How Do Full-Time Travelers Get From One Destination to Another?

There are many ways full-time travelers can get from one destination to another in Europe. Public transportation within and between most countries is excellent. But, some countries have better public transportation systems than others. We strongly suggest you determine how you will get from destination to destination when creating your itinerary (and certainly before you book any apartments).

Also, some means of transportation are more pet friendly than others. Significantly, most buses, some trains, and a few ferries don’t allow dogs. Consequently, you must plan your transfers in advance if you’re traveling with a pet.

Unfortunately, it is somewhat difficult for US citizens traveling full-time to own a car. The primary challenges are with registration and insurance. You need a permanent address (and possibly a residency card). Luckily, there are several other options.

Public transportation within and between most countries in Western Europe is excellent. We almost always take public transportation when available.

Trains are an excellent way to travel across much of Europe. Trains are, by far, our preferred means of travel when possible.

Unfortunately, not all European countries have extensive train systems. And, some have train lines within the country that do not connect to other systems.

Significantly, the train systems in Western Europe do not connect to the train systems in the Balkan countries (i.e. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia).

There is a well-developed bus system in Europe. Popular bus companies are GoOpti and FlixBus. We see them everywhere and they have great websites.

We would use them or other bus companies if we could, but they don’t allow dogs. Consequently, we have not used buses to transfer from one destination to another.

Ferries are a common mode of transportation in Europe. There are many ferries connecting ports in different countries. It is often much quicker and cheaper to go over water than to travel by land.

The only problem is that most ferry routes are seasonal. There are many ferries that only run during the high season (typically June thru August). Fortunately, there are some ferries that operate year around.

It is worth noting that every ferry line has different rules. For example, some ferries are car-only and don’t allow foot passengers (i.e., you must have a car to board the ferry). Also, pet policies are different. Many do not allow dogs in public passenger areas.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to fly with a pet in Europe. For example, the United Kingdom does not allow any dogs in the cabin. Most other European airlines do not allow dogs weighing more than 7.5 kgs (16.5 lbs) in the cabin.

Because we are traveling with our 27lb French Bulldog, these restrictions eliminate flying as an option for us.

We want to visit some places where public transportation is not an option. When we go to these destinations, we have no choice but to rent a car or get a private transfer.

A rental car can be the most affordable option to get to destinations that are not accessible by train. We like to pick up the vehicle, then stop by our apartment to pick up our luggage on the way out of town. When we arrive at the new destination, we drop off our bags before returning the car. This system makes transfer very easy.

Unfortunately, in 2023 rental cars can be expensive or impossible to rent in one country and drop off in another (even from the same rental company like Avis, Enterprise, or Sixt). This was not necessarily the case a few years ago. We hope this will change once supply chain shortages resulting from the COVID pandemic are resolved.

Private transfers are a very convenient – albeit expensive – way to get from one location to another. We have hired private transfers multiple times in Bosnia, Croatia, and Montenegro. These services will pick up and drop off at any location. We highly recommend Octopus Transfers in Croatia.

Several companies provide the transfer service or contract with private drivers. Based on our experience, the service typically costs about $100 per hour traveled.

A combination of transportation methods is often the quickest, easiest, and cheapest option.

As discussed above, the public transportation systems are excellent in Europe. Trains connect much of Western Europe. Additionally, ferries connect many towns along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts.

Depending on the location of your beginning and ending destinations, the best option may be to take a train to a ferry to a train. We’re taking a ferry from Durres, Albania to Bari, Italy on our way to Rome in early March 2023. This route is much cheaper than traveling over land.

It is often impossible or cost-prohibitive to take a rental car from one country to another. Consequently, we often take a private transfer over the border and get a rental car from there. For example, when we went from Trieste, Italy to Trogir, Croatia, we got a private transfer from Trieste to the airport in Rijeka, Croatia and picked up a rental car for the remainder of the trip.

Similarly, when we went from Trogir to Herceg Novi, Montenegro, we took a rental car from Trogir to the airport in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Then, we hired a private transfer from the airport to our apartment just over the border in Herceg Novi.

Hiring private transfers to take us over the border on these occasions only added a few minutes to the travel time and saved us hundreds of dollars.

As stated numerous times, we take trains as much as possible. Often, we take trains as far as possible and then take a rental car or private transfer the rest of the way. Similarly, we have rented cars and taken private transfers to the nearest train station and caught a train for the remainder of the trip.

In addition to saving money, you can also save a significant amount of time by taking a train most of the way from destination to destination and then taking a rental car or private transfer the remaining portion which may be a long or challenging train ride.

For example, the train from Bolognia, Italy to Sighisoara, Romania takes 36 hours. However, you can take a train from Bologna to Budapest, Hungary in about 13 hours and then take a private transfer from Budapest to Sighisoara which takes about hours and costs approximately $500.

Similarly, the train from Graz, Austria to Split, Croatia takes 12+ hours. However, you can take the train from Graz to Zagreb, Croatia in 3 ½ hours, then get a rental car from Zagreb to Split which takes about 5 hours and costs less than $150.

This takeaway here is that there are many ways to travel across Europe. Some are easier, some are quicker, and some are cheaper. The trick is finding the one (or combination of ones) that is easy enough, quick enough, and cheap enough to be manageable.