To Busabout or Eurail.....That is the Question

For many months now we've wrangled with the decision of using Busabout or Eurail services for our trip. Both are viable options for traveling throughout Europe but both also have their pros and cons.

Busabout is a travel service for "Independent, Flexible Travelers" as they advertise it. Check them out here. Basically, they are big, blue buses (Greyhounds, for those of us here in America) that allow travelers to experience Europe in a more "touristy" travel setting than, say, the rail. Something that also appealed to us about the Busabout service is the offer of their "hop on, hop off" service that delivers passengers to, not only their destination city, but also to the front door of a hostel that is endorsed by Busabout. The buses run into and out of each destination city every 2 days. So, basically, you can choose to stay in a city for 2 days or 2 weeks. It's completely up to the traveler which is why they tout flexibility so much in their advertising.

Of course, with Eurail you have many options as well. First off, Eurail travels to many more destinations than does Busabout. Busabout tends to cover all major tourist cities but leaves out many of the "hole in the wall" towns that they assume many tourists wouldn't be attracted to. So, if you did have the itch to visit one of those towns you'd be out of luck with Busabout. Another benefit of traveling rail is that you could choose the overnight train which would allow you to sleep during your travels from city to city ultimately buying you more touring time. However, for us, the rail was a little too independent. With Busabout you are guaranteed that you will have tour guides on each bus, not to give you tours, but simply to suggest places to eat, see and stay in each city. Additionally, with Busabout you meet like-minded travelers that you will, more than likely, travel with for the larger part of your trip. Yay for meeting new people!

So, it appears that the decision has been made. We will book our 3 week trip with Busabout to visit the cities of Venice, Rome, Siena, Florence, Pisa, La Spezia, Nice and Paris. I think I'm most excited about Nice and Paris and, of course, anyone that knows Mickey knows he's most excited about ALL things Italy!

I never realized how many details go into planning a trip like this. I mean, this first hurdle, choosing transportation, is just one of many. We're now off to determine flights, travel essentials, learning Italian and brushing up on French, determining which museums and attractions to add to our "must dos," etc. This could get intense before the trip even begins! Strap on your seat belts!