I would head to the thorntree forum board as there are many more young backpacker types there than here. You will find more help and ideas there I think...

You should start looking for web sites and guidebooks that cater to your type of traveling so that you can narrow down your choices. Lonely Planet might be a good choice.

Thank you. I will check it out. I have been looking on websites and i have a number of guidebooks already.

I agree on Lonely Planet's Thorntree board - there aren't many backpackers here.

First advice: Do not think in terms of countries. For example, when you say Italy, what do you mean? Do you want to see Rome, Venice and Cinque Terre, or does "Italy" to you mean basically Rome? Many people would take your list and say they have a week per country, but many people would want to visit, say, three places in Italy and just Vienna in Austria. Or in France, Paris is a very different experience from Provence or Normandy. So it doesn't make that much sense to think by country.

How to pack 2 months into a backpack?
Don't. You'll be doing laundry. Pack for a week or so and pack layers.

Bus vs. train vs. plane?
Depends. Buses can be cheap, but they can take awhile depending on the route. Flying sounds fast, but depending on the trip, trains might actually save you time. Budget airlines sound really cheap, but that assumes you have minimal luggage and don't get caught by exorbitant fees. The first thing to do is to figure out an itinerary that gives you "enough" time in each place and makes geographic sense (north to south, for example), then figure out how to do each leg.

Ireland might be pretty chilly in March. If you're not married to the idea of St. Patrick's Day there, starting in the south and working your way north might be more comfortable.

Packing's easy. You pack for 1 week and do laundry along the way. Don't think of it as "pack 2 months into a backpack".

I agree with getting yourself over to the Thorn Tree on Lonely Planet's website.

You need somewhere between $50-100usd/day on the ground in addition to your plane ticket there and back. Most of the cities/countries you have mentioned are expensive ones (i love Switzerland - but yikes as far as costs there!)

bus vs train vs plane... just depends where you are going exactly. There is no one answer to your question at this stage of planning.

London is very expensive, too. Since this is a budget trip, would you be interested in going to Greece, Spain & Portugal? They are much cheaper than some of the countries you have listed. Czech Republic is reasonable, too.

As far as best sites, what are you interested in? Cities, small towns, museums, hiking, castles, etc?

London is very expensive, too.

It doesn't have to be. I don't doubt that Greece, Spain and Portgual are cheaper, but you can stay and eat cheaply in London if that's where you want to go. There's tons of information here about how to do it. Most museums are free, for starters, which saves a lot of money if that's what you're interested in.

Kwoo is dead wrong: London can be done on a shoestring budget very easily. There are enough EAT, Pret-a-Manger and M&S Simply Food stores in London to feed you well and cheaply and hostels and inexpensive hotels abound. Some major sites other than the top museums are expensive (Tower, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, Cabinet War Rooms) but many of those are eligible for 2for1 discounts.

Hey AG,

>We are both in our early 20's and want to experience all that we can with the short time we have. <

I am so sorry to hear that you are both terminally ill.

Most youngsters can look forward to a lifetime of being able to visit Europe.

Perhaps the folks on the Thorntree Forum at www.lonelyplanet.com can help you with your adventure.

Sign up for Couchsurfing! http://www.couchsurfing.org/home
Not just for "free" places to stay but also to contact other travelers and/or locals in the cities you will be visiting. It's a great way to meet people and get some local insight.

Amsterdam hostel I stayed in was The Flying Pigs hostel. Very central, very popular, and affordable.

Naples (Italy), if you make it there, hostel I stay at was La Controra. They had plenty of events in the main area and was also open to locals so it was nice way to meet locals and interact with them. Very clean and affordable. Really nice staff. http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/italy/naples/27153/

www.yha.org.uk has dozens of great hostels all over the UK. You can also look at Astor's www.astorhostels.co.uk and St. Christopher's hostels www.st-christophers.co.uk

Sometimes, if you plan ahead, you can get a room at a Travelodge www.travelodge.co.uk for around 19 pounds a night.

As jent103 said, most of the museums in London are free. You can eat cheaply by using hostels with self-catering kitchens, or you can just pick up picnic supplies at a market. Many of the supermarkets have really good sandwiches ready-made which are nice for a quick lunch.

Lee Ann