AboutLawrence J. Caldwell Expertise Expert in last minute travel for businesspeople on the go. Domestic and international (US, Western Europe, and Japan only). Planes, trains, automobiles, and lodging questions welcomed. Questions specific to Crystal City (Washington DC), Arizona, Germany/Austria/Switzerland, and Japan will get the best answers.
Experience Over twenty years experience on the road; five years in crisis management, five years in government contracting, and other positions that put me in the air, on the rails, and on the road. I know how to make the tough-going easier on your budget and less stressful on your life.
I'm an Australian living and working in Amsterdam under a knowledgable
person VISA, my girlfriend lives in Berlin and i'm making the trip back there
most weekends, sometimes planned, sometimes very last minute . My travel
options at the moment are 1)use my bahncard 25
to get a return train ticket for about 150 euros each week (give or take
depending on deals) which involves minimum 6.5 hours travel each way or 2)
fly with transavia between schipol and berlin tegal airport for minimum 160
euro's but usually costs more with only around 2.5 hours traveling including
wait time at the airport. I'm thinking of getting a bahncard 50 which will
mean i can travel for 120 a week but still putting up with the long trips.
Don't want to commit just yet to the bahncard 100 which is 3500 euro's. Can
you suggest anything? Maybe cheaper airports in netherlands because the
tax is the biggest killer on the price.
Thanks so much for your help!
-Oliver
Answer I think you are heading in the right direction. Look for a small airport running local airlines. They tend to be pretty cheap. The drawback is that the airports tend to be further away from major cities and therefore transportation (pickup, taxi, train, whatever) can be the added cost.
It really all comes down to cost and convenience. That is your choice.
