Newbie- I don't know what to do

[hotrod705]

Okay, so this is the first time i have been on here and i just wanted some input. i am graduating (highschool) in June and i want to go to Europe for at least a couple of weeks, possibly the whole summer, before I slave my life away at college. I don't have any idea how to do it, how much it is going to cost, or what to do when i get there. I appriciate any input.
-thanks

[TheJake]

well welcome to travelpunk first off

secondly dude we need some more info to be of real assistance. europe happens to be a big place not "the size of eastwood mall"

[Tadpole]

WELCOME TO THE BOARDS!



Im doing the same thing. I'm going to Europe this summer after I graduate from high school. A great decision for you to go backpacking.

There is loads and loads of information to learn about your trip. This website has it all. I will go over the basics to help get you started but there is alot more to read about. So cruise the website and read as much as you can and don't be afraid to post ANY question at all.

If you are tight on money then the next paragraph is important, if money isn't an issue then skip the next paragraph. And all money refrences are in US dollars.

TRAVEL BUDGET
First you need to decide a budget for the entire trip, 1k, 2k, 3k, 4k, 5k etc. By starting with a budget you will be able to figure out what you will be able to do and where you will be able to go within that budget.

GETTING OVER THERE
I dont know where you are flying from but flying from the US to europe round trip is about $1000 avg. (+ or - 200) in the peak season of summer. As time draws near the prices will rise and the seats will fill up. Get your tickets as soon as possible!

SLEEPING
If you plan on staying in Hostels, they will run from $8 to $40 a night (avg. is $20). If you plan on camping the costs will be around $5 a night. Travelpunk has an awesome hostel search engine to find and book hostels.

TRANSPORTATION
Once over there, there are many ways to travel. Car, Bus, Train, or Plane. Trains are the most common for travelers and just about everyone will suggest taking the train for transportation. For trains you can get passes rangeing from around $150 to $1000 depending on the pass (avg. $350). In europe the Eurail train system is what everyone uses. Click Here for the Eurail website.
To get a good estimate you will have to look for your specific pass.

DAILY BUDGET
This is very important. This will decide how many days you can travel and where you can go. $75 a day is a tight budget for a day. I am doing a $50 a day budget and I am worried. Your daily budget should include eating, sleeping, clubbing, and spare cash for tourists sites and stuff like that. Once you figure out how much you can spend then you can figure out how long you can stay and where you can go.

PLACES TO SEE
Don't rush. Take your time in places you go. On average plan to spend about 3-4 days (maybe more) in big cities. Plan to spend 1-2 days in smaller places. How long you spend in a city or counrty is completly up to you. But don't rush yourself, you dont want to feel like the clock is ticking every second of the day. Some people pick the cities they want to see and make a list. I picked the countries that wanted to see and picked the cities from those countries. I plan to spend 10 days per country and see about 3-4 cities in each country. But my plan is very felxible. I may stay in a town for 1 day when I planned on 4 days. Other travelers have a stict intinarary they will go by. I plan to go with the flow.



Those are some of the basics. There is alot more to learn about each of those topics but that will help get you started.

Here is how my final cost added up.

$650 - Eurail pass for a month(I chose an expensive one)
$950 - Plane to Germany from USA and back from Spain.
$1500 - Daily budget total. (30 days x $50 a day = $1500)
--------
$3100 - Total


There is a very brief summery of the basics. Research is the key. Post more details about your trip when get more them and everyone will be glad to help out. And again...

WELCOME TO THE BOARDS!!!

[TimmyJames1976]

Welcome

and yes....more info....

just some general pointers...

western europe is more costly then eastern
make sure to budget well...there are many links on TPunk that go into detail about that
there is a search function at the top of the boards which really helps when you have a more specific question


and most important....plenty of friendly helpful pepople here

[TimmyJames1976]

darn you tadpole and your super fast responses....

[hotrod705]

Thank you all so much i will begin researching and ask more questions as needed.

[agriadam]

DAMN Tad Hella info

[bluepea]

Don't forget to add in costs such as: passport, student id (if so choose), sleep sheet, good shoes, good clothes, backpack, travel accessories (pillow, money belt, etc). If you have a birthday or other holidays coming before you plan on leaving, ask for this stuff in advance. A lot of our equipment we got as gifts. Other good things to ask for are cash (duh ), gift certifcates, rail passes, airplane miles, etc.

I personally would not spend more than 700$ on a ticket (from midwest/east coast US). You have to look, look a lot and look hard, but it's usually worth it. Don't just look at it as flying into the mainland - consider Ireland and England as well.

On a side, side note - even if the price is a little cheaper flying into either of these hubs, take into consideration transport costs to get to mainland as well to make sure the inconvenience vs. cost factor goes in your favor (unless you wouldn't mind spending some time in London or Dublin!).

Don't be afraid to sign up for discounts from airlines. I'm on Icelandair's lucky fair mailing list and you see some good deals. Travelzoo is great for finding specials as well.

Research, research research.

PS college really isn't so bad and you still get spring break and summer vacations.

[bluepea]

Okay, I reread your post and realize you're leaving this June. Sooner in June you leave, cheaper you'll get your tickets. You may end up paying more depending on your dates/location. Definitely watch travelzoo.com, especially if you are going to be considering this for a month or so. They'll have more summer airfare specials, so you might find something that won't completely break you.

[kingcrazylegs]

Welcome to Travelpunk!