When travelling to Austria it is imperative to try and take in as much as possible, even on business it is often possible to make a little more of your stay by being mobile and getting yourself a hire car. In fact for many people Austria is about Skiing or perhaps romance in Vienna but there is so much more to the country.

However, all that is about to change as in 2008 Austria comes under the spotlight like never before as the sporting elite from all Europe arrive for the 2008 UEFA Euro Championship.

Instead of just alpine resorts and romance Austria now has Salzburg, Klagenfurt and Innsbruck joining Vienna as the host cities that will see millions of people from all nationalities flooding into everyday Austrian life to see their football heroes.

These cities will champion the culture and heritage of Austria and many visitors will be moving from city to city as they follow the progress of their teams. Of course this places many strains on infrastructure, any large sporting tournament will put every aspect of the tourist trade under extreme pressure.

Hotels, restaurants, bars, shops and especially transport will be hard pressed and security not just in the form of match day police but also security procedures on a national scale will be tested to the extreme.

Into this mayhem are plunged millions of fans who will have the need to get from city to city using transport networks and those who are clever will spend time in between matches out and about in everyday Austria rather than just killing time in the pub.

To get around efficiently it is best to hire a car and plan your travel in association with your accommodation, even getting to and from the airports will be a nightmare and so it is always best to be in control of your journey rather than trying to catch trains and buses etc.

Easy pick up and drop off is an advantage at the airport and checking in advance for your hotel parking will ensure that the travelling is straight forward. Many people now take a mobile Sat Nav device which is another easy way to ensure trouble free travel.

With the final draw taking place in December there will be a massive increase in enquiries for accommodation and travel come the New Year as people will know who is going and what city they need to travel to see their team play.

It makes sense to plan the arrangement for your hire car as soon as is possible after the draw date, the start of 2008 will see a glut of bookings for hire cars and soon both prices and availability will go up. Prices will rise as the cheap smaller cars are booked up and then that leaves the family and executive ranges plus 4x4 cars left for choices.

The same will go for accommodation, already block booking will have been made in advance at corporate level and the better hotels will already have less availability than normal for the period that the finals cover.

Looking ahead it will a fantastic atmosphere and offers the chance to see and feel Austria in a different way to the normal tourist route but make sure you do not leave your travel arrangements to late to make the most of the experience.