Cheapos traveling from the German capital (or beyond) when snowy conditions prevail should take a few steps to prepare for the absolute worst: cancelled flights and missed connections. The following precautionary measures will make an unplanned night or two in Berlin or your layover city more cost (and time) efficient.

1. Carry on your essentials

It is all too often the case that travelers aren’t allowed to re-claim their bags once they’ve checked them, even if their flight is cancelled or they’re stranded in a layover airport. As a result, a well-packed carry-on is key to avoiding the cancellation blues.

Pack a change of underwear and a clean T-shirt, as well as three-ounce-or-less containers of soap, toothpaste, deodorant, and/or whatever you can’t live without for a night (or two). If you have a cell phone or a laptop, bring along the energy cord and converter plug. If you’re easily bored, pack reading material or a deck of cards.

2. Check your flight

If it’s snowing or the weather forecast calls for snow on your departure date, check the status of your flight online before heading to the airport. If flights out of your airport and/or your layover airport are canceled, call the airline to find out if your flight will make it.

3. Consider Re-booking

If airline officials suspect that your flight (or flights) will be canceled, they may encourage you to book a seat on a flight the leaves in a day or two, or after weather conditions have improved. If you have a flexible schedule and enough euros to tide you over for an extra day or two, you shouldn’t hesitate to extend your trip. Waiting around in a crowded airport is a lot less fun than roaming Berlin’s warm and cozy museums.

4. Avoid the airport

If you find out that your flight is cancelled before getting to the airport, don’t waste time or money on transportation to the airport. Since both Tegel and Schönefeld are too small to handle a crowd, you’d probably be turned away or stuck waiting in a confusing, slow-moving re-booking line. Your best bet is to find the nearest phone or computer and work the airline’s customer service line.

5. Book a room with flexible terms

If it is likely that your flight will be canceled, reserve a room at a hostel or hotel that doesn’t require a credit card hold or advanced payment. If you end up making the flight, you can always cancel the room before boarding. Ensuring that you have a place to stay is especially important if you’re flying through Tegel; sleeping in the airport isn’t an ideal option. (Sometimes guards kick travelers out after the last flight of the evening has arrived; sometimes they herd everyone to Terminal D.)

6. Know your rights

Luckily, travelers passing through the European Union are entitled to reimbursements for food, transport, or accommodation if their flight is canceled (some restrictions apply). Treat yourself to a nice hotel and a big meal if the airline is footing the bill!

7. Bring along a snack

Before heading to the airport, where food is overpriced and not very good, stock up on granola bars, nuts, or other lightweight snacks at a Cheapo grocery store like Aldi. If you get stuck overnight, at least you’ll have something to nibble on.

The post 7 tips for surviving a flight cancellation (in Berlin and beyond) appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Two passes in particular, the Schaulust Museen Berlin pass and Berlin’s Tourism Board’s Welcomecard offer particularly good deals for quick trips.  Take a look.

SchauLUST-MuseenBERLIN ticket

With the 3-day Schaulust-Museen Berlin pass, travelers have access to about 70 Berlin museums and collections, for free! You must use the ticket for three consecutive days. The museums pass is not valid for some special exhibitions, so check with the tourism board, or via their web site, for more details. Cost: €19 (€9.50 for students with valid identification).

What museums can you visit?

Highlights of the pass include the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin,  the Preussischer Kulturbesitz (including the Bode Museum), the incredible Pergamon Museum, Egyptian Museum and Gemaldegalerie (painting gallery).

In addition, you can hit up Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin, the German Technology Museum, and the Brücke Museum. The 3-day “Museumspass” is available online and at the Berlin infostores.

Berlin’s Welcomecard

Another terrific option is the Berlin Welcomecard. It’s a great value offering free public transportation, a pocket map, and 50 percent off admission to more than 140 museums and city sights.

This year, to help mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Berlin Tourism Board launches a new 5-day Welcomecard (it’s previously only been available in 2-day and 3-day versions).

Cost:  The pass is €16.50 for a 48-hour period, and €22 for a 72-hour period. The new 5-day card costs €29.50. Also new this year, a special card that tacks on free shuttle service to and from Tegel or Schonefeld airport. Prices vary, so check the site for details.

What should you pick up?

If you plan to see museums and also see the city, the Welcomecard could be just the ticket. Since it gives you free transport for up to 5-days (depending on which type of pass you buy), you can jet around freely, stopping in at museums and other sights where you’ll also enjoy a hefty discount.

Our pick? Well, we’re art buffs and we love to ride bicycles and pound the pavenment, so no matter how cold or how far we plan to go, we’re always more likely to opt for the Schaulust-Museen Berlin pass.

Either way, neither card is a bitte pill to swallow. So, get packin’!

If you go, check out our budget hotel picks for Berlin here.

The post Berlin Money-saving Tip: Museum passes and Berlin’s Welcomecard appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.