Ms_Issues

My bestfriend and I will be finishing highschool in june and want to travel europe- you know the whole taking advantage of your youth. The other reasons of course are for the cultural enlightment, learning experience and the overall enjoyment of being in a different place and all that comes along with it. We've had the idea for awhile and we really want to do it, we just don't know how to go about it and we need help planning.. and i want to know if anyone can help.

We want to leave about mid summer and return late fall, like 2-3 monthes... Obviosily money is an issue. I have $10,000 saved but I don't want to use it all. Is it possible for us to work over there? I guess where basically living over there really.

About the only thing usefull i know right now is that a euro is going for 1.34 U.S dollar.

Do you know places we must go within the duration were there. I know I have to see Rome, I'm a latin scholar and i heard munichs great...

I hope this doesn't sound like a compulsive idea from two teens but we want to see it before we go to college.

bardo1

Ms_Issues,

Rome, Paris, and London are the crown jewels of Europe - those are the real "must" for an extended stay. Go to the library and get a travel book that covers all of Europe and decide what else interest you and your friend. Based on your budget, I would make it only a 2 month trip.

You could easliy spend a month each in Rome, Paris, London and not get bored. They also have many nice areas outside the city to take side trips to get a taste of the countryside and village life as well - again refer to a guide to Europe for ideas.

You might consider renting a studio or efficiency apt. just outside the city centers and close to public transport - if you research well (this board is a great resource for this) you should be able to keep lodging cost under $5000 for your trip. If you stay in youth hostels lodging will be much less, possibly as little as $2500 (but you'll have to eat out a lot more).

Summer airfares are high. You'll probably want to fiy into one city and back home from another - this is usually about the same cost as a regular round-trip ticket. Depending on where you are in the US, tickets to Europe per person in the summer will be between $500 and $1000.

Your idea to travel before college is not at all compulsive. It's a wonderful idea! You are likely never to have that much free time at once again until you're retired in about 40 years.

By going now, though, you'll be hooked early and will want to take many shorter trips thoughout your adult life (like the fanatics on this board

I hope that gets you started. Come back to this board after you've read up and thought some more.

Best of luck.

dutyfree

I know that I am going to sound like "the mother" saying this but I have a couple questions first........are you leaving for college this fall? Have you ever been out of the country before? Have you ever traveled with this "bestfriend" for long periods before ie.24/7? To your first question-I seriously doubt that you will be able to get regular jobs over there as most countries want you to have an EU passport(jobs for their own first). What ever you think that you will spend-at least double it.Europe is pretty expensive these days no matter how cheap one goes.I travel overseas every week for work and my son spent all of last year studying abroad-he was amazed at how much money he went through even the first semester going "cheap". I think that you need to sit down with your friend and outline what and where you want to go,do a timeline and also have a PLAN B if something happens too-one gets sick and needs to go home;cannot stand the hostel life anymore;robbed of all money,etc.Your travel prices with trains,buses and planes needs to be added in too.Are your folks agreeable to these?Is your future college tuition already covered as sometimes one realizes that they should have saved some of the fun money for the tuition. Just some thoughts.Start with a good guide book and start outlining where you want to start and end up at-then go from there.

ira

Hi MS,

Get yourself an ATM only card so that you can access your bank account for cash.

Do not get the ATM/debit card. That can be used without a PIN and your account can be emptied in minutes.

You will also want a charge card. Talk with your parents about how to do this and how much you will have to give the to cover your charges.

Go to
London Superthread
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34548473

Paris Superthread
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34519236

Helpful Information: Italy http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34443340

In addition, go to www.lonelyplanet.com and click on the ThornTree Forum.

Lots of young people on limited budgets.

Enjoy your visit.

travelbunny

from another Mother- I think the previous poster had some good advice. Is this the time for you to go? Might your Parents cut you a bit more slack if you were a bit older and you had a year or so of being away from home before you went away (or have you already been away for extended periods). Might you do junior year abroad? If so you might travel after that time or use some of the extra money for weekend travel. Might you wait until after graduation and go to SE Asia? You might also get a babysitting job for a summer if you have contacts which would allow you to stay in a contry for almost nothing and you can use your savings for something else (this would be informal and NOT through immigration..you did not read this). I actually think you budget is quite generous for a stusdent..Post on the lonely planet thorntree. Hope this helps

suze

I think it's a fabulous idea! I would start by getting a couple general European guidebooks (Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Let's Go, maybe Rick Steves Europe thru the Backdoor) to start and a good map to plot your way.

Read first, then post on www.lonelyplanet.com their BB similar to this format is called The Thorn Tree. There you will receive tips from people your own age who have recently done exactly what you are considering (Fodors as you see, you get mostly advice from people with your parents age and perspective - not that that is bad, but you really need both IMO).

GreenDragon

Keep airfare costs low by visiting www.statravel.com or www.studentuniverse.com. They have incredibly low airfares for students!!!

Also, they have some info on hostels and cheap hotels/b&bs for the starving student.

You may want to look into renting a dorm room from one of the colleges, or even, for variety's sake, a room in a monastery

JoeTro

I'm a current college junior studying abroad, and I really recommend this route. I simply do not think I would have been as ready to have done a trip like you are talking about after graduating high school. With a couple years of college, you will be better prepared intellectually and socially for the kind of trip you are talking about. Plus you will have had the experience of living away from home.

And, keep in mind that traveling with a friend - especially for the length of time you are considering - is very different from hanging out with them, sleeping over for a night, etc.

That being said, best of luck with your plans.

Marsha

I did the junior year abroad thing in college and would also recommend that route. You can take weekend and holiday trips to different countries from your home base. Be sure to enroll in a college that has a good junior year abroad program.
That said, if you and your friend are mature 18 year olds, start by getting a youth hostel card and plan your trip by visiting this website:

http://www.hostelseurope.com

When you stay in group room in a hostel, keep your passport and money on you at all times. But you will meet lots of great kids from around the world.
Also, get a student Eurailpass and study the train timetables.
Oh, I wish I were in college again!

PalQ

Yes Let's Go Europe, available in any bookstore like Borders, will be an invaluable resource for you. I always recommend the free European Planning & Rail Guide for any novice planning a rail trip in europe - it contains a wealth of info for on your own train trip - well worth the cost - free (call 800-441-9413). Let's Go especially is good for hostels, not only the official IYHF federation hostels but many more private hostels - and youth hotels, which come equipped with their own bars. Drinking age except in UK and Scan is 16 or lower for beer and wine; often 18 for spirits. Yes the eurail youthpass is a great deal - prices in 2005 have been cut from 2004 - a great great deal and a great great experience for you both. My best tip - an old adage: Take twice as few clothes and twice as much money!

Christina

I don't think it's a very good idea, but I just don't know any 18 year olds who have $10K to blow in a European trip. Also, you apparently don't plan to go to college in the Fall as you said you wanted to do this until late Fall, but then you do say something about college so I don't understand that.

I think you should wait until you are older and have more experience and stability. I know you might come from a wealthy family so there is no requirement that you can't blow $10K on a vacation right before college, so perhaps I just find that unpalatable coming from my background where people have to pay for college expenses as much as possible.

If money is no object, then sure, why not. I don't think you have the maturity, thoug, frankly which comes from your post saying that you know nothing about this except the value of euro vs. dollar (which is actually pretty good to know, though). That means you have read no guidebooks aimed at younger people, etc., to even decide where you want to go and why and a limited idea of what this will entail.

I don't agree at all with the idea that you will never be able to do this again until you retire or won't have the free time. You'll have just as much free time in-between every school year in the future, and you'll have free time after graduating and starting a job. If you really want to, you can do this later on at lots of times in-between jobs, taking unpaid leave, etc.

thedoodlegirl

You're going to have a great time! I'd start in London if I were you guys and work my way south - this way you can ease yourself into the European experience. Barcelona was one of my favorites, the food's great and the nightlife is so much fun. Save your shopping for Italy. I loved Florence, especially the San Lorenzo market where you can haggle (although they ask you not to) for fabulous leather goods. Check out ibikeitaly.com for a good time. It's a day long bike tour through the Tuscan countryside. Mid-day the tour group stops off for a great meal and then stops at an authentic Italian vineyard for a wine tasting... I'm surprised you heard such good things about Munich though. It's a bit industrial for my taste and I found Germany to be a little difficult to get around (German words aren't the easiest to pronounce). The only way I'd recommend Munich is if you were going to Oktoberfest in Sept, but I suggest you girls stay away from there.

Keith

I think it would have been wonderful to have made that trip after my senior year of high school. But it would have been even better a year or two later.

Assuming there is no reason that the trip couldn't be done one of the following summers, I would urge you to postpone it.

In my experience, with college students who do not live at home, there is more growth and maturity in the freshman year of college, than several years in high school and living at home.

If entry level employment was plentiful in the EU, the probably wouldn't be so many eastern European young people coming to the US for summer jobs.

I think you will have trouble getting work for such a short time, but if you want to try, contact a company that handles making arrangements for the VISAs and employment.

Keith

nytraveler

I absolutely reco that you go - it will be the exprience of a lifetime. (I went with my boyfriend when I was 19 - and it was incredibly fascinating - and realizing that you can in fact cope with anything that's thrown at you is a true growing experience - it really helps build your own self-confidence and sense of self-worth.)

I do suggest that you do a lot of planning up front - both in terms of realistic travel plans and realistic financial plans - and how you and your friend will deal with problems. I think the latter is really the most important - since traveling with someone 24/7 for long periods of time is way different than just being friends. You will need to decide in advance how to handle the (many) problems that will arise - so you're not stumped then they occur.

57BelAir

If it's something you want to do, then do it. Plan, but remember that not everything will go according to plan. That is part of the adventure. If you go to a non-English-speaking country, a language school can be a good introduction to the country and its culture. Many of them have classes in the morning, leaving your afternoons and evenings free. They can also help you find a place to stay. It will also help you meet other students, which may lead to a job or ideas about where to travel next. If you get to a point where you travel a lot, a student rail pass can be a big help. In college we often took overnight trains, which saved us on hotel (or pensione/hostel/B&B) expenses. And if you get to the point where you run out of money, or you aren't having fun, head home early. It's better than not going at all.

hopscotch

Start by getting an International Student's ID and a Youth Hostelers card. Buy the Lonely Planet "Europe on a Shoestring" and John Whitman's "Best European Travel Tips" (about 95% accurate but much better than Rick Steves "Europe Through the Back Door&quot for an introduction to Europe. Don't worry about the smaller dollar. There are many ways to economize. Eat in university mess halls or buy your groceries in markets. Bring a camera and log book. Order your passport and plane ticket, pack a small carryon bag, get going and don't look back. Spend all you have and starve when you come home. You will never regret it, and you will always savor it.

paula1470

My daughter spent last summer in Europe and loved it. This was after her junior year in college so she was 20. I think she would have done fine right after high school but those extra years of maturity are helpful. After a few years of college, you will have more experience with roommates, paying bills, keeping to a budget and in general you will just be more self-reliant. If your friends are like my daughters, many of them had already studied or traveled in Europe before her, they gave her great tips and places she must see.

That said, there are already many great suggestions for other posters. Get a couple of guidebooks. We got Lonely Planet and Let's Go. My daughter liked Let's Go best. Get a Eurail pass, the trains are easy to navigate. Don't try to go too many places during your trip. As others have said, hit the big cities, London, Rome, Paris and plan side trips from there. Do a mixture of city and country, sometimes you just need to relax for a few days in a beautiful setting.

My daughter spent a month in Italy and then another five weeks traveling around. She loved Rome and Venice as far as cities go, Paris was probably #3. For a break she spent a few days in the Swiss Alps just hiking and relaxing. She also loved Ireland and the French countryside. She didn't get as far as Prague or to Spain which are very popular with young adults.

In the short time you are there, working would be almost impossible. If you set a daily budget, stay in hostels, etc, you should be able to do two months and not spend all your money. Keep in mind the exchange rate (you already mentioned the Euro) and if you spend any time in the UK, the pound right now is worth .53 US. As great as the UK is, you might want to visit it at another time just to keep costs down.

As others have suggested and what my daughter and her friends have all done is tie their travels in with a study abroad program. Your money is then being spent not only on travel but you are earning college credits.

Whatever you decide, have fun. There are lots of good suggestions on this forum for things to see. Also check bugeurope.com for info on hostels.

rv224

Deciding where to go is always the hardest part of planning a trip - especially pan-European ones. My advice - do some research. Buy a pan-European guidebook, read about places online, etc. Make sure your friend and you are one the same page on the types of activities you want to do - museums, outdoors, bars, beaches, etc. Then you and your friend each come up with a list of places you want to see independently. Then come together and discuss each other's list and narrow it down and make a travel plan.

Visit a student travel agency as well (STA Travel AGency). They will help you with rail passes and flights.

rv224

Oh and about working - many hostels offer backpackers the opportunity to work in the hostel for some extra cash. Usually, you do some cleaning, cooking, or tending to the front desk.