Budget Traveling Europe Backpacking - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

DarylS · 04-13-2006, 03:44 AM

Hello all

First of, thanks to everyone who replyed to my USA thread, you have been very helpfull.

Me and my friend have decided to travel europe instead.

now the plan we have some up with is to do these countries:

From London to france then to belgium then to netherlands then to germany then to czech republic
then to austria and finaly to Italy then home to london.

Is this possible? how long do you think it would take? and what would be the best form of transport getting around?

Also where in these countrys is worth visiting? I know in netherlands there is Amsterdam whci where we are deffinately going after belgium but what ese is there in the other countrys we could go to on our route?

Many thanks for your help

**lilchappy** · 04-13-2006, 04:06 AM

hey man, all depends on how organized you want to be. You can either find cheapflights the whole time, or get a Eurail pass to travel all those countries. You would need the 17 country pass to fit all those in. Just to let you know, that Benelux covers the whole belgium and netherlands region and counts as one country.

Here are some flights you should check out.

skyscanner.net
ryanair.com
alitalia.com
sidestep.com
klm.com

Just a few pointers, dont spend too much time traveling, and not enough time enjoying the city. Don't get caught up in internet cafes trying to plan your next city the second you get to Amsterdam.

cya...lilchappy

**tumblezweedz** · 04-13-2006, 04:59 AM

Well, there's an incredible lot to do in all of the countries you mentioned, and the general route you've suggested is a great one - no backtracking, which takes up valuable time.

To your general questions: 1/ Yes, it's possible. And it's a good plan.

2/ It could take anywhere from two weeks (highly not recommended) to the rest of your life, depending on how long you have. A month or 6 weeks would be a great, relaxed time frame to really check stuff out.

3/ How to get around depends a lot on your budget and time. If you have lots of money and little time, fly between hubs, and take trains within countries. If you have more time, train is a great way to get around between countries, too. If you have the rest of your life, riding a bike or walking is cheap and you see more.

It's harder to answer your last question, because none of us know what sorts of things you and your friend like to do, or want to see. There is an overwhelming amount of information out there about traveling, and it can be pretty daunting to try to figure out what you really should do and see, but the time you put into planning really does pay off when you're on the road, seeing what most interests you. For instance, I could put together an incredible itinerary for you, focusing on Mozart's life and times, but if you don't care a fig about Mozart, you probably wouldn't enjoy the trip a lot.

A good way to start is to look at the things that interest you at home - do you like going down the pub and chatting with friends, or would you rather go to a football game? Maybe hiking is your idea of a perfect weekend, or you'd prefer to go to a museum or art gallery. Maybe you can't stand the National Gallery, but you'd drive 100 miles to see a photography exhibition. Whatever it is that you like at home, chances are, you'd like it in another country, too. Think about what you liked at school, too - history class? music? art? literature? And are there any iconic buildings that you would just love to see? Maybe the Eiffel Tower doesn't appeal, but you loved the movie Gladiator. So put Rome on your list, and check out the Colosseum.

Once you've got a general idea of what interests you, check out guide books and go online and try to find things that fit in with those interests. It does take some reading beforehand, but that research really pays off in the long run. And then, when you have a little bit of a plan, come back and start peppering tpunks with questions (read some of the topics that cover the places you're going, to get all sorts of tips and treasures, too).

All of the countries that you mention have rich history, art treasures, amazing musical traditions, stunning architecture, magnificent landscapes and outdoor pursuits, appetizing food and drink, and friendly people, so you really can't go wrong - it is just a question of figuring out which of these you want to explore.

DarylS · 04-13-2006, 05:50 AM

wow thanks for the help guys!

I will talk to my friend about what we want out of the trip.

We are looking to go for a bout 2 months and start in september, we have some aving to do, Id rather have gone in the summer but we have left it a bit to late for that now, but we are happy with sept/october

I have also just brought a lonely planet book which is pretty big, but it covers all the countrys we want to go to and places to visit inside them. Once ive read the book ill then come back to you tommorow.

another question is about hostils

1, do you have to pre book them? i.e book your next one while your at your current place?
or do you just turn up?

3 how easy are the train stations?I mean as far as finding your correct train and do the rail staff spea a little englis (in general) i can just imagine us getting lost or going to the wrong place!

thanks for your help

**tumblezweedz** · 04-13-2006, 10:59 PM

Two months is a great length of time for this trip, and Sept/Oct is a fantastic time to be traveling - you miss the worst of the crowds, but the weather's still good, and all the "seasons" - cultural and sporting - are in session.

You don't have to prebook hostels as much in the fall, because all the summer crowds are gone, but you probably should in the bigger cities, just to be sure.

In western Europe there'll be an info desk with an English speaking person at the train stations. In eastern, there's a good chance, but don't count on it. Your best bet in eastern Europe is to approach a twenty-something, they likely speak better English than you do! (And I know you're English!)

STARGAZER · 04-15-2006, 07:34 AM

Hey guys...as far as hostels go, don't worry about them. I went around europe last summer. Booked a hostel maybe a day or two in advance. But more often than not, I could have just shown up and would've been fine.

Good tip; check out hostel reviews before you book. Either at travel punk, or BUG backpackers is a good one...just to make sure the place isn't a complete dive. I stayed in a hell hole in Rotterdam. From then on in I always checked out the 'user' reviews...

Oh, and take as long as you want! Some places you'll stay for a few days, another place maybe a week. I spent two months travelling. It felt like 6.

Enjoy it anyway. Best experience of my life...

beitzel · 09-18-2006, 08:45 PM

Have you considered using trains?? Just that the train stations tend to be more central to the city and probably within walking distance of your accommodation. If you use air travel you could be stuck with an additional taxi fare or get totally lost on a foreign bus or subway system. I can only speak for Germany - Go to Berlin or Munich (maybe Cologne otherwise) consider Luxembourg over Belgium if you are looking to party. Look for free toursa and pub crawls and you can't go wrong.

Accommodation was great everywhere I went - but i researched and followed the advice of others - those user reviews in hostel world are very accurate...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DarylS @ Apr 13 2006, 02:44 AM) [snapback]112103[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Hello all

First of, thanks to everyone who replyed to my USA thread, you have been very helpfull.

Me and my friend have decided to travel europe instead.

now the plan we have some up with is to do these countries:

From London to france then to belgium then to netherlands then to germany then to czech republic
then to austria and finaly to Italy then home to london.
Is this possible? how long do you think it would take? and what would be the best form of transport getting around?

Also where in these countrys is worth visiting? I know in netherlands there is Amsterdam whci where we are deffinately going after belgium but what ese is there in the other countrys we could go to on our route?
Many thanks for your help
[/b]

**Esterina** · 09-19-2006, 07:53 AM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(beitzel @ Sep 18 2006, 11:45 PM) [snapback]140212[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

If you use air travel you could be stuck with an additional taxi fare
[/b]

That's a very good point that we often forget to count with the airfare ! But there are usually shuttles from airports, for the tight budgets, one must know where to find them though.