"I have no idea if hotels anywhere will be what you consider "exorbitant". We figure 300 euros per night and up for a quality hotel. Many people do budget hotels for 80 euros or less for a couple - but it may mean shared bath and no elevator."

300 euro/night? Our definitions of quality must vary greatly - LOL. I frequently find hotels for 80 euro or less and none have had a shared bath. I am actually in Madrid this moment staying at a hotel in the city center with a rate of 82 euro per night, including breakfast. I've got my own bathroom (quite nice) and the place has 3 elevators

I said many people do 80 euros per night. You are not getting what we want - full service hotels with bar and restaurants, 24 hour room service, concierge, very central location, full amenities and rooms with comfy sitting areas. (We don't have much time for vacation - so want to be comfortable when we travel. If it's a special event we sometimes do 5 * - and yes, it is completely different.)

But my info for the OP is correct. They will need to spend 80 euros - not 25 (as one poster used to living in Asia asked a couple of years ago - for a family room in a 4* hotel).

Dulciusexasperis, " I would far rather enjoy three months than just survive five months" And "fish and guests etc"

Both so true.
I've run into a lot of people who are on such a tight budget, they even skip museums they can only see in that particular place, eat at McDonalds, etc. I don't mind staying in a cheap place, but to miss major sights and eat crummy food is sad.

Big caution about friends and relatives. You need to be very sure about the invites. When we were living in Germany, we were visiting Paris and met some young American girls traveling for several months with plans for staying with "family friends" in different places. About a month later, we got a call at nearly mid-night. They were stranded near Frankfurt with not enough money for a hotel because, after spending the day with the friends, the friend said, "Well, it is getting late. I guess you girls better head on out to where ever you are going for the night." The girls were stunned. They had expected to stay with these friends for about a week. DH drove and picked them and and brought them to our apartment. They stayed with us several days and it was a lot of fun, but mostly they were so grateful, they just about cried and wrote to us for a long time after.

ny - I realize that everybody travels differently. I just don't understand why you mentioned 300 euro/night hotels in a thread about backpacking.

I sometimes backpack november_moon and I sometimes stay in hostels and sometimes in 5 star hotels. Backpacking is a method of carrying your stuff, not necessarily about budget.

Have you heard of 'flash packers'? That is a backpacker who travels on a higher budget than average. I myself often refer to 'credit card camping'. That refers to travelling with a small pack and using a credit card for renting a hotel bed instead of using a tent and sleeping bag.

Nytraveler was simply pointing out that the word 'exorbitant' means nothing unless you define what it means to you. The same issue as people writing, 'reasonable', 'not too expensive', 'must see', 'best way', etc. All assume that your definition is the same as everyone else's definition.

In fact, they rarely are. Your assumptions about what 'backpacking' means being a typical case in point. You can backpack on 50E a day or on 500E a day. You just need to do it with a backpack.

Precisely - we all have different definition- and someone used to average prices in india might think 80 euros is exorbitant.

Just providing a reality check.

I have given up making restaurant recos since i spent a lot of time answering one post - only to be told the next day that they wanted only steak and lobster places.

"Instead of doing the usual planning and calculating you can simply go to A and wing it from there."

Great point from Dulciusexasperis. You meet people. You hear of something. You're bored. You're restless. Stay flexible. And wear good hiking boots.

honestly you will gain alot more information on Lonely Planet forum...Thorn Tree I believe is the name. Must less judgmental over there.

I would shorten the length of your trip, in order to have more money per day. (50 euro is simply not a reasonable budget imo).

And I would change the dates to either fall or spring, instead of the dead of winter.

OP has to shorten the trip because of needing a Schengen visa. They don't seem willing to address that fact though.

<<Thorn Tree I believe is the name. Must less judgmental over there.>>

I love Thorn Tree, but that is so totally not true. Posters give each other a hard time there too.

Well - if the OP doesn;t have the basics organized they won;t get a visa - so the issue is moot.

As for just going and flying in the midst of winter in countries where costs may be double or triple (or 4 or 5 times in scand) what the OP is used to is probably ot a great idea.

If they want to have a flexible schedule while there - fine. But they need to run the numbers and not try to do a 10K euro trip on 3K euros.

I can't see that at any time the OP has said what their budget is other than it's tight? Why assume they don't have enough money? Or that they won't apply for the visa correctly? Seems to me that there's a good deal of assumption and negative comment here.

Yes they have to factor in lots of journeys and lots of nights of accommodation but they know that.

Adya did address the 90 day Schengen visa issue in the Nov 17th reply to @Alec.

This thread is becoming repetitive. Posters are now only talking to each other rather than to the OP.

Hi Adya, My husband & I have been traveling together for the last 40 years. Initially with little to no money and still always with a low budget mindset. It has been the greatest experience of our lives (and our children's) to have had such wonderful adventures. Definitely take this trip, but you may want to consider warmer months. When we have been in Europe in the winter months, it seems, to us, to be a more raw, damp cold than we are used to even as far south as Lisbon (born in Massachusetts, so no strangers to cold). This can be especially annoying when waiting outside for entry to museums or for buses or trains to arrive. It also makes picnics on park benches nearly impossible as a way of cutting costs.
As far as your budget is concerned, you can always shorten your trip if you find you're running short of cash, energy, etc. Good luck and enjoy your wonderful adventure!

"I sometimes backpack november_moon and I sometimes stay in hostels and sometimes in 5 star hotels. Backpacking is a method of carrying your stuff, not necessarily about budget."

There are several definitions of "backpacking", however the OP specified his definition for the purposes of this discussion as including being on a very tight budget. THAT is the definition that I am going with.

"Have you heard of 'flash packers'? That is a backpacker who travels on a higher budget than average. I myself often refer to 'credit card camping'. That refers to travelling with a small pack and using a credit card for renting a hotel bed instead of using a tent and sleeping bag."

I have not heard that term used, but I know of the travel method. Most backpackers in Europe are not using a tent and sleeping back anyway - that is backcountry backpacking - as long as we are talking definitions

"In fact, they rarely are. Your assumptions about what 'backpacking' means being a typical case in point. You can backpack on 50E a day or on 500E a day. You just need to do it with a backpack."

Dude, really? This is not some existential discussion about backpacking - this is an attempt to help a particular person plan a trip to Europe. Simple. Let's stay on topic, shall we?

I note in the blog set up by OP that the couple have lots of family and friends in these areas -a point which was not shared and would make a considerable difference to costs.