Itinerary advice

Old Apr 4th, 2014, 04:20 PM
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Itinerary advice

Hello I am a 19 yr old Female travelling in Europe for my first time>

I am thinking of this

Barcelona 4 nights
Train to Paris 5 or 6 nights
Train to Bruges 2 or 3 nights
Train to Amsterdam 3 nights
London 5 nights
Fly London to Prague
Prague 2 or 3 nights
Train to Munich
Munich 3 or 4 nights (day trip to neuschwanstein Castle)
Train to Innsbruck
Innsbruck 2 or 3 nights
Train Innsbruck to Verona
Verona 2 nights (Day trip to Sirmione)
train to Milan where I will fly to Athens
Athens 2 nights
Boat to Santorini
Santorini 4 nights
Paros 3 nights
Boat to Athens
Athens to Istanbul
Fly home to New Zealand

I have a tight budget, but want to see as much as I can, can anyone give me tips on this itinerary and give me honest advice on what they think / recommend.
teeshiee is offline  
Old Apr 4th, 2014, 05:00 PM
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Well traveling to so many different places for so little time is not going to help your budget. You will be paying a lot to get from one place to another and waste a large part of your vacation moving around rather than seeing or doing anything.

(A stay of 2 nights is just one full day - and it will take from 1/2 to 1 full day to get from one place to another depending on how far they are and your means of travel. For under 5 hours train is probably just as fast as plane.) And to get the best prices you usually have to buy plane tickets - or long distance train tickets - far in advance, and they're often noncancelable.
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Old Apr 4th, 2014, 05:33 PM
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I think it's way too much. You must have a fairly large budget to travel to all those places. Have you priced train, ferry, and plane tickets and lodging?

I would put your itinerary into a Word or Excel file and include exact travel time. To the travel time add about 1 hour for transportation to trains and 3 hours for planes. Use dates to see how much time you have in each location. Then figure out what you want to see and if you have enough time.

Why are you going to Innsbruck and not Vienna or Salzburg? Why Verona and not Venice?

What made you choose these locations?

Seeing as much as you can does not mean running around Europe and spending time in trains and planes. It means having a considered plan, fewer places and seeing things in those places and meeting people to travel with. If you want a taste of Europe then that is what you will get with this itinerary.
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Old Apr 4th, 2014, 05:40 PM
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@Adrienne

I am currently working in Italy so will either visit Venice before I finish, or add it too the Itinerary. Reason I chose Innsbruck was because I thought it would be nice to see a smaller place rather than a large city, something different and different enviroment.

I have about $5000 NZD. I am working on budgeting it now, but I plan to stay in Hostels, eat very cheap i.e no restaurants or anything, I am not trying to rush my trip, I just really want too see as many places as I can but I know I can come back when I am older and with more money.

Thanks heaps for the advice, I am not in rush to go home, as in I can extend my stay but am worried I can't afford more nights in places.
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Old Apr 4th, 2014, 05:59 PM
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Glad you're going to Venice as it's a special place. Austria is also beautiful and I understand wanting to see smaller cities.

Most of the places you're visiting use Euros and with your budget you only have E75/day (based on about 45 days). That's not much for food, lodging, and transportation. You will probably have to give up a few of the locations to fit your budget. Don't forget that you will also need money for admission fees, often E8 or E10 per venue. You don't want to go places and not see things.
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Old Apr 4th, 2014, 06:23 PM
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In my opinion, you have way too many stops on your trip. If I were you, I'd keep in mind that you have many many years in which to see Europe. Assume you'll come back.

I am a mature woman, and it's taken me since 1965 to see many of the places you've listed. You really don't have to see everything this year.
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Old Apr 5th, 2014, 04:18 AM
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I would drop Innsbruck since you didn't come up with anything there you actually wanted to see.

>>>eat very cheap i.e no restaurants or anything,
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Old Apr 5th, 2014, 04:19 AM
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You can always change your plans as you go along if money is tight. You could stay in a place longer if you really like it, or leave out a place if money or time is tight. I'd say go for it and see as many places as you want -- it's your trip! Sounds like you're already hooked on travel and will be returning - so pick some favorites and return when you can. How lucky you are to start traveling at 19! Happy lifetime of travels!
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Old Apr 5th, 2014, 05:59 AM
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Barcelona on a budget.

Basic and great value Hostal Orleans is in the vibrant El Born area, close to everything. Popular with solo travelers. You could get a single room with shared bath for some 40€. http://www.hostalorleans.com/
http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/hostal-orleans.html

The area: http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.c...s/el-born.html

Buy your food at the close by Santa Caterina food market. Some bread, a little ham and cheese and a tomato, and you're in heaven: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...Catalonia.html

Have the soup or stew of the day in typical and no fuss Navia next door to Hostal Orleans. Always delicious, especially when it has been cooking for a few hours, and some 3-4€. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Catalonia.html

Many local restaurants serve a bargain three course lunch menú del día with drinks incl for some 8-10€ (about 1.30pm-4pm). http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g1....Specials.html

Most tapas bars in local atmosphere Poble Sec offers a drink and a tapa for 2€ on Thursday nights the past couple of years, and I think the offer is still on: http://fourfootprints.com/2012/06/th...na-guest-post/
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Old Apr 5th, 2014, 06:11 AM
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If going to even half those places by train the Eurail Youthpass should be a boon for you - for those under 26 years old - in most countries you can just hop on any train anytime - great sources for info on European trains: www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com.

You could use the railpass for free boat passage between several Italian ports, including Venice, to Greece - save cost of a night in a hotel be on a boat with tons of folks you age from all over Europe - some stay up all night in the pubs!

You can use overnight trains to save daytime travel time and relocate long distances and also save on the cost of a hotel or hostel. Again on night trains there often are many folks your age traveling around from all over the world.
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Old Apr 5th, 2014, 07:38 AM
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"but want to see as much as I can"

"I just really want too see as many places as I can"

You are making the common mistake of thinking the words 'much' and 'many' are synonymous. They are not. The way to see as 'much' as you can is to spend time IN places, not in BETWEEN places.

In travel as in many things, less is more. The less you move the more you see/do. The less you move the more you get out of your money.

The majority of posters in this forum are middle age tourists, not budget backpackers. You may want to consider posting on the Lonely Planet Thorntree Forum where budget backpackers hang out.

Received wisdom on the Thorntree is that a backpacker staying in hostels, eating supermarket food and buying the odd beer or museum entry needs 50-60 Euros per day, NOT including transportation between places. That should tell you how far your money will go.

To balance travel days vs. days spent IN places and not spend too much money on transportation, a good rule to use for initial planning is the Rule of 3s which says, 'never spend less than 3 full days/4 nights in a place unless it is just an overnight stop between A and B.

Note the 'less than', some places need more time than that. Also note the 3/4, that allows for the travel day between places.

If you have roughly enough for 45 days (adrienne's calculation) then using the Rule of 3s would tell you that you should not plan on more than a maximum of 11 places.

Keeping your travel to as small a geographic area as possible saves money as well as maximizing time IN places. Often it helps to think in terms of countries rather than 'Europe'. Your plan is all over the place.
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Old Apr 5th, 2014, 10:16 AM
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Besides the cost of travel from one place to another - don't forget the cost of sights. Some are cheap - but some are 20 euros or more - and will take half your daily budget - meaning no food or no place to sleep.

Also assume you want SOME night life - and even one beer or glass of wine in a student hang out costs something.
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Old Apr 5th, 2014, 11:04 AM
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It may seem that you are trying to cram too much into your trip, but so what? The kind of trip you're taking lends itself to be able to change as you go. Buy yourself a rail pass and a rough guide and have a great time. You only go around once.
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Old Apr 6th, 2014, 04:25 AM
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Rough Guides are good but I think for American youths Let;s Go Europe is the book to take - great rundown on accommodations - the best of any book and a wealth of info. amazon.com or the few remaining big box bookstores or at your local library and photo copy relevant parts and have no heavy guidebook to lug around.
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Old Apr 6th, 2014, 04:40 AM
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PalenQ, the OP is from New Zealand. Your advice may apply to New Zealanders as well.

I have to agree with those who have suggested that your trip has too many stops. I did a very similar trip with friends in my youth. I remember very little of it. But no one could have convinces us ahead of time that we were moving too fast and probably seeing too little. Live and learn and have a fabulous time.
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Old Apr 6th, 2014, 04:43 AM
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While in theory I agree with you guys about the rushing and time thing, we have to remember she is young. The trip she has planned will give her a taste. I did this when I was 16 with my poor grandmother. But I thought I knew where I wanted to go back to visit. As it is life threw me some curves, a friend living in Germany, family in Holland, a unexpected lust for Paris.
Once she gets a taste she can make good decisions about where she wants to return and sink her teeth. Regardless, at 19 you have a heck of a lot more energy, flexibility and stamina than I do now.
Teeshiee, my mind went to a eurail pass too. Don't forget that once you are there, there will most likely be some sort of bus fee. Go to markets and get food, some actually have hot dishes that you can buy and they are delis sort of a deli in the streets. Or cheese, bread, meat….
Have fun, be safe and try not to do without too many meals!
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Old Apr 6th, 2014, 05:34 AM
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>>>"but want to see as much as I can"
"I just really want too see as many places as I can">>If going to even half those places by train the Eurail Youthpass should be a boon for you - for those under 26 years old
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Old Apr 6th, 2014, 06:08 AM
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If you're budgets tight and you're not afraid of flying, flights are usually muuuuuch cheaper from Barcelona to Paris than trains!
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