TRAVELING AROUND EUROPE WITH OMIO

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January 15, 2020 Omio

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We moved to Europe for a whole bunch of reasons, but one of the most fun is how easy it is to move around throughout the different countries–much easier than the U.S. if you don’t have a car!

While transportation is easy, sometimes figuring out where to buy all the train and bus tickets is a pain in the butt. Because I’m a planner, I need to know that I have the tickets ahead of time unless I’m already familiar with the area and transit system.

Omio was previously called GoEuro and has changed the design of their branding. I have checked the app with the new look and the functionality is the same.

What is Omio?

Omio is a website and app that you can buy train, bus, or plane tickets from. It’s a funny name and when I hear a funny name, I sometimes wonder, “Is Omio legit?,” ” Is Omio reliable?, ” and “Is Omio safe?”. I can safely say, yes. Yes, it’s legit, reliable, and safe. It is an in-between website, so they aren’t a travel carrier. It’s still up to the transportation provider to give good customer service. As far as buying the tickets, though, it’s a lifesaver!

We used their website in the U.K. going from Cardiff (Doctor Who trip!!!) to Bath and Bath to London. I liked the interface and how the process was smooth and stress-free. Recently, Omio reached out to me and let me know about their new mobile app. Even though this is a sponsored post, I am excited to work with Omio because it’s the best thing in the world to work with a company that you already believe in and have used before.

How to buy tickets with Omio

To put the app through its paces, we booked a trip to Groningen Haven’t heard of it? Well, it’s in the very north of the Netherlands and we’ve been meaning to go for a while. Since it’s summer we figured it would be the best time to go. So, of course, it rained. Lol. It’s the Netherlands, what can you do?

Start with putting in your start and endpoints, your dates and the number of passengers. Once the search happens, you see the options of trains, buses, or flights at the top and can clearly see when one of those options aren’t available. The departure time is at the bottom which you can move left or right like a dial.

See which times fit your schedule best for leaving and returning on the days you’ve chosen. The Seating Class is an important thing to note here because it defaults to 2nd class which is the normal Seating Class in the Netherlands. Currently, it doesn’t seem you can choose 1st class as an option. Unless it’s a packed train, it’s not something you’d likely want to spend extra on anyway.

Then, you pick your cancellation policy but pay close attention because the semi-flex is listed twice, with the second option being a lot more. It’s a new app, so I’m sure the kinks will be ironed out soon. Until then, just watch what you are clicking–which you should do anyway!

You’ll need to put in your name and email. Some train systems may link your ticket to an I.D., so just fill it out in case that happens. The email is just so you can get the tickets emailed to you.

After a final review, you pay. I know, that’s the not-so-fun part, but such is life and traveling. You’ll likely have different payment methods available. What you see here called iDEAL is a Dutch thing. But these 3 options are all I would ever use to pay for something online anyway. Once you download the app, you can see if your regional payment method is there, if not, reach out to Omio and let them know what you want to see! They are always trying to make a better product.

Omio App review

I’m not exaggerating when I say that I need this app. Trying to figure out which websites to buy tickets from in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands (ok, that last one is easy for me, but you get it) is such a pain and has caused me a lot of frustration in the past. Especially in southern Europe websites aren’t easy to use in general, but add that you don’t read the language and it’s just an unnecessary challenge.

After working in a team where we had to think of the user experience, I appreciate simple and easy-to-understand interfaces. That’s what I found with the Omio. It’s easy to look at and understand.

This app will stay on my phone right next to my other travel apps because I know we will be using it again very soon. I highly recommend this go-to app for traveling throughout Europe. Download the Omio App here.

Tickets from Omio can vary

Omio is working with the systems already in place in the different localities, so you might be able to use a mobile ticket and you might have to print, that’s not in their control. I’ve had to print all the tickets I have ever used and they will come as an attachment in an email.

Train travel in Europe

Riding trains in Europe is so easy and usually pretty comfortable. Many times it’s faster than buses (duh), but also faster than planes when you consider the check-in, security, walking a mile to your gate, boarding, probably waiting on the tarmac, picking up your luggage and trying to find your way out of the airport and onto something that takes you into town. The seats are typically more comfortable, too!

I hope this makes your travels through Europe a little bit easier. It’s so nice to find and share great products, apps, suggestions with you because I’m always learning too! If you have anything you love when you travel, please reach out. We certainly aren’t perfect and love to learn about new things that make life easier.