Considering a 6-8 Week trip to Europe - Need Help!
Dec 13th, 2013, 11:42 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Considering a 6-8 Week trip to Europe - Need Help!
Hello fellow travellers,
Me and my girlfriend (both 19) are considering taking a year off uni (currently studying in Melbourne, AUS) to save for 5-6 months at the start of the year, then travel for 6-8 weeks around Europe during summer and peak season, approximately July.
This is only the first phase of my research but some considerations:
We want to do the trip with approx 10k, flights not included (5-6 months work and saving at the start of the year should be able to get us around 12k)
We want to do the trip on shoestring - hostels, b&bs, backpacking with light luggage with some hotels for the occasional comfort
We definitely want to party, but also have time to relax and chill on the beach, and see the sights
I'm seeking advice on how much we need to budget? what's the cost for accommodation, alcohol, food, sightseeing, travel within Europe..will 10k cover it?
What are the the sorts of things we need to do before leaving? apart from having a valid passport obviously
And the main thing I want advice on is where should we go?!
All advice is welcomed!
Me and my girlfriend (both 19) are considering taking a year off uni (currently studying in Melbourne, AUS) to save for 5-6 months at the start of the year, then travel for 6-8 weeks around Europe during summer and peak season, approximately July.
This is only the first phase of my research but some considerations:
We want to do the trip with approx 10k, flights not included (5-6 months work and saving at the start of the year should be able to get us around 12k)
We want to do the trip on shoestring - hostels, b&bs, backpacking with light luggage with some hotels for the occasional comfort
We definitely want to party, but also have time to relax and chill on the beach, and see the sights
I'm seeking advice on how much we need to budget? what's the cost for accommodation, alcohol, food, sightseeing, travel within Europe..will 10k cover it?
What are the the sorts of things we need to do before leaving? apart from having a valid passport obviously
And the main thing I want advice on is where should we go?!
All advice is welcomed!
Dec 14th, 2013, 12:05 AM
#2
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 896
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Costs vary greatly even within same country or depending on season etc, yet you ask for the whole Europe...
Check http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/ for some estimates...
A very very generic pointer is that 60 euro/day/person will cover a bed in a hostel dorm, self catering meals, very limited site admissions or a couple of beers every few days and only limited moving around. You can make this 70 e for expensive Western Europe destinations or 50 e for Eastern Europe. of course this is a very bare minimum.
Check http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/ for some estimates...
A very very generic pointer is that 60 euro/day/person will cover a bed in a hostel dorm, self catering meals, very limited site admissions or a couple of beers every few days and only limited moving around. You can make this 70 e for expensive Western Europe destinations or 50 e for Eastern Europe. of course this is a very bare minimum.
Dec 14th, 2013, 12:14 AM
#3
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,407
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Europe can be expensive..it was quite a relief for us to get to croatia after being in prague and vienna..lol
i think croatia might be nice for you guys...lots of aussies are impressed by it...saw it myself on getaway with catriona ..thats what roped me in
the island of hvar is gorgeous...
greece is great too...the food is cheap...you and your girlfriend will be able to share meals easily
happy travels!
i think croatia might be nice for you guys...lots of aussies are impressed by it...saw it myself on getaway with catriona ..thats what roped me in
the island of hvar is gorgeous...
greece is great too...the food is cheap...you and your girlfriend will be able to share meals easily
happy travels!
Dec 14th, 2013, 02:00 AM
#4
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 576
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Where to go is going to depend on your interests. You've noted that "We definitely want to party, but also have time to relax and chill on the beach, and see the sights", which means you want to look at places like Greece, Croatia and even the west coast of Turkey. But we still need to know if you're also interested in "the big ones"? By that I mean, are you interested in seeing museums, cities, countryside? Anything else?
Do a little reading on places that sound interesting to you, and don't discount places like Paris, Berlin, Rome, etc. You can do the trip with AU$10-12,000 for 6-8 weeks, but you'll need to plan well and get accommodation nailed down soon so you can have the pick of budget places.
Once you have an itinerary set, you'll be able to fill in things like accommodation, transport between places, etc and that will get your budget planned. Planning the itinerary will also help you to see if you need visas for any places (likely not, but good to check once you have your cities and countries planned).
In your planning, have a look at rail passes and also things like Busabout (hop on hop off travel, create your own itinerary and number of days in places from their routes).
Do a little reading on places that sound interesting to you, and don't discount places like Paris, Berlin, Rome, etc. You can do the trip with AU$10-12,000 for 6-8 weeks, but you'll need to plan well and get accommodation nailed down soon so you can have the pick of budget places.
Once you have an itinerary set, you'll be able to fill in things like accommodation, transport between places, etc and that will get your budget planned. Planning the itinerary will also help you to see if you need visas for any places (likely not, but good to check once you have your cities and countries planned).
In your planning, have a look at rail passes and also things like Busabout (hop on hop off travel, create your own itinerary and number of days in places from their routes).
Dec 14th, 2013, 05:21 AM
#5
Generally speaking the north is more expensive than the south and the west more expensive than the east. But a lot depends on where you sleep and eat. I'm not usually a fan of rail passes but they may make sense for you - do some research at seat61.com and ricksteves.com.
For low end budget figures go to lonelyplanet.com and look at the destinations - countries pages for the places that interest you. You'll find other backpackers and gap year travelers on their thorntree forum. Borrow the Lonely Planet and Rough Guide books from the library. Don't forget the cost of flights and aim to fly into one city and out of another so you don' t backtrack.
For low end budget figures go to lonelyplanet.com and look at the destinations - countries pages for the places that interest you. You'll find other backpackers and gap year travelers on their thorntree forum. Borrow the Lonely Planet and Rough Guide books from the library. Don't forget the cost of flights and aim to fly into one city and out of another so you don' t backtrack.
Dec 14th, 2013, 09:01 AM
#6
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,086
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Mariha has it right re budget. I suggest you go to the Lonely Planet's Thorntree forum as the type of travel you are planning to do 'backpacking' is the norm there whereas here on Fodors, the norm is the more typical tourist staying in hotels.
As for 'where should we go', don't ask that question on the Thorntree. Do your research based on YOUR interests and decide where YOU want to go. Asking other to tell you where you should go just makes you look either foolish with no mind of your own or too lazy to read some guidebooks and decide for yourself.
As for 'where should we go', don't ask that question on the Thorntree. Do your research based on YOUR interests and decide where YOU want to go. Asking other to tell you where you should go just makes you look either foolish with no mind of your own or too lazy to read some guidebooks and decide for yourself.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
LeonardoHimself
Europe
43
Apr 14th, 2015 05:04 AM
