i'm starting to plan out my after grad trip and i would love any help. i'm thinking about austria, belgium, czech, france, germany, hungary, ireland, luxembourg, netherlands, poland, slovakia, switzerland, and scotland. any comments? how long should i stay in each place. also, i'm backpacking, so if anyone knows any cheap places, that are still good, to eat, sleep, or visit please tell me. anyone have any tips? i would also love to see non touristic sites along with normal tour stuff, any suggestions? thanks so much. nicki

This post deserves a comment that a teacher once wrote on one of my essays: <BR><BR>B.S.<BR><BR>When questioned he said that stood for "Be Specific". However, I think this post deserves the other kind of B.S.<BR><BR>Nicki, what countries AREN'T you thinking of? Get a guide book and ask specific questions when you've done a little more research.<BR><BR>It's funny; earlier today there was a thread about what types of questions people don't answer and this overly general type was one that people passed over. Sorry for the rudeness; people are very helpful with suggestions for specific cities or areas but not the "where should I go and how much does it cost" questions.

Nicki -- do check out Council Travel's website. You may find some really cool program in one of those countries that would take care of food and lodging for several weeks -- then you could build the rest of your trip around it. I'd pop in the url here, but it's on my favorites at home, not at work....oops, busted!

Nicki, my daughter backpacked across Europe for 7 or 8 weeks after she obtained her Master's degree. She and two friends traveled via Eurail (after arriving from Atlanta) to Amsterdam, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Spain, and Prague. (I realize I stuck in a couple of cities rather than countries.) They stayed mainly in hostels but occasionally splurged on a cheap hotel. They became tired about two weeks before the end of their trip and wished they had shortened it a bit, not a lot but by a week or two. I don't know how long you're planning on traveling, but keep it realistic. It's hard living out of a backpack for long time when you're not used to it. Have fun - it's quite an education.<BR>P.S. My daughter worked for a year to finance her excursion...

A really great site for backpackers is<BR>http://eurotrip.com<BR>lot's of funny stories, great advice and no trolls to any question asked.

Nicki,<BR> How long will you be traveling? I spent ten weeks traveling through Europe last spring, and didn't cover all of the ground you've listed. But, since you asked, I'll tell you my faves! I particularly enjoyed the more eastern countries-- in part because I could afford to do more in them as they were less expensive-- such as Czech, Hungary and Greece. Prague is the perfect fairytale city with lots to see, so plan to spend a few days there. You still won't see it all, but 3-4 days (longer if you'll be traveling for a while) will give you a nice over view. Cesky Krumlov (also in Czech) is a must-see. Of all the cities I visited, it was the hardest to leave. Give yourself at least two days there. Stay in teh Krumlov House ($5/ night) If you have time, check out some of the spa cities in Czech.... As for Slovakia, some friends I met traveling went to Bratislava and said it was their favorite place. Again, beautiful and inexpensive by our standards. Budapest is nice, although you can't possibly see all of it. Prague is easier to walk around, but Budapest has some nice sights (the Parliament building, for instance) and you can go to a day spa for $5. Stay at the Backpacker's Guesthouse there, it's the best hands down, complete with a full kitchen and hammocks. I also went to a "resort" at Lake Balaton in Hungary, which was a relaxing break from all of the sightseeing. Try some wine from the Balaton region. Any Greek island would be a treat, and you can find nice, inexpensive lodging easily. The food there is the best, I think. As for the rest of Europe, Munich is a necessity-- and a lot of fun-- and you can check out the German Alps from there. I recommend Hotel Helvetia in Munich. The Rhine Valley is nice (all of Europe is nice), you can ride a ferry down it from Koblenz to Mainz. Brugges in Belgium is nice, and you might want to check out Antwerp (how much time do you have?). I've been other places, but these are my favorites... will be glad to give you and additional suggestions!