The obvious ones that probably come to mind first are airfare and accomodations. We’ve written before about how to find the best deals, but here are some other, transportation-related costs to consider as well.
If you’re traveling around Europe, especially to various countries, it might be in your budget’s best interest to get a Eurail pass. A Eurail pass is basically an all-in-one train ticket that grants you access to most trains in Europe, so you can go wherever you want, whenever you want. While a few of the trains ask you to make a reservation, in most cases you just flash your pass and hop on board.
Not only might a Eurail pass be the most inexpensive way to travel across Europe, it’s also a wonderful way to see some fantastic scenery, lovely countryside, villages, and cityscapes. You have the option of choosing a pass for one specific country, or a global pass to all of them, in addition to the choice between riding first or second class. Other benefits of having a Eurail pass include discounts on ferry services, city cards, and Swiss trains. Be sure to check out their travel deals, which can nab you some serious discounts on everything from travel insurance, mobile data/SIM cards, and services such as luggage storing.
For rental cars, you’ve got several options, but Auto Rentals and Rentalcars.com are solid places to start. Both are metasearch systems that make it easy to compare prices from companies in major cities all over the world. The latter also has a price match guarantee, and both have free cancellations on most bookings.
Also, don’t forget to leverage common memberships to get great deals on rental cars! If you have a Costco membership, you’ll find that they offer unbeatable deals, and often you can add an additional driver for free. AAA is another membership that will snag you additional discounts, as well as some frequent flier programs, such as American Airlines’ AAdvantage program, though you’ll need to rent from the airport.
Taking a bus is generally far less expensive than flying, renting a car, or taking a train, but they usually take much longer to get you where you’re going. If time is no concern and you need to travel on the cheap, try CheckMyBus, Comparabus and Busbud. Each of these sites are pretty straightforward and function basically the same way, by searching various bus companies and routes to help you nab the best deal to get from Point A to Point B.