Mark54

INTRO
I am planning to go with 1 other person from London to Berlin by car. I would like some advice please! I must apologize because I am not really sure what to do or where to go (holiday novice lol)

Some information about myself: I am a student and work part-time. I have been allocated 20 holiday days before 31 August so need to think about when to request days off before the others do.

I was thinking to go to Europe for about 14 days of those days.I am saving for my own car. I am 22 years old and have 2 years no claims accumulated on my parents car (as main driver commuting 36.5 miles each way to University 4 days per week). Insurance via online comparison sites suggest that insurance for a Skoda Octavia 1.9L would be £765 for example.

CURRENT RESEARCH
So far my research have suggested to stay at the Accor Group hotels (Ibis and the like) which I have found prices between £36-£50 per night which is not bad in comparison to other hotels I have looked at.

Would it be wise to pre-book or turn up on the day?

I have looked into acquiring one of those pre-paid credit cards linked to local currency (e.g. FairFX).

To visit attractions in the main city centre, I think it would be best to go from the suburbs hotel to the centre by public transportation. This does not seem to unreasonable and we are willing to do that (instead of suffering parking problems in the city).

Hope you don't mind confirming the above and offer some suggestions for the ones below?

CAR TYPE
Would a supermini (Fiesta, 207) be capable of tackling the European roads and motorways? Or perhaps something bigger such as a small family car (Octavia, Cee'd) would be more appropriate?

The reason I ask is because I could get a brand new car for £7,865 for the one I want (Dacia Sandero - new to the UK from March 2013) I thought I would look at the used car market as advised and for the same type of money I could go up one size and was wondering if that would be more comfortable.

I do plan to keep the car afterwards so no need to shift it afterwards so I would prefer for it to be reliable and to last for the long-term i.e. when we are back.

ATTRACTIONS
I am not really the holiday type. Where do I go, where can I find some information? Someone recommended me a DK Guide to *country name* which I will buy to get some inspiration but other then set destinations I am not sure where to go?

Here are the things we must see on the way:
* Bruges (although not sure what to do there? Museums?)
* Hanover - Zoo? Zoo is apparently good.
* Wolfsburg - VW Factory Tour
* Berlin - historic sites (Wall, memorial, concentration camp)
* Guben - Plastination
* Bavaria - Castles

On the way back I was thinking of routing through Bavaria (go south) to see the Castles (and drive on the "Romantic Road") as opposed to go the same way back we came.

Thank you guys for any help

Michael

If you have an ATM card to withdraw money from your account in England you should be able to use it on the continent with no problem. Check with your bank. Pre-paid cards tend to be relatively expensive because of the bad rate of exchange used in allocating euros.

nytraveler

Do not use prepaid car - they are incredibly expensive. Much better to drawy money from your checking account with a debit card at ATMs you will find everywhere.

Definitely book hotels in advance - to be sure of getting a room and any discounts they may have available. Can't comment on those hotels, which are not our price point.

And we always prefer to stay right in the center of any city - to avoid wasted time and money getting in and out of town. (But you need to be sure hotels have parking.)

eurotravelplan

Some easy questions first.

I think you might do better with a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide to Europe in order to research your itinerary.

If you end up taking a driving trip, and would perfer to stay in the periphery of a city rather than the center to avoid large parking costs, I doubt you need to book in advance unless you go in August (and even then I doubt it for the suburbs). But you should carry a cell phone and/or an internet connection so you can call or book in advance through a website like booking.com.

Given your age, you might find it much more interesting to go to either Antwerp or Ghent in Belgium. I wouldn't bother to visit a zoo unless you that is your profession or special passion.

If you want to buy a car to travel and then keep it, you should buy a car that is the right car for you to keep and use for the next few years. Don't buy it to suit your travel needs.

However, I'm not sure you should buy a car before your trip. The steering wheel will be on the "wrong" side of the car once you cross the channel. If anything goes wrong with the car, you might have considerable difficulty getting it fixed for a fair cost, or getting it fixed quickly if it needs a part that is not readily available where you are.

It looks to me that most of the beginning of your trip might be easily done by train. Consider renting a car after you've seen Berlin and then using it to see what you want in Germany that isn't easily reached by train -- but if anything goes wrong with the car, the rental office will be obliged to give you road assistance and fix it for free, or give you another one.

There are inexpensive flights from German back to London. Drop off the car at an airport in Germany and fly home. Then buy your brand new car to keep.

Southam

No-frills airlines will be cheaper than a car over longer distances, even when you are buying two tickets. But you must commit yourself and buy the tickets far in advance to get the real bargains. That's the budget traveller's dilemma: Less expensive, but less flexibility. www.skyspanner.com is good for European flights. www.whichbudget.com finds low-cost airlines that the more traditional search sites don't, although it is clunky to use.
You are on the right track by looking at the Accor hotel chain. One step below Ibis, and sometimes right next door, its Etap brand offers very spartan, very efficient accommodations. One drawback is that the places can be outside the city centres. http://www.accor.com/en/press/brand-...is-budget.html
Accor appears to be fiddling with its brands, splitting Etap into several cost points and combining the cheapest with its previous Formule1 group of places that resembled motels. Whatever -- they can be very good deals. Other chains are imitating the business model. If you Google for something like "budget hotels" you will find alternatives.