im going to europe for summer

[slick230]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Budget around 20 Euro/night per person for your average hostel. 15 Euro can buy enough supermarket food for two people for at least a day, if not longer. Of course without a fridge, keeping stuff fresh is hard. So, at a minimum you're talking 35 Euro per day person, minus average transportation costs, the cost of nice restaurants, gifts, and any other random items you might need.

And don't forget to budget in some extra "emergency" cash, to use for unforseen situations, like getting popped for some BS European law and you have to grease the wheels a little to get home.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: slick230

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Budget around 20 Euro/night per person for your average hostel. 15 Euro can buy enough supermarket food for two people for at least a day, if not longer. Of course without a fridge, keeping stuff fresh is hard. So, at a minimum you're talking 35 Euro per day person, minus average transportation costs, the cost of nice restaurants, gifts, and any other random items you might need.

And don't forget to budget in some extra "emergency" cash, to use for unforseen situations, like getting popped for some BS European law and you have to grease the wheels a little to get home.

Never happened to me...only happens to obnoxious Americans who deserve it...I swear, the average American is such an embarassment when I travel!

 

[glenn1]

I could see how southerners and people from california could be easily picked out...but what about backwoods northerns such as myself?

Yes, even northerners such as yourself. Trust me on this one, you'll see for yourself once you're there. After you've been there for a few weeks you probably won't even need to hear them open their mouth to tell.

Here's one quick way to tell when you first arrive until you learn how to pick 'em out yourself.... the Americans will be the ones in clothes where the pieces of the outfit actually match and coordinate. Jeans with hiking boots, turtleneck sweater, and an L.L. Bean fleece pullover. The Europeans will be wearing all sorts of designer pieces, but none of them will match... like a nice Versace top with thigh-high pleather platform boots, that sort of thing.

 

[tennisflip]

Don't always assume everyone knows english. Always go out of your way to speak their language. If you're unemployed, be prepared to be given a hard time by immigration, especially in England. The immigration officer rudely, and I mean RUDELY, interrogated me after I told him that I was an unemployed graduate. Also, bring a student ID to get discounts on stuff. I also recommend wearing a money belt. And if you go to Rome you really don't need to use the subway that often. We bought a one week metro pass for like 16 euros and only used it once. In London you only really need a zone 1 pass. In Paris get a pass for zones 1 through 3.

 

[djplayx714]

the whole language barrier and no english is really gonna cause me some problems. all i have is high school spanish.

 

[blakeatwork]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: slick230

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Budget around 20 Euro/night per person for your average hostel. 15 Euro can buy enough supermarket food for two people for at least a day, if not longer. Of course without a fridge, keeping stuff fresh is hard. So, at a minimum you're talking 35 Euro per day person, minus average transportation costs, the cost of nice restaurants, gifts, and any other random items you might need.

And don't forget to budget in some extra "emergency" cash, to use for unforseen situations, like getting popped for some BS European law and you have to grease the wheels a little to get home.

Never happened to me...only happens to obnoxious Americans who deserve it...I swear, the average American is such an embarassment when I travel!

Indeed..

I had to endure heckling from some bloody yokel when I came to Canada to visit from Eireland in September, wearing me kilt.... He kept yapping .. "Glad us Americans don't wear SKIRTS, guess that's why WE won the WAR!" Annoyed me to no end. No idea what state he was from, and I know he was not a face to American populace, but bloody hell if I didn't think "no wonder they got bombed"....

Course, most Americans I meet are generally decent people... just the odd one out that you remeber the most..

 

[Strk]

Originally posted by: djplayx714
the whole language barrier and no english is really gonna cause me some problems. all i have is high school spanish.

Make sure you ask if the person speaks Castilian when you go to Spain.(even if you don't speak Spanish that well)

 

[tennisflip]

Originally posted by: djplayx714
the whole language barrier and no english is really gonna cause me some problems. all i have is high school spanish.

I recommend the Lonely Planet phrasebooks, like this one... http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=ygx1x6Z2WR&isbn=1864501529&itm=1
Get one for every country you plan to visit. They're very useful.

I only speak English and Spanish as well. Basically, if you're near a major tourist site the locals will speak English. Also, I'm pretty sure most hotels and hostels have English speaking staff. You only really have to learn to say "Do you speak English" in each unique language.

The only time I had a language barrier was on an overnight train from Paris to Milan. My bro and I shared a cabin with a French couple who spoke little English. But we were able to resolve our differences with lots and lots of "sign language."

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: djplayx714
the whole language barrier and no english is really gonna cause me some problems. all i have is high school spanish.

Well, I went to Germany the first time having only taken two years of German...and got around fine. The French are the most intolerent when it comes to languages; they are pretty snobby about it. I've had no problems in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Sweden. Southern countries like Spain, Italy, and especially Greece would give you more problems.

What are your goals man? People tend to fall into two groups: either you want to visit as many cities as possible in a given amount of time and do the most touristy activities or you're like me and you avoid the crowds, pick places carefully, and stay for longer periods of time to relax and absord the culture. The people in the former group tend to come home exhausted.

 

[djplayx714]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: djplayx714
the whole language barrier and no english is really gonna cause me some problems. all i have is high school spanish.

Well, I went to Germany the first time having only taken two years of German...and got around fine. The French are the most intolerent when it comes to languages; they are pretty snobby about it. I've had no problems in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Sweden. Southern countries like Spain, Italy, and especially Greece would give you more problems.

What are your goals man? People tend to fall into two groups: either you want to visit as many cities as possible in a given amount of time and do the most touristy activities or you're like me and you avoid the crowds, pick places carefully, and stay for longer periods of time to relax and absord the culture. The people in the former group tend to come home exhausted.

well im looking for fun and adventure, my gf wants romantic settings and photo ops.

 

[djplayx714]

Originally posted by: PHiuR
do what they did in eurotrip...haha

you mean go to some eastern european country and live like a king off $3 USD?

 

[blakeatwork]

Originally posted by: djplayx714
the whole language barrier and no english is really gonna cause me some problems. all i have is high school spanish.

pick up a travellers guide (BEFORE you come over, as our shopkeepers enjoy pillaging unsuspecting tourists), that contains commonly used phrases of the country(ies) you'll be visiting.

 

[tennisflip]

Originally posted by: djplayx714

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: djplayx714
the whole language barrier and no english is really gonna cause me some problems. all i have is high school spanish.

Well, I went to Germany the first time having only taken two years of German...and got around fine. The French are the most intolerent when it comes to languages; they are pretty snobby about it. I've had no problems in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Sweden. Southern countries like Spain, Italy, and especially Greece would give you more problems.

What are your goals man? People tend to fall into two groups: either you want to visit as many cities as possible in a given amount of time and do the most touristy activities or you're like me and you avoid the crowds, pick places carefully, and stay for longer periods of time to relax and absord the culture. The people in the former group tend to come home exhausted.

well im looking for fun and adventure, my gf wants romantic settings and photo ops.

In that case, make an effort to spend some time in Paris and Rome. Also, we stayed about five days in each city but it's reasonable to be able to see the top sights in a major city in two days.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: djplayx714

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: djplayx714
the whole language barrier and no english is really gonna cause me some problems. all i have is high school spanish.

Well, I went to Germany the first time having only taken two years of German...and got around fine. The French are the most intolerent when it comes to languages; they are pretty snobby about it. I've had no problems in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Sweden. Southern countries like Spain, Italy, and especially Greece would give you more problems.

What are your goals man? People tend to fall into two groups: either you want to visit as many cities as possible in a given amount of time and do the most touristy activities or you're like me and you avoid the crowds, pick places carefully, and stay for longer periods of time to relax and absord the culture. The people in the former group tend to come home exhausted.

well im looking for fun and adventure, my gf wants romantic settings and photo ops.

Well, as long as you're not an idiot and are willing to just get out, grab a map, and start walking, anything can be fun and adventurous in a new setting. What kind of adventure? If you are into hiking and tons of outdoor sports, the Swiss Alps can't be topped...but Switzerland is mucho expensive.

Romantic: Anywhere in Italy, Paris, Greek islands (Santorini). The Greek islands are inexpensive, romantic, and offer tons of swimming and water sports. Some islands have good hiking too, and they all have ancient ruins to explore.

Define adventurous for you.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: tennisflip

Originally posted by: djplayx714

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: djplayx714
the whole language barrier and no english is really gonna cause me some problems. all i have is high school spanish.

Well, I went to Germany the first time having only taken two years of German...and got around fine. The French are the most intolerent when it comes to languages; they are pretty snobby about it. I've had no problems in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Sweden. Southern countries like Spain, Italy, and especially Greece would give you more problems.

What are your goals man? People tend to fall into two groups: either you want to visit as many cities as possible in a given amount of time and do the most touristy activities or you're like me and you avoid the crowds, pick places carefully, and stay for longer periods of time to relax and absord the culture. The people in the former group tend to come home exhausted.

well im looking for fun and adventure, my gf wants romantic settings and photo ops.

In that case, make an effort to spend some time in Paris and Rome. Also, we stayed about five days in each city but it's reasonable to be able to see the top sights in a major city in two days.

Bah! Paris and Rome = crowds.

This is romance:

Bellagio, Italy

 

[GTaudiophile]

Picture this:

It's a warm, comfortable evening. It's quiet. It's just you and your girlfriend sitting at a small table in front of your hotel room. The air is fresh but slightly salty from the sea. A dark barks in the distance. You can barely hear the jazz coming from the cafe just up the hill. And the sun is setting...

This is what you see.

You see this and it makes you want to kiss her.

You see this, and you begin to think of getting into bed with her!

(Granted, the hotel room with that view cost me some 120 Euro/night, but it was worth it!)

 

[tRaptor]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Picture this:

It's a warm, comfortable evening. It's quiet. It's just you and your girlfriend sitting at a small table in front of your hotel room. The air is fresh but slightly salty from the sea. A dark barks in the distance. You can barely hear the jazz coming from the cafe just up the hill. And the sun is setting...

This is what you see.

You see this and it makes you want to kiss her.

You see this, and you begin to think of getting into bed with her!

(Granted, the hotel room with that view cost me some 120 Euro/night, but it was worth it!)

All i can say is WOW. Very cool man

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: tRaptor

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Picture this:

It's a warm, comfortable evening. It's quiet. It's just you and your girlfriend sitting at a small table in front of your hotel room. The air is fresh but slightly salty from the sea. A dark barks in the distance. You can barely hear the jazz coming from the cafe just up the hill. And the sun is setting...

This is what you see.

You see this and it makes you want to kiss her.

You see this, and you begin to think of getting into bed with her!

(Granted, the hotel room with that view cost me some 120 Euro/night, but it was worth it!)

All i can say is WOW. Very cool man

Yes, that was a treat! Santorini is a heaven on earth.

I was also lucky to be a guest of some friends at this hotel in Bellagio. Now that was WOW!

 

[glenn1]

You see this, and you begin to think of getting into bed with her!

I took my g/f here last year and I didn't need to just "think" about getting into bed with her, she led me there without needing to be asked. Didn't get a whole lot of sleep though