Europe is a large and varied continent that can be quite complicated to navigate at the best of times. But with all the further complications that arose due to COVID and the various strikes and delays constantly hitting the news, you might be put off travelling through the continent for work.
But there are so many things that can’t be achieved over a Zoom call. Sometimes, you need to meet that client face-to-face or be able to show off how your product works in person. Business travel still needs to happen and when it comes to European business travel, there are three major options to consider.
Using a car
Perhaps one of the most exciting things about Europe is how easy it is to drive from one country to another. Most of the continent is contained within a single block and even the UK can be driven to and from thanks to the channel tunnel. There are only really two downsides to travelling Europe for business by car – the time and the fuel.
As long as you ensure you get a basic car service before setting off on your trip you should be golden but that’s not going to make you go any faster and it’s not going to make the petrol cost any less. Of course, if you are planning on visiting multiple clients in different cities and countries then it could be more practical to drive, and you’ll get to see a lot of Europe you wouldn’t see otherwise. But if you’re strapped for time, driving through Europe is perhaps not the best option.
Using public transport
While public transport here in the UK is going through a pretty rough time right now, in many European countries the train and bus networks are still solid. You can also quite comfortably take trains up and down and across many different European countries. There’s a train, for example, that runs all the way through France, Belgium and the Netherlands. On a train, you can also get some work done, which is not something you’d be able to do while driving.
The downside of using public transport, however, is that it’s wildly inconsistent. You might have an exceptional bus service in one city that’s utterly useless in the next. As far as the trains are concerned, meanwhile, there’s always the potential for delays and cancellations.
Travelling by plane
It’s certainly not the most environmentally friendly way to travel but there’s a reason why so many of us still travel by plane when making business trips. If you’re travelling more than a few hundred miles then there’s really no contest here, as you can get from the UK to Brussels in about an hour by plane when it would take you around 6 hours from London by car or train (on a good day).
The best tactic is to take each trip individually and plan accordingly. It might make sense to travel by car if you have multiple meetings across France in one week, for example, and to travel by plane if you have a one-off meeting in Vienna. Play it by ear and don’t be afraid to change plans on the fly. That’s the European way!
