We
love the rail network in Europe. It’s one of the reasons why we go back to
Europe again and again. There are so many countries to explore in this
continent. We tend to be greedy and want to explore a few countries each time.
Eurail pass has been the best option for us. Having been to Europe twice, the
first thing to come to mind when preparing for our third trip is to ask
ourselves what kind of Eurail pass to get. We thought of getting the Balkan
Flexipass which covers the places we were going - Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Greece, Macedonia and Montenegro. BUT! What about Slovenia, Croatia, Austria
and lastly, Switzerland where we have to fly back home? So we researched and
researched, trying to get the best combination of Eurail pass. We had to concede
we cannot take the train if we want to be economical. We have to rely on
intercity coaches! This was our itinerary: Athens – Greek Islands – Meteora –
Thessaloniki – Skopje – Bay of Kotor - Mostar – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Plitviče
Lakes National Park – Split – Zadar – Rovinj – Ljubljana – Salzburg – Zurich.
It doesn’t include all the side trips we took from these places which was
another round of transport we have to take.
It
was a challenge to find connecting coaches to all the cities. Every evening
after all the sightseeing, we have to buckle down and search for transport. The
Balkans is not very visitor-friendly for travelers who want to do cities hop.
Information is all over the place due to the numerous coach companies operating
in Europe and we have to scroll through websites after websites and the coach
schedules were not even accurate. It was only towards the end of our trip that
we discovered a super cool app – BlaBlaCar.
Started
first in France and it’s slowly rolling out to other countries outside of
Europe. You just have to key in your point of departure and destination. Voila!
The app will match you up with a driver who’s headed in the same direction. We
were surprised at how cheap it was compared to taking the coach or train. We
traveled from Salzburg to Zurich for €30. That was for two of us! Taking the
train would have been €40 - €100+ per person. Via coach was around €35 - €100+
per person. We want to slap ourselves
for not trying it earlier in our trip. We saw it coming up in our research and
brushed it off because the name is just too funky to be a serious mode of
transport. We never heard of it and we were looking for coaches with dogged
determination. We had great experiences with the rides we took and it saved us
a lot of time as we do not have to make pit stops at various cities/towns.
There’s even option for ladies only. So for lone female travelers, this is a
safe way to travel too.
However
there are always pros and cons to everything. Consider the following when
you’re trying to decide between the train, bus and BlaBlaCar.
Pros:
1)
Cost. If you’re not traveling with a tour operator, chances are you’re a
backpacker or fake backpackers like us. You definitely do not want transport
cost to take up a huge chunk of your travelling budget. For us, we want to
travel fast but in the most economical way. So, do your homework. Firm up the
cities you’re going, check the prices to travel via the 3 options and you won’t
have to slap yourself like us. We find BlaBlaCar to be the cheapest. Since we
only used it twice (slap ourselves again), do let us know if your BlaBlaCar
ride costs more.
2)
Time. Time is precious. Most of us are not on a 6-month backpacking trip in
Europe. We want to pack in as much sightseeing as we could and then scurry back
to dreary life back home. BlaBlaCar uses private cars. You go from Point A to B
without all the meandering in trains and coaches. This leaves you with more
time to explore the city rather than being stuck in the train or coach for 2 to
4 hours more.
3)
New friend. You get a local guide instantly! Our drivers were friendly and
since we are obviously travelers, they recommended places to go and things to
eat. We also got to know the local culture better as we chatted about their
lives and even politics. Just keep things light because you don’t want
atmosphere in the car to become ominous when the drive is 3 hours more.
Cons:
1)
Safety. This could be the deal breaker if you are trying this for the first
time. You never know who you’re going to get and in this crazy world, be
prepared for anything. However, since you have already stepped out of your home
for an adventure (travelling is always an adventure!), try it! BlaBlaCar does
its best to make it safe by having Experience Level of both drivers and
passengers (safety works both ways). The higher level you are, the more trusted
you are in the BlaBlaCar community. So read up on the driver’s profile and
passengers’ rating before you decide whether you want to take the ride.
2)
Reliability. If you are time bound and inflexible with your travelling
arrangement, BlaBlaCar is a risk. There may not be anyone driving to your
intended destination in the date/time you want. Drivers on this app are not
doing it full time like Uber. They just happen to be driving to your
destination for work, family/ friends visit or whatever reasons. It’s
definitely a game of waiting for the right ride to come along. Works the same
way as sticking your thumb out by the roadside. So if you plan to get to a
destination by certain time, start your search early. Popular destinations
should have no lack of drivers going that way but don’t bank on drivers going
to small towns. Just drop at the nearest big town and take the local bus there.
3)
Surprise factor. You turn up on time at the departure point and expect to go to
your destination immediately. No, wait! The driver is picking up another
passenger on the way, so it’s a bit of detour. Or wait! Another passenger is
supposed to turn up at the same meeting point, he’s late, everyone waits.
Worst, this passenger is a no-show, wasted 30 minutes waiting. That’s what
happened to us. You just have to go along with the driver's plan. It's his car,
right? However, all in, the journey time was still shorter than the other 2
options, so we have no complaints.
4)
Accident liability. Common sense is that the driver should have third party
liability insurance policy which covers all passengers travelling in their
vehicle but do they have it? If you want to be safe or kiasu (not losing out),
check with the driver before you take the ride.
5)
Inconvenience. You may have to turn up at designated meeting point not to your
convenience. However, it’s a moot point as it depends on how you negotiate with
the driver. Once you booked the ride, the driver’s contact will be made known
to you and you can discuss further on the exact location to be picked up. The
driver may state a certain place as a passenger who booked a seat earlier may
have made the request, so it’s up to you whether you want to convenient
yourself or the driver.
As their motto says “Connecting people who need to travel with drivers who have empty seats”. It’s a good car-sharing platform which benefits both the drivers and travelers. BlaBlaCar is supposedly a community-minded enterprise. Drivers are not allowed to profit from the service, so the Euro we paid is for defraying their petrol cost. In addition, think of it as saving the earth, green environment and all, ya know, bla bla bla.
As their motto says “Connecting people who need to travel with drivers who have empty seats”. It’s a good car-sharing platform which benefits both the drivers and travelers. BlaBlaCar is supposedly a community-minded enterprise. Drivers are not allowed to profit from the service, so the Euro we paid is for defraying their petrol cost. In addition, think of it as saving the earth, green environment and all, ya know, bla bla bla.
We
used these to find our way in Europe:
Go Euro (BlaBlarCar will appear in search if
available)
Bus Radar(BlaBlarCar will appear in search if available)
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