Jaimie7777

Hi, I am 24 and planning a trip to Europe next summer from May 15th-Aug 15th. I am going by myself, backpacking and had a few questions. I will be staying in hostels, should I book them now or is it too early? I'm not sure exactly how long I will stay in each country. Also how do i find out the train schedules and which cities go to which cities.
The countries i plan on visiting are France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Holland, Czech Republic and England.
When should I get the Eurailticket? Is it better to go by Rail or by plane? How do I make acurate plans, like finding out how long it takes to get from city to city? I am soo excited but I am on a very limited budget and even though I am flexible with how long I stay in each place I don't want to waste money on hostel reservations, how do i make sure I book hostel for right dates.
Plus are their any other countries you would recommend or any places in this countries that are must sees. This is my first trip to Europe. I will be starting Law school soon and so I won't have this much time again to devote to a trip.
Thanks for reading this and for giving me some answers, I really appreciate it!!

Jaimie

ira

Hi J,

Lucky you.

A very good site for young people on a budget is http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/

SloJan

Hi,
Good for you. It will be a life changing experience. I did this eons ago and had the time of my life. You have 3 months and I would urge you not to pack too much in...as far as planning wise. One of the benefits of traveling alone and at your age is that you are flexible. You will meet traveling companions and end up hooking up with them for several days to a week. I would pick a rough plan and then, go from there.

Go by rail. Most backpackers are doing shorter hops and it is a great way to meet and greet along the way.

Spend short amounts of time in expensive countries if you feel youmust see them. For example, Switzerland is lovely, but ultra expensive. Hit the highlights but while away your time in places like Greece, Italy and where your dollar goes farther.

I absolutely would not book ahead. There are so many places that backpackers can stay and that is part of the adventure of it.
You also lock yourself into an itinerary when you might want to be more footloose and fancy free.

Finally, bone up on your politics. It will be discussed by the other backpackers. Be prepared to discuss things intelligently and without a ton of emotion. Be sensitive to others and you won't have a problem. Don't shy away from these discussions b/c they are just plain fun, esp. over a bottle of raki on a long bus ride from Istanbul to Munich...but I digress...

You are going to learn a ton and gain many special memories!

Cheers,
Jan

suze

Ira beat me to it. Your posts cries out to be posted on The Thorn Tree at Lonely Planet's website. I suggest you read the board there before posting, so you'll get an idea of how things work, and you might want to ask your questions in a couple different posts for clarity and brevity. There are TONS of people on TT with exact experience doing the kind of trip you want to take.

Studying a guidebook or two would be really good at this point in your planning- Lonely Planet, Let's Go, Rough Guides, Rick Steves all cover budget/backpack traveling.

It's too early (IMO) to decide on a rail pass. Depending on where and how often you will take the train, different ones may be appropriate. Or in some cases buying point-to-point as you go combined with cheap airlines may turn out more economical and practical than a railpass at all.

I'm sure you will have an incredible experience!

julie_Colorado

You might want to model your trip on railsaver.com... It will help you understand the cheapest ways to travel by train (pass vs. individual ticket) even without knowing exact dates. And to see routes and timings - you may want to order a copy of Thomas Cooks European timetable (I ordered it online at their web site). It will give you a good sense of the length of time and ease of going from one destination to the next. (this may seem sick - but I lay in bed at night and read it like a magazine... what if I wanted to go from Prague to Vienna??.. How long would that take - would there be lots of options... blah, blah, blah).

TopMan

If you are going for that long a period and are going to be traveling by rail then I would URGE you to consider getting a copy of the Cook Timetable...I use it whenever I go to Europe and it is invaluable and worth every penny you pay for it. They are revised monthly..the "summer schedules" usually appear in the July edition..however an earlier month will work just as well as there aren't that many significant changes to worry about IMO.

Have a great time on your trip.