AmandaGeorge

I'm currently trying to plan a 2 month trip for next year in Europe. The original plan is to start out in Ireland for St. Patricks week and then (in no specific order) hit up England, Amsterdam, Germany, Switzerland or Austria, Italy and Czech Republic. Possibly France if there is time. I know this is very broad and I havent narrowed down the specifics but we are going to fly by the seat of our pants for a majority of the trip. We are going to try and travel as cheap as we can, including hostels, and cheap food. We are even up for sleeping on a bench if we have to. We are both in our early 20's and want to experience all that we can with the short time we have.

I was just wondering if anyone had any advice for me? Tips and tricks? Bus vs. train vs. plane? Best sites to see? Any recommended hostels? How to pack 2 months into a backpack? Estimated costs? Any information would be appreciated!

Thanks!!

jamikins

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...

Michael

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.

AmandaGeorge

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

jent103

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.

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

<i>Bus vs. train vs. plane?</i>
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.

suze

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.

Kwoo

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?

jent103

<i>London is very expensive, too.</i>

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.

BigRuss

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.

ira

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.

jomagpie

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.../naples/27153/

ElendilPickle

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

nytraveler

A couple of notes:

You need to check some super budget/student backpacker resources: Let's Go Student Guides and Thorn Tree section of the Lonely Planet web site

Pick countries by price - Swtiz is VERY expensive (things can easily cost as twice as much as in NY - never mind a small town) so it;s probably not a great price (up for an $18 big mac?)

Have a look at the weather - going in March puts you in winter - and while southern Italy nd Spain may be warmer a lot of places can stil have snow at that point

You cannot sleep on benches - first you are likely to freeze yuor heine off and second the police will not allow it.

Students/young people entering europe are often asked to show their return ticket and that they have enough money to support themselves while there (cash or credit card or ??). Make sur eou have a place to stay for at least your first few nights or you may have trouble gainng entry (they do NOT want indigent students wandering the streets).

Run a reasonable budget to be sure you have enough money for you plan. Last summer my daughter and friends met 2 american girls who had run out of money and credit - and still had 3 days before their return flights. They leant them the money for something to eat and a night in a hostel and allowed them to call home to get funds so they woudln;t be hungry, homeless and have to walk to the airport. If you are desperate the US embassy will help - not with cash but with getting in touch with someone at home. If you seriously don;t have enough money you may be denied entry when you try to get into Ireland.,