Ideas for upcoming travel
 

My friend and I are going to travel Europe after graduating next year. There are so many wonderful places to see it’s overwhelming. I was hoping some of you experienced travelers could give us some ideas. The trip would be in early May and can last up to a month and a half, we plan on traveling cheaply and staying in hostels when possible. Rome/Vatican City and Paris are must haves. We primarily like beautiful nature, historical sites, and cozy countryside towns. Several places that have piqued our interest so far are The Ring of Kerry, the fjords in Norway, the Swiss or Bavarian Alps, The Cotswolds in England, Loire Valley, Tuscany and Umbria and many more. The problem is that this list isn’t very concrete and it is very broad and may overlap or we might have overlooked some amazing places. Any input is appreciated.

I think you have to do a bit more thinking before you can be helped much here. I suggest you get a map of Europe and the British Isles, and mark up where you want to go. Looking at the places you have noted, the fjords in Norway and the Vatican, there is a lot of travelling to be done.

The question, what are the most beautiful places, or what are your favourite places, is really subjective. Some would say the Alps, others Cinque Terre, for me, it’s Venice.

You have lots of time to read and plan, go for it. Then come back with questions like, what’s a good way to see the Cotswalds?

You and Browndier are traveling together? It will be best if you have only thread.

<<The problem is that this list isn’t very concrete and it is very broad and may overlap or we might have overlooked some amazing places>>

Yes, that is indeed the problem, and it's one that's up to you to solve.

Even with a month and a half you will only see very small slices of the enormous continent of Europe, so dig into your research and narrow down the places that most appeal to you. There are infinite resources out there to help you do this.

Trains can be cheap - if doing lots of longish train trips look at various Eurail Youthpasses for those under 28 - in many countries hop on any train anytime - lots of train info: www.ricksteves.com; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.seat61.com. Hostels - get a copy of Let's Go Europe (letsgo.com) - the 'bible for young American backpackers - written by folks your age and a great critical look at hostels and youth hotels and other cheap digs.

I don’t know who that is, sorry.

>>I don’t know who that is, sorry.<<

That is very odd. https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...-trip-1653305/

Either you are the same person or Browndier is stalking you. If your post is legit, then it may be that Browndier is a troll. Who knows?????

QUOTE=browndier;16729987]My friend and I are going to travel Europe after graduating next year. There are so many wonderful places to see it’s overwhelming. I was hoping some of you experienced travelers could give us some ideas. The trip would be in early May and can last up to a month and a half, we plan on traveling cheaply and staying in hostels when possible. Rome/Vatican City and Paris are must haves. We primarily like beautiful nature, historical sites, and cozy countryside towns. Several places that have piqued our interest so far are The Ring of Kerry, the fjords in Norway, the Swiss or Bavarian Alps, The Cotswolds in England, Loire Valley, Tuscany and Umbria and many more. The problem is that this list isn’t very concrete and it is very broad and may overlap or we might have overlooked some amazing places. Any input is appreciated.[/QUOTE]

Sassafrass' quote is from the same thread I linked in my post . . .

It is very possible Browndier is a troll since s/he tagged that thread w/ places like Andorra and Belarus and may be playing games???

When you are planning with basically no plan yet, I think printed guidebooks are the best resource. Take those places you listed and pin them out on a map. Start planning your route.

The opening posts in both threads are exactly the same. Odd.

Most likely one or the other is a troll (or possibly both). Since Browndier posted after cppsinkule, my guess is Browndier is definitely a troll. Not sure about cppsinkule.

Two brand new posters with identical questions but different names? Odd at best!

apparently Browndier has left the building...

Like I said, I don’t know that is or why they copied and pasted my question. Either way, I guess I’m looking for cities or towns that have similar qualities to the places I’ve listed. I can’t respond often because there is a 24 hour limit on new members.

Hi OP-

So exciting to travel with a friend! As others have said I would sit down with a map and start planning “must haves”. You said Paris and Rome, so that’s a good starting point. if you are on the east coast of US flights to Ireland can be fairly inexpensive, but so can flights to Spain-you could then easily move around from there. That being said, if it were me, I would cut out the outliers-save Norway for another trip it’s $$$ and far, and save Ireland/England for another trip (I think some other places are more geared towards young people).

I would fly into mainland Europe and organize my time visiting the many countries within. Given the time of year I would start in the south (Rome/Seville/Portugal) and work my way north. Being students you may also want to consider cost-if that’s the case, then maybe it eliminates Switzerland...

As I said I would start in the south and work my way north. You didn’t mention it but Poland, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia, CR, etc are all beautiful and more affordable. I think you would also have a blast if you concentrated on Spain/France/Italy or Portugal/Spain/France/Italy (and the weather should be decent). LOTS to explore.

I have not visited England, but if that’s more to your taste then it does make sense to include Ireland and maybe Scotland.

Good of luck and keep us updated as your plans take shape!

I wasn't kidding about the paper map on the wall idea. And use map pins to start marking places you want to go (maybe even rating them as you go: #1 must do and #2 very interested #3 only if it's on the way or we have extra time).

Next up you need to pin down a budget to see if your trip works. Figure 45 days (for "a month and a half") and come up with your daily budget covering a place to sleep, basic food, local transportation, and multiply x 45 for total trip costs (besides initial air fare).

Let's Go Europe is a superb guide for younger backpackers staying in hostels as it critiques dozens of hostels in each large city - and youth hotels - and budget hotels, pensions, airbnbs, etc, besides a wealth of info on each place, again from a younger traveler's point of view - like nightlife - www.letsgo.com. Been around for a long long time and well worth the money IMO.

Another question I have is how much time needs to be allotted for something like driving the wild Atlantic Way or the Ring of Kerry. Being my first time, I have no idea how long something like this takes.

You can find answers to specific questions like that using a "Google search".

I don't know anything about Ireland, but I just put the words "how long to drive the ring of kerry" into Google and up pops this website with the answer of: "about 3 hours"
https://www.irishcarrentals.com/ringofkerry.php