Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

TRAVEL INFORMATION 17

a fixed itin erary, thereby
cutting down on the inde -
pendence of the visitor.
Several North American
travel companies, including
Adventures Abroad, Gate 1
and Tradesco, offer week-long
or 21-day holi days to the
region, either focusing on one
country or combining several
in a busy itinerary.
Similar packages are offered
by Abercrombie & Kent,
which spe cializes in up market
accom modation and is there-
fore slightly more expen sive
than the other operators.
Those who specialize in
Eastern and Central European
destinations and provide the
services of local guides
include Regent Holidays in
the UK, and Gateway Travel
and Contal Travel in Australia.
Travellers who want to
experience the great outdoors
should consider adventure-
holiday companies such as
Exodus and Explore, which
offer hiking and activity
holidays with itineraries to
suit all levels of fitness.

FLY-DRIVE

Many airlines and travel
companies offer fly-drive
packages, which combine

flights and car rental. These

deals are often worth consider-

ing, as they offer flexibility

and save the effort of arrang-

ing for the two separately.

INTERNET BOOKING

The Internet has become a

popular way of booking

tickets. Many scheduled and

budget airlines now offer their

cheap est rates on the Internet,

and these fares frequently

under cut anything offered by

the high-street travel agencies.

As well as checking

individual airline websites,

travellers should also browse

the web sites of Internet-based

travel agents such as Opodo,

Expedia and Travelocity. They

are particularly useful for

find ing out the best deals on

one-stop or two-stop flights to

Eastern and Central Europe,

which may involve more than

one airline. These agents also

offer book ings in select hotels,

allowing visitors to sort out

their flights and accom mo-

dation in one go. The US

company Europebyair offers a

FlightPass for non-European

citizens, operating one-way

flights between selected

European cities for a reason-

able price. Only a handful of

DIRECTORY

FLYING TO

EASTERN AND

CENTRAL EUROPE

Aeroflot

http://www.aeroflot.ru

Air Canada

http://www.aircanada.com

American

http://www.aa.com

Austrian Airlines

http://www.aua.com

Continental

http://www.continental.com

CSA Czech Airlines

http://www.czechairlines.com

Delta

http://www.delta.com

easyJet

http://www.easyjet.com

LOT Polish Airlines

http://www.lot.com

Malév Hungarian

Airlines

http://www.malev.com

Qantas

http://www.qantas.com.au

Ryanair

http://www.ryanair.com

Wizzair

http://www.wizzair.com

BUDGET TRAVEL

AGENCIES

STA Travel

http://www.statravel.com

Trailfinders

http://www.trailfinders.com

PACKAGE DEALS

Abercrombie & Kent

Tel 800 554 7016 (US).

http://www.abercrombiekent.

com

Adventures Abroad

Tel 800 665 3998 (US),

0114 247 3400 (UK).

http://www.adventures-

abroad.com

Contal Travel

Tel 02 9212 5077 (Aus).

http://www.contaltours.com.au

Exodus

Tel 020 8675 5550 (UK).

http://www.exodus.co.uk

Explore

Tel 0845 013 1537 (UK).

http://www.exploreworldwide.

com

Gate 1

Tel 800 682 3333 (US).

http://www.gate1travel.com

Gateway Travel

Tel 02 9745 3333 (Aus).

http://www.russian-

gateway.com.au

Regent Holidays

Tel 0845 277 3317 (UK).

http://www.regent-

holidays.co.uk

Tradesco

Tel 800 448 4321 (US).

http://www.tradescotours.com

INTERNET

BOOKING

Europebyair

http://www.europebyair.com

Expedia

http://www.expedia.com

Opodo

http://www.opodo.com

Travelocity

http://www.travelocity.com

East European airports are

included in the FlightPass

scheme, but it is still a useful

way of getting around the

vast European continent.

FLIGHTS WITHIN EASTERN

AND CENTRAL EUROPE

Travelling from one end of

the region to the other can be

time consuming for those

who attempt to do it by road

or rail. Fortunately, there is an

extensive network of flights

between the major capitals.

National carriers such as

CSA Czech Airlines, LOT

Polish Airlines and Malév

Hungarian Airlines offer the

big gest choice of regional

flights, with Prague, Budapest

and Warsaw serving as the

main hubs for their respective

networks. Several budget

airlines also operate regional

flights, especially in the sum-

mer, when travellers from

North Eastern Europe head for

the Mediterranean and Black

Sea beaches. The Latvian

company AirBaltic has

services linking the capitals

of North Eastern Europe. In

addition, the budget airline

Wizzair offers summer flights

from Poland and Hungary

to the Bulgarian coast.