98% excited, 2% nervous

[viciousmissfit]

Hello everyone!

My friend and I have finally gotten our sh*t toegther and bought tickets to go to Europe. I have been thinking about it for years, and I previously stayed in Germany for a few months. But. . this time we'll be backpacking. So I'm basically a newbie with no clue. We're leaving Sept 3 and returning Oct 29th.

As far as an itinerary, I don't want to plan too much or too little. We've decided on naming cities we'd like to visit (roughly) and then kind of playing it by ear. Is that a good idea or a bad idea?
I figure we'll meet a lot of people when we go; we plan on staying in hostels. I don't want to be chained to reservations anywhere. But, has anyone had any experience with booking hostels only a few days in advance. I went to the travelpunk site, but it seemed like some of the links were just hotels. We're looking to stay someplace cheap and with other people in their 20s. It seemed like a lot of places are booked already!

I know how to keep my travelling stuff and money safe, and any other good advice for newbies would be much appreciated!!

Thanks guys

^V^icious

[lauren313]

I think at that time of year, you'll probably be alright without booking really far in advance. It's not the peak summer season or anything, so it should be ok! Maybe if you're worried, you can just book one or two days in advance.

The percentages you gave are good, 2% nervous is great! I was more like 30% nervous!

[freespiritz]

I have no advice on Europe, but I did want to say WELCOME to tpunk and happy trails...

[joe7f]

Originally Posted by viciousmissfit

Hello everyone!

My friend and I have finally gotten our sh*t toegther and bought tickets to go to Europe. I have been thinking about it for years, and I previously stayed in Germany for a few months. But. . this time we'll be backpacking. So I'm basically a newbie with no clue. We're leaving Sept 3 and returning Oct 29th.

As far as an itinerary, I don't want to plan too much or too little. We've decided on naming cities we'd like to visit (roughly) and then kind of playing it by ear. Is that a good idea or a bad idea?

That is a great idea! Once you get an itinerary, post it in the "Post your Itinerary" forum we'll pick through it for ya.

I figure we'll meet a lot of people when we go; we plan on staying in hostels. I don't want to be chained to reservations anywhere. But, has anyone had any experience with booking hostels only a few days in advance. I went to the travelpunk site, but it seemed like some of the links were just hotels. We're looking to stay someplace cheap and with other people in their 20s. It seemed like a lot of places are booked already!

Yup, if you looked for the summer lots of places are already booked. If you were looking at your time frame they shouldn't be all booked up. I would book in advance (even double book if necessary) because if you cancel you are only out the 10% deposit. If you don't, and there are no hostels with availability, then you are stuck

While it this makes sense it may not be obvious: Not all hostels are the same experience. There are party hostels, chill hostels, longterm hostels, sterile hostels etc. For example, Kabul in Barcelona you don't get a whole lot of sleep. The Wombat in Munich you can get tons or none. In Sleepzone Killary, there are people that live there. The HI in Sevilla was cheap and felt like a converted hospital.

First things first get your cities lined up

Welcome to Tpunk!

--Joey

[Majestic58]

I'm super excited for you! I'm actually leaving on Sept. 1 for my first backpacking trip too... I "planned" mine the same way you're talking about, picked cities I wanted to see and made a super rough itinerary... This way, there is a general flow to things, but if I decide I really like (or hate) a place, I can stay longer (or leave early)...

[hurr111]

Sounds like fun man, I will be in Europe the same time as you. I made a rough itinerary and I just keep picking it apart and changing it. Adding, taking away, stuff like that. Ultimately I am just going to go there and do my thing to see where I end up.

Do you have passports yet? Silly question I know but with the problems they are having now you want to apply as soon as possible. I applied for mine in April and have not yet received it.

Also it is a good idea to book your hostel for the first place you plan on staying, that way you have a bed on your first night across the pond.

[joe7f]

^If you haven't gotten a passport, contact your congressman and tell him you have been waiting past the 12 week (which is more like 14-16 week) time frame and you need help mach schnell.

Oh and very good advice for the first day. Arriving and trying to find a hostel can be rough, plus if you are asked by customs where you are staying you will have an address

--Joey

[hurr111]

I am still only on the 10 week mark for my passport. I was watching the congress hearings where they were grilling the lady in charge of the mess. If I dont see it by the 12th week I will start making phone calls because that will only leave me 2 weeks before I leave.

When I applied the advertised the wait at 10 weeks. Got to love the government!

[mbo108]

Yeah, my passport expires in March so I'm thinking about re-submitting it now even though I don't have any travel plans on the horizon. Funny story, I actually got questioned whether or not it was me in the photo. See, i got this current one when i was 18 (almost 9 years ago) and ran cross country in high school. Since then i went to college, quit running competitively, and gained about 40 lbs (so i now look normal as opposed to being able to count my ribs before). Also my hair used to be real long but now its real short (and dare I say, balding a little....). But after another glance (of what i think was mockery), the Czech border patrol women let me in. whew.

[DC_Jessica]

Originally Posted by joe7f

Oh and very good advice for the first day. Arriving and trying to find a hostel can be rough, plus if you are asked by customs where you are staying you will have an address

--Joey

I swear to God everytime I have to fill this out I put things like "cheap hostel"/"hotel"/"tourist district." Or else I just put my goal hostel. Or maybe scribble a little. The only place where I had trouble was Israel, as expected, and thank heaven I actually had a friend there and knew his surname, and most of his address by heart!

[DC_Jessica]

PS - (though I should have *started* with this) - welcome to the boards Misfit! Advice for my own style of traveling is (but obv. you'll have your own take):

take nothing of tremendous value with you (in fact in developing countries, buy local clothes to accomodate your climate shift)
don't glue yourself to electronics - try to get the "real" experience without globalization (I'm not saying the "g" word is bad, just takes the fun out of culture shock, is all)
you and your friend should look briefly through travel guides and focus on the things that spark your interests immediately and keep you up nights...even if they suck once you're there (rarity), accomplishing "seeing" your obsessions in real life will be the highlight of what you do
trust random people (within reason) to get a "hidden" away glimpse of things - you'll experience things nobody else will

Things I do that you should not also do:

write down your important info! (credit card numbers, blah) and give it to someone responsible and fixed (as in, not traveling with you or flaky)
don't trust people *too* much - granted, I haven't died yet, but I've already started a list of things I will explicitly prohibit my unborn daughter from even considering
ah - and play stupid tourist as much as possible - i'm getting better at this, but really, even if you think you've figured something out, still ask questions to double check and take a lot of pictures, even if you feel silly (I have 70ish pictures from 10 days in Turkey...because I didn't want to be a "tourist" - it's probably my only regret thus far in my life) - it doesn't mean be the Ugly American or Ugly Foreigner, but be comfortable in your ignorance...it's why we travel. if we were all slick and confident in other cultures, we would stay home.

HAVE FUN AND UPDATE US!

[DC_Jessica]

Ahh three posts in a row but I'm a long way away from an edit button.

Last part should be "things that I don't do," not do "do." I really ought to write down my credit card numbers...

[viciousmissfit]

thanks everyone for your ideas!

[viciousmissfit]

can I get by with a 3200 cubic inch "euro sac" or do I have to get a hiking backpack. I am only about 5 foot so I feel like if I decided to get a hiking backpack I might really regret the size/weight. On the other hand, I don't want to be buying another one when I get there.

For people who have gone for extended periods, what do you suggest??

[maracle]

Your pack will be 90% filled with clothes so the amount of space you need depends on:
1) how willing you are to wear the same stuff several times between doing laundry
2) If you plan to travel somewhere cold and need warm/bulky stuff

I don't know what a euro sac is but a backpack with a hip strap and frame is really nice if you have to carry it for more than a few minutes.

[Canadian Bacon]

Congrats on bookıng your tıckets!!!!

You are goıng ın Sept, I dont thınk u have too much to worry about places beıng full... not beıng hıgh season ın all.

A good sıte for hostels ıs hostelz.com

Have fun!

[joe7f]

You can book hostels through Travel Punk

--Joey