Backpacking trip in Europe

[xanis]

It's been my life dream to go take a nice big chunk of time and go take a backpacking trip to Europe, and I've been thinking about it, and I think I'm ready to start planning my trip. However, I do have a few questions, which I will ask later on in this post. Before I begin, let me give you a little background. I'm going into my senior year of high school and I will be taking the trip after I graduate in the summer before I start college. I work a part-time job so I'm trying to make this as cheap as possible without messing with my whole experience.

I'm ready to accept that fact that this will probably not be cheap. I'm going to stay in hostels and hike or take a train everywhere I want to go, but I'm guessing that it will still be expensive. Therefore, I've started a fund to cover the expenses for my trip. Here is a rough list I came up with of possible expenses:

-Airfare (Philadelphia to Frankfurt, Germany) [$880]
-Hostels (About a 9 nights) [$35/night or $315]
-Food (Not sure about this) [$30/day or $270] ???
-Ground Transportation (Eurail Flexi Pass) [$475]
-Miscellaneous Expenses [$150] ???

By my calculations then, I should expect the total for the trip to be somewhere around $2,090 USD. Is this reasonable or can I go even cheaper?

I have a bunch of countries that I wanted to see, all serviced by Eurail so transportation is not a problem. I would like to go visit Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark and some or all of the scandinavian countries. Which of those are the most/least expensive and most fun? I love to eat and try new foods so which countries have good cuisine?

Will languages be a problem? I know English and Spanish, and that's about it. Will I be alright as long as I stick to the main cities?

As far as what to pack clothing-wise is concerned, Do I have it down pretty well?

-Pair of Jeans
-T-Shirts
-Socks
-Underwear
-Underarmour (?)
-Hooded sweatshirt
-Breathable rain suit
-Waterproof hiking shoes

If there is anything else I should know or any helpful links you can provide, that would be great. Thanks!

 

[Descartes]

Is it really only going to be 9 nights? Being completely honest, I think you're going to have trouble getting around in such a short amount of time. Travel can sometimes take away an entire day, so you have to consider that if you're wanting to move between countries. A day or so in a country isn't likely to give you enough time to experience much. I've spent a few months in Europe total, and even then I was pressed for time trying to get around. Personally, I'd stay in Germany for those 9 days.

Your budget looks fairly reasonable for 9 days.

Your clothes look ok. It gets pretty cold in some areas around this time. I was wearing a jacket for much of September when I was in Germany last, and in October it was already damn cold.

I wouldn't worry about language. Almost everywhere in Europe you'll find people that speak English at least reasonably well, even in some of the more rural areas.

Sorry, I know I haven't been of much help. You'll have a great time no matter what you do, and hopefully it will spark enough interest to keep you going back!

 

[wasssup]

watch hostel

 

[xanis]

Originally posted by: wasssup
watch hostel

Hahaha funny you should mention that, I have some friends coming over tonight and that's what I rented. :shocked:

 

[0roo0roo]

got ur canadian flag?

 

[atybimf]

when I read the title the first thing that came to mind was the movie hostel lol.

 

[xanis]

Bump for the morning crowd!

 

[OREOSpeedwagon]

i'd recommend, if you can, going for at least 2-3 weeks. it wouldn't be much more expensive and you would get to see sooo much more. you can find cheaper hostels than $35/night, and you can definitely go cheaper than $30/day on food. so if you can manage on $15/day for food and ~$18/night for a hostel, you can get twice the trip out of it

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
got ur canadian flag?

Yup, seriously. Put a Canadian flag on your bag.

 

[Koing]

$30 a day for food isn't going to leave you much if you want to sample lots of food. Sweden is not a cheap place.

Koing

 

[MixMasterTang]

Yeah I´d say 9 days is way too short for your itenerary. A large city takes at least a week to even begin to discover all it has to offer. I would say extend your stay and shorten your itenerary, if you could lower your budget travel to 100 or 150 Dollars then you that will leave more money for you to stay longer. When do you graduate? If you could leave before late in may you could possibly get better airfare. Also you might look into some other gateway Cities likes Dublin where you could catch cheap flights on Ryan Air over to your other destinations. They often have extemely cheap flights where you pretty much only pay 30 dollars or so in taxes and there is usually no price hike for booking only one way.

As far as language goes you should be fine if you stick to the big cities, which will be your best bet anyways because public transportation is plentiful and cheap.

 

[mrkun]

I would suggest you leave the hooded sweatshirt at home. There's a big social stigma towards them in Europe.

 

[GTaudiophile]

I have extensive experience doing such trips.

I would say your budget, considering your age and needs, is quite reasonable:

-Airfare (Philadelphia to Frankfurt, Germany) [$880]
Have you confirmed this with Expedia.com or Orbitz.com?
FRA is a good, central point to start. CDG may be another option. Or MXP.

-Hostels (About a 9 nights) [$35/night or $315]
Checks www.hostels.com. I would say $35 may be on the high side unless you're in like Interlaken, Switzerland. Most places may cost $10+ less/night.

-Food (Not sure about this) [$30/day or $270] ???
You can buy fresh coldcuts from supermarkets, bread, crackers, wine, etc. and really eat on the cheap, say $6.00 per meal. I would keep breakfast and dinner on the cheap and eat a big lunch, say $20.00.

-Ground Transportation (Eurail Flexi Pass) [$475]
Yeah, get a pass. Just get one that fits your needs. Need consecutive-day travel or flexible? Need a pass for all those countries or just two or three? Visit www.railpass.com.

-Miscellaneous Expenses [$150] ???
Postcards. Usually $.50 to purchase, around $1.00 to send.
Gifts for friends/family.
Plan on meeting any women on the trip? They always cost more.

BIG QUESTION: WHEN do you plan on traveling? October-May is more or less off-season. You can get an $900 (or less) plane ticket then. June-September is high season. Plane tickets go up to $1300 and everything else is more expensive (hostels).

Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark and some or all of the scandinavian countries. Which of those are the most/least expensive and most fun? I love to eat and try new foods so which countries have good cuisine?

I have been to all of the above as well as Sweden. I don't plan on going back soon. Though there are more beautiful women in Stockholm than I have ever seen anywhere else.

Scandenavian countries are all expensive. In order of most expensive to cheapest: Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland. Cuisine is mediocre too. Switzerland is very expensive too. I remember paying like $9 or a cup o soup once.

If food is your deal, fly to MXP and never leave northern Italy. Heck, go to Parma, the city from which the world got parmasan cheese and prosciutto ham! Then you'e got Florence, Rome, Venice, Cinque Terre, Torino, Como/Bellagio, Modena (home of Ferrari). You could save some money by NOT getting the Eurail pass, get an Italy pass instead, and just hang there. You would not be disappointed! Then again, from Northern Italy, you are not far from the French Riviera and Austria like Vienna and Switzerland like Interlaken. You would spend far less precious time traveling from say Denmark to Italy. I have taken a train once from Stockholm, Sweden to Cologne, Germany and it took the ENTIRE day! I you want a nice, cheap Eastern European destination, then Krakow, Poland is really "in" at the moment.

You should also read my travel guide.

 

[GTaudiophile]

As or clothes...

-Pair of Jeans
Yes, fine. For 9 days, you'd be okay with one pair, especially if you washed it once.

-Socks
Bring one pair for each day, plus 2 extra.

-Underwear
Same as socks.

-Underarmour (?)
WTF?

-Hooded sweatshirt
Better off with a light-weight, rain jacket type thing with a hood. Something that zips.
An attractive sweater would be a good idea too.

-Breathable rain suit
See above.

-Waterproof hiking shoes
Depends on where you go and if hiking is on the menu. If so, yes. But they can weigh a lot.

You need at least one or two swimsuits as well. They can double as underwear.

Don't be an American slob. At this time of year, shorts are not really necessary. Leave sweat-pant/spandex material at home. Leave your baseball hat at home too. Be careful of your T-shirts. Keep them understated.

Take a good pair of sunglasses.

Plan on going clubbing? Try to bring an oufit that would be approrpriate (classy).

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
As or clothes...

-Pair of Jeans
Yes, fine. For 9 days, you'd be okay with one pair, especially if you washed it once.

-Socks
Bring one pair for each day, plus 2 extra.

-Underwear
Same as socks.

-Underarmour (?)
WTF?

-Hooded sweatshirt
Better off with a light-weight, rain jacket type thing with a hood. Something that zips.
An attractive sweater would be a good idea too.

-Breathable rain suit
See above.

-Waterproof hiking shoes
Depends on where you go and if hiking is on the menu. If so, yes. But their can weigh a lot.

You need at least one or two swimsuits as well. They can double as underwear.

Don't be an American slob. At this time of year, shorts are not really necessary. Leave sweat-pant/spandex material at home. Leave your baseball hat at home too. Be careful o your T-shirts. Keep them understated.

Take a good pair of sunglasses.

Plan on going clubbing? Try to bring an outit that would be approrpriate (classy).

Just curious why you threw the baseball hat and American slob into the same sentence? Is there a correlation or something?

 

[GTaudiophile]

Will languages be a problem? I know English and Spanish, and that's about it. Will I be alright as long as I stick to the main cities?

English should be fine for most things. BUT, learn how to ask the question, "Excuse me, do you speak English?" in the language of every country you visit. Do not be the arrogant American. Spanish would help in Italy. The Swiss and Scandinavians speak better English than we do...the Germans, especially the Western half, tend to speak English quite well. If you spend time in the Eastern half of Germany (excluding Berlin) or Poland, you might have a harder time.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
As or clothes...

-Pair of Jeans
Yes, fine. For 9 days, you'd be okay with one pair, especially if you washed it once.

-Socks
Bring one pair for each day, plus 2 extra.

-Underwear
Same as socks.

-Underarmour (?)
WTF?

-Hooded sweatshirt
Better off with a light-weight, rain jacket type thing with a hood. Something that zips.
An attractive sweater would be a good idea too.

-Breathable rain suit
See above.

-Waterproof hiking shoes
Depends on where you go and if hiking is on the menu. If so, yes. But their can weigh a lot.

You need at least one or two swimsuits as well. They can double as underwear.

Don't be an American slob. At this time of year, shorts are not really necessary. Leave sweat-pant/spandex material at home. Leave your baseball hat at home too. Be careful o your T-shirts. Keep them understated.

Take a good pair of sunglasses.

Plan on going clubbing? Try to bring an outit that would be approrpriate (classy).

Just curious why you threw the baseball hat and American slob into the same sentence? Is there a correlation or something?

Nothing like a baseball cap to signify you're an American. When in Rome, do as the Romans, and the Romans don't wear baseball caps.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
As or clothes...

-Pair of Jeans
Yes, fine. For 9 days, you'd be okay with one pair, especially if you washed it once.

-Socks
Bring one pair for each day, plus 2 extra.

-Underwear
Same as socks.

-Underarmour (?)
WTF?

-Hooded sweatshirt
Better off with a light-weight, rain jacket type thing with a hood. Something that zips.
An attractive sweater would be a good idea too.

-Breathable rain suit
See above.

-Waterproof hiking shoes
Depends on where you go and if hiking is on the menu. If so, yes. But their can weigh a lot.

You need at least one or two swimsuits as well. They can double as underwear.

Don't be an American slob. At this time of year, shorts are not really necessary. Leave sweat-pant/spandex material at home. Leave your baseball hat at home too. Be careful o your T-shirts. Keep them understated.

Take a good pair of sunglasses.

Plan on going clubbing? Try to bring an outit that would be approrpriate (classy).

Just curious why you threw the baseball hat and American slob into the same sentence? Is there a correlation or something?

Nothing like a baseball cap to signify you're an American. When in Rome, do as the Romans, and the Romans don't wear baseball caps.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I wore a hat for most of my time in Amsterdam as it was raining so often, and people used to pick me out of a crowd and start soliciting their wares... in English. "How'd you know I spoke English?" I asked a few of them. "The hat."

Ahh well.

 

[xanis]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, keep 'em coming!

 

[Legendary]

You can't do a satisfying Europe in 9 days. Pick a country (or two) that interest(s) you (see the Italy promo above, I <3 Italy too so I couldn't say it any better, Switzerland is nice too) and explore it to the depths. I spent 2 weeks in just Italy and it was possibly the greatest thing I've ever done in my life. Wine + Food + Girls + Natural Beauty + Architectural Beauty + History = the win.
Spanish will help in Italy (I negotiated 150 euros off a present for my mom using broken Spanish + English) and most people speak some form of English anyway.
Italy is also a relative stone's throw away from many other interesting countries.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: Legendary
You can't do a satisfying Europe in 9 days. Pick a country (or two) that interest(s) you (see the Italy promo above, I <3 Italy too so I couldn't say it any better, Switzerland is nice too) and explore it to the depths. I spent 2 weeks in just Italy and it was possibly the greatest thing I've ever done in my life. Wine + Food + Girls + Natural Beauty + Architectural Beauty + History = the win.
Spanish will help in Italy (I negotiated 150 euros off a present for my mom using broken Spanish + English) and most people speak some form of English anyway.
Italy is also a relative stone's throw away from many other interesting countries.

100% Agree! I would take 9 days in N. Italy (see above post) and let that be it. Still would only scratch the surface.

You can fly JFK direct to MXP for $900, departing October 1, coming back October 9. You can fly direct from JFK to ROM for $750. (Expedia.com)

Edit: You can start making your train plans here.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Oh, another thing. If you decide against spending all your time in Italy, would be a mistake if you did, but if do, it can actually be cheaper (and saves a lot of time) to take cheap flights from say Stockholm to Rome. It would take you two solid days on the train to do that. Too much time given your 9-day window.

 

[sierrita]

Originally posted by: Lonyo

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
got ur canadian flag?

Yup, seriously. Put a Canadian flag on your bag.

Yes! all of the Canadians you meet will be impressed by your cowardice.


:roll:

 

[PELarson]

Originally posted by: sierrita

Originally posted by: Lonyo

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
got ur canadian flag?

Yup, seriously. Put a Canadian flag on your bag.

Yes! all of the Canadians you meet will be impressed by your cowardice.


:roll:

or they will all be Americans, US of A variation.

To the OP, pick a country or better yet one or two cities as others have suggested and concentrate on those.

 

[imported_Mike]

Just got back from 29 days in Western Europe. Northern Italy/Switz/Southern Germany is the place to be.