Thrifty Ways to See Wales by Bus and Europe by Air

Hairy Hog will be winding its way along the roads of Wales again this summer. Hairy Hog is a small backpacker tour company that specializes in showing Wales to young independent travelers. Castles, mountains, Celtic monuments, dramatic coastlines, cozy pubs and fascinating stories are introduced by driver-guides familiar with their local history. The company also offers economical hostel accommodations, group walks, meals and evening pub visits.

Expect music on the bus and an active itinerary, with at least an hour or two of walking each day. Accommodation is not included in the basic tour price, but the 17-passenger minibus delivers passengers to backpacker hostels each night, where dormitory beds cost an average of $16. A limited number of two- or four-bed family rooms may be available. Bed-and-breakfast accommodations can also be arranged at a higher rate.

The five-day Hairy Hog tour operates until mid-October, with departures averaging once a week. The basic tour price is about $190 per person; add entrance fees and shared hostel accommodations and you can expect to spend $270. The bus will stop for snacks and food supplies. Often passengers picnic during the day and join together in the evening to cook dinner at the hostel or follow the guide’s recommendation to a local cafe.

The Hairy Hog’s five-day tours start from two youth hostels in Cardiff: Cardiff Backpackers, telephone 011-44-1222-345-577, and Cardiff YHA, tel. 011-44-1222- 462-303. The company also operates less frequent two- and three-day tours from London to France and Wales. For more details, or to book any of the tours, contact Hairy Hog c/o The Backpacker Co., 22 Conduit Place, Paddington, London, England W2 1HS; tel. 011-44-171-706-1539.

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“Let’s Go,” the popular guidebook series for student-style travelers, has introduced a new Map Guide for Seattle and revised Map Guides for New Orleans, Rome and Los Angeles.

“Let’s Go” publications are researched annually by students. In addition to 28 detailed guidebooks, “Let’s Go” produces 14 pocket-size, 20- to 36-page Map Guides, which highlight key sights, entertainment, budget accommodation and emergency contacts for major cities. One of the best things about them is that the covers fold out into detailed full-color maps, which include key sights and public transportation.

If you are going only to the area targeted by a Map Guide, there’s enough information to help you see the key sights on limited funds. However, if you are going to tour a wider region, a full guidebook would be a better investment. When the Map Guides were first introduced, I found some to be lean on accommodation information. This seems to be improving. Rome, for example, has 11 suggestions for economical lodgings; for New Orleans there are nine recommendations plus details on four campgrounds.

“Let’s Go” Map Guides are available in bookstores for $8.95.

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Flying used to be out of the question for young people touring Europe on limited funds. Now, with new opportunities such as Europe by Air passes, it is much more feasible, depending on the routes.

Europe by Air offers open tickets for one-way, nonstop flights within Europe for $99 (plus local departure taxes). The deal is that you have to buy at least three tickets. If the route that you choose can’t be done as a nonstop using the airlines that Europe by Air has agreements with, it will cost you more than one ticket.

Depending on your itinerary, it can be a good value. For example, you can fly from Madrid all the way to Copenhagen for just $99. On the other hand, if you’re in Athens and you want to get to Northern Europe or Britain, you’ll have to use more than one ticket--the farthest north you can get from Athens nonstop, using the airlines involved in this service, is Venice.

Europe by Air works with more than a dozen airlines that serve more than 100 European cities in 20 countries, including Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Faro (Portugal), Frankfurt, Helsinki, Kiev, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Prague, Rhodes, Rome, Venice and Zurich. For information on the nonstop routes available, visit the Europe by Air Internet site at https://www.europebyair.com, or call for a free Europe by Air brochure, tel. (888) 387-2479. There are no fare zones or blackout dates. You must purchase your tickets before you leave North America; however, you can make flight reservations before you go abroad or during your travels. If a seat isn’t available for the flight you want when you call in, you can fly standby.