How would one do it? I'm not talking about being one of those rich kids who takes the summer and "backpacks" across Europe with 3 suitcases. I don't have a ton of money, but I really want to just wander around and live somewhere else for a while. I can pull a little money together, but not a whole lot past airfare. I have a lot of friends all over Europe, so I would be able to find a couch to crash on for a week or two in quite a few countries. I figure if anyone's done this type of thing, its someone on here. (it wouldn't have to be in Europe.. just the general idea of wandering around) What did you do? How long did you stay in one place? How did you get money/eat? I'm thinking about biking around with a backpack, but unsure of where I would stay, or how I would make money to eat. I'd like to live in Europe anywhere from a few months to a year. (If it were a year, I would probably work on getting a job for a couple months somewhere before moving to the next place.) The basic idea is just to do something new.. experience new things, meet new people, go new places...Life's too repetitive, and if I want to do something like this, now's the time.
I guess it would take a lot of planning and faith(?) If (proper) friends / family are not an option, then social networking "friends" may be able to assist (hence the faith) in allowing a stranger to lodge with them, although it is to an extent a leap of ... faith - it is a daunting task though sometimes one has to "live the dream" Good luck with your travels
I'd do alot of couch surfing, and Wwoofing. Wwoofing is especially useful, as you get food and accomodation. I bummed around Canada and the Western US doing that for 9 months on about 700 dollars, but it could be totally free if you do it right. Good luck!
What do you mean, "do it right"? I'm sure there are books, but.. There is no wrong way to do it.. It's easy, just pack your shit and go. But Europe might not be the best place for it if you're short on cash. You can get some work there, but it would be difficult without a work permit. And then it's quite expensive in general. Couch surfing or homestays could be a good way to find free accommodation. Whenever I've traveled for longer periods, I've had money saved up for it.. I usually take up work as well. I've stayed for anywhere from a day or two to a month in one place. Most of my experience is from Asia, and even if I were absolutely broke, I could easily get by here. There's always some way for an English speaker to earn money in a place with tourism. And in Asia, work permits are often not much of a worry. The most important step is that first one.. Just go, don't worry. What's the worst thing that could happen? You'll pick things up along the way.. Use your common sense.
