Forgive the temporary release of the standard editorial “we” in the following post. My final day as editor of the EuroCheapo Blog is today. I have loved editing (and writing for) this blog, scouring sources obscure and mainstream alike for budget-friendly travel tidbits. For those who have started reading the blog only recently, we have » Read more

Brits are of course now labouring under a diet of cold turkey. Christmas generates its own extraordinary traditions across Europe, which differ greatly from country to country. There is no such thing as a standard-issue European Christmas. The English certainly like their turkey on the Christmas table, but elsewhere across the continent firm Christmas favourites » Read more

One of the great things about visiting Siena, Italy, that quiet, sun-kissed Tuscan town, is that you have to work for it. You may arrive by car or by train, but you’ll still have a walk ahead of you, as the main train station is located outside the walled city, as are the parking spaces for tourists. » Read more

Just as we’re putting up this post, a number of barriers are coming down across Europe. Today, the European Union removed multiple internal borders—like those previously dividing Germany and Poland, and Slovakia from Austria. In an effort to further promote border-free travel, most intra-European borders previously guarded by patrols and border stations have been abolished, effective this morning. With this new » Read more

Amsterdam’s notorious Red Light District, that central section of seedy sex shops and cinemas, is set to clean up its act. Job Cohen, the city’s Mayor, announced on Monday that Amsterdam will soon begin requiring all red-light merchants and services to go “legit.” Since the trade’s legalization in 2000, the area has continued to be plagued » Read more

Nothing like a midweek digest of recently noteworthy posts and stories. Right? 1. Christopher Elliott’s list of strange travel surcharges is both hilarious and on target. Though it refers more to a business traveler demographic than a Cheapo one, Elliott does touch on the European budget airline habit of imposing extreme and varied surcharges. 2. » Read more

Today Ryanair announced 50 new routes around Europe for 2008; among these, there will be three entirely new destinations in the bunch: Angoulême in France and Arad and Constan?a in Romania. The expansion to Romania is welcome; frankly, we expected it to happen months ago. Arad is currently served by Romanian low-cost airline BlueAir, which » Read more

On our radar screens today: 1. Yesterday, Ryanair announced four new routes connecting Ireland and France. Connections between Dublin and Brest, Rodez, and Tours will kick off in April, and a seasonal Cork-Carcassonne link will fly from late May through early September. 2. Vardzia, Georgia is Gadling’s “Where on Earth?” spot. 3. Andy Martin blogs » Read more

We’re watching snow fall right now. That we’re thinking about winter should come as no surprise. So where might we escape to for an atmospheric yet affordable snowy getaway? Here are two ideas. 1. Košice, Slovakia. Connected to Dublin, London Luton, Prague, and Vienna by SkyEurope, Slovakia’s second biggest city sits in the east of » Read more