Europe Apr26

My biggest solo trip yet – flying to Hannover, exploring Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy, France and Monaco – before unexpectedly flying back to the UK.

Trip overview

Trip summary and learnings

• Europe is far more compact than it first appears. Italy wasn’t even on the original itinerary until I realised that Brenner/Brennero sits just over the border from Austria- much closer than expected.
• I planned the trip in meticulous detail, but it reinforced the value of spontaneity. Around half of the original ten-day plan was rewritten the night before, simply because I found things I preferred or felt more inclined to do on the day.
• France, for me, just doesn’t click. Nothing against it – it’s just not my kind of place. That became clear enough that I chose to return to England early. Instead of travelling back on Sunday 3 May via TGV to Paris and then Eurostar to London, I booked a flight from Cannes on Saturday 2 May. That cut roughly ten hours off the journey, removed a night in Avignon, and even saved about £75 — despite using FIP rail staff discounts across mainland Europe.
• Passenger rights for air travel are impressively strong – arguably stronger in some respects than rail in the UK. When my flight to Gatwick was cancelled, I was rebooked onto a Heathrow service four hours later and became eligible for £220 compensation. That’s also reflected in the overall trip costs.
• In France, particularly at “parkway”-style stations, the experience feels closer to air travel. You see terminology such as “open for boarding”, and there is a noticeable increase in the use of ticket gates. Whether that’s a positive shift is open to debate.
• Planes are, unsurprisingly, very fast – significantly faster than trains over longer distances!
• One of the biggest takeaways is just how close together many parts of Europe are (I’ve explored this in more detail in a separate blog post).
• Liechtenstein is a beautiful and highly underrated country (if incredibly tiny). I’d strongly recommend visiting – and you can even stop at all three of its railway stations!
• For those with rail staff FIP travel facilities – go and visit the Jungfrau region! A lot of the cable cars and trains we get for free, it turns out, with a Schweizer Privatbahnen (SP) coupon.

Finance overview

• Most countries visited have a high cost of living, that being Switzerland. Austria, Liechtenstein and Monaco.
• I budgeted £1,382.00 for the trip, for one person
• I ended up spending £1,087.00, a £295.00 underspend
• This was significantly led by a decrease in costs due to the decision to fly back to the UK rather than get the train, and the refunds associated with the change. However, activities went significantly over budget given my spontaneity, completing the Jungfraujoch route.
• Trains were so affordable thanks to rail staff international travel (FIP) benefits.

Category	Budget	Actual	Difference
Hotels	£842.00	£771.00	+£71.00
Food	£340.00	£220.00	+£120.00
Trains	£86.00	£72.00	+£14.00
Flights	£85.00	-£75.00	+£75.00
Activity	£0.00	£68.00	-£68.00
Incidentals	£27.00	£28.00	-£1.00
Metro and Bus	£2.00	£3.00	-£1.00
	£1,382.00	£1,087.00	+£295.00

Relevant blog posts