Oct 08 2009
USA Export: travel tips in Europe
For those in charge of USA Export products and who travel to Europe there are a few tips that may help you. It is easier for the traveler to stay in a particular city, but for the neophyte international road warrior, check out some of these helpful hints. Many of the small European airlines, have 1 Euro specials. Check out www.brusselsairlines.com, www.easyjet.com, www.airberlin.com, www.jetairfly.com or www.vueling.com
For American carriers connecting onto flights in Europe, allow plenty of time for any delays. Many times a 2 hour layover is not enough. Any disconnect may cost you the price of the second flight. My favorite airport to land into is Paris Charles de Gaulle because of the TGV (High Speed Train) station that is right in Terminal 2. It allows for high speed connection to other parts of Europe or normal train service to Gare du Nord. There you can connect onto more High Speed Trains (www.tgv-europe.com/), the regional train system or the metro. Milano’s airports have the worst connections to the city or the rest of the country.
For the USA Export Manager, car rentals in Spain are much cheaper with www.pepecar.com, but you need to reserve the car at least 2 days before the start of the rental period. The inconvenience of not having their office inside the airport itself is well worth the price difference. You also need to have an International Driver’s License. This can be obtained from your local AAA office for a small fee. It is recommended that you carry this International Driver’s License with you in every country. If you do not have a GPS, use www.viamichelin.com to guide you on the road. If you will take a taxi, print out the route to give to the cabdriver, so that he won’t “tour” the city for you.
Most IBIS hotels (www.ibishotel.com) are very convenient and correctly priced for the business traveler. A small restaurant with local food offers breakfast and dinner for the USA Export Manager who leaves early or arrives late and has no time to look for a restaurant in the neighborhood.
