Four-month Europe trip
 

Hey everyone,

I'm planning to go to Europe this year for an extended period of time. Thinking around 4.5 months, from early August to mid December (which, yes, might not be ideal, but it's the soonest I can go for various reasons). I'm 21, graduating university in a couple months, and I work full time (remotely due to COVID-19, this trip depends on whether I'm allowed to work remotely on a more permanent basis, which is likely).

Of course, my itinerary/travel plan is going to have to be much slower than if I were simply on vacation. I would be working five days per week, on North American hours (so roughly 2-10, 3-11, 4-midnight. That sort of thing.).

My current plan is probably way ambitious, so I'm definitely willing to cut it down to something a bit more feasible. Some of these destinations are purposely to ensure I'm not in the schengen zone for too long (otherwise somewhere like Northern Ireland may not quite make the list). Anyway, let me know what you think, simply from a time/destination point of view.Northern Ireland: Belfast

Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow

Wales: Cardiff

England: London, Bath

Netherlands: Amsterdam, Utrecht

Germany: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich

Czechia: Prague

Hungary: Budapest

Austria: Vienna

France: Paris, Nice, Bordeaux, Montpellier

Spain: Barcelona, Madrid

Portugal: Lisbon, Porto

If I'm going to cut my destinations in half, the following is what I'd probably go with. Obviously these are all big cities, but I wouldn't mind hitting some small towns as well. Still a lot of research to do.

England (London), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Germany (Berlin), Czechia (Prague), Hungary (Budapest), Austria (Vienna), France (Paris), Spain (Barcelona, Madrid), Portugal (Lisbon)

Any advice is appreciated!

Officially you are not allowed to work, no matter for whom, during your Schengen 90 days. Don't forget your arrival and departure day count in your 90.
Stay in Utrecht rather than Amsterdam if you are cutting your time in the Netherlands. Centrally situated on the Dutch train system, and for trains to Germany and Austria.

Welcome to fodors. :blush: now for the bad news :unsure: not only in Schengen, but in the UK too. One isn't allowed to work on a tourist visa. Now, you may think 'I don't need a visa', but that's what it's called when you arrive. Of course, immigration may not ask you how you are supporting yourself but being young, it is more likely they will ask. and you cant lie to them or the consequences can be serious. Whether they would 'catch' you is just luck, but those are the rules.

BTW, even non-paid/volunteer work isn't allowed

(this all assumes you are american - some countries like Australia have reciprocal agreements with different rules)

Your obvious interest is Europe, but Barbados has opened up to letting people come for up to a year and work remotely. Weather would be great at that time of year. Just throwing it out there for consideration.

To enter the Schengen zone, you can be asked to prove you have health care, reserved accommodations, return airfare, and sufficient funds defined as 120€ per day, per person. If you are asked about funding, you cannot answer that you plan to work remotely.

I am making no suggestion that you can or cannot do exactly as you have purposed, but you should be aware of what is expected of visitors within the Schengen zone.

Hopefully things will be completely open by this summer, but I’d keep that fluid just in case. It would help to know what you want to do when you are traveling. Museums? Meeting people your age? I would start with a budget, if it is unlimited, no worries, but if you have a certain amount you have to spend, you will find your money goes a lot further in Madrid and Budapest than it does in Paris and London.

Apartments? Hostels? A mix? Maybe less bases and more weekend trips can work too.

for sure, do not book anything non refundable these days.. look at the fine print on any reservation.

I appreciate all the responses. Am I wrong in saying what I want to do (travel around Europe for four months, work for my Canadian company at the same time) is technically illegal but still done by many people (and therefore still a viable option) because it is hard to enforce?

I’m not too concerned about the budget. I want to make the trip as cheap as possible (but still have good experiences and enjoy myself), but I’m also not setting out with an X budget that I have to stick to.

As far as what I want to do, I would say a mix of things. Some museums/historic sites, try different kinds of food, tour around the cities, hikes, other outdoorsy things. I’ll mostly stay in hostels and perhaps get an AirBNB or hotel once in a while for a break from hostel life.

You're a digital nomad. You're on holiday. You're not working for a UK/EU employer taking someone’s job. What you do on your laptop whilst on holiday no one will know about.

I agree. A lot of us oldies do not fully understand remote digital work, but it is quite clear that anything you do on your computer is undetectable by the authorities -- because they're not looking for it. They are still obsessed by undocumented bartenders or people on construction sites.

However, I agree that you are trying to go to too many places. If you are able to improvise ("I love this place -- I think I'll stay all month!"), no problem, but don't force yourself to keep running around just to click the boxes on your list. You'll be back some other time, maybe sooner than you think.

Do you think that 10-city plan is more feasible? And yeah, if I can keep costs low (basically paying what I would to live back home), I might turn this longer-term travelling thing into a regular thing. Who knows.

The only issue IMO with trying to be flexible is the 90-day restriction in Schengen countries. it’s obviously do-able, just gotta be careful.

You’ve got a great opportunity to get to know places rather than rushing around trying to tick cities off a list.

I’d plan for a couple of countries to begin with. You might discover places you never knew about. Or meet people and want to hang around, then leave when you want. Or you might hate somewhere and want to leave pronto.

You got time not to over plan. And if you have commitments with your employer you’ll need a more settled environment than moving every few days

i totally agree with this. Do not over think it. Maybe get to the first part and then plan as you go along. But.. take it from someone who has done these several month long journeys.. budget, budget, budget. Stuff adds up.

You are young, I think you can handle 10 cities. If you are worried about Schengen time, check out Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey.. these are all places outside Schengen. Croatia is a digital nomad hub these days.

I actually did an eight-day trip in Croatia last August. Had an awesome time.

If you're looking for charming small towns in France, I can recommend Alsatian villages like Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, and Hunawihr. They're located between Paris and Munich, so it might be worth it to make a stop there. :)