happy Travels!
Travel Resources
Some helpful websites to help you plan your trips.
Current as of April 2016
Cruises
www.ncl.com – Norwegian Cruise line, higher quality and can still get some great rates.
http://www.msccruisesusa.com – MSC, Discount cruise line, kids can often cruise for free.
http://www.costacruise.com – Costa cruise line.
https://www.facebook.com/CruiseNExcursion – Ran by a military spouse and she often has great deals. I’ve seen them for as little as $1100 for a family of 4.
http://www.militarycruisedeals.com – ask for Mitch, I’ve heard he can get you better rates if you email or call him.
https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/travel_main – USAA also offers discounts on cruises, but I haven’t found them to be able to beat the deals offered by Angela yet.
The Ports most often used are Kiel, Venice, Barcelona, Rome & Copenhagen.
Driving
http://www.viamichelin.com – Driving routes that include the cost of tolls & gas
www.google.com/maps Google Maps – driving routes, I always print out a hard copy to take with us in case of GPS disasters…yep, that has happened!
https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/travel_main – Using the discount for rental cars can save you money, USAA members.
www.firefly.com – cheap car rental site, can often be combined with Ryanair flights for really great deals.
Ferry
http://www.dfdsseaways.com – Ferries in Europe, like Amsterdam to UK, etc.
http://www.chunnel.com/chunnel-by-ferry/ – Take your vehicle across the chunnel.
Flights
www.ryanair.com – discount flights
www.easyjet.com – discount flights
http://www.vueling.com – discount flights
http://wowair.co.uk – cheap flights to Iceland, nearest airport is Amsterdam.
www.whichairline.com – will price different airlines for each airport, great for using alternative airports like Luxembourg.
https://www.abctravel.de/EN/index.php – offers military discounts on flights, good for flights to US.
http://www.52fss.com/#!information-tickets–travel/c1uum ITT Spangdahlem – they have been the cheapest for us for flights to/from US for family with military discount.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/325711150854371/ – Space A travel for those who would like to take hops.
Train
www.bahn.de – train info however to get the best deal it is advised to go to the train station and purchase at the counter. You can also use a travel agency that has a DB outside the door, there are some in Bitburg.
***Example of 2 main ways to get to Paris via train: Wittlich-(Trier)-Saarbrücken-Paris or Wittlich-Luxemburg-Paris. If you leave from the Wittlich-Wengerohr train station, drive there to get the best rate & info at counter. Also booking in advance will save you money as well. You can also use any station to get to Trier then Saarbrücken-Paris.
www.raileurope.com – Fares, maps, & schedules for 50 train lines all over Europe, limited info for smaller villages.
http://www.chunnel.com/ – Chunnel travel by train.
http://parisbytrain.com – Everything you need to know about getting to Paris, around Paris, and to/from Disney Paris by train!
Hotels, Apartments, & More/Where to Stay
www.booking.com – I pull this site up first as well, you can find hotels, apartments, and B&B’s on here for great prices. No booking fees and free cancellation!
www.orbitz.com – They often run 15-25% off codes regularly but generally not free cancellation.
www.hotels.com – Book 10 nights get 1 free! Also offer some free cancellations.
www.vrbo.com – great site for B&Bs, apartments, & homes. You have to do a bit more work to book but can find some great deals.
www.airbnb.com – many like this site but I don’t use it, because of the fees and I can find what I need on the other sites above.
Itineraries/What to Do
www.ricksteves.com – use for general info, check out books from library for detailed info)
www.visitacity.com – for larger cities they have already made 1-5 day itineraries that you can customize for free.
www.worldtravelingmilitaryfamliy.com/travel-ideas – list of several itineraries for several countries.
General Info
http://www.rome2rio.com – site where it shows you how you can get to a location comparing several methods of transportation.
http://www.tripadvisor.com – I check the reviews on this site for everything, hotels, attractions, restaurants, etc.
Also check the local tourism websites for the cities you are traveling to as well for up to date info about places to see, opening dates & times, prices, and more.
You can download the free printable HERE and save it to your computer or print it out.
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