A trip to Europe is a dream for many but language issues, planning travel through multiple countries from India, and other barriers like those can keep people from exploring the beautiful continent. And it is beautiful, above and beyond the Paris-Prague-Budapest cycle, with little-known countries such as Slovenia being well worth a visit.
Our smartphones are our friends and can make it possible to enjoy this trip and help you to explore the strange balance of wildness and tranquility that Europe offers. Different apps allow you to plan and manage your journey, and much of the data you need can be saved offline, so you don't need to have an expensive Internet connection while traveling.
So start downloading the apps and the data you'll be relying on, and make a backup on the phone of one of your fellow travellers, and get set to have fun. The first step was to save all the addresses, with lists of places to see, details of accommodation and other contacts, as notes on the phone, for easy access even without Internet connectivity.
Getting there - inter-country/inter-city travel
Flying in is the best way to reach Europe. Cleartrip, Ixigo, Kayak, Makemytrip, and Yatra are some of apps to keep an eye out for the best prices.
Consider getting a SIM card if you're staying for more than four days in one country. Luckily, in most of Europe getting a prepaid SIM card is as easy as buying a piece of chocolate - no documents/ ID proof needed.
One tip is to book a return flight instead of two one-way flights - you'll save some cash if you do that, and if you travel at the right time of the year, you can get some pretty cheap deals. April and the first half of May is a good time to visit. The weather is not too harsh during that time and it's just before the tourist season begins, so you will find cheaper accommodation. Once you're there, you'll need different apps to get around, depending on your chosen mode of transport.
Flights in Europe are quite cheap and so are buses so you can get around pretty easily. But if - like many of us - you love rail travel, then you need to get onto the Eurail. Buy a Eurail pass, and get around with a little help from the Rail planner app. This app is very useful, and offers an offline timetable so you can plan your trips without worrying about finding Wi-Fi.
Every leg of the journey involved a couple of hours of planning where we would go through the railways app to find the train best suited for our travels. Some names befuddled us to the limit (such as a trip from Szekesfehervar to Ljubljana), but led us to really interesting sights.
We ended up staying in a charming, beautiful, idyllic village called Kesthely in Hungary, which led to a tour of Lake Balaton. In case you prefer travels by bus, Studentagency has an app for bus services across Europe, which is pretty good for cheap travel. Despite the name, it is not just for students, and works out great for holidaymakers on a budget.
As per most recommendations though, the best way to travel in Europe is by car, especially for a bunch of friends looking to travel with the freedom of staying wherever they feel like. An international driving permit would be required, but it can be obtained in India within a few days of getting visa.
Local Transport and Navigation
For taxis, Taxi.eu has superb tie-ups and offers taxis across Europe. Country-specific apps such as aaataxi in Prague offer convenient pick up based on GPS, and much better rates, but Taxi.eu is important to keep on your phone because it works across the continent. Both these apps of course require an active Internet connection.
Most European cities also offer one day, 3-day or week-long passes for public transport, and this is the best way of traveling through a town. These passes let you take the metro, buses, and trams as many times as you want to, so you'll get more bang for your buck the more you travel.
Many of the cities also have passes which include entry to museums and other places of interest; these passes are more expensive, but if you're traveling in Europe on a holiday then you want to be able to take in as many sights as possible. Visit more than three or four of the places your pass covers and you're already getting value for money, so it's particularly useful when you're traveling through some of the more expensive countries in Europe.
Getting around on foot, you'll need to get a good map app. Here Maps is really convenient because of its offline maps, but Google Maps has more details, so it's worth it to keep both installed for your trip. (Editor's note: Google Maps has now also added offline maps with offline navigation and search support Catch some free Wi-Fi - many public places of interest, restaurants and cafes, and hotels, all offer free wireless access - and look up things in case you don't have a data connection. Whichever app you choose, offline maps are indispensable for a road-trip.
Language
Most Indians think it would be hard going to Europe, where languages like German and French are more common than English. It turns out though that in most cities, people do speak a little English, and you will often meet people who speak it perfectly, and are happy to help out tourists.
Still, learning a bit of the local languages can be a great idea, particularly if you're getting away from the big cities. And even if you're not, being able to share a few words in the language of the people you're visiting is a good trick to make you popular.
A month of Duolingo can be very helpful for learning a few quick phrases to trot out, and Google Translate can be a real lifesaver at times. There are also various offline dictionaries of local languages, which offer basic phrases for free.
There are too many apps to list here, but search for apps specific to the countries you're visiting and you'll find the right ones. The ones we tried also included tips about the local culture. For example, in Hungary, cheers is Egészségére (Egg-eshe-geh-ray); however you are not supposed to cheer when having beer, according to a Hungarian friend we met in Budapest.
Accommodation and food
Solo traveller needs a place to stay? Couchsurfing is a superb option. The host meets, greets and sometimes invites the couchsurfer to join local happenings. But if travelling as a group of friends (or a family), you should instead check out full apartments on AirBNB or Booking.com.
Traveling through Europe, there are some amazing places to stay listed on these sites, especially in Slovenia (Ljubljana) where the people are really nice and feed you heartily. Apartments have other advantages - the Wi-Fi is fast (faster than hotels, mostly) and meals become cheaper since you can cook at home. And if you wish to enjoy local cuisine, you can save a lot by having breakfast at home.
The incredible variety of breads and cheeses (and meats) makes this a delight. After a long night of partying and celebration, not having to go out for breakfast is anyhow a boon. For other places to eat, Zomato was the only app we needed while traveling.
Free Wi-Fi
They say there's no such thing as a free lunch, but finding free Wi-Fi is actually not that hard in Europe. Airports and railway stations, cafes, restaurants, and hotels can all get you your Wi-Fi fix for free. The speed can be quite bad though, but the price is right.
Some trains have free Wi-Fi as well, which is usually quite fast, such as the SwissRail to Austria. Many of these places will give you free access for only an hour though, after which you'll have to find another network or pay up.
In hotels, look for Ethernet ports, since wired access is usually faster, and if it's a paid connection, then it's cheaper than Wi-Fi too. The best Wi-Fi is in rented apartments, because the networks aren't as congested.
And if all else fails, head over to a cafe or restaurant, where the 'free' is offset by a couple of coffees and cakes. Café Colore in Prague is a particularly nice, understated hangout that offers excellent cakes, by the way.
Other tips
Europe uses 2 pin ports, India-style, but minus the third port on top. So Indian two-pin plugs work fine. A universal travel adapter should be purchased though, just in case. In Airplane mode, your phone's battery will last a lot longer, and can still double up as your navigation, camera, and even local guide.
While you're traveling, leave the Facebook and WhatsApp for when you get back to the room, and just enjoy your journey instead. And one last tip - definitely consider carrying a power bank. If the phone is going to be the lifeline, why take chances?
Janmejay Singh is an independent filmmaker who recently went on a 32-day trip across Central and Eastern Europe.
