go backpacking in europe

I’m currently planning on going next summer, the summer after my high school graduation. I’ve researched some, but I need to work on saving the money. I still need to figure out a lot of the minute details, like making a list of exactly which countries I want to go to, which attractions I MUST see. I know that I can’t go to every single country in one trip :c unfortunately. Right now, if I go nowhere else, I am for sure visiting England and Wales (easy enough, right?). I just need to keep my focus in order to make this happen!

It will become a reality.. I promised my self.

I am going to wait until third year, hopefully I’ll be in Spain studying abroad.

After I am done, I WILL TRAVEL for two straight months around Europe, taking pictures and just having the time of my life.

My cousin might join me, and a good childhood friend might do it with me as well.

I won’t say, lets wait and see. B/c I can’t wait, I have to start planning now.

Good luck to everyone! who knows!
maybe I’ll be the stranger sitting next to you, in the train to france,Italy, Germany…. :)!

hi I’m 18 years old and I want to backpack through Europe after graduation over the summer for like 2 weeks. I’ve been to Europe twice but I have never backpacked through Europe from hostel to hostel or camping. Any advice? I’m not sure if I want to go alone or will be allowed to go alone so any advice on finding a travel partner my age. thank you

It’d be the best time of my life (hopefully)

FOR THREE MONTHS! All by myself, I’m beyond excited and REALLY BUSY planning.

I want to go backpack to Ireland and Denmark! =) I’m learning some Danish too :)

I think this goal kind of coincides with my goal of traveling the world, so I decided to drop it.

Eurail is the way to get around. Beware most all rail trips need to be reserved ahead of time at the train stations (cash penalties when you pay for it once you’re on the train). Reservations don’t mean you’ll get on if the train is full. I know, I got bumped in Brig, Switzerland at 0130 on a very very cold night. Take and wear all of your worst tattered underwear and when it gets dirty, throw it away as you travel. It’s a great way to clean out your dresser drawers. No laundry to do every night. Remember PACK LIGHT. Travel just off season so you can get rooms anywhere and for less money. You’ll also avoid the crowds at big tourist locations. Nothing is worse than getting to a town and every room is booked. Take a digital camera and lots of memory cards. Film will cost a lot of money for prints and processing. DO NOT carry illegal items !! You ain’t gonna like their jail system !! The dogs will find anything you are carrying. That sandwich from breakfast in your pack will have you talking with an officer and her dog when you pass thru customs. Bottled water in your jacket pocket will get you stopped at the x-ray machine. After the officers stop you – prepare to rerouted thru the “I didnt know it was in there” line. Searches are very unpleasant in foreign countries. Watch the Weather Channel where you stay and be flexible in your travels .. if it’s bad weather go somewhere else. Do not do the things you would do if you were at home, like watching television unless it’s in a foreign language and stay away from our fast foods eat local foods. You are there for the grand adventure of your life. Get out and meet the locals and spend time talking to them about where they like to eat or shop, how their childhood was or where they grew up. Mention the differences in the dialects over just a few miles away from another town. Over all be interested and nice as this is a universal language and understood in any language.

These lessons are something youll advise others about when you return from your travels. Let them know Americans are good people and invite them to come to our part of the planet. The secrets are in FODORS travel books. Don’t get back and realize you missed something in the city you were in. I missed Bora Bora when I went to Tahiti. Now I will have to go back there. American money is not accepted in most all places … use a standard credit card. The card companies will figure the exchange rates for you. If you want to purchase something “just do it” itll drive you nuts trying to figure what it costs in US dollars. A Big Mac is a Big Mac and not something you have to calculate to see what it costs. Just buy it and move on. Time is precious on your trip. It’ll be time to come home sooner that you’re ready too. Take lots and I mean LOTS of photos of everything. You can relive this trip over and over after you get back. These photos will let you see things you missed that were right in front of you. Use the movie feature on your camera to get directions from a stranger. Just tell them you have bad memory . These will be a source of great comedy later. I love to interview anyone wholl chat. They will tell you great stories about their part of the world. And some of them are really small … like an older gentleman who had never traveled more than 10 miles into town. If you have an adventurous nature, ask the really old folks about what childhood memories they can recall.
The differences there are amazing … the toilets don’t all flush like ours. The handling of money and food are really relaxed and they don’t even think about washing their hands. People will take their dog into a restraint and itll sit at the table with them and eat too. If you go to a movie remember it’s not gonna be in English. I saw Star Wars in French in Rouen France!!! It was like going to an Opera … you didn’t know the words but you could follow the story. Mayonnaise on the french-fries, powdered sugar on your popcorn at the movie, strange looking money, the Metro or Tube is a new experience too. Don’t even try to use the local telephone booth. You’ll understand the first time you look at inside one of them. If you’re staying very long rent a local cellphone. Most of our cell phones will be nice enough to let you know “No Signal”. Verify it with your provider before you go. Spend all of your foreign money in small countries that use local currency or you’ll end up coming home with lots of unusable foreign money. Looks pretty but not spendable. The exchange rates to convert it back to US or Euros will hurt you.

If you put this trip off now you’ll only be a year older when you decide to go there next year.

I have a travel lust and once I get to that point that all I can do is travel. I will be the happiest woman on earth. My backpacking in Europe would be the following cities (not in order):
I wanna see Barcelona, Spain and the Festival de la Infancia and finally see the Catalan art – Gaudi, Dali, Joan Miro and Picasso. I wanna go to Florence, Italy and check out the medieval core, a Renaissance wonderland containing the graceful span of Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo’s skyscraping dome, the gilded splendour of Basilica di San Lorenzo and the well-hung Uffizi gallery. I wanna go party in Athens, Budapest, Prague and Budapest. Eat foods in Istanbul, Berlin and Rome. I want to get lost in the cities ofRome, Venice and Amsterdam and lastly visit my friend in London and drink all the booze in all the cities.

i’ve decided it has to be italy. i must see venice. and i must see paris. i’ve seen germany. it’s pretty swinging. then i must see barcelona.

then… i’ll probably have to see oz. so much to do in such a short lifetime!!