* * * STAY IN WINTER :: MANY WARM BEACHES ARE WITHIN EASY REACH! * * *

EXPLORE FAR...

Zell is very close to Frankfurt-Hahn Airport: a major low-cost hub with 50+ direct destinations including Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Canary Islands, Majorca, Iceland, England, Scotland, Eire, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Greek Islands, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany (Berlin), Austria, Hungary, Italy, Sicily, Sardinia and France, mostly flying with Ryanair, Europe's #1 low-cost airline. Early and late flights to and from Ryanair's main base at London-Stansted make possible over 100 destinations with same-day connections. Shuttle bus runs to and fro between Zell and the airport 7 days a week, with services every 2 hrs, 9x day. It takes 38 minutes and costs 6.50 Euro (2010). More information and schedule at our destinations ex Hahn web page.

If you know where you want to go in advance, book ahead if you see a bargain. Otherwise, browse last-minute flights according to your fancy and the fares on offer. A good site to scan for specials across a range of days/destinations/airports/airlines is skyscanner. www.wizzair.com I www.skyscanner.com I www.hahn-airport.de I www.flyhahn.com I www.ryanair.com

Other airports and airlines: Airports at Koln-Bonn, Frankfurt, Saarbrucken, Dusseldorf, Luxembourg and Weeze give countless more choices and are within 2-3 hours from Zell by bus/rail. Frankfurt is Germany's main inter-continental airport.

Air Berlin and German Wings are low-cost airlines with extensive networks as far as the Middle East and North America. www.koeln-bonn-airport.de I www.flughafen-saarbruecken.de l www.frankfurt-airport.com I www.duesseldorf-international.de I www.airberlin.com I www.germanwings.com

Rail + fly: Explore more of Germany on your way to and from airports further afield. Some low-cost airlines (eg. GermanWings) offer 25E rail tickets to travel between anywhere in Germany and an airport – for instance, you could catch trains from Zell 500kms to Berlin the day before your flight. On the way home you could fly instead into Hamburg, stay a night, explore the city and return to Zell late the following day. Travel on ICE (Inter-City Express) is included.

City Nightline Trains for international rail trips: Join at Koblenz and sleep your way to Rome, Milan, Innsbruck, Prague, Vienna etc. Book early online from 29E. Generally cheaper than regular daytime train fares – but watch out for specials. Deutsch Bahn have English pages on their website. www.bahn.de/nachtzugreise/view/en/index.shtml

Day train specials: We once booked at short-notice to travel Koln to Geneva (600km) by day for about 45E and travelled at speeds up to 285kph! Specials are widely offered. www.bahn.de

All Germany Sat / Sun rail passes: Day passes for small groups of up to 5 adults are only 37E (7.40E p.p.) and allow travel throughout Germany on local and RE trains (but not on IC and ICE trains). From Zell to Berlin (500kms in a direct line) takes at least 11 or 12 hours using local and RE trains with about 5-7 train changes. Stations are in town centres and a one hour wait between trains is enough for a quick look about.

German states and Austria offer their own day 'Lander' passes: valid any day of the week after 9am for about 26-30E, again for up to 5 adults. Therefore we suggest for train travel, do your long miles on Sats and Suns – and explore the states and regions on weekdays. In particular, Bavaria is a very big state and neighbours Austria – so a group could travel say from Vienna (Danube hydra-foil from Budapest, fly Wizzair from Hahn) or Klagenfurt (Ryanair from Hahn) across Austria one weekday, staying the night in a border location, then across Bavaria on a following weekday to the border of Rhineland, stay the night and return to Zell on a Rheinland state pass. Very cheap and fun travelling indeed.

Hotel tips: For cities, check main websites like www.hotel.com, www.booking.com and www.ratestogo.com. For country regions, you can take your chances and choose as you go but beware of busy periods and events. Hostelling International (HI) has many attractive properties but choose carefully – some are castles but others are soulless institutions outside town centres and overrun by school groups.

France: the Logis group are traditional small hotels in country town centres, 2-3 star B&B at very reasonable prices and mostly charming – our pick of the chains for Europe. Other French chains offering value in modern pre-fab franchise hotels are Etap, Formula1, Camponile and Premier.

Germany & Austria: small local 2-3 star hotels are abundant in the regions and mostly inexpensive while Ibis often offers best value in the cities.

Belgium & Luxembourg: local hotels are not as good value as France or Germany but Hostelling International has a lot of attractive properties.

UK: Travelodges can be bargains booked 3 weeks or more ahead at 19-30 pds for up to 4 folks in large rooms. Holiday Inn Express worth checking too. Our favourite remains B&Bs and country roadside pubs for nice accom with big brekky for 40-60pds for 2.

London-Stansted: Convenient to both city and airport is the Travelodge opposite Harlow Town rail station. At nearby Broxbourne, River Lee Chalets are very affordable by the week at 200-300 pds for up to 6 persons.

Holland: generally expensive for what you get, the HI StayOkay network has 30 hostels. If walking or cycling there are also networks of inexpensive 'nature houses' – search and you should find.

Italy: generally be prepared to spend a little more – and get a little less.