Impossible you say? Not so. Granted, fuel prices have soared in the months since I made my trip to Europe at the end of 2006, but even then, we were living in a post-9/11 economy that saw bloated airfares and strenuous traveling conditions. So while you may not be able to book travel and lodging on your trip for the $1,000 I was able to manage, you can still find great deals that may offset the weak dollar-euro exchange rate enough to allow you to book a trip you had written off as out-of-reach. Following are some cool pics, some tips, some links, and a little bit of fun. Enjoy and good traveling!!

First off, of course, is airfare. What a headache that can be. Experience has taught me that the more well-known travel sites—Orbitz, Travelocity, etc.—are usually your best bet for booking flights. A good way to compare the rates such sites offer without developing carpal tunnel syndrome is through a site like www.lowfares.com. This site allows you to compare the rates of several major travel sites at once, without the need to re-enter your travel dates and destination information. In fact, when I looked at off-season rates at www.lowfares.com, I was able to find round-trip tickets for as little as $450.00; however, they loaded this rate with excessive tax and fee charges that nearly doubled the price. Another option in this event is to book directly with the airline or to visit a local travel agent who may be able to get around the extra fees or find a way to combine the airfare with hotel bookings that can still allow you to take that trip you have been postponing

Some links that may come in handy:

Of course, you’ll need a place to sleep once you land. The best way by far to get inexpensive lodging while traveling in Europe is to stay with friends or relatives. Realistically, of course, most of us do not have such contacts. If you are really serious about a genuine experience in Europe, though, you shouldn’t let the fact that you don’t have any personal contacts in Europe stop you. Go to any search engine on the Internet and type, “European pen pals,” in the search box. You’ll be pleased with the number and variety of organizations that sponsor programs designed for people around the world to make contact with each other. Of course, it goes without saying that you should be cautious about trusting everything you see and hear on the Internet. Use common sense, and if you don’t feel like taking the risk, then by all means take a more conservative approach and book a hotel. (You can also join local groups in your area that sponsor international exchange programs: language courses through your local university; local clubs or interest groups for a nationality you descend from or would like to know more about.)

If you’ve decided to go the hotel route, however, you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to get a good night’s rest. Europe is awash in hotels that don’t cost a lot but give you a clean, safe place to stay while you you’re busy sightseeing. Type, “cheap (city name) hotels,” in an Internet search window, and you’ll find plenty of sites to explore. Don’t forget about hostels, either; while they can be a bit more stressful and somewhat less clean and safe, there are plenty of good ones.

Here some useful links I’ve come across:

However you decide to put your trip together, don’t forget to buy a Eurail pass before you go. You can only buy them in the U.S. before you travel, and they are an indispensable way to see Europe by rail without having to pay for each individual train, trolley, or subway ticket every time you set out. Check out the site for details:

The last time I visited Europe, I began my trek in Amsterdam, where I spent my time visiting friends and wandering the streets and canals. Here are some shots:

...a short train ride into Germany, where my destination was Nuremberg, a city I lived in for a year while teaching English (more on that in another posting) yielded some nice photos, and a few of them follow.

Ryan Air (www.ryanair.com) is a great airline to use if you want to take short trips from one European country to another. They will sell plane tickets for as little as $10.00, although there are additional fees based on baggage. Still, I was able to purchase a very inexpensive ticket from Nuremberg to Dublin, and a few shots of that city follow.

...my Eurail pass came in handy again when I decided to travel from Dublin to Galway on the East Coast of Ireland. Here’s the town square in Galway lit up for Christmas.

I had a great time on my most recent visit to Europe, but of course I know a lot has changed since then—surging fuel prices, a weak dollar, political strain. All these things undoubtedly will figure in to your trip planning. But whether you decide to visit Europe next month or next decade, I hope the tips in this article will help you make the most of it. Happy traveling, and enjoy the slideshow below...