Europe By Car: Flexibility And Real Value For Students Studying Abroad

Exploring Europe’s diverse history, architecture, and art is a major reason that students choose to study abroad. Sadly, some students hardly venture far from their immediate surroundings because of the expense and time required to travel from one city to another.

 

Such adventures usually require travel by air or train. While these options are feasible for some, you certainly lose the flexibility of stopping along the way to experience the hidden treasures of the land around you. Renting a car instead provides you that flexibility of departing when you choose, stopping when you want, and taking friends along to share the experience without breaking the bank.

 

What is unique about Europe is that one can drive 600 km in any direction from Paris or another major city to experience as many as five different languages and cultures. With a rental car, some destinations can be reached over a weekend, facilitated significantly by the European Union’s well-maintained highways and easy border crossings.

 

For example, here’s a sampling of what your drive time would be to or from several major European cities, according to Google Maps:

 

• Paris to Brussels in 3.5 hours
• Nice to Milan in 3.5 hours
• Munich to Zurich 3.5 hours
• Milan to Geneva in 4 hours
• Brussels to London in 5.5 hours
• Madrid to Lisbon in 6 hours
• Paris to Amsterdam in 6 hours
• Lyon to Barcelona in 6 hours

 

Not bad for a long weekend between arduous study sessions and exams!

 

Economy And Convenience

If you consider the travel time to and from airports and train stations, and add to that the normal wait times and security hassles, plus connections along the way, the above travel times are lightning fast in comparison. Plus if your destination should be a small village that doesn’t support regular train or bus service, you would have the additional cost to rent a car or taxi anyway to move from place to place during your visit.

 

If you should bring along some friends, the cost of driving in a rental car might be shared to reduce your personal costs even more. Compare the cost of four train or plane tickets, for example, versus the cost of driving a single car.

 

And if you happen to be studying at a university that is centrally located yet remote, as many are, rental cars provide the opportunity to see so much more than the immediate surrounding area. You may choose to enjoy weekends and European holidays in other areas, both within and outside of the country of your university. A long-term car rental during your stay is a huge benefit in these situations.

 

Renting A Car and being uder 25 years old

Finding a car rental  in Europe and France that allows renters under 25 years of age can also be a task in and of itself.  If it is allowed, it almost always comes with a hefty extra daily charge. Auto France doesn't penalize students for being under 25, we allow for renters starting at 18 years of age permitting they have valid license from the US. Therefore, the typical study-abroad student easily qualifies

Auto France conducts business in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In short, we can accommodate students in study abroad programs in almost any location they choose to study in  Western Europe. We've found it to be a popular choice for some of the more remote and larger study abroad programs for students looking to explore on weekends off when trains a public transport aren't the most convenient of options. 

Weigh the options of being able to see and experience all of what Europe has to offer with a car. Having an automobile at your disposal during your study abroad experience will turn a good experience into an excellent one but it does take some preparation so it pays to do a bit of research before you are already studying abroad and looking for a car.