UK citizens do not need a visa for
Estonia for stays of up to 6 months.
Page last
updated:
17 January 2012
UK to Estonia without flying...
The old city walls, Tallinn...
There's no need to fly to reach Estonia. You can
travel to Estonia by train+ferry via Copenhagen & Stockholm,
or by Eurostar and connecting trains to Rostock in Germany then cruise ferry
to Helsinki and on to Tallinn, or overland all the way by train+bus via Brussels,
Berlin, Warsaw, Vilnius & Riga. The journey from
London to Tallinn takes 3 nights, and is a great adventure
with lots to see on the way.
By DFDS ferry to Denmark, train to Stockholm,
then ferry to Tallinn. Take the 3 times a week
DFDS Seaways cruise ferry from Harwich to Esbjerg & train to
Copenhagen (shown in yellow on the map above), overnight train to Stockholm
(shown in red), then the overnight Tallink cruise ferry from
Stockholm to Tallinn (shown in pale blue). This takes 3 nights, including a
day exploring wonderful Stockholm. Times, fares,
information for this option.
Overland all the
way by train and bus via Brussels, Berlin, Warsaw, Vilnius
and Riga. This involves long bus journeys in parts of
the Baltic states where there are now no trains, and one or
two overnight hotel stops making it the longest journey, at
least 4 nights. But you get to see a lot on the way.
Information for this option.
This is similar
to option 2, but you travel overland by Eurostar & sleeper
train to Copenhagen rather than DFDS cruise ferry. The
outward journey also takes 3 nights, though you get a night
and day in Stockholm rather than just a day, and on the
return leg it's faster, as it only takes 2 nights.
Departures are daily. On the map
above, it's the red line from London to Stockholm, then
the pale blue dotted line to Tallinn.
London ► Tallinn
Travel from
London St Pancras to Stockholm as shown
on the Sweden page, taking a lunchtime Eurostar to
Brussels on day 1, connecting train to Cologne, the
overnight City Night Line sleeper train 'Borealis' to
Copenhagen, and a daytime
X2000 high-speed train from
Copenhagen to Stockholm, arriving around 17:30 on day 2.
This is just too late to make that evening's overnight ferry
to Tallinn, so spend the night and day 3 in Stockholm.
Day 3, sail
from Stockholm to Tallinn overnight by luxurious cruise
ferry with Tallink. Tallink's ferries sail from
Stockholm Värtahamnen terminal every day at
17:45, arriving in Tallinn at 10:00 next morning (day 4
from London).
A
range of comfortable cabins is available. You can check sailing
dates, times and fares at www.tallink.ee.
To reach the Värtahamnen terminal in Stockholm, take a transfer bus
from the Cityterminal (the bus station next
to Stockholm Central Station). Buses leave at 14:45 and
15:50 to connect with the ship (please check these times
with Tallink). Alternatively, the
Värtahamnen terminal is an easy 550 metre walk from Gärdet metro
station. A taxi from Central Station to the
terminal will cost about £15.
Map of Tallinn showing ferry terminal.
Tallinn ►
London
Day 1, sail
from Tallinn to Stockholm on the daily Tallink cruise
ferry, leaving Tallinn daily at
18:00 and arriving in
Stockholm Värtahamnen at 10:00 next morning. A range
of comfortable cabins is available. In Stockholm,
take a taxi from the port to central station.
Day 2, travel from
Stockholm to London as shown on the
Sweden page, leaving Stockholm after 12:00 on an
X2000 high-speed train to Copenhagen,
the overnight
City Night Line sleeper train 'Borealis'
from Copenhagen to Cologne, a high-speed train to Brussels &
Eurostar back to London, arriving in London St Pancras
in time for lunch on day 3.
This is a comfortable and
leisurely option, with departures 3 times a week (4 times a
week in summer). It
takes 3 nights in either direction. If you'd prefer
less sea travel or need a daily departure, see option 1.
On the map above, it's the yellow
route to Copenhagen, the red line on to Stockholm & dotted
pale blue ferry to Tallinn.
London ► Tallinn
Day 1, travel from London to Harwich by train, leaving
London Liverpool Street at 14:00 (14:02 on Sundays),
changing trains at Manningtree and arriving Harwich International
at 15:17 (15:43 on Sundays). Harwich International station is right next
to the ferry terminal. The train runs hourly, but
this departure gives plenty of time to catch the ferry.
Please double-check times at
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Day 1, sail
from Harwich to Esbjerg in Denmark aboard DFDS Seaways
'Dana Sirena'. The Dana Sirena sails from Harwich
every Wednesday, Friday & Sunday at 17:45 (increased to
every second day in June, July & August ), arriving in
Esbjerg at 13:00 next day (day 2).
www.dfds.co.uk
will confirm sailing dates. The Dana Sirena is a
modern and well-run ship, with comfortable cabins,
two restaurants, a bar, coffee shop and lounges, see the
photos below. On arrival at Esbjerg, take a taxi
or bus or simply walk to the
railway station. Bus number 5 runs from the ferry
terminal to the
station every 20 minutes, bus fare 15 Kr adult 8 Kr
child. If you've a backpack or light luggage,
you can easily walk from the ferry terminal to the
pedestrianised town centre in about 10-15 minutes, from
where it's another 5-10 minutes walk to the station.
The station is a historic red-brick building, though not
very distinctively marked.
Day 2 afternoon, travel from Esbjerg to
Copenhagen by air-conditioned InterCity
train, leaving Esbjerg town station at 14:42 and arriving
Copenhagen
main station at 17:50. The journey is about 175
miles, right across Denmark in air-conditioned comfort.
Day 2 evening, travel from
Copenhagen to Stockholm overnight, leaving Copenhagen
by frequent Öresund link local train at 21:12 arriving Malmö
Central at 21:46 (these Copenhagen-Malmö local trains run every 20 minutes). A sleeper train leaves Malmö
Central daily except Saturdays at 22:38
arriving Stockholm at 06:30 next morning (day 3). You
now have a free day in Stockholm. The sleeper
train has seats, couchettes (6 bunk) and sleepers (1 & 2 bed
rooms with washbasin). Alternatively,
spend the night in Copenhagen and head for Stockholm the
next day. Regular
X2000 high-speed tilting trains link Copenhagen with
Stockholm, check train times at
http://bahn.hafas.de.
Day 3, travel
from Stockholm to Tallinn overnight by luxurious cruise
ferry with Tallink. Tallink's ferries sail from Stockholm
Värtahamnen terminal every day at
17:45, arriving in Tallinn at 10:00 next morning (day 4
from London).
A
range of comfortable cabins is available. You can check sailing
dates, times and fares at www.tallink.ee.
To reach the Värtahamnen terminal in Stockholm, take a transfer bus
from the Cityterminal (the bus station next
to Stockholm Central Station). Buses leave at 14:45 and
15:50 to connect with the ship (please check these times
with Tallink). Alternatively, the
Värtahamnen terminal is an easy 550 metre walk from Gärdet metro
station. A taxi from Central Station to the
terminal will cost about £15.
Map of Tallinn showing ferry terminal.
Tallinn ► London
Day 1, sail
from Tallinn to Stockholm on the daily Tallink cruise
ferry, leaving Tallinn daily at
18:00 and arriving in
Stockholm Värtahamnen at 10:00 next morning. A range of
comfortable cabins is available. Left luggage
lockers are available at the port and station. Spend day 2
exploring Stockholm.
Day 2, travel from Stockholm to
Copenhagen overnight, leaving Stockholm
daily except Saturdays at 22:23 by sleeper train and arriving Malmö
Central at 06:17 next
morning. A connecting local
Öresund link train leaves Malmö every 20 minutes, with one at
06:42 arriving Copenhagen at 07:16.
The sleeper train has seats, couchettes (6 bunk) and
sleepers (1 & 2 bed compartments). Alternatively, on
Mondays-Saturdays there is a
X2000 high-speed tilting
train leaving Stockholm at 05:55 (06:14 Saturdays)
arriving Copenhagen at 10:40 (11:23 Saturdays), allowing you to spend
the night in Stockholm and travel next day (day 3) to make a
same-day
connection to Esbjerg for the ferry to England.
Check times and days of running at
http://bahn.hafas.de.
Day 3, travel from Copenhagen to
Esbjerg by modern air-conditioned InterCity train, leaving Copenhagen at
12:30 and arriving Esbjerg at 15:26. You can
check times at
http://bahn.hafas.de. Take a bus or taxi to
the ferry terminal, bus number 5 runs from the station
to the port every 20 minutes.
Day 3 evening, sail from Esbjerg to Harwich
aboard DFDS 'Dana Sirena', leaving Esbjerg ferry
terminal at 18:45 on Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays, arriving Harwich at
12:00
next day (sailings are increased to every second day in
June, July & August). See
www.dfds.co.uk
for sailing dates.
Day 4, travel from Harwich to London
by train, leaving Harwich
at 12:33, changing trains at Manningtree and arriving London Liverpool Street at
13:55.
The train service runs hourly, you can check
times at
www.nationalrail.co.uk.
On board DFDS
Seaways from Harwich to Esbjerg...
The Dana
Sirena is a modern and well-run ship, built in 2002.
All passengers travel in cabins, and all cabins have a private
shower & toilet. Facilities on board include the 7 Seas buffet restaurant,
the Blue
Riband ą la carte
restaurant, Café Lighthouse (with WiFi access for laptops), Columbus Lounge,
and shop. The ship is child-friendly, with children's play
area, child restraints for cabin berths available from
reception, and highchairs available in all restaurants and
lounges.
Cabins come in three classes:
Seaways class:
1-6 berths with private shower and toilet;
Sirena class: 1
or 2 berth with private shower and toilet, TV (BBC World,
BBC Prime), complimentary minibar, breakfast included;
Commodore
Deluxe: Hotel-style rooms with double bed or two single
beds, TV (BBC Prime, BBC World), small sitting area, private
shower and toilet. Commodore cabins are on their own
deck with exclusive access to the Commodore Lounge which has
sea views, complimentary tea, coffee, snacks, beer and (in
the evening) free wine and spirits, PC with internet access
and WiFi access if you have your own laptop. Commodore
Deluxe is like travelling to Denmark
aboard a
floating hotel, highly recommended!
Crossing the North Sea aboard the Dana Sirena...
Commodore class cabin
with double bed.
Sirena class cabin.
The
exclusive Commodore Class lounge, with complimentary
tea, coffee, wines & spirits. If you can afford
Commodore Class, you won't regret it!
The Dana Sirena's
restaurant for dinner, available to all passengers.
A world away from the budget airline experience...
A lazy day at sea...
On board the
Tallink ferry from Stockholm to Tallinn...
The ferry
'Baltic Queen' sails from Stockholm to Tallinn.
Photo
courtesy of Tallink.
A cabin on the
Baltic Queen. Photo courtesy of
Tallink.
How much does it cost?
London to
Harwich by train starts at just £8 each way if you
pre-book a cheap Advance
ticket (no refunds, only valid on the specific train you
book at these prices). If you buy tickets at the
station on the day of travel, the cost is £30.10 for an Off-Peak
1 month return, or £27.80 full
fare one-way. No reservation is necessary with these
fares, you just turn up, buy a ticket, and hop on the next
train.
Harwich to
Esbjerg by ferry starts at around £158 return for two people
sharing a 2-bed cabin with private toilet and shower (= £79
each) or £147 return for one person with sole use of a
cabin. To
check sailing dates, times and fares for different types of
cabin, visit
www.dfds.co.uk.
DFDS
Seaways now has an airline-style pricing system so prices
vary, book early and avoid peak times to get the cheapest fares. Children under 16 travel at
reduced fare. Unfortunately, DFDS
won't now let solo passengers share cabins, the whole cabin
must be booked.
Esbjerg to
Copenhagen by intercity train costs 347 Kr (£42) one way,
694 Kr (£84)
return for adults, or 173 Kr (£21) each way for children and
seniors over 65. Advance reservation is possible but not
necessary, tickets can be bought at the station on the day
and you can just hop on.
You can check fares at
www.dsb.dk
(Danish Railways).
Copenhagen to
Stockholm by sleeper train costs SEK 760 (£56) one-way
or SEK 1520 (£112) return per person travelling in 6-bunk
couchettes, or SEK 1170 (£87) one-way, SEK 2340 (£174)
return per person travelling in a 2-bed sleeper, when booked
through www.sj.se.
Stockholm to
Tallinn by ferry:
The fare depends on cabin type and season. Fares
start at around £30 one way, £60 return. Check fares
and book online at www.tallink.ee.
How to buy tickets
Step 1:
Buy your Harwich-Esbjerg ferry tickets online at
www.dfds.co.uk
(no booking fee)
or by calling DFDS Seaways on 0871 522 9955, although there's a £20 fee for phone bookings.
Phone lines are open 09:00-17:30 Mondays-Fridays,
09:00-17:00 Saturdays, closed Sundays.
You can buy
your London-Harwich & Esbjerg-Copenhagen train tickets at
the station on the day of travel. No reservation is
necessary, and there's no price advantage in buying tickets
in advance. But if you want to save queuing at the
ticket office, you can buy
the London-Harwich ticket online at
www.nationalrail.co.uk and the Esbjerg-Copenhagen ticket
(with seat reservation) at
www.dsb.dk,
the Danish Railways website. This is in Danish, but
it's not difficult to work out how to use it if you're
familiar with the way such booking systems work. You
pay by credit card then print out your own ticket.
remember that Copenhagen in Danish is 'Kobenhavn'.
Alternatively, if you book by phone, DFDS can add both UK
and Esbjerg-Copenhagen tickets to your ferry fare, including
making a seat reservation on the Esbjerg-Copenhagen train.
Ask DFDS about special cheap train fares from other UK
stations to Harwich, too.
Step 2:
Buy the Copenhagen-Stockholm tickets online at
www.sj.se,
see the
step-by-step advice on
using sj.se here. You buy online and pick up your
tickets from the SJ vending machines at Copenhagen station.
Bookings open 90 days before departure.
Step 3: Buy the
Stockholm-Tallinn ferry tickets online at www.tallink.ee.
See the
Finland page for full details of journeys from
London to Helsinki.
Then take any of the regular
ferries from Helsinki to Tallinn. Operators
include
www.tallinksilja.com and
www.vikingline.fi, Helsinki to Tallinn is a 2.5 hour
crossing.
Option
4: London to Tallinn
overland
via Brussels - Berlin - Warsaw
- Vilnius - Riga:
The
overland option from London to Tallinn via Brussels, Berlin,
Warsaw, Vilnius and Riga takes about 4½ days. It can
only be booked from the UK as far as Warsaw, where you will
need to buy a ticket for Vilnius, then you will need to re-book
again in Vilnius for the bus or train to Riga and in Riga for the bus
to Tallinn. See the London to
Latvia page for information on the journey from London
as far as Riga.
Riga and Tallinn are linked by regular buses, taking 5
hours and costing about £10 - see
www.eurolines.ee
and www.eurolines.lv
for times and fares.
Local trains run by Edelaraudtee link Tallinn with
many Estonian towns, including Pärnu,
Viljandi, Valga, Tapa & Tartu. For times & fares,
see www.edel.ee
- Click 'English' then your browser 'back' button then
'Sõiduplaanid ja-hinnad' at top left.
For a route map, click 'Kaart' at the top.
The website www.elektriraudtee.ee
only has info for the suburban electric trains to the
Tallinn suburbs.
At last some
good news from the Baltic States! As from August 2011,
Estonian and Latvian railways have co-ordinated their
timetables and it's possible once more to travel between
Tallinn and Riga on a fairly comfortable and cheap daily
train service, with one simple change of train at Valga on
the border. It must be stressed that both the Estonian
and Latvian trains are local services rather than anything
fancy, and it takes a few hours longer and is less frequent
than the bus (the train service runs only once a day), but
it's cheap, easy to use, and you may find it an interesting
and more enjoyable alternative to a long bus ride.
Riga ►
Tallinn
Tallinn
► Riga
Local
train service
Daily
Local
train service
Daily
Riga station
depart
13:15
Tallinn station
depart
06:46
Valga (on Latvian train)
arrive
16:35
Valga arrive (on Estonian train)
arrive
11:35
Valga (on Estonian train)
depart
16:47
Valga depart (on Latvian train)
depart
11:44
Tallinn station
arrive
21:49
Riga station
arrive
15:03
Fares:
Tallinn to Valga costs only 8.95 euros (£8.20). Valga
to Riga costs just 3.75 Lats (£4.50 or 5 euros) for the 168
km.
How to buy
tickets: There's no need to reserve, indeed you can't.
Just turn up at Tallinn station, buy a ticket to Valga and
get on the train. You'll need to buy the Valga-Riga
ticket when you get to Valga, if necessary on board the
Latvian train.
How to
check these times and fares:
You can check the Estonian train times and fares at
www.edel.ee. Click
'Eng' top right for English, then use the journey planner.
For a timetable in .pdf format, leave it in Estonian and click
'Sõiduplaanid ja-hinnad'. For a network map, again use
the Estonian version and click the 'Raudteekaart' map
graphic on the left. You can check times for the
Latvian train times and fares at www.ldz.lv,
click 'English' then 'Passenger traffic'.
The
modernised interior of the Latvian train from Valga
to Riga. Photo courtesy of Jan
paček
The Valga to Riga
train, a classic Soviet-era design. Photo courtesy of Jan
paček
Tallinn ▶ Riga by
bus...
Tallinn is linked to Riga by
regular Eurolines bus with a number of departures daily.
Journey time is about 5 hours, fare about 165 Krooni (11
euros or £10). See
www.luxexpress.eu & www.eurolines.lv.
These two Eurolines website show slightly different buses,
so you'll need to visit both!
Tallinn
▶ Moscow by train...
"Tallinna Express": The Tallinn-Moscow sleeper train...
There
is a safe and comfortable overnight train between Tallinn & Moscow run by GoRail (www.gorail.ee,
formerly EVR Ekspress). The 'Tallinna Ekspress'
(pictured right) runs daily, with 1st class 'Spalny Wagon'
2-berth compartments, 2nd class 'kupé' 4-berth compartments,
ordinary seats and a restaurant car.
Fare: Tallinn-Moscow costs around 650 kroons
(£35 or $70) in a reclining seat (not recommended), 1,300 kroons (£65 or
$130) one-way
travelling in a 2nd class 4-berth sleeper (recommended for
most travellers), or 2,500 kroons
(£130 or $260) in a 1st class 2-berth sleeper.
How to buy tickets from Moscow to Tallinn: You
can buy tickets at the station in Moscow or you can easily
book online using the Real
Russia online booking form here. You pay online
and collect tickets at the station in Moscow using the
e-ticket option, or collect them at Real Russia's offices in
Moscow.
How to buy tickets from Tallinn to Moscow: You
can buy tickets at the station in Tallinn or you can easily
book tickets online using
the Real Russia online booking form here (a 15-23%
mark-up is included in the fares shown, and tickets
will have to be sent to you for an extra courier charge as they
cannot be collected in Tallinn and the e-ticket option does
not work there). However, the cheapest way to buy
tickets is to email GoRail's associated travel agency,
www.gotravel.ee (click
'transportation' at top right, then click 'train').
Traveller Tomas Ersson booked by email through the GoRail
website: "I just made an inquiry via their website and
received a quote and a from to fill out as an attachment.
The fare was relatively cheap, about 60 euros per person in
a 4-berth sleeper. I filled in the form with names,
passport & visa card number, signed it, scanned it and
emailed it back. One or two days later I received an email
attachment which I printed & used as our ticket. At
the station in Tallinn, I just showed them the print out and
got on to the train! We were already on the passenger
list and the train departed as planned, hassle-free for us."
How to use the GoRail website: You can check
times and fares at www.gorail.ee,
though there's no online booking. The English version
isn't very useful, so leave it in Estonian.
'Sõiduplaanid' means timetable, 'Piletihinnad' means prices.
On the prices page, 'Istevagun' means seat, 'kupee' means
4-berth sleeper, 'SV' means 2-berth sleeper.
Tallinn
▶ St
Petersburg by train...
Unfortunately,
as from August 2008 there is once again no train at all
between Tallinn and St Petersburg. The original
overnight train was
withdrawn in 2004, a victim of bus
competition, then a new daytime train was introduced in March
2007 run by GoRail (www.gorail.ee,
formerly EVR Ekspress). This was then replaced an overnight train
once more in October 2007, but this was itself
withdrawn in August 2008, due to higher track-usage fees and
fuel costs.
You now have to
endure a 7 hour bus journey from Tallinn to St Petersburg,
fare around 450 kroons/29 euros, range of departures daily
plus overnight, see
www.luxexpress.eu. At least the communists knew how
to run a proper train service!
One way to avoid
7 hours in a bus is to sail by ferry from Tallinn to
Helsinki (2 hours, ferry sails every few hours, fare from 26
euros,
www.tallinksilja.com), then take the afternoon train
from Helsinki to St Petersburg (two trains daily,
see
the Finland page for details).
Tallinn ►
St Petersburg
St
Petersburg
► Tallinn
No
train service
No
train service
Tallinn
depart
-
St Petersburg (Vitebski)
depart
-
St Petersburg (Vitebski)
arrive
-
Tallinn
arrive
-
For
direct trains between London and
Moscow or St Petersburg, see the London
to Russia page.
Tallinn
▶ Helsinki by
ferry...
Tallinn is linked to Helsinki
by a variety of shipping lines, operating both conventional
ships (2½ hours) and fast ferry (1½ hours). Services
run daily. Operators include Tallink,
Silja Line,
Nordic Jet Line, Eckero Line, Linda Line.
The Thomas Cook European Timetable
The
Thomas Cook European timetable
has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency
& climate
information. Published since 1873, it costs £13.99.
It's essential for any serious traveller
and an inspiration for armchair travellers. Still
not convinced you need one? More information
on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains. You can
buy the latest monthly edition online at
www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery or
buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the
bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria or Kings
Cross stations in London.
Or
buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with
laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:
Winter/Spring 2011/12 edition (Dec 2011 to June 2012) or
(when available)
Summer/Autumn 2012 edition (June to Dec 2012)
The Thomas Cook Rail Map of
Europe is the best and most comprehensive
map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the
west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland
in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south. High speed
&
scenic routes are highlighted. Highly recommended!
Buy online
at
www.amazon.co.uk
(worldwide delivery).
See an extract from
the map.
make
sure you invest in a good guidebook. For the serious independent traveller this
means either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide. Both books provide a similarly excellent level of
practical detail and cultural and historical background. You
won't regret buying one..!
My own book, an essential
handbook for train travel to Europe based on this website called "The
Man in Seat 61", was published in June 2008, and
is available from Amazon with shipping worldwide.
www.hotelscombined.com
is probably the best hotel search system I've seen, a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Opodo, Expedia,
Booking.com, Hotels.com, AsiaRooms, Travelocity, LateRooms and
others) to find the cheapest hotel rates. Set up in
2005, it's probably the best place to start for booking any
hotel online in any country, worldwide.
Other hotel sites worth trying...
www.tripadvisor.com
is the place to find
independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.
www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system
(Hotels Combined being a search/comparison system). It
has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries
worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and
decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras
such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one
price, then charge you another!).
Backpacker hostels...
If you're on a tight budget,
don't forget the hostels. For a dorm bed or an
ultra-cheap private room in backpacker hostels in most
European cities use
www.hostelbookers.com.
Travel insurance & health card
Get travel insurance, it's essential...
Never travel without insurance from a
reliable travel insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover loss of
cash (up to a limit) and belongings, and cancellation. An annual
multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip
policies even for just 2 or 3 trips
a year (I have an annual policy myself).
Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed
connection, but European international rail conditions of
carriage (known as the 'CIV') contain consumer protection
provisions that entitle you to travel forward by the next
available train if you miss a connection because of a delay to
the first train, irrespective of who operates which train, and
even if your ticket is in theory train-specific and
non-changeable.
Feedback from using
insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome. Here are some suggested insurers.
Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these
links.
If you're a
UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free
European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or
reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in
many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with
the NHS. This replaced the old E111 forms
as from January 2006. The EHIC card is available from
www.ehic.org.uk. It doesn't remove the need for
travel insurance, though.
Get a spare credit card, one designed for foreign travel with no currency
exchange loading & low or no ATM fees...
It costs nothing to take out an extra credit card.
If you keep it in a different part of your luggage so you're
not left stranded if
your wallet gets stolen, this is a form of extra travel insurance in itself. In addition,
some credit cards are significantly better for
overseas travel than others. Martin Lewis's
www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which
UK credit cards
have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something
overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when
you use an ATM abroad. Taking this advice
can save you quite a lot on each trip compared to using your
normal high-street bank credit card! You can save money on ATM charges and exchange rates using a
Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or indeed the
multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card,
find out about these cards & sign up here.
Get an international SIM card
to save on mobile data and phone calls...
Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're
not careful you can return home to find some huge bills
waiting for you. I've known people run up over £1,000 in
data charges just by leaving their iPhone connected during a
simple trip to Europe. However, if you
buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company
such as
www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85% and
limit any damage to the amount you have pre-paid. Go-Sim
cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide,
and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries. It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills
when you get home. It also allows cheap data access for laptops
& PDAs. A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't
expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some
others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone
number' for life.
Backpacker hostels...
In
the UK, try
If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the
EU, try
If you live in the USA or Canada, try
