Rail

Many choose to travel by train. There are a number of options available including point to point travel and rail passes for specific countries.

Some people prefer train travel over coach travel as trains allow you to get up and walk around during your journey. They also offer sleepers and usually have meal carriages.

Rail passes are an excellent value if you want flexibility, if you plan to travel extensively throughout one or several countries, or if you plan to cover long distances during your travels. Passes provide access to most rail routes and allow you hassle-free travel since you won't have to wait in lines at the train station to get tickets. Most of passes available entitle you either to unlimited travel within a specified timeframe (e.g. unlimited travel for 15 days) or to a certain number of days' travel within a certain period (e.g. you are allowed 10 days' travel in 30 days).

Countries which have the infrastructure to offer train passes include: South Africa, Australia, Canada, China, Europe, India, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and the United States of America.

The Eurail pass is particularly popular. It is available to those who live outside of Europe while the InterRail pass is available to those who live in Europe.

TOP

Coach tours

If you don't have the confidence to travel independently then you may wish to consider going on an organised tour.

Some tour companies use large coaches while others use mini buses so they can get 'off the beaten track'. Some are also known as jo-jos (jump-on, jump-off) (see following). This is where you can jump off at a sight, stay a couple of days, then jump on the next bus to your next destination.

Other coach companies specialise in a specific area or cater for a specific age group. There are also specialised tours like African safaris; trekking in Nepal;. surfing safaris; eco-travel; Antarctic exploration; whale-watching; festivals like Oktoberfest; pilgrimages to the Holy City or the battlefields of Europe; sporting tours for cricket, tennis or golf; visiting Aztec or Mayan sites; walking the Inca Trail; literary tours to Ireland to follow in James Joyce's footsteps; cultural tours--the list is endless.

Some large tour companies include:

Contiki specialises in tours for 18- to 35-year-olds in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Europe, Ireland, Africa and the USA.
Encounter Overland specialises in adventure holidays and overland journeys in Asia, Africa and Central and South America.
Globus and Cosmos offer tours around Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Europe, Asia, Central and South America, the USA and Canada as well as some parts of Africa (Egypt, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa).
Insight offers open-age tours and tours for 18 to 38-year-olds in Australia, the UK, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, Canada, the USA and South Africa.
Intrepid Travel offer small-group adventure travel in South-East Asia, China, Japan and India.
Kumuka offer overland adventure tours in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Europe.
Peregrine Adventure Travel and Dragoman Adventure Travel are part of the same stable, offering small-group adventure travel in Africa, Asia, India, Himalayas, Central and South America and Antarctica.
Topdeck Travel offer tours for 18-35 year olds in Europe, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Morocco and Turkey.
Trafalgar Tours offer fully escorted tours in luxury coaches for open-age travellers for Europe, the UK, Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Orient.
World Expeditions offers adventure travel holidays. To quote their website they offer'off-the-beaten-track adventures to the world's most spectacular wilderness destinations', including Australia, Central and South-East Asia, countries on the Asian subcontinent, South America and African nations. Website address: www.worldexpeditions.corn.au

TOP

Bus passes

Most countries have a bus/coach network in place and they all offer point to point sales and passes. Greyhound is one of the largest coach networks in the world and exists in a number of countries.

TOP

Jo-Jo's and backpacker tours

Jo-Jo's are aimed at independent travellers and backpackers and offer a more independent style of travel than an organised tou. What they do is allow you to jump on and jump off, or hop on and hop off, or get on and get off, at certain points along a predetermined route. So you can get off the bus, stay a few days in a particular place and book a seat on the next bus travelling the route.

Jo-Jo companies only provide the transport, so you will need to pay for accommodation. Don't worry about having to find this each night, as many jo-jos offer a hostel door-to-door service and can ring ahead to book you a bed for that night. They can also offer you suggestions on alternative accommodation if you don't wish to stay at a hostel, and will usually drop you off at that accommodation.

There are many jo-jos becoming available in a number of countries. For an overview on each, along with their contact details, refer to them under the specific country/area travel options following. They include:

Africa: Baz Bus, Truck About
Australia: Oz Experience, Wayward Bus
Canada: Canabus, Further Still, Moose Run Adventure Tours, Moose Travel Company
Central America: Green Tortoise Adventure Travel
New Zealand: Flying Kiwi, Kiwi Experience, Magic Bus

Turkey: Fez Bus
UK & Ireland: Haggis Backpackers, Hairy Hog, MacBackpackers, Outback UK, Stray Travel Network, Tir na nOg Tours
USA: Green Tortoise Adventure Travel

TOP

Air Travel

The quickest way to travel from A to B is to fly. Depending on the route chosen, your flight can include a few ice-filled drinks, wrestles with packets of peanuts, a dinner, a light refreshment, a breakfast, hopefully a snooze, a couple of trips to the loo, and a movie or two.

Cheap flights are not always the bargain they may seem to be. Such flights usually have restrictions. For example, if you are travelling long-haul, there may be five stops and a change of planes before you reach your destination. Or your airline may not have daily services, in which case you will have to fit your plans around their schedules. Or once you have booked and paid for your fare there is no changing the date you can fly, or you may have to pay to do so. If you don't mind these restrictions, then go with that airline.

Some airline tickets are cheaper at certain times of the year. Investigate prices during peak, off-peak and shoulder seasons. You may want to avoid travelling at peak times such as school holidays and long weekends. Apart from one-way and return tickets there are open jaw tickets and round-the-world air tickets. You can also purchase air passes to travel around specific countries.

One-way tickets are great if you do not know when you will be returning. Purchasing a return ticket may seem better value than a one-way ticket but the return portion is only valid for use for one year from the departure date. If you decide to stay away longer than one year, you will most likely not receive much of a ticket refund from the airline. (Though illegal, some travellers have been known to sell the return portion of their airline ticket to fellow travellers.)

Open jaw tickets allow you the freedom to fly into one city and out of another. Thus, you will have the option to use other means of transport between the two cities.

Round-the-world air tickets allow you to make a number of stops along your chosen route as long as you continue in the one direction. So do shop around to find a ticket that suits you.

If you have limited time in a destination or don't want to spend hours on a coach or train, you may consider purchasing an air pass. With one of these you can fly to major cities and organise any short tours from there, then hop on the plane to another major city. These passes are available in most countries, so speak to your travel agent.

TOP

Cars, vans and other vehicles

Flexibility is the name of the game when you travel in your own vehicle. You can go where you want (including out-of-the-way places that coach and train travellers often miss), when you want.

There are various ways to get your hands on the wheel of a car. You could hire, relocate, share a lift or buy a vehicle.

Hiring vehicles

At some time during your travels you may hire a vehicle. Make sure the rate you are quoted has no hidden charges, such as stamp duty, which may be added after you have agreed to hire the car. Ensure there is roadside service in case of a breakdown. Check if the vehicle will have unlimited kilometres/mfies, or whether you have to pay a certain rate for each kdometre/mfle travelled. Find out about insurance and whether there is an excess to pay, if you have an accident. What if you do have an accident-what is the procedure?

You can hire vehicles before you go travelling. Some airlines are aligned with car rental companies and offer special rates for those travelling with them. You can book through travel agents or else hire a vehicle on your arrival directly from car rental companies at the airport. It is worth noting that the price in renting an automatic car compared to a manual car can vary greatly in different countries. For example, in the UK, most people drive manual cars, so it is far cheaper to rent one of these. But in the USA, most people drive automatic cars, and you will be hard pressed to find a manual car, so it is cheaper to rent an automatic. Some companies may require the driver to be 21 years old or over, or even 25 years and over.

You don't necessarily have to return the car to where you hired it, as one-way rentals are available. This is also known as relocating.

Buying/selling a vehicle

Buying a vehicle is an option many travellers choose. One drawback is the up-front cost required to purchase the vehicle, but you will be selling it at the end of your journey anyway. It is wise, and cheaper, if there are a few of you who can pool your resources, to buy a vehicle together.

Even though price is a major concern, what you really need is a guarantee that the vehicle you purchase will complete the travelling you want to do without needing major repairs shortly after purchase or during your travels. Therefore, make sure you have someone mechanically-minded to give your chosen vehicle the 'once over'. Also ensure all the appropriate paperwork is in place, including printed information stating the car is fully roadworthy, before you hand over any money. Do purchase appropriate motor vehicle insurance. Though the vehicle may be roadworthy, it is essential to carry some tools and spare parts. It should go without saying to check the water and oil before you head off on any trip.

Some car dealers specialise in backpacker vehicles (campervans, combi vans, station wagons, etc.), which provide both transport and accommodation. These dealers often have a buy-back scheme which is discussed with you at the time of purchase. The buy-back price may be less than what you could get if you sold the vehicle privately but at the same time, you have a guaranteed buyer.

Lift sharing

Lift sharing is an option for travellers. There are people out there who have bought a car but don't have the bodies to fill it, so they advertise for travel companions.

TOP

Walking and local transport

The best way to immerse yourself in another culture is to walk and explore. Sometimes, though, time does not permit this. Some places have tour guides for hire who will show you the many fascinating features of the city. Other places have walking tours available, such as London's 'Jack the Ripper' tour or Melbourne's 'Oldest Pub Crawl', or you could just study a map and get walking yourself. Wear comfortable, broken-in shoes.

You may wish to incorporate local transport, such as the Tube, Metro, tram, taxi cab, felucca, camel, elephant or rick-shaw (to name a few), into your day. Public transport is the cheapest and (usually) most efficient form of transport to get you around and allows you to get a more genuine experience of the city.

Don't forget to take the name and address of your accommodation with you when you go out just in case you get lost. You can find out about local transport from tourist authorities before you go.

TOP

Hitch hiking

Although not recommended, many travellers do hitch because it is a cheap way to travel and you can also meet some very interesting people along the way.

Many hitchers just stand on the side of the road and stick their thumb out, but some find it useful to have a sign with their destination written in large letters on it. It can be worthwhile calling into popular truck stops like diners and pubs, speaking to the truck drivers and seeing if any of them will give you a lift. After all, they may like some company.

Be extremely careful about who you accept a lift from. There are many horror stories around. If you don't like the look of the person offering you a lift, then don't be afraid to say 'no', you have changed your mind about accepting the lift. Or if you have accepted a lift and feel uneasy with the person, do not hesitate to ask them to stop the vehicle because you want to get out. I suggest that, if possible, females should hitch in pairs or with a male travel companion. it would also be wise to let someone (the hostel, a friend) know where you are going and your planned time of arrival, so if you do not arrive they can alert the authorities. Don't forget to advise them if your plans change.


TOP