Jenner

I haven't backpacked since April/May 1995, and then we were on about US$40 a day. My friend and I went for two months. Some days we spent more, some days less (depending on the country - like you might be able to go on EU30 a day in parts of Spain, but more per day in France, for example). I would say figure in Euros because of the instability of the US dollar right now, and figure about 40-50 per day.

Also consider a rail pass. If you are under 26 you get a cheaper rate. Use nighttrains for long journeys so you save on accomodations those nights, and save day time for sight-seeing. I took a few nighttrains and never reserved seats or couchettes, and always got to stretch out - maybe I was lucky. Really research the possibilities for rail passes (get a brochure from a travel agent, or look online), as you may find a Eurail ticket (where you can travel as much as you want in a period of time) may be more than you need and a Flexipass (certain number of days of travel in a period of time) or a selectpass (same as Flexi, but only for a number of adjoining countries which you choose) may be more for you. Also since there are two of you you can get a saverpass, which is slightly cheaper (though you always have to travel together). You have to figure out what's the best/cheapest option and that takes some planning... but I figured out point-to-point fares when I got back from my trip and we easily saved half, even though Eurail passes seem really expensive (we went all over Europe, though - lots of long distances).

Youth Hostels aren't as cheap as they used to be, but are still big savers, and usually fun for meeting other travellers. You usually get breakfast - we'd usually get two buns each and some jam or cheese and I would often save one for lunch and supplement with things from the bakery/deli/fresh produce markets for picnic stuff. Great meals, really, and cheap. We'd always have fruit and snacks in our backpacks, in case we were somewhere touristy where cheap meal options weren't available.

Do book ahead for hostels in the bigger cities, as the time you are travelling will probably be busy. I would consider going in April or May instead, personally - slightly cheaper and less crowded. Choose some cities and some smaller, less touristy destinations - you will still have a blast, and the smaller places will be cheaper.

Don't plan on buying much, and don't plan on partying too much! I lost about fifteen pounds when I was there (not complaining, I had about that to spare. At least I wasn't like those anorexic girls we'd see in hostels who were only backpacking around Europe to get away from their parents and starve themselves to death). And you have to pick and choose which museums and other sights you really want to see, as they can be quite expensive. Do get an ISIC card if you are students.

We used public transport when necessary, but we often walked many miles a day. We were in excellent shape by the time we went home! Taxis were a luxury we'd only indulge in if there were other travellers around to share with us.

I didn't buy myself a thing in all that time. My best souvenir was the journal I kept, and the pictures I took.

I used "Let's Go" for accomodation info, but that was in the days before I was online! I also had Rick Steves' books for the "stuff to do" bits. His accomodation is more for couples or non-youth hostel types, but I generally agree with his opinions on what's worth seeing, and when you don't have a lot of money to pay entrance fees, that's a good thing (and if that's all the info you need from him you can get a second-hand book). Let's Go and Lonely Planet are less opinionated, more basic info.

Also Rick Steves "Europe Through the Backdoor" (get it from your library and read it before you go) is really helpful with basic info, how to budget, how to sleep on the trains, etc, etc. You'll get mixed reviews on his books here, but he really saved me a lot of worry, hassle and money on that trip!

Do yourself a favour and take some multi-vitamins with you and don't forget to take them every day. When you get sick when you are backpacking it can hit you like a ton of bricks, and if the youth hostel you are staying in has lock-out hours you won't get to stay in bed. I dreamed of seeing Pompeii all my life, and all I remember now of it is being sick as a dog, in the rain, because the HI hostel in Sorrento had a lengthy lock-out.

Have fun!

worldtraveler87

Thanks very much for all the good advice. I will bring some vitamins with me because I really don't want to get sick. Good idea about the overnight trains. Does it cost you extra money to take an overnight train even if you have a railpass?
thanks

Anyone else?

worldtraveler87

topping

angeleno

You usually have to pay a supplement for overnight cars, even if you have a rail pass.

Point-to-point tickets are usually cheaper in Italy and Spain than buy railpasses.

And you can buy buddy passes in France for a discount.

Try www.chatarea.com/backpackers for budget and packing info.

Jenner

We always sat in regular seating compartments on overnight trains and didn't get a couchette. They are usually designed with six seats in a compartment, and they pull flat - so you get two across from each other and pull them out to sleep. Obviously we got lucky because if there are more than three people in the compartment it doesn't work.

Going this way you needn't pay a supplement. I think a couchette (6 bunks in a compartment, basically, in second class) will cost about the same as a youth hostel, if I'm not mistaken - about US$25-30 per night...?

worldtraveler87

ok that price isn't so bad. But hows sleeping on a normal train seat?

ms_wiley

I'm sure you've already gotten tons of great responses (too many to read!), but I will throw in my experience, too.

In 2000, a friend and I spent a month backpacking through France, Monaco, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. We were all about activities, no shopping. We flew from Detroit and mostly stayed at hostels, though some pensions, too. We typically ate twice a day at local holes-in-the walls, nothing fancy. We had Eurail passes and took couchettes to save time. We each spent about $700 on airfare and about $1300 while traveling. Others did it for less, but we splurged on wonderful experiences and the occasional pension.

I would never want to sleep on a train in a regular seat. The seats were always much smaller than a plane's seats, with absolutely no leg room. And, the cars were much more crowded that you'd expect. The couchette is a little more $$, but totally worth it.

You should check out a Let's Go Europe book. It's geared towards backpackers and has very explicit information about hostels, restuarants, sites, transportation and how much everything will cost. Using that for our trip, we were able to estimate the entire cost within a hundred dollars or so! Very helpful!

suze

The question of sleeping on a train is a personal one. Can you sleep on a plane? Bus? In a car? Similar. Your rail pass or point-to-point ticket gets you on the train and a seat. To get the couchette (flip down bed platform) you pay a supplement. If you *can* sleep soundly on a train do be sure to secure your money and belongings in a safe way.

One thing no one has mentioned yet, and to me it is incredibly important... don't pack too much stuff!! You'll be on the move and hauling a heavy backpack is the pits! Also if it's something you are going to spend money on to buy at home pre-trip, save that money and purchase in Europe (i.e., they do have vitamins there!). Packing light can save money because you can walk further in comfort, and it will increase your safety because you can keep track of all your stuff and not appear an easy target.

worldtraveler87

ok thanks for the ideas. I usually have a hard time sleeping in cars but have never had a hard time sleeping on planes. I will go buy that book as well as Europe through the Back Door, because I heard it was very helpfull.

Ms. Wiley:: I never get tired of reading other peoples responses. No matter how long I read them all. They might be very important!!

Anyone else??

RAR

I don't know if any of this has been repeated, but some basic travel rules that I learned while being in Europe for a year:

1. Don't buy a railpass. They are neither more convenient nor cheaper than buying individual tickets.

2. Sometimes it can be cheaper to fly than train/bus. Check out ryanair.com or germanwings.com. Some flights on Ryanair are free and you only pay airport taxes.

3. Soda. Just don't buy them, unless you can get it in a grocery store. From restaurants and lunch shops they can go for as much as 2 euro for a 12 oz can.

4. If you want to travel cheap, avoid the touristy areas. Never eat on a main square, or road. Never eat on a main square if you expect good food or service.

5. If you want to travel cheap in Europe, then Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, and the rest of Eastern Europe are the places to be. England, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany can all be VERY expensive.

6. Italian and Spanish public transportation is VERY cheap. Trains elsewhere in Western Europe can be quit expensive.

7. Overnight trains are great, but ONLY IF YOU GET A COUCHETTE. I went on 1 overnight train in a seat, from Bologna to Naples. It was pure hell. 99% of people cannot continuously sleep if they cannot lay down.

8. Don't eat breakfast. Wait those 2-3 hours and eat lunch, and you'll save yourself 2-5 euro a day.

9. Pizza is the way to go in Italy. They are cheap and good in virtually all restaurants in Italy, regardless of how expensive the other food is. The exception to this would be restaurants covered by rule #4.

10. Tapas are the way to go in Southern Spain. Cheap and good.

11. Czech Republic (ie Prague) is ridiculously cheap. As Mina stated, it's practically paradise.

12. Sure it's illegal (and morally wrong), but don't pay for metro/bus tickets for intra-city travel. Most of the time there is no one to check your ticket. In Italy this is true for the buses, in Germany and Portugal and Spain for the metros. Portugese and Spanish buses tend to check tickets.

13. Most of the time, don't tip. Tipping in Europe is largely a customer option, if they feel they received exceptional service. This can vary by country, but is a general truth. Never tip a bartender. That is an universal Europe truth.

14. PLAN. Plan every move you make, ahead of time. Wasting time is the equivalent of wasting money.

15. And don't ever go to a town or city without having reserved a hostel there BEFORE you arrive. And make sure you know where the hostel is before you get on that bus/train. Don't get lazy about it like I did, going from Salamanca to San Sebastian, expecting to be able to call the hostel for directions during the bus dinner stop, only to find that the phone at the diner was out of service, and when I arrived in San Sebastian the hostel's front desk was closed, so no one picked up the phone. Needless to say, it was a mess, just like that last sentence's grammatical structure

RAR

Oh, to clarify, Italy can be very expensive but does not have to be. Generally Venice and Milan are expensive, but the rest of the country can be reasonable.

SalB

Toss your camping gear in a duffle bag and save hotel costs.

Have a good trip.

RAR

Camping can be great if you are going with someone. If you are solo then hostels are the way to go, for the social aspect.