bethypeggx

NOTE: THE PRICES WERE PER PERSON, NOT ALL TOGETHER!! as in we EACH need to save 2000£

suze

hey I've got no problem with your age, I've only got a problem with your budget (lol)! Although I would NOT recommend the couch suring mentioned above quite frankly ;-)

<20-25 euro accommodation per night, and around the same for food (though probably less)>

That is simply not going to work in places like Rome, Venice, Paris, Amsterdam.

bethypeggx

Christina: Thanks so much for taking the time to leave your advice. We are considering ditching both Barcelona and Paris as the only real attraction for us in Paris was the Eiffel tower and Barcelona was the beaches (although, I'd love to do an art tour of Barcelona, I suppose that can wait!)
We'd fly in from Scotland to Rome, work our way up Italy, to Florence, Cinque Terre, alpe di siusi and finally venice. All via train. Then onto Amsterdam. Good point about how far out Berlin is..It was more for my friend's benefit to improve her German skills
Italy has always been THE destination so I feel this makes more sense. We're thinking around 2 weeks in Italy and then the remaining time in Amsterdam.
The replies in this post has made me reflect somewhat, and where I think I've been sensible in terms of money, I certainly haven't been with routes! I am going to have to think about this with my friend and make an ultimate desision.. We have plenty of time of course, but thanks very much..
Please be aware that the prices I set were for us each individually (as in how much we EACH have to save.. You may know this of course but others didn't)

bethypeggx

Hi Suze! This is per person, you may be aware but I just wanted to reiterate this, haha. I know food can be expensive, but we plan to be somewhat self catering, and we won't be eating out 3 meals a day! Otherwise, we both have small appetites and will be sharing food. I think it's actually more than enough for two very small petite girls, and I thought we were being OVER generous with this budgeting!! Nevertheless I'm a very inexperienced traveller and will take this into consideration Thank you for your thoughts!

nytraveler

In terms of the cost of sights - just google them - and assume that next year might be higher. If there are places you can get in free as students - fine - but make sure you have the proper ID to qualify.

I think eating and drinking will be your down fall. Beverages (even non-alcoholic) are not cheap and beer or wine even at student cafes or pubs are not free.

As for sharing meals - if you go for the menu of the day (the cheapest way to eat) they will NOT split that between two people. I fear you will find yourself eating a lot of bread and drinking water sitting on park benches.

bvlenci

If you can read French reasonably well, another guide book series I can highly recommend is the Guide Routard series, a great guide for budget travelers.

bethypeggx

I'll be drinking primarily water, but thanks for the tips and may I ask how much are pints across Europe (named places).. I'll add around 10 pound a day to save for drinks too thanks nytraveler!! bvlenci I don't but my friend does so I will let her know, thanks!

Hans

If you want to go to Italy, I don't want to discourage you. But I think with your budget you'll be priced out of many pubs and restaurants in the cities you want to visit.

Places like Berlin, Prague or Budapest are significantly cheaper.

Belinda

Please don't couch surf.

Have fun! I hope you'll do a report after the trip.

bethypeggx

Hans, thanks for commenting. Italy is my dream, I've taken your advice into consideration and I think I need to stretch my budget! Thanks for the tips.
Belinda, good idea! Might be long, I tend to ramble haha

mokka4

I'm surprised no one has mentioned airbnb.com as an alternative for lodging.
Yes, more money than hostel or couchsurfing, but less than most hotels and IMO safer than surfing.

janisj

Sorry mokka4 but IMO airbnb is not a good idea for a couple of 16 yo females. Just sayin'

Geordie

Its certainly been a few years since I did Inter Rail, but twice I was able to do 1 months travel on a very limited budget by doing the following:

Using the night trains to sleep, this saved the cost of a hostel bed, but now I see there is a fee, how much is the fee, it may still pay to take a train e.g. from Nice to Rome overnight, sleeping in the 2nd class carriage

Go to a supermarket and buy bread, cheese and ham, I very rarely ate at a restaurant, it seemed an unnecessary waste of money to me

Buy beer and wine at shops and have them as part of your picnic

I also slept at various train stations, not usually the most pleasant of places but very safe as many people of a similar age were doing it.

Hostels are great, I met a lot of great and sometimes weird people and kept bumping into them in different cities

I also took a tent one year and that worked out great as I could dump my bag in the tent and I just carried my money and passport around with me

Have a great trip

Mainhattengirl

I would keep Berlin as it is going to be a bargain compared to the other big cities on your list. Lots of younger tourists, plenty of hostels, and many of the hostels plan activities for the evenings or offer dinner cheaply. Eat your biggest meal at lunch when specials are on offer.

uruabam

Hi Bethy. Fellow Scot here. Your 2K budget is decent for a 17 day trip travelling the way you intend to. For all your rail planning http://www.seat61.com/ is a great resource. Should tell you all you need to know about getting around. http://www.hostelworld.com/hostels/Berlin is also invaluable, you'll be able to see how far your accommodation budget will stretch before you go and for your age group they're a fantastic way of meeting people. It also has a nice section on free things to do.

I'd keep Berlin in as it's a fantastic city for the young, has great hostel options and lots to do, its also relatively cheap. A nice route might be heading north from Rome towards Prague, then Berlin before heading to Amsterdam or Paris for an Easyjet back to Scotland.

Streetfood, markets and local shops will be your friend. Picnic lunches and eating alfresco will really stretch your budget and allow you every few days to indulge in set price sit down meal options.

jpie

I don't want to push you to couchsurf but I just wanted to defend it a bit. We are a couple in our 60's and until recently we lived in Los Angeles and we have hosted a couple of people. I think the thing to know is that there all ages and types of people on the site who host and many (perhaps most) of them have been "vetted" through other people staying with them. It is a a very large community. But I do understand your and your parents concerns however.

I have also mentioned a hosting club on this forum before (that is headquartered in Scandinavia I believe) called Servas: http://www.servas.org/

It is much more rigorously organized than couchsurfing. All hosts pay member dues and have to have in-person interviews. You could contact the UK organization to read up on it and even contact members to ask them their experiences. They even have a an organization for high school and college students.

http://www.servasbritain.org/

Again, although it does help the vacation budget, the real benefit is the cultural connection you can make with the very generous people who host you for one or two nights in their city or town. My family hosted over 30 students during the time I was in primary and secondary school in the US and that is ultimately what gave me the travel bug that influenced me the rest of my life.

Jean

When riding overnight trains, make sure all of your stuff is locked in your luggage and that your luggage itself is likewise secured. My brother had his camera stolen while he slept on an O/N train.

suze

Yes I know you meant per person, it's still low. But I'm less concerned about your food budget, if you stay out of restaurants entirely you can probably make that work.

It's your 20-25euro per night per person lodging that has me worried. Even staying in hostels you want to make sure they get good reviews, are well-run, and clean safe places to stay, not the cheapest dodgy ones.

Mainhattengirl

That is what Trip Advisor is good for. Checking reviews for hostels. Location, price, activities, photos and all up to date.

Christina

I have a relative who worked at Couchsurfing and know something about it. It is not appropriate in this situation at all IMO. First, what a 60 something couple does isn't the same thing as two young 16 yr old girls. Secondly, it's not supposed to be just a place for people to freeload and get free accommodations. You are supposed to reciprocate and register on the website and host people in your place, also. I would also question if they would even allow that, because if so, they'd just become a haven for runaways.

Airbnb is not a viable alternative. No one is allowed to use it who is under the age of 18. No place is going to rent to someone that age, either. Hostels are the best bet.

I knew your budget was per person, but still don't think you stated whether it is euro or pounds, as you keep mixing them up. If it is 2000 GBP, that's do-able, I think. Especially if it does not include transportation to the continent and home (you still didn't say how you were getting home, did you?). Because then that gives you a couple hundred extra for your train reservations, etc.

I also don't think you realize that you cannot split meals in many places, they won't allow it. Now if you order from a street vendor, sure, you can. But you two cannot go into a cafe and order one meal and split it. And those real cheap menu del dias or whatever are often pretty small. Of course you can order tapas.