Thanks KTtravel! I am thinking about a short guided tour to get myself acclimated to Europe. I first started looking at Collette's but then read some horrible reviews abou them, so I'll check out Rick Steve's and Trafalgar. Trying to narrow down what I want to see seems like such an impossible task but I'll have to go check out some books and then decide on some guidebooks to purchase. I grew up and still live near New Orleans, considered one of the most dangerous cities in the US and though many people I know have been victims of crime the worst that ever happened to me was having a homeless man yell at me for not having money to give him.

Yikes. What career field are you in, out of curiousity?

Anyway, I understand where you are coming from- I've had jobs where it is just super tough to get time off. But I think flying to, say, Paris for a week is really no different than flying to LA or Chicago or Miami. (And hostels, believe or not, are way cheaper in Paris than LA.)

One idea would be to start your trip in London, so it's similar in language, and I think that might help you get acclimated. I'm not a tour person, so I don't recommend that- especially based on your budget and the fact that I think you'd enjoy going at your own pace. I've also seen a lot of English language day tours- taking those would help you see more but let you maintain your own schedule and it would cost a lot less than a multi day tour.

If the homeless guy didn't phase you, I think you'll be fine. I get a lot of grief from some family for traveling solo, but I've found street smarts are pretty much universal. I'm doubting you stumble into the "bad" areas of NO that often and most tourists don't either- it's usually pretty hard to actually end up in an undesirable area no matter what city you are in. I've been reading up on euro cons and really they're the sort of thing I wouldn't fall for in, say, SF, so I can't see falling for it overseas either. (First rule of thumb: don't make eye contact. Second rule: if you see a person with a clipboard ahead, flee in another direction. Even if it's not a con or distraction, you probably don't want to give them money or hear about the giant endangered albino earthworm ).

I have a BS in biology and also a med lab tech degree. I've worked in environmental labs, water and wastewater labs, medical labs, etc. A few years ago, all these jobs were paying over $20 an hour (not great in a national sense but for down here, especially if you live just outside the city, you could afford decent housing and a yearly vacation). Now, these jobs are paying $10-$13 an hour and they want to seem to hire kids just out of college so they can pay less. Meanwhile, our rent and utilities have gone up several hundred a month and if I cannot find a decent job when I return, we're thinking of moving to the Pensacola area because jobs pay just as low but housing is much cheaper and supposedly there is some law in Florida stating your wages cannot be garnished for unpaid student loans. I am almost 40 and the last job interview I had here was filled with 20-somethings, stacks of applications on the interviewers desk, etc. There were probably 50-100 people applying for one low-paying, entry-level job. I've applied for dozens of more jobs for which I am more than qualified but have never even heard a response.

Anyway, in NOLA, it is actually very easy to accidentally end up in a bad neighborhood. Here, the city has a "checkerboard" pattern, stemming from the antebellum period of how wealthy homeowners build slave quarters behind their homes. You can be on a street with multi-million dollar homes and literally one or two blocks away is a very bad neighborhood. Before Hurricane Katrina, the crime wasn't too bad in the good areas but now, the crime is bad everywhere, and we have so many homeless there are literally "tent cities" filled with people under the overpasses. But our city mayor always demolishes the camps and runs off or arrests many the homeless before large events, like Mardi Gras or JazzFest, so that the city doesn't look so badly. It's really quite sad. It also doesn't help that our previous governor and current governor both severely cut funds and shut down most mental health and medical clinics that served low-income people.

What I do when I go to NOLA is always try to look mean or pissed off. I don't walk around smiling or making eye contact and often make sure to fold my arms and put my bitch face on. (Though I do admit that because I have been homeless twice before and who knows when it can happen again, I do have a soft spot for the homeless and tend to give them a few bones when I have it).

The big scam here, besides crooked taxi drivers and pick-pockets, are kids that go up to tourists, usually somewhere in the French Quarter, and say, "hey mister, I betcha $10 I can tell you where you got your shoes" and if they agree, the kid says, "ya got them on Bourbon St (or whatever street they are currently on). It is so bad at times that many store owners post signs in their shops warning tourists of the scam.

"hey mister, I betcha $10 I can tell you where you got your shoes" and if they agree, the kid says, "ya got them on Bourbon St (or whatever street they are currently on).>

I thought they were gonna say "You got them on your feet"

$5000 for one month, $145 euro per day, so tight but doable.

You can save money by not moving around to a bunch of different places. Pick your top 4, and rent an apartment in each place.

Everyone's different but I have zero interest in staying in hostels. If I had to do that, I would shorten the trip to be able to afford a cheap hotel room or apartment. I also would not do a tour because it's going to cost more for the convenience of someone else planning your trip.

I would do something like: 1 week in Germany to see your castles, etc. since that seems a primary interest, 1 week in Paris because it is fabulous and an easy place to be solo, then 2 weeks divided between various cities of Italy.

But basically this trip is yours. Don't listen to what other people say (the French are rude is a ridiculous stereotype, for example).

Then go to the library and check out a couple overview guidebooks and read up. Decide what YOU want to see, where YOU want to go.

If the $5K includes your airfare (not sure of flight costs where you are but it will likely be at least $1000 that leaves you $4K for 30 days which is about 120 euros per day. That will cut out Switz and Scand (just too expensive) and likely mean hostels versus hotels. (On the student web sites for kids traveling at rock bottom about 65 euros per day is considered an absolute minimum - plus transit between cities. This covers a bed in a dorm room in a hostel, budget meals (slice of pizza, street food like crepes, picnic with things from a market), local transit and entrances to sights (which can be very expensive). So your budget is VERY tight but can be done. (In most cities your whole 120 euros would be taken by a very modest hotel room.)

Overall (except certain areas in Barcelona and perhaps Madrid) you will not run into the problems that you do in New Orleans. European cities are MUCH safer than the US generally - and esp more so than New Orleans. Although you should NEVER let go of your purse or luggage (since thieves do tend to hang out at train stations).

If it were me I would start in London which will be less culture shock and while lodging is not cheap (but try the universities if timing is right) many of the museums are free which helps a lot with costs. Then you can move on to places with different languages and cultures.

For me Paris is a must do. I think many people who don;t like it either just don;t like large cities or are put off by the fact that the people you encounter in service industries tend to be more formal/professional than in the US (where they are typically super smiley/friendly).

Germany is a good choice since the prices are relatively low and there is an excellent train system. But you do need to do some reading to decide if you want to visit Bavaria or the Rhine or Berlin - there are way too many options to list.

As for Italy - if you go in the summer it will be very hot and humid. And there is so much to see do it's hard to get out in under 2 weeks and see much of anything - which cuts off many other options.

I would start with:

1) exploring your fight options on kayak.com to see if there are any great deals that may send you in a specific direction

2) get a couple of guide books from the library and start reading so you can define your must sees

As for your larger problem - I would do some research online to find out where there are a bunch of job openings in your field - or if there is something you can do to get a more advanced certification to apply for jobs that pay a lot more. (I can't comment specifically since incomes and prices are so different here but I know that most people with degrees in biology go for more advanced degrees or something related with more opportunities. Sadly in the sciences BS often don;t have a lot of opportunities.

Maybe to add to the above- play around with departure and arrival cities. It may be cheaper for you to travel to another city and fly out- and on the other end, it may be cheaper to fly into one country than another. There's a several hundred dollar difference for me to fly into London instead of Rome but flights from Rome to London can be very very cheap. Not to mention airlines and dates make a differnece. Be sure you know what exactly is included in the fare- some of the discount arilines are really only good value if you travel very light.

Your other problem...heck, I don't know. I have friends with advanced degrees who can't get jobs in their field because they have too much education so I don't know if that's a solution. Employers often have to pay more for the higher educated applicants. A more common problem out here is that they post entry level positions but "prefer" a masters degree and years of experience. It's a crazy world. I was curious about the Florida garnishment thing and it turns out that does apply if you make under a certain amount. I feel for you, as I've been thinking about moving somewhere with lower house prices...they've gone through the roof in my hometown. Good luck!!

Thanks again for all your responses! And marvelous mouse, I know some people with PhDs that are making only $34k a year and meanwhile, I have 4 cousins all making over $100k a year because they lucked out and fell into good jobs. I though going to college would secure me a good job and instead, friends with trades and skills are instead pulling in almost 6 figures a year with excellent benefits and no student loans while I've got almost $50k in student loans and almost feel helpless about my future. If I had known 20 years ago what I know now, I certainly would have done some things very differently!! I was a bit held back in life though when, as a senior in high school, my parents divorced and lost our childhood home which left my sister and I homeless. My parents didn't care much then and still don't as they believe by the ripe old age of 17 everyone should be able to find a job with a living wage, benefits, and a pension, so they've never really helped support us...well, technically they put a roof over our heads until I was 17 but I had to start working at the age of 13 to purchase my own clothes, etc. life is strange.

"The big scam here, besides crooked taxi drivers and pick-pockets, are kids that go up to tourists, usually somewhere in the French Quarter, and say, "hey mister, I betcha $10 I can tell you where you got your shoes" and if they agree, the kid says, "ya got them on Bourbon St (or whatever street they are currently on). It is so bad at times that many store owners post signs in their shops warning tourists of the scam"

Doesn't sound like a scam to me. The kids are offering a skill in return for money, and the tourists can choose whether to participate or not. They don't differ from buskers or street performers.


A scam is a crime such as when gypsies lock a bracelet on your wrist and make you pay for it, or when they throw a baby at you so they can pickpocket you.

Doesn't sound like a scam to me either. It sounds like an inexpensive lesson on English.

I have never been to NO and even I know about that trick.

Thoughts

1) if you do come to London then stay at the http://www.yha.org.uk/ their various places are well placed, very clean and good value. Musuems are generally free. Public transport is efficient and, if you eat like a local, food not to expensive
2) prices are generally lower on Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Southern Italy (ie places where local economy is struggling still). You'll also find areas of Germany are still cheap like the Mosel (very pretty) or Saxony. Czech republic outside Prague is also very cheap
3) Using the train system across europe is very useful read seat61.com . Cheapo airlines are also good value.

If it were me I'd do something along the lines of

4 days in London
Fly to Lisbon
4 days in Lisbon
4 days in Evora
4 days in Tavira
Fly out of Faro or Lisbon

Similar in Greece but go Island hoping
or

4 days London
4 days Paris (stay in 2 or 3 star French (ie not American hotel))
4 days Rheims (where the Champagne comes from, touring by train) in a B&B (great prices)
4 days on the Mosel (again using trains) with side trip to Trier, Luxembourg, Koblenz
Fly out of Frankfurt

Hi Madison
I just wanted to say I think you see awesome. You've educated yourself, found a career & have a great, grounded & practical outlook on life, despite some very tough patches at a time that must have been very, very hard for you.

You're getting some great advice here & the only thing I would add is a suggestion to have a look at Airbnb, too. Several of my friends use it, four are hosts. They all like it & have met some very nice & interesting people.

You may not have travelled alone to Europe before, but you already have more street smarts & resourcefulness than some people acquire in a lifetime of travel. I suspect you're a pretty good judge of character & once you get the first couple of days under your belt, I think you will feel comfortable just about anywhere you go.

All the very best & I hope you come back & do a Trip Report, either as you are travelling, or when you get home.

The 5k does not have to include the airfare, that's separate, per a previous post from the OP above.

While Air BnB and other ways to rent apartment can be a great idea, be aware that short-term rentals of apartments in Paris are Illegal, just as they are in New York city. Many times, apartments may not be available for less than a one week stay.

Personally, I'd prefer an inexpensive hotel to an apartment. If the air-conditioning stops working or there is a leak in the bathroom, I want someone else to deal with it - and now! In an apartment, you may well have to take care of those things yourself.

We all have different interests. The London/Portugal itinerary above holds little interest for me. I'd prefer London, Paris, another stop in France and Amsterdam. Or London, Paris, Rome and Venice. But use these are ideas to start from and choose depending on your interest, Any city you are interested in deserves a minimum of 4 nights (3 days) but cities like London, Paris and Rome deserve even more time. I'd say a week minimum in each of those, but that is how I travel, which may not fit your needs.

<I'd prefer an inexpensive hotel to an apartment>.

Me too personally, and for the reason you mention, Kathy. But I think you can find even cheaper apartments by the week, than you can room rates at a similar level in a budget hotel.

Plus the food $$ saving of having a frig and possibly stove or microwave for meals.

<i>Plus the food $$ saving of having a frig and possibly stove or microwave for meals.</i>

I get this but a good portion of why I travel is to try the local food.

You can still "try the local food" when you stay in an apartment. Having a kitchen does not mean you miss out on local food.

You either overestimate my culinary skills or we are referring to different things.

Well it's all food for thought anyway~!