this is my first post, as well as my first backpack/train trip planning through europe. i have been reading many posts here, and MY HEAD IS SPINNING. please help, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

background.
my buddy and i are in college; he will be studying in london for a semester and i will be meeting him in may for a 3-4 week trip. having been to england and scotland once, we would rather spend most of our time in other countries. being in college, money is tight, so hostel stays and grocery store meals are a must.

these are the countries we would like to see... (round trip) the UK, the netherlands, germany, switzerland, italy, france, and then back to england. are we biting off more than we can handle for the amount of time we have alotted? i know we will simply be sampling many areas, are there some that you would recommend to get rid of, spend more time, or even add.

my buddy is leaving for england soon, we have been doing a lot of researching through the internet, libraries, etc. our main goal before he leaves is to get a basic itinerary planned out and work on the details later by email. i know this is a very broad question, but for those of you out there with a great amount of experience, how would you go about this, in what order, and how many days would you set aside for each country/city/area.

thank you in advance for any and all replies.

Rusty, If you haven't already run don't walk to www.lonelyplanet.com and go to the Western Europe branch of The Thorn Tree.

Don't get me wrong I love this BB dearly, but TT has a majority of younger and experienced backpack style travelers.

A free publication i came across will be of great help to you - The European Planning & Rail Guide, available by calling Budget Europe (800-441-9413) as it answers many of the questions you pose, an invaluable resource even i, an experienced Euro traveler for 30 straight years, has found valuable. I would also recommend the Let's Go europe series of guides for any young traveler - gives data for 1000s of hostels and youth hangouts.

Youth eurailpasses are a bargain for anyone under 26 - and they've just been decreased in price for 2005 about 5%. though there are flexipasses, good for a certain number of days over a two-month period, opt for the consecutive day passes as most folks you age travel a lot. Take night trains and you'll save on hotel/hostel costs and travel time. 21-day pass is about $500 - 21 straight days. Take the Eurostar from London to Paris ($45 youth fare available), spend some time in Paris, then start your pass and use it for 21 days to get back to paris or Brussels from where you can take the Eurostar back to London.

Hi rusty,

When I was about your age, I did a similar trip.

After 3 weeks I was so exhausted that people thought I was drugged.

I have very little memory of that expedition.

I suggest that you limit yourself to one country per week.

Good suggestion to visit Thorntree.

Another good website for backpackers is www.eurotrip.com. It's tailored for young travelers backpacking through Europe (as well as other places) on the cheap and has tons of links, discussion boards etc. Many of the people posting are very experienced backpacking travelers.

thanks for all the great ideas everyone!!! i ordered the free rail guide as well as looked over some great discussions on the other recommended boards.

my friend and i have reduced our trip to the UK, France, and Italy but will more than likey be reduced more. thanks for the adivce on lessening the days per country, i think that is a good idea.

regarding unlimitted train passes, i spoke with someone who said that it would be to my benefit to buy direct train passes between cities and fly where possible. is this a good idea? or should i still go with the unlimitted train pass so that any sudden change in itineray will go more smoothly.

also, i have read that the eurail pass also works on buses and ferries... for this reason, would it be worth buying the eurail pass unlimitted instead of direct train/bus tickets?

what would work best for travel over these 3 countries which are adjacent, but not too close?

any and all incite is greatly appreciated!!

Hi rusty,

>...would it be worth buying the eurail pass unlimitted instead of direct train/bus tickets?<

It depends on your itinerary.

Since there will be two of you traveling together, you can get a reduced fare on the Railpass.

Enter your proposed itinerary at www.railsaver.com, click on "only if it saves me money". They will tell you what would work best.

Hi rusty,

I did a similar backpacking trip with my friends a few years ago after I graduated from college. I started in Amsterdam, Brugge, Interlaken, Marseille, Arles, Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, San SEbastian, and then London. Your trip is plausible though tight- it all depends on how much you want to see.

You mentioned the countries - but not the number of cities or stops - this is important to determine whether it is feasible.

I did 10 cities in about a month. I think if you give yourself about 3-4 days per city and also consider travel time, you may be able to narrow your selection better.

As for hostels, we used this website to find good hostels:
http://www.famoushostels.com/

If you have any more specific questions or need help - you can email me at [email protected]