robinweiler

Hi, me and my friend are planning to take a backpacking trip to Europe. We will both be done our second year of university by the time we leave making me 20 and her 19. We are Canadian and though I have travelled a little to the United States my friend has never left the country. So this is going to be new to us but we are pretty sure we will be able to handle it. We have created our itinerary and were just looking for some feedback from people who have traveled before. We know some people say its fun to be spontaneous and go without a plan but since this is our first trip we are planning most of it and from my later description you will see that we left some wiggle room in the middle of the trip. We are planning this trip for the start of May 2014. we are flying round trip to London since we have found that the cheapest and we are planning to do as much traveling as we can at night so for now we have that planned. Though we know once we determine our travel arrangements we are willing to adjust the days and nights we have in places accordingly.

Fly to London
-remain there for 3 nights and maybe see York or Bath
on the 4th night travel to Dublin
-remain there for 3 nights
8th night travel to Belfast
-stay 1 night
10th night travel to northern Scotland (this night here might be switched to us staying another night in Belfast depending on how we enjoy it)
-stay 1 night
12th night travel to Edinburgh
-stay for 3 nights
16th night travel to Amsterdam
-stay 3 nights
20th day take a train to Paris and stop on the way for a say trip in Brussels and get back on a train in the same day and continue to Paris
-stay for 4 nights
24th night take a train to London
-we will stay for one more night before flying home the next day


Any imput would be greatly appreciated since this is not only our first time really traveling but also our first time trying to plan a trip. We are independent and determined people who want to make the best out of this trip. Advice about things we should do in any location would also be greatly appreciated.

michelhuebeli

Great trip! Not too many nations and languages and cultures to confuse you, just great.

The only thing I think I would suggest to change is the number of days/nights in London on arrival - make it a couple more! You'll be a bit sleep-deprived ("jetlagged") and it will take you a bit of time to be fully functional, and London has sooooo much to offer that Bath and York (in opposite directions from each other!) may require an extra couple of days before moving on.

Maybe at the expense of the time you'll spend based in Dublin? And take one night out of the Amsterdam plan?

robinweiler

Thank you for the help and we will definetly consider it. We were unsure as to how long we wanted to be in Amsterdam considering the UK and Ireland were our main destinations!

Andrew

Have you priced flying an "open jaw" into London and out of Paris, instead of flying round trip to London? That way you can save the time and expense of flying back to London at the end. That train isn't going to be free, either (perhaps cheaper for students). Open jaw flights are very common and sometimes not more expensive (or not much more) than a round trip.

FYI, you can also fly back to London if you must instead of taking the train, via easyJet or one of the budget airlines. Sometimes it's cheaper.

I originally did the stop in Brussels as well off the train between Paris and Amsterdam - it's a common thing to do and usually not difficult. You might consider adding a night in Belgium if you have the time, perhaps in a town like Ghent or Bruges. Both are nice towns, but Bruges is far more touristy while Ghent is more of a "real" working city and not a tourist magnet.

snowgirls

I would just add to not prebook all hotels so you can keep the spirit of adventure and flexibility alive. we have done several long trips to Europe and using a booking site, one night ahead works well.You can flip itineraries, stay longer in places you love( or escape those you dont).We do book a 1st and last night.Used our tablet and wifi extensively this September thru Italy but a smartphone with data would have been even better as some spotty wifi places exist.I always take an immersion heater because I am a coffee/cocoa addict.
Save money by finding local fresh markets and make picnic lunches, then hot dinners out.Good luck!

PalenQ

For lots of great info on trains in those countries check out these IMO fantastic sites - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.