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Backpacking alone (19yo f) through Europe in winter - good or bad idea?

Backpacking alone (19yo f) through Europe in winter - good or bad idea?

Old May 15th, 2014, 10:14 PM
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Backpacking alone (19yo f) through Europe in winter - good or bad idea?

Hi fellow travelers! Well this is exciting...
I'm 19 and planning a trip between November and late February in Europe. Originally, I had planned going with a friend, but after paying $800 worth of deposits, he pulled out and decided to go later in the year. Since I couldn't afford to do the same as him, I decided to go still go... by myself.
So far, I'm booked on two Contikis (one with another friend), and my parents and brother will meet me for Christmas and New Year, meaning I'm sorted November-January. But, from the start of January til the end of February, I'm going to be solo-ing it.
At the moment, the places I want to go are (I figure sticking to the main cities is my safest bet for winter):
• Bruges (& Ypres), Belgium
• Berlin, Germany
• Krakow & Warsaw, Poland
• Prague, Czech Republic
• Vienna (& Salzburg), Austria
• Bratislava, Slovakia
• Budapest, Hungary
I want to be fairly flexible and slow-placed, and only really have the first place booked, with train as my main mode of transport. The only thing is that I'm a girl, pretty small and look young for my age. While I have done quite a lot of travelling with my family (including Western Europe - which will explain the lack of France, Italy etc.), but this'll be my first time traveling alone. Help me out fellow travelers! I don't know whether to trust a travel agent when she says I should book everything in advance for safety Will I be okay by myself? Are these countries appropriate for solo travel AND winter? Any advice or recommendations? Will also happily accept alternate destination suggestions or sights not to be missed
Thanks in advance!
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Old May 15th, 2014, 10:19 PM
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It's not a bad idea. be prepared for cols, very cold, and wet and you'll be fine.


book everything in advance for safety

For safety? Pffft. That's laughable. You do it for convenience. I'd find a different travel agent or book lodging yourself.

You have been to Europe before so you a general feel for things (as opposed to someone who has never been). Combine that with a bit of street smarts and you will be fine.
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Old May 15th, 2014, 10:20 PM
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"cols" should be "cold"
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Old May 15th, 2014, 10:24 PM
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We have lived in Bratislava and now Budapest. My husband has commented in both cities that he sees young women walking alone at night quite often. Much more common here than in the US.

Neither of these cities are pause for a heightened level of concern. I think you will be fine. Just use common sense.
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Old May 15th, 2014, 10:36 PM
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Thanks so much for your speedy replies! That's reassured me already. Should I be pre-booking accommodation or will backpacking be alright?
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Old May 15th, 2014, 10:38 PM
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What do you mean by "backpacking"? Do you mean camping out somewhere or staying in hostels?
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Old May 15th, 2014, 10:46 PM
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I mean the hostel, not planning in advance, flexible, long trip variety, not the wilderness/camping/trekking type
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Old May 15th, 2014, 11:06 PM
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As long as you have a cell phone and a list of at least 4-5 hostels in each city and their contact information, I see no issue with just winging it.

Also look into setting up a couchsurfing account. This will give you a bit more flexibility and the chance to meet up with locals and have them show you around (be sure to buy their meal/beer if they take you for a tour).
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Old May 16th, 2014, 12:53 AM
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It's been a while since I've stayed in a hostel, but when I used to do that, long after I was student age, there was always a bulletin board with a list of hostels in other cities. Some even would call ahead to your next stop to make a reservation for you. I would advise reserving at least one day in advance.

Hostels are a great choice for people traveling alone. You meet lots of other people and often find someone who will share the road with you at least to the next city.

There are several guidebooks that specialize in lodging and other advice for backpackers and low-budget travelers. One is the American Let's Go series, and another (my favorite now) is the French series "Le Guide Routard". I don't know if they're available in the US, or even if they've been translated into English. I buy the Italian editions, which are widely available here.

Both series have excellent coverage of budget lodgings, not just hostels, but also cheap hotels, B&Bs and guest houses. I've found wonderful little gems of hostels, hotels or B&Bs in both guides. If you find someone to travel with, you'll often find a better price by sharing a double room in a budget hotel rather than paying for two beds in a hostel.

The Routard guides are much better for restaurants and things to see and do than Let's Go, which is why I now prefer them. Let's Go used to have excellent advice about transportation, but I haven't had occasion to use that advice in a long time, so I don't know if it's still true. You can get digital versions of Let's Go for Kindle or tablet, so it might be handy to have that with you.

If you can't find the Routard guides, but can read French, it might be worth your while ordering some of them, or picking them up in Europe before you start the solo part of your trip.
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Old May 16th, 2014, 12:58 AM
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If you have not yet done so, check out Lonely Planet's Thorntree travel forum. They cater more towards the backpacker crowd and will some great information for you.
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Old May 16th, 2014, 03:01 AM
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I would not just arrive and then start finding out about hostels. Do your research before you leave so you know which have good reputations and convenient central locations. And if possible contact them a day or so before you plan to arrive to be sure they have room for you.
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Old May 16th, 2014, 01:31 PM
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When I was younger, I travelled to several of these cities and only started looking for a hostel when I arrived. This was rather dumb and phoning ahead a day before arrival is much better. But even so I never slept on the street.

But booking a few months before makes little sense to me. The great advantage of your mode of travelling is that you can decide to stay a few days longer if you like it somewhere or to go to places you heard about during the trip. To decide before you even leave where exactly you want to be on each given day just makes no sense in my opinion.
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Old May 16th, 2014, 05:00 PM
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I had checked out Thorntree but decided to post here because there seemed to be better responses here - and good choice by me. Thanks everyone, awesome responses, and that's definitely made me feel better. As fun as planning is, I really didn't want to have to lock in all my plans in advance.
I don't think I could bring myself to rock up to a city and then look for hostels so I'll want to book a day ahead anyway. I've already started a lot of research so compiling a list of places for each place shouldn't be too difficult! I also want to have the option to go to/stay at places other people tell me about!
I do know a bit of French, possibly not enough to read a guide though, so I'll definitely look into Routard. Let's Go too.
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Old May 16th, 2014, 08:04 PM
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if the hostels you are looking into are on google maps with a satellite view can get an idea of the general neighborhood too.

You can expect cold weather and snow in much of the area you will be going to, and the further north you are the fewer hours of daylight during the winter months.

you can read reviews at hostelworld.com
for Berlin look at Plus Berlin.. they have a pool, sauna and 24 hour laundry available, and has been written up in a British paper too..
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Old May 17th, 2014, 01:24 PM
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I would def start looking at hostels well in advance of your trip, they vary tremendously in quality and price and services. I would also suggest that you print out hard copies of addresses of 4-5 hostels in the cities you are planning to visit. That way you have more than one option if a hostel is booked up or doesn't meet your needs.

One thing you will need is a good laundry that includes dryers. It may be difficult to find coin laundromats in the cities themselves, and they may be expensive (in our town there is only one coin laundromat and it costs about 10 euros to wash and dry a load--no kidding), so I suggest booking hostels that have laundry rooms. Do not assume that laundry rooms include dryers, check it out in advance.

In the northern part of your travels it will be dark by 4 and won't get light until around 8 at the darkest time of the year.

In the winter one of my favorite things to do is visit a sauna village. If there are water parks in the area (or large public pools) they are almost sure to have at least a small one. The larger ones have several different types of saunas and plunge pools, you pay a daily fee and get to stay in as long as you want. Clothing is optional and you bring your own towel to lay on--no skin on the sauna benches allowed It is a great way to warm up and relax.
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Old May 17th, 2014, 01:25 PM
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I forgot to say that you might want to check into a hostel membership, they can be handy. Happy travels and if you are staying in a hostel over Christmas and New Years, definitely book in advance!
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