How to Fly Ryanair

I've been nice and lazy the last couple days, killing hours by lounging around in bed and watching trashy American TV (RuPaul's Drag Race, anyone?). As I wait for my last load of laundry ever to be done at IPC to finish, I figured I might as well attempt to be productive and write this guide that I'd promised to give weeks ago.

When I came to Denmark in January, it was my first European experience. My friend, a seasoned traveler who spent his gap year backpacking through Europe, advised me to take whatever opportunity I had to travel. Travel between European countries was apparently dirt cheap, especially if I used budget airlines such as Ryanair or Easyjet.

Come February, I started looking for affordable trips out of Copenhagen. Ryanair had the cheapest flights (roundtrip to Barcelona ~ $36), except they only departed from Malmö, Sweden. Undeterred, I bought the tickets anyways, figuring that Malmö couldn't be that difficult to get to. Wrong. To save you all the giant pain in the rear, here is a breakdown of the best ways to get to Malmö, warnings about flying Ryanair, and general tips on how to travel on a budget.

How To Get To Malmö:

I currently know of two ways to get to Malmö (unless you have someone willing to drive you or are able to shell out the cash for a taxi).

1.) Gråhundbus from Copenhagen Central Station to Malmö Airport -- 
         Exactly what it sounds like, this is a bus you can take directly from Copenhagen Central Station to the Malmö Airport. It's a pretty cheap option at 100 DKK, however it only runs at select times through the day, with a different schedule depending on the day of the week. If you're lucky and your flight lines up with the bus schedule, or you find that you are willing to arrive early and wait, this is probably the best option.  Make sure you board the 737 bus and NOT the 999 bus, which will take you to Malmo central station, located another 40 minutes or so from the Malmo airport. Don't worry about buying tickets online, you can purchase them directly from the bus driver. (Approximate travel time = 50 minutes)

2.) Regional Train + Flygbussarna Airport Shuttle --

         If you are unfortunate enough to not have a flight that aligns perfect with the Gråhundbus schedule (My flight would have required that I wait 8 hours at the Malmö airport), fear not, you can always take the regional train to Malmö Central station then the Flygbussarna airport coach to Malmö airport. The cost of a train ticket to Malmö Central from Copenhagen Central is 86 DKK. If you are traveling with a friend, I recommend buying a family ticket, which gives you two adult tickets for around 76 DKK each. You can buy these tickets at any DSB office. One is conveniently located around the corner from the Nørreport station. You can buy Flygbussarna Airport shuttle tickets online. Make sure you buy a youth ticket and keep in mind that buying in advance will save you around 10 DKK. The Flygbussarna shuttle also departs at specific times, so be sure to check the timetable on the website linked above. (Approximate time = a little less than 2 hours.) The Flygbussarna shuttle stop is located across the bridge from Malmö Central, be on the lookout for a white bus with a rainbow painted on its side. The shuttle will drop you off right in front of the airport.

Flying Ryanair

1.) Baggage Nazis -- Do NOT fly Ryanair if you are incapable of packing lightly. Ryanair is always looking for ways to charge their passengers. One of the easiest ways is through extremely strict baggage regulations. Ryanair also charges insane amounts for checked bags (You don't get any free checked bags, and checked bags are charged for by weight), so when you travel Ryanair, you want to be sure to limit yourself to a carry on only. Baggage size restrictions are strict and if you fail to comply, they will force you to check your bag or simply deny you boarding. Before boarding, airline personnel come around with a little basket to make sure your carry-on fits size regulations. If your bag doesn't fit, you will be charged...happily. 

2.) Document Checking -- If you are a non-EU citizen (that means YOU, Americans), you will need to arrive a little early at the airport and get your boarding pass stamped. It doesn't take too long, they just take a look at your passport, but you will have to queue so time your arrival accordingly. If your boarding pass isn't stamped, you will be turned away at the boarding desk and not allowed to board.

3.) Boarding Passes -- PRINT THEM IN ADVANCE. If you have them printed at the airport, you will be charged 60 euros per boarding pass. Holy shit! That's probably more than you paid for the ticket itself.  Ryanair allows  passengers to check in 15 days before departure. We traveled to Barcelona, then Palma, then back to Malmö within 8 days, all on Ryanair. That means we checked in for all three flights ahead of time, printed out, and brought three boarding passes each. Don't be this woman. 

4.) Check Location of Arrival Airport -- Like, really check it. For example, Ryanair flies into Girona airport, but advertises it under Barcelona. Girona is about 70 minutes away from Barcelona...which can pose a real problem if you didn't know that in advance. Make sure you know exactly where you are landing and how to get to wherever you want to go afterwards.

Anyways, bottom line is, Ryanair is cheap...but it makes up for it with all sorts of assholery. They are always looking for excuses to charge you up the wazoo: here is a list of possible penalties and fees. Also, don't look for amazing passenger service.  But if you are low maintenance and on a budget, however, Ryanair will definitely do the job in getting you from Point A to Point B.

Tips to Traveling on a Budget:

1.) You Have to Eat --When you're living somewhere that meals are provided for you on a daily basis, it's easy to forget that you actually have to pay to eat. When you're traveling and you plan on paying for each meal YOU. WILL. BE. POOR. If you really must skimp, you can eat two meals a day (brunch + dinner) or even better, cook every once in a while. I'm not telling you to not try native foods (because really, what would be the point of traveling then), but just plan ahead and be mindful of your budget.

2.) Transportation -- I can't emphasize enough how important it is to plan ahead. Make sure you have calculated for transportation in your budget. Whether it's the shuttle to and from the airport, or just for daily excursions throughout the city, look into day passes or the native equivalent of a klippekort. Even better, WALK. Each ride on public transport in Barcelona was about 2 euros, but with a T10 card, we paid 9.80 euros for 10 trips, split among multiple people. Research beforehand really does pay off!

Well, my laundry is just about done. Hopefully, this proves helpful to future DIS globetrotters. Happy travels!