I'm backpacking Europe next summer -- all the big ones (France, Spain, Germany, Italy) and some smaller countries as well. Plan on being gone for 6 weeks. I'm on a $3000 budget, but my calculations come to somewhere around $5000. So far I have $1000 for hostels, $1000 for a transatlantic flight, $1000 for bus/railfare, $1000 (or more) for European flights, and $1000 for food/alcohol/etc. Does anyone know what I can do to cheapen my trip? Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks, PB
do the eurotrail (£350 for a month of train travel http://www.interrailnet.com/ ) then use the train as your accomodation and sleep on the train. eastern europe will be cheaper than western europe. if you don't mind doing a bit of work there's lots of jobs you can search for here on the internet that allow you to travel and earn. i'm doing the eurotrail next summer, shoud be amazing!
interrailing is indeed the best way to go. have done that a couple of times myself. the last trip was france & spain some years ago with some friends, one of the best holidays I ever had. it's fun
Yeah get the eurorail pass b4 you leave i hear they DONT sell them in train station in europe its about 1000$ for the month! i would sleep on the train from place to place! you can check from auberge jeuneuse all over europe for a place to sleep for about 3-10euros a night! stay away from ALL touristic places! if you got to ROME watch your STUFF even day pack « capital from pickpockets and scams! never buy food in big cities always or smokes wine ... just to show ya price diffrence smokes in south of france in small town got for 3euro wine 1litre 1-2euro paris toulouse tour ... « big cities for samething smokes 7-8 euros 1lt wine 10+euros!!same goes for bread and food drinks...!
Hi Urmulu May I ask you something? What you mean there`s a lot of jobs? wHAT KIND OF JOBS? cAN YOU SUGGEST ME, WHERE TO SEARCH? I`m just asking you cause I`d like to start a (half)hobo life soon, after quit my current bloody job A few years ago, I was working on farms, picking apple, and strawberry, in Denmark, what pays very well, and very healthy, real Hip job as well. So I`ll do the same again, but also open for new things.. So Some links you have? And finally you managed to make the trip last summer? And Thank You A.
You have 3000 budgeted but your calculations bring up 5000 and you want to know how to cut back? easy. -Cut back on alcohol! You don't need it that much to enjoy another country and its culture and people!! -1000 for inter Euro flights? No way! Ryanair, easyjet and countless other low cost companies offer flights for next to nothing these days! Take advantage of the dozens of low cost companies, some are actually pretty damn good! I got tics numerous times for 30 euros, no problems with the flights! -Accommodation can be next to nothing. But I will leave that one up to you as far as finding out how and what I mean. Than you can choose if you want to make use of these resources. But they CAN be the best way to travel as long as proper precautions are taken. -Four countries, plus a few other unmentioned small ones in six weeks? Sounds like a lot! But the choice is yours, but be aware that more travel makes the chance that you will be burned out at the end more likely. You don't want to spend the last week dead tired do you? Trust me, it can wear on you and sneaks up on you. -With that said, I would recommend you spend lots of time in a few countries. See many cities within a country as well as small quaint villages, get out into nature! Often times a small village in Europe has more to it than your typical small village in the USA. -Berlin is great in Germany but don't miss Munich and Bavaria. -Paris is pretty cool, but check out the Breton region too. That region has a unique culture of its own, different in many ways from the rest of France. In Paris be careful of the many many illegal African immigrants around the famous parts trying to sell you crap (rather aggressively even). Also, they sometimes try to sneak a bracelet on you while chatting you up than charge insane prices. Be aware of Romanian gypsies, even the children as they try to pick pocket when you are fixated on certain sites. French law works like this: Children under 14 or 16 get caught stealing, if they are to young and/or undetermined where the kid is actually from, they are back out on the streets with what amounts to a slap on the wrist within a few hours. With the EU too, many of these people can't even be deported and again, are to young to get any punishment. That is why the parents have their kids pick pocket. -Oh yes, If you are in Germany, especially in the North, think about checking out Denmark, especially Copenhagen, very cool place. They also have a city within a city, Christiana. -If you want a chill city free from some of the hassle of Rome, check out Florence! You have lots of day trips available from Florence, such as Siena, Pisa and Lucca, plus the famous Tuscan country side, which is very nice. Florence is pretty cool and lots of quaint areas within the city. -I would give (Madrid) Spain a big fat MISS. But that is just me. I have yet to come across such dishonest unhelpful people as a tourist (been to Africa and Asia even, for instance.) I had a few attempted pick pockets. One on my first day in Madrid in the metro. One other guy a few days later tried TWICE! Even after I caught him reaching for my money bag around the neck the first time! Than he talked to me casually and than tried again!! Plus it just is not that nice of a place. Lots of thief stories. One French girl I know who moved there had her wallet stolen the first day she was in Madrid. A month later her lap top was stolen from her apartment balcony (which was fenced in for cripes sake) and a year later, her wallet pick pocketed again. My gf's French friend went missing in Spain during his travels there as a student for a year. Perfectly nice hard working kid. I just don't think it is a safe country. -Instead of Spain, I would recommend you do Morocco in Northern Africa. Marrakesh was really cool, a sensory overload in every way, and you can go into the Sahara if you spend lots of time in the country. Cheap ryanair flights leave from Italy and France for as low as 30 or 40 euros if you plan correctly. The only part of Morocco I disliked was Tangier. Some of the worst people in Morocco seem to reside there. Sometimes people can be pushy and/or sketchy in the Rif mountain region but bearable. On towns boarding the Sahara everyone tries to sell you a camel ride. Culturally, I would recommend Morocco tons more than Spain. -From Italy and I think even Germany, you can sometimes even find cheap transport to Tunisia in Northern Africa. -Italy is better choice for Southern European destinations. Greece too. But I would give Naples a miss too, unless you know someone there to meet you upon arrival and show you around. That is one of the most dangerous parts of Western Europe, as well as Sicily (perhaps even Europe as a whole). But I had no trouble in Florence, Milan or Bergamo. Venice is supposed to be pretty cool but surprisingly dirty. With that said, Europe is basically very safe! Just practice a few basic precautions, use your common sense and it will be a blast! Make sure not to walk home drunk after midnight alone in some cities, especially on some metros as that is when some pick pockets thrive. Also if a hot girl (edit: or hut guy, not sure of your gender) leads you to some bar, it is a scam that will end with you holding a huge bar tab. Or, I heard a story in Madrid about a guy who followed this hot girl as she flirted with him. It ends with him being led more or less into a corner and beaten by four huge dudes and almost naked upon waking the next day with everything stolen. The police did not care. The first two at least. The third seemed moderately concerned. But my point is, if you get drunk, try not to get blasted in public unless you can be 100% you will act with 100% common sense. Again, Europe is safe, much more so than America, and I have only run into a lot of shit and heard a lot of shit in Spain and a tiny bit in Italy. But you should be fine.
