If you live in North America, there aren't many transit options. A very large ocean separates our continent from Europe. Although I suppose it is possible to cross the ocean by boat, that crossing in and of itself would be a vacation. By the time you arrived in Europe, there would be no time left to see anything there; you'd just have to turn around and go home again.
Water travel being obviously out of the question, travellers are left to deal with airlines. And airports.
When booking a transatlantic flight, I recommend the following...
Start by searching for flights on a website like expedia.ca.
Although they tend not to have the best prices, some of the routes they come up with may surprise you. Just this morning, their most inexpensive suggestion was a flight on Austrian Airlines that connected with Air France via London and Vienna; the cheapest return trip was on Swiss International Airlines. Additionally, expedia.ca allows you to compare prices on multiple airlines.
When booking, try to do so with only one carrier.
Any airline will be fine. I have flown with Lufthansa, Air Canada and United Airlines in the past. (My Air Canada experience, in row 46, next to the toilet, was not especially pleasant, but the tickets were relatively inexpensive.) The reason I suggest this is that if you change airlines part-way through your journey, you will likely have to pick-up your luggage and be subjected to going through airport security a second time, as you will if you stop in a country other than your home-country along the way. This can cause disaster, especially if your first flight is delayed. Although I have never missed a flight because of this, I have sprinted through many airports with my wheelie suitcase bouncing behind me. Many others have been less fortunate.
Note: Recently, I've been intrigued by the possibility of booking flights through a discount outlet such as Flight Centre (www.flightcentre.ca). They currently list flights to London as low as 149$, and flights to Paris as low as 522$ (before tax, of course). I have never used this type of service before, and cannot help being wary of it, the same way I am wary of the clearance rack at a clothing store. After all, when things go on sale, it's generally because no one wanted them. Has anyone ever used this type of travel service before? If so, what were your experiences?
Flying all the way to your final destination is one way to go, but not the only option.
Dependent upon where you live, (and probably several other factors that I am unaware of since I am not employed by an airline,) it can often be significantly less expensive to fly to London than to any other city in Europe. If London is not your final destination, never fear. You can take the Eurostar train from London to destinations in the United Kingdom, France and Belgium; including Paris, Antwerp and, for those who are travelling with children or just young at heart, the Disneyland Resort in Marne-la-Vallée. Best of all, you don't have to buy an adult ticket until you turn 26! Youth tickets, for those between the ages of 12 and 25, start at 63$ US for a non-flexible ticket. Prices can reach as high as 424$ for business premier travel. You'll have to do a bit of math to figure out of the Eurostar is the right choice for you, but it is one of the options out there.
For more information about the Eurostar, visit www.eurostar.com
Once you're in Europe, you will need to get around. The continent, particularly in the West, has an extensive rail system. If you plan to travel only short distances at a time, stopping in small towns are you go, the train is an excellent choice.
Eurail, the leading train operators in Europe, travel between twenty-two countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Eurail offers One-Country passes, Regional passes, Select (3, 4 or 5 countries) passes and Global (all 25 countries) passes. For more details on what these passes include (and what they don't), as well as how much they cost, visit www.eurail.com
The train is probably for you if...
You want to visit multiple destinations within a single country
You like to travel at a less-than-hectic pace
You will be travelling a very short distance; for example, between Bratislava and Vienna, or Paris and Brussels
The train might not be the best choice if...
You only intend to travel between major cities
You want to get to where you're going as soon as you possibly can
The countries you want to visit are not served by Eurail
If any of the previous three statements apply to you, you might want to consider flying between destinations. Impatient and impractical travellers, never fear! I am one of you. And I know that it is perfectly possible, extremely convenient and cost-effective to fly all over Europe. However, listen to the voice of experience first: do not be taken in by the promises made by airlines like Ryanair and Easyjet. Do not use these airlines unless you have absolutely no other choice. See my post to find out why: http://lamontmartraise.wordpress.com/2009/12/18/top-10-tips-for-travelling-in-europe/
There are many excellent budget airlines flying throughout Europe. Air Berlin, based in Germany, offers excellent service, economical prices and serves almost forty countries worldwide. I can in no way properly express how excellent this airline is, but I will strongly recommend that everyone visit their website to find out what they are all about. Visit www.airberlin.com. Air Berlin's sister-airline, Fly Niki, serves some different destinations and also offers friendly, courteous, pink-themed service to budget travellers. These airlines endeavour to treat all passengers well, no matter what they paid for their ticket.
For flights to Spain, and between its cities, Vueling offers comprehensive but economical service. This airline will fly almost no matter how few passengers have booked tickets, so rest assured; your flight will take off even if you are the only one on it. For more detail, visit www.vueling.com.
If you're travelling in Central and Eastern Europe, extremely low-budget airline Wizzair reaches more destinations than any other discount airline that flies in the area. I am not exaggerating when I say extremely low-budget; I booked a Wizzair flight from Paris to Budapest for less than 1 Euro plus tax. Although this airline doesn't operate out of the most convenient airports, you will find few other carriers that fly direct from Timisoara, Romania to Valencia, Spain. If you plan to travel to Eastern Europe, visit www.wizzair.com for more information on their prices and destinations.
When flying, or taking the train, be prepared to deal with occasional delays. Some delays will be long. Some, like the time I was stuck on a plane to Barcelona for nearly two hours because Orly Airport was had run out of de-icing fluid and it had begun to snow, will be incredibly frustrating. Just try to remind yourself that sometimes, getting somewhere is half the fun. And when you do arrive, buy yourself something really nice.
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