The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Strawberrykiwi75 on February 21, 2015, 05:09:41 PM
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Hi everyone, I'm looking at taking a trip for 6 weeks through Europe in late August/September. I know that's not the cheapest time but it's when my boss says I can go! I'll be travelling solo and I'm weighing up all the different ways of doing it. I'd really appreciate some advice from people who have done it before- obviously I want to do it as cheaply as possible but without missing out on experiences.
I'm thinking of flying into London as I have friends and family there, and then go from there. The places I want to visit (still flexible at this point but I think I have the highlights covered) are: Paris, Belgium, Amsterdam, Berlin, possibly Munich, Prague, Italy (Venice, Naples/Pompeii, Rome & Cinque Terre), Barcelona, and then back up through France stopping at heritage/cultural sights (such as Carcassone) along the way. I'll then fly out from Paris or London. So I'm basically trying to do a bit of a loop. I know I'll be missing some pretty awesome places but I will go again in a few years.
So- how should I do it? I looked into tours such as Contiki & Topdeck (I'm 25)- I haven't ruled them out but I suspect I could do it cheaper and also have more flexibility on my own. So then I looked into Busabout as well, but I don't want to waste huge amounts of time on a bus if I can avoid it. I looked into renting a car but it's hugely expensive for one person.
My instinct is to get a Eurrail pass, taking night trains when available. For the big trip between Prague & Italy I'd probably get a budget flight such as Ryanair.
For accommodation, I plan to stay in hostels. And I'll buy food at markets as much as possible for picnic lunches etc. But I probably won't skimp on passes to museums etc and if I get the chance to do something awesome like paragliding, I want to have the money available to do that.
Is this the best way to do it? Or should I do it a different way? And how much do you think I would need to cover everything? Thanks for your help in advance! :-)
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So excited for you!!! My daughter is planning the same thing about a month or two earlier than you. We are looking at Eurail passes - they have a special going on a 15 day global pass that expires March 31st so look at that soon. I was on the Ryanair website for a while and enjoyed the way they have it set up. You could essentially search for the cheapest flight from anywhere to anywhere. I thought that might narrow down what she could do flying and what she could do by train. I also just found a website called Student Universe that specializes in flights for students. I'm not sure the age cutoff - but it is something to check.
Enjoy!!!
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Posting to follow in hopes of doing the same in the future
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The last time I looked, Eurail passes were for first-class travel, and therefore they're actually a rip-off. What you want is an Interrail pass, if you're going to spend a ton of time on trains. Sometimes you come out ahead, sometimes not, even with an Interrail. You may need to book hostels well in advance for August, which is a peak time. If so, so you know exactly when you're going to be where, you can also book rail tickets ahead, when they're considerably cheaper, and that may well save you money over an Interrail pass. But for flexibility Interrail is the way to go.
Flying into London will also be more expensive than many airports. Since you're going all over the place, compare London to some other destinations and make sure it's the cheapest.
Tours will almost certainly be more expensive than doing it yourself. The advantage is that you automatically have folks to hang out with, and you can let someone else do the planning for a while.
If I were in your shoes, I think I'd find some "experiences" to sign up for that weren't tours - maybe a weekend cooking class, or a two-day class in a castle, or a pony-trekking expedition, or your paragliding, something, which would give you an interesting group to hang out with for a bit, allow for a little bit of settling-in time, and not hamper your flexibility for the rest of the time.
It's hard to estimate how much money you'd need — could vary widely.
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I've only used Ryanair and megabus for traveling in Europe, but my longest stay was two weeks, so a eurail pass wasn't really worth it for me and I can't speak to that. Ryanair was great for getting from Scotland to Germany, though, and it was really cheap.
My biggest tip is to sign up for couchsurfing if you haven't ahead. It's a great way to find places to stay, meet new people, and get a local's perspective on the city you're visiting. Even if you aren't comfortable actually couchsurfing with someone you've never met, it's still worth it. It can be a good way to meet other travelers.
I have definitely met me petiole staying in hostels, but at 25, you may be a bit older than many of the other hostelers and it can be nice to have a backup plan. Just look for people tour after who have lots of good references.
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Its a wonderful time to travel Europe... I would try to focus on a route plan first.
First off, August is the highest of high seasons for when the locals vacation. I have heard the Lake region in Italy is a bit less travelled in August as its not where the Italians vacation.
Early September the kids go back to school so lots of places are much less crowded.
I would consider looking for when the "circus is in town" in the various areas and try to be in areas in the days starting big events. Going to the opening of Octoberfest in Munich is awesome. Strasbourg France on the France/German border is an awesome place to spend a couple days between Paris and Munich. The Italian Grand Prix takes place outside of Milan the second weekend in September means that Milan has all kinds of cool events going on. Venice has the Venice Film Festival the same weekend which simply means the place is just fun to be at.
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I have a couple pieces of advice on the finance side of things:
1) Use a no foreign transaction fee credit card. If you don't already have one, consider getting one.
2) Consider getting the Barclaycard Arrival Plus credit card for its 40,000 point signup bonus, which is good for $444.44 in travel charges. Travel charges include flights, train travel, hotels (hostels should be included too, etc.). It also gets 2.2% cash back and has no foreign transaction fee. Finally, it is a chip and PIN card, which is prevalent in Europe.
One caveat - travel charges need to be at least $25 for you to use your points against them.
3) Consider opening a Charles Schwab bank account if you don't already have one. It is an online only bank that reimburses ATM fees incurred at bank ATMs worldwide (it won't reimburse all fees incurred at those weird free standing ATMs). It also has no foreign exchange fees, so it is the best fee free way that I know of of getting foreign cash abroad.
4) Consider getting an airline card or two to use miles for your flights.
I wouldn't do tours. When I travel alone, I highly value my ability to just do whatever I want, whenever I want.
While I encourage you to save money on food, make sure to taste some good cuisine every so often =P. Part of the travel experience is the cuisine!
Enjoy your trip!
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First, search on NorwegianLongHaul for flights. I found the cheapest were into Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm but they have cheap flights into southern France and other cities/countries, too. You just have to look. I had 3 single one way flights through Oslo, Barcelona and London for a bit less than $1k for my honeymoon. I went in September because it was cheaper than August.
Second, if you can apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card. Zero foreign transaction fees. On that note when in Barcelona make sure you tell them to charge you in Euros and not USD. It has to do with conversion rates and additional fees; trust me. God, I regret all my USD conversions now, but the dollar is also stronger now, too!
I live in South Florida, so I thought Berlin and Barcelona were not really expensive food, transport and entertainment wise. God London's like $28 one way just to take the train from Gatwick into the city and the ride is like 45minutes! It was like $28 in Oslo but you're not going there, and then I found out there was train that was 15min slower for $14! :-( And you can always eat German hotdogs for like $3 or Turkish kebobs for $6 in Berlin, LOL!
I never did tours but that's because I'm a foodie and prefer to walk a lot so I can eat more. :-) Plus in Europe they speak English so I don't think tours are necessary. Barcelona is a good walking city. London and Berlin not so much. Though I did hear that if you're white American and go to France they pretend like they don't know English because they want to know you're at least TRYING to make an effort to speak French in their country. I consider that pretty slick!
I love food but in London in particular I found Tesco and those chains pretty good and cheap with their $6 sandwich, drink and snack combo. Esp considering those friggin pounds and how much everything costs! Though off topic, they refunded our admission into Buckingham Palace on my credit card. To this day I still do not know why! London also has a lot of free museums! Try to go on a non-weekend!
Let me know if there are any other questions that I may be able to help with! Have fun and be safe. I am 30 now but I traveled alone through Berlin, Bangkok, Phuket and Seoul when I was 26. :-)
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Great trip! I would definitely skip the tours and plan things alone. The Eurail Pass is the best deal, especially with the many cities you want to visit. Remember that Eurail is not valid in the UK. So if you fly into London, I would get a cheap airline ticket to Paris or Brussels and then start the Eurail.
Have you considered coachsurfing for free lodging? Just wondering if anyone has done that. Europe is very expensive, and cutting out the cost of hostels would be huge.
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Sounds like a great trip. I took a similar trip in 2005. I think I paid $1000 for the plane ticket and another $1000 for a two month eurail pass. Back then the eurail pass was cheaper if you were under 27 yo. There will be additional surcharge for high speed trains and overnight trains. Hostels usually cost 20-25 euros and there were a few hostel booking websites where you could book a day or two in advance. Also a few times you got off a train and locals were offering extra bedrooms for the cost of a hostel.
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You probably don't want to fly out of London (maybe UK generally, I forget) as there are surcharges. Paris is fine.
Eurostar takes a couple of hours from London to Paris. You will ideally have a chip + PIN credit or debit card... Not sure if the "kiwi" is NZ or just a nickname, but if US then there are very few cards that will work. Here is one https://www.sdfcu.org/emv-creditcards
"Europe is expensive!" - no it isn't. The Euro is weak at the moment. Compared to "bum fuck nowhere" (love that phrase) US then yeah, central London and Paris are going to be equivalent to.. Los Angeles and New York, Vancouver, Sydney, whatever. You can get fantastic food in rural France on the cheap. Baguettes, red wine, all that good stuff... all cheap.
I would suggest not trying to do too much as you'll just rubberneck, but of course you have to figure what works best for you. Do you just want to say "TICK leaning tower of Pisa" or "I spent a few days in a little French village looking at the architecture and sampling the wine and markets and..."
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So excited for you!!! My daughter is planning the same thing about a month or two earlier than you. We are looking at Eurail passes - they have a special going on a 15 day global pass that expires March 31st so look at that soon. I was on the Ryanair website for a while and enjoyed the way they have it set up. You could essentially search for the cheapest flight from anywhere to anywhere. I thought that might narrow down what she could do flying and what she could do by train. I also just found a website called Student Universe that specializes in flights for students. I'm not sure the age cutoff - but it is something to check.
Enjoy!!!
Hope your daughter enjoys it! Please let me know if she has any tips from her journey :-)
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While I encourage you to save money on food, make sure to taste some good cuisine every so often =P. Part of the travel experience is the cuisine!
Enjoy your trip!
oh don't worry I will definitely be eating the local food! I think in some places it can be very affordable too. I'll be aiming for the restaurants the locals go to, rather than the over-priced tourist traps! :-)
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Sounds like a great trip. However, way too ambitious in terms of the number of places you hope to see with 6 weeks travel time . You will spend all your time schlepping to/from various train stations and hostels (or what have you) then you will spend actually seeing the places you want to go . I suggest cutting your list of possible destinations in half, if not reducing it even further than that. Six weeks just isn't long enough to cover all that ground. Europe will be there for you on another trip, which you will definitely get to take. The more frequently you change locations the greater your transportation costs and more time lost to logistics. I suggest getting a book like fodors or lonely Planet t Europe and prioritize the places you really most want to see. You could spend a week in Paris and just scratch the surface, not including day trips to outlying areas .
Eurailused to be cheaper for those under age 26 and covered second class travel (which is more than adequate). It has been many years since I used a Eurail pass, so I have no idea what the current set up is . Depending on how much moving around you intend to do it may be cheaper to purchase individual tickets . The pass also required supplemental fees for sleepers, etc. You can't spend too many nights on the train without ending up absolutely ragged and exhausted .
Foods has a pretty good and active forum that you may find helpful in planning your trip.
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Some comments from a native European :)
- Six weeks is a lot but not forever so be careful not trying to do too much. If you fly to London and want to go to Italy as well then I'd skip Berlin and perhaps Munich as well. They are really out of the way for that route.
- Some suggested flying Norwegian to Scandinavian cities. You might save on the fare, but then lose double on local prices. Those countries + Switzerland are the most expensive places to be in Europe. Plus a long way from Italy.
- I suggest combining train tickets bought beforehand and internal flights (could be cheaper)
- Italy is very hot in August and locals are all on vacation. Better to go there in September
- If you want to see Italian countryside rent a car. Should be no problem if you are already 25, just don't try to use it in Rome or Naples…
- There is now a HS train between Paris and Barcelona (takes ca 6 h) albeit flying might be cheaper. For my taste Barcelona is more interesting than Paris itself.
Have fun! :)
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I was curious so I investigated Interrail. Interrail is only available to European Union citizens (and a few others not in the EU but nearby). An American would need to buy a Eurail pass (which is available in 2nd class as well as 1st class). Interrail is cheaper but not an option for me.
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Don't have much time for a lengthy response but replying now and I'll follow up later.
Be careful with RyanAir. Super cheap but they have baggage restrictions and you can't bring on board more than a small carry-on or backpack. I mean, you can, but they'll charge you up the butt so much so that you'd have been better off taking a normal airline that allows a checked bag.
Hostels are definitely a great option, make sure you read online reviews. I've used Hostelworld with great success. If you're lucky, you can find some great places that are more like penthouse apartments than a hostel.. I did once in Budapest, it felt like living the lap of luxury :) Also AirBnB is decent too. I was never much of a couch surfer but have friends who've done it and had good experiences.
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Ryanair is cheap as long as you can travel with a hand baggage which you probably can't coming from US for six weeks.
By the way if your budget is really tight the cheapest way to get from London to Paris is a bus (as little as 25 euros one way). That would waste the whole day, though.
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I travel this way quite a bit. I'd recommend finding a flight in, a flight out, a starting point, and that's it. Don't buy or plan anything much in advance. If you're traveling on a budget, it may not be worth it to bother with a no-foreign-transaction fee credit card. Lots of places in Europe are still cash-only, so reimbursal of ATM fees is more worthwhile than 3% on a couple grand. Go to your starting city, go to your hostel, and start making friends. Wander about at will. Your new friends will also be travelers, and since they will probably be European, they will know of some beach somewhere they are going to next and wouldn't you like to come along? Of course you would! That sounds awesome!
Bring a backpack, don't bring a bunch of luggage. It will just slow you down. You don't need much, just a sense of adventure. Don't buy train tickets in advance. They are more expensive that way, oddly, and it's just unnecessary and it locks you in.
I like traveling in and out of Heathrow (cheapest for me, see friends in London) or Charles de Gaulle (get right on a train), but it doesn't matter much, just do whatever is best for getting back and forth to your home city. It might be worth it to have a flexible ticket if you have flexibility about your return date, but naturally those are more expensive. If you buy with miles you *can* have more flexibility. RyanAir sucks, I prefer EasyJet. But beware of the insane fees the discounters like to pile on for everything.
GET TRAVEL INSURANCE. It's super cheap and it's worth it.
Traveling this way, you probably won't get the whirlwind tour of capitol cities experience, but so what? You'll have a great time, a unique experience, and at another point in life you can easily pick a city, spend a week there, go home, rinse and repeat. I wouldn't bother with packaged tours. You can always get a day tour in a city if you want. Or you could just go with one of your new friends to get lunch and then check out that museum over there. Friends are key to the solo traveler, and then you have a friend to visit next time you head over!
Bon voyage!
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My husband and I went to Europe in the last half of September for twenty five days. We did a loop from Paris, flew to Berlin, visited Dresden to see a national park, back to Berlin, Amsterdam, and then down through Brussels to go back to Paris. We moved every 3-6 days.
There's a lot of overlap between your list and ours.
You have way too many places on your list, even for six weeks! Italy is large - that's like 2-3 weeks alone! What do you want to spend your time doing? Our priorities were art, history, cool cities, some nature for variety, and some small cities for variety.
Paris, Belgium, Amsterdam, Berlin, possibly Munich, Prague, Italy (Venice, Naples/Pompeii, Rome & Cinque Terre), Barcelona, and then back up through France stopping at heritage/cultural sights (such as Carcassone) along the way. I'll then fly out from Paris or London
Some considerations:
- London can be expensive to fly into. Check for other cities. They will probably be cheaper.
-I'd eliminate Barcelona and Prague. They're far out and you only mentioned one city in each country.
- You'll probably want to fly to Italy with a discount airline. It's quite a long train ride.
- Carcassone is in the south of France. It's quite far out if that's the only appeal of the area.
- Don't just do a big city tour! It gets boring to see the same thing in every city for six weeks.
- Check out Nomadic Matt for great tips.
- I like having a rough outline with major flights booked but not scheduling everything in advance.
You could spend a few days in London, do a 3 week loop in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, then about two weeks in Italy. It will mean moving every 3-4 days.
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Sounds like a great trip. However, way too ambitious in terms of the number of places you hope to see with 6 weeks travel time . You will spend all your time schlepping to/from various train stations and hostels (or what have you) then you will spend actually seeing the places you want to go . I suggest cutting your list of possible destinations in half, if not reducing it even further than that.
This is exactly what I was going to say. With the number of places you have listed, it looks like you only have 3 or 4 days per city/area, and a lot of that time will be chewed up by traveling. Cities like London, Paris, and Rome can keep you busy for a week just seeing the basics. And the more you try to cram in, the less you're really experiencing.
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Following, hope to travel more in the future
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Lots of places in Europe are still cash-only, so reimbursal of ATM fees is more worthwhile than 3% on a couple grand.
I respectfully disagree. The forex fees on a couple grand is on the order of $60-$100. Remember how MMM said a millionaire is made 10 bucks at a time?
Also, more problematic IMO is that attitude. If the OP were to take that attitude for every single trip abroad, then the OP would never get a 0% forex fee card. The OP has expressed interest in returning to Europe later in life (and I assume that the OP also has other travel aspirations as well, typically people who travel like this can't stop traveling).
And finally, Europe is where chip and PIN is most prevalent in the world, so of all foreign countries or region of countries to get a no forex chip and PIN card for, Europe is the top.
GET TRAVEL INSURANCE. It's super cheap and it's worth it.
How cheap are we talking?
For more haphazard traveling as mginwa suggested, I think BlaBlaCar may suit you well http://millionmilesecrets.com/2015/02/22/will-using-blablacar-in-europe-save-you-money-time/ (http://millionmilesecrets.com/2015/02/22/will-using-blablacar-in-europe-save-you-money-time/)
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Other tips:
Travel light. It's so nice to be able to just go. It was so easy to take a bit of time to do laundry or wash in the sink. With a six week trip you want down days anyways. (We have http://www.ospreypacks.com/en/product/backpacking/farpoint_40 (http://www.ospreypacks.com/en/product/backpacking/farpoint_40)). There are often weight limits on budget airlines so be careful.
I agree with getting travel insurance. It's very expensive to get sick overseas. Travel insurance for one person for six weeks is somewhere around $100.
Also, I would recommend NOT getting a Eurorail pass. It's like $1,000 for a pass and you can only do the long haul trips that way. There are also booking fees on top of that! Just do a mix of buying in advance for cheap and buying the day of. The man in seat 61 is a great resource for figuring out the rail system in Europe.
Have fun!
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I was just about to mention the man in seat 61. Check it out! Tons of information. http://www.seat61.com/
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- You'll probably want to fly to Italy with a discount airline. It's quite a long train ride.
Not if you want to stop in Cote d'Azur which I highly recommend on the way to Genoa and Cinque Terre.
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Following...
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I would second couchsurfing but not as your only option, always look for Airbnb or booking.com places to stay as an option! It doesn't HAVE to be expensive and couchsurfing only will be costing you a lot of time, both in preparation and last minute (what if your host doesn't answer at the last moment? will leave the house at 5:30am and expects you to leave as well, et cetera. Though I mostly have good experiences, this happens).
If you are very tight on budget, you can also try and contact organisations to eg. give a class about American history or smth, in exchange for lodging. I knew a guy who did that succesfully, but that does not bring you to the more famous cities like Amsterdam and Barcelona.
Also, busses are always cheaper than trains, but I don't know what kind of deal you can get on the eurail pass. Eurolines, the bigger mainland Europe bus company, also provides some passes and can be very cheap when booked in advance.
Wizzair is a good option besides Ryanair if you want to fly.
Supermarkets and markets are indeed a good option. In many countries, a microwave is provided in either a convenient store or super market -meant for warming baby milk, but also good to warm meals-.
Also, I would recommend not only visiting capitals, but you plan some stops in France like Carcassone so that is covered.
Have fun planning and try not to squeeze in too many places at a time.
Edit: As your title is 'travelling solo' and for some reason you have a day feeling alone, I could recommend looking for meetup.com in the bigger cities or to a nearby Irish pub. Also, ask for local events at the info or local paper that seem smallish or geared towards local people -ask help for translation if needed-.
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I traveled solo in Europe when I was 22, for 20+ days.
Here're my tips:
- Travel light! Bring just a backpack, you'll be truly free.
- Don't make much plans. Just let it go as it goes.
- In my travel, trains were always more expensive than Ryanair.
- Try hitchhiking at least once. It's hard to plan things if you hitchhike, but it's a lot of fun.
- Amsterdam: try everything :)
- Italy: eat, live, smile.
- Venice: google "venice crowded", leave it for next off-season time.
The most important one:
Places are nothing, people are everything. Speak with locals, with travelers, stay at hostels or couchsurf.
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http://www.onebag.com/
A good start, or a refresher, on how to travel light, with just a carry on.
http://www.ricksteves.com/
He also has a lot to say about traveling light.
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I've travelled to all of the places on your list, and certainly recommend you use ryanair. Travel LIGHT, get a chip&pin credit card, and keep a copy of your passport/IDs somewhere separate from the originals. The trains for the places you want to visit are not cheap. Italy will be baddd in August/September. It's very hot then and all the Italians are on holiday. I'm not suggesting you cut Italy from the trip, but I'd consider less touristy places to visit... or at least reduce your planned time in the tourist spots there.
I suggest using Munich as a hub to visit the alps nearby (within Germany & Italy). Then, I'd add Budapest to your list because it's my favorite European city (with Barcelona a close #2).
I lived in Northern Italy for 3 years, and traveled throughout Europe on a monthly basis... so let me know if you want detailed info for anything! I'm actually headed back to Europe in 3 weeks from now for a month of travelling!
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Lots of places in Europe are still cash-only, so reimbursal of ATM fees is more worthwhile than 3% on a couple grand.
I respectfully disagree. The forex fees on a couple grand is on the order of $60-$100. Remember how MMM said a millionaire is made 10 bucks at a time?
Also, more problematic IMO is that attitude. If the OP were to take that attitude for every single trip abroad, then the OP would never get a 0% forex fee card. The OP has expressed interest in returning to Europe later in life (and I assume that the OP also has other travel aspirations as well, typically people who travel like this can't stop traveling).
And finally, Europe is where chip and PIN is most prevalent in the world, so of all foreign countries or region of countries to get a no forex chip and PIN card for, Europe is the top.
GET TRAVEL INSURANCE. It's super cheap and it's worth it.
How cheap are we talking?
Well, exactly. $60 savings isn't great against a $100 annual credit card fee. It certainly depends, but my point is that the savings may or may not be worth it. If, like mine, your existing credit card already gives you great cash back benefits and has no fees, it might not be worthwhile to get an additional one. It's unwise to assume the 3% on a frugal travel budget is going to be worth an additional credit card; like everything it deserves a cost/benefit analysis. Applying for a credit card has a cost after all, in the form of a hard inquiry on your credit report. That may or may not be a good idea, depending on your situation. It just depends. I travel overseas a lot and in my own cost/benefit analysis, it hasn't been a good idea, but I travel on a low cost per day and pay mostly in cash. Your mileage may vary. However, my credit union checking account has no annual fee and reimburses ATM fees at home or abroad, so that has been the better bet for me.
My most recent Europe trip was $22.50 to insure. I paid for extra coverage because I was skiing, used insuremytrip.com. Having health insurance when you head overseas is reassuring and sometimes useful, and it allows you to change flights, etc. if you find yourself ill and unable to travel. I got a very bad flu at the end of my last trip and while I recovered sufficiently to keep my itinerary home, I was very unsure I was going to be able to do so. The insurance I had would have taken care of medical bills and changes to travel, had I needed it.
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+1 On traveling extremely light. Such a great feeling not having a second bag to worry about, and not having much weight in your only one.
+1 On hitchhiking. Western and central Europe are relatively safe places to do so. I've hitched through most of Europe during the course of 2 2-month trips and never had an incident. I've never even had to turn down a ride.
+1 On a card with chip+pin and no foreign transaction fee. If you can't find one with no annual fee, get something like the Chase Sapphire Preferred and close it before the annual fee kicks in.
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Don't buy train tickets in advance. They are more expensive that way, oddly, and it's just unnecessary and it locks you in.
Actually, the bargain tickets are often only available well in advance, at least in Germany and France. But they do come with restrictions so that you are tied to travelling on exactly the train you booked and can't usually transfer to a different one if you miss it. The man in seat 61 is a great resource, definitely check that out.
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Lots of places in Europe are still cash-only, so reimbursal of ATM fees is more worthwhile than 3% on a couple grand.
I respectfully disagree. The forex fees on a couple grand is on the order of $60-$100. Remember how MMM said a millionaire is made 10 bucks at a time?
Also, more problematic IMO is that attitude. If the OP were to take that attitude for every single trip abroad, then the OP would never get a 0% forex fee card. The OP has expressed interest in returning to Europe later in life (and I assume that the OP also has other travel aspirations as well, typically people who travel like this can't stop traveling).
And finally, Europe is where chip and PIN is most prevalent in the world, so of all foreign countries or region of countries to get a no forex chip and PIN card for, Europe is the top.
GET TRAVEL INSURANCE. It's super cheap and it's worth it.
How cheap are we talking?
Well, exactly. $60 savings isn't great against a $100 annual credit card fee. It certainly depends, but my point is that the savings may or may not be worth it. If, like mine, your existing credit card already gives you great cash back benefits and has no fees, it might not be worthwhile to get an additional one. It's unwise to assume the 3% on a frugal travel budget is going to be worth an additional credit card; like everything it deserves a cost/benefit analysis. Applying for a credit card has a cost after all, in the form of a hard inquiry on your credit report. That may or may not be a good idea, depending on your situation. It just depends. I travel overseas a lot and in my own cost/benefit analysis, it hasn't been a good idea, but I travel on a low cost per day and pay mostly in cash. Your mileage may vary. However, my credit union checking account has no annual fee and reimburses ATM fees at home or abroad, so that has been the better bet for me.
My most recent Europe trip was $22.50 to insure. I paid for extra coverage because I was skiing, used insuremytrip.com. Having health insurance when you head overseas is reassuring and sometimes useful, and it allows you to change flights, etc. if you find yourself ill and unable to travel. I got a very bad flu at the end of my last trip and while I recovered sufficiently to keep my itinerary home, I was very unsure I was going to be able to do so. The insurance I had would have taken care of medical bills and changes to travel, had I needed it.
Your first statement assumes that you need to pay an annual fee to get a no forex fee credit card, which is false. For example, all credit cards from Capital One have no forex fee, and some of their cards have no annual fee. There are also forex fee free credit cards that have an annual fee waived for the first year.
And I never said absolutely the OP should get a forex fee free credit card:
1) Use a no foreign transaction fee credit card. If you don't already have one, consider getting one.
You on the other hand initially said it's something to consider:
If you're traveling on a budget, it may not be worth it to bother with a no-foreign-transaction fee credit card.
But then later you later claim that reimbursal of ATM fees is more worthwhile than forex fees on a couple grand. You made this absolute claim when you just said it requires a cost/benefit analysis. You have no idea how much money the OP will actually spend with cash versus credit cards, if the OP already has many inquiries on his or her credit report making another credit inquiry undesirable, etc. You should let the OP do the cost/benefit analysis him or herself, not make assumptions. I too wouldn't recommend getting a new credit card if the OP already has a forex fee and annual fee free credit card, unless the OP really wants a chip+PIN card. I just said it's something to consider.
Hmm I've never considered travel insurance before, I need to look into that more...
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Big traveler here. I haven't spent alot of time in Europe lately, except Paris & Amsterdam last year. Some of these have already been touched on:
* for your age, hostels are perfect. It's super easy to meet fellow travelers there. I've found them to be very safe but bring a paddlock as many of them have lockers.
* between paris & amsterdam I found euroline bus ticket for $40 for an overnight ride. Super easy and saved on a night's accommodation.
* safety - be wary of people that walk up to you on the street & try to give you something, sign a petition, tie a string on your arm, etc. These are all scams or pickpockets. Watch your things closely on public transportation. I put my daypack on my front and wrap my arms around it.
* Packing - invest in a good travel size (checked baggage) backpack. I spent $200 on an Eagle Creek 10 years ago and it was my best investment ever (have spent about 30+ months of my life living out of that backpack!)
* Some cities have city passes that allow you into loads of attractions for a fixed price per 1, 2, etc days. These are a good value if you plan on doing alot of stuff in a given city.
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I did a bit of solo travelling in Europe at a 20-something woman. Fantastic experience, totally loved it. Previous posters are dead on with *too many places*, definitely cut down drastically, then consider cutting down further. I spent a month in Spain alone and only saw 2 major cities and 3 smaller towns, and that was a
good perfect pace.
Stuff I learnt -
- hostels are fabulous for meeting other young people who also want to go out and explore and have fun
- European trains are fantastic. SO much better than flying. Use wherever possible.
- do more homework than you think you need to - there will always be something unexpected but if you have planned well you will have contingencies
- get travel insurance - actually I already knew this, but it should be reiterated any time someone asks about travel
- sleeper trains are great IF you get a bunk. Sleeper seats (called couchettes I think) are horrible - you can recline fairly comfortably but you are basically sitting in an open carriage with dozens of others, and you don't feel safe to actually sleep (well, I didn't). A bunk in a room with a couple of other people and a locking door is a totally different experience, and very pleasant
- find out about public holidays, when trains don't run and shops don't open. I ended up eating street food for Christmas lunch because we didn't plan ahead.
- pack well. I used packing cells in my backpack and have since converted my whole extended family to them. Basically a fabric cube with a zipped side, so you can divide clothes into outfits, or one for tops, one for pants, one for undies. Makes packing SUPER quick and always neat, and if you have to unpack at the airport it doesn't phase you at all.
- separate your money options. You should have at least two ways of getting money - and not traveller's checks or US$ - because you will be a target for pickpockets and they are extremely good. Like, beyond belief good. For example, one friend had a wallet stolen from his pants pocket while wearing a knee length coat over the top, and didn't even notice it happen.
Argh, too many things to say in a single lunch hour. Just visit Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forum and you'll be sweet. They know everything over there. Though they are pretty condescending and critical - especially of your sort of itinerary!
Edited cause I'm not good at this formatting thing!
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Sounds like a great trip. However, way too ambitious in terms of the number of places you hope to see with 6 weeks travel time . You will spend all your time schlepping to/from various train stations and hostels (or what have you) then you will spend actually seeing the places you want to go . I suggest cutting your list of possible destinations in half, if not reducing it even further than that. Six weeks just isn't long enough to cover all that ground. Europe will be there for you on another trip, which you will definitely get to take. The more frequently you change locations the greater your transportation costs and more time lost to logistics. I suggest getting a book like fodors or lonely Planet t Europe and prioritize the places you really most want to see. You could spend a week in Paris and just scratch the surface, not including day trips to outlying areas .
+1 to too many places for 6 weeks. Hell, I spent 18 days in the center of france alone!
You sure do have a lot of big cities on the list, why not visit more of the countryside? Maybe it is just me, but cities are boring after awhile, especially coming from another western city. I would reduce time in cities and increase time in countryside to see the real life of the people.
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Six weeks is a long time. It would be possible to cover France, Italy plus 2-3 smaller countries quite extensively in that time span even without being in a rush much of the time.
Sleeper train is a slowly dying breed across the continent. In just 5 years I've been living here we've lost all but one of them. Internal flight are considerably cheaper here than in US (for popular routes).
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6 weeks is a great amount of time for a bike tour across europe! Cheaper than other forms of travel and you will see WAY more of the country and people.
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+1 to couchsurfing - I've done this, and I've always had a fantastic time!
+1 to hostels, if you can't find a couchsurfing host. You can meet a bunch of great people that way, and the staff can point you in the direction of interesting walking tours etc.
-1 to skipping Berlin - Berlin is the greatest city ever!
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Don't have much time for a lengthy response but replying now and I'll follow up later.
Be careful with RyanAir. Super cheap but they have baggage restrictions and you can't bring on board more than a small carry-on or backpack. I mean, you can, but they'll charge you up the butt so much so that you'd have been better off taking a normal airline that allows a checked bag.
Hostels are definitely a great option, make sure you read online reviews. I've used Hostelworld with great success. If you're lucky, you can find some great places that are more like penthouse apartments than a hostel.. I did once in Budapest, it felt like living the lap of luxury :) Also AirBnB is decent too. I was never much of a couch surfer but have friends who've done it and had good experiences.
With Ryanair, as long as you add your checked bag during your original purchase, it isn't expensive. Showing up at the airport with an unpaid for bag will be insanely expensive, but if you plan ahead, it isn't. Ryanair can be great.
I wouldn't even consider tours. Check out Rick Steves. He is amazing as a starting point.
I think that while you may not have too many cities for a 6 week trip, I think they are too spread out. If you want to fly in to London, focus on England, Scotland, Ireland (Republic and Northern), a few stops in France, and either Spain or Germany. Save anything further west for another trip, when you can to Italy and Prague and Budapest and Lake Bled Slovenia and Croatia and Greece and Austria.
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Hostels are a great way to make new friends, especially if you're travelling alone.
Always be sure to have some cash on you -- a lot of places don't take credit. Some credit cards offer no foreign transaction fees and have travel insurance, and those can be really useful for booking your trip.
Someone mentioned to me that they used bla bla car to get around in Europe. It's a ridesharing program and it's supposed to be super cheap. I've never used it, but I've heard good things. It could be a really good way to get from city to city.
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I can't speak from past experience, but I will be traveling solo to Europe for 2 weeks later this spring and thought I'd share what I have decided to do (so far):
- Total time in Europe: 14 days
- Cities to visit: London (7 days), Brussels (half day, just passing through), Bruges (2 days), Antwerp (half day), Amsterdam (4 days)
- Airfare: Flying Icelandair into London, out of Amsterdam. Layover in Keflavik. About $850 roundtrip from Boston.
- Transportation: Eurostar train London-Brussels ($59), Thalys train Antwerp-Amsterdam (not booked yet)
- Lodging: Hostels all the way. Shared dorm room in London, private rooms in Bruges and Amsterdam (avg. $35-40 per night)
- Sightseeing: Free self-guided walking tours. Possibly "city pass" type deals for museums and other attractions if they are cost effective. Rent a bike and go for a ride through the countryside. Go on a canal ride.
I signed up for the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Mastercard back in December. I just reached the spending threshold this month and the 40,000 bonus points have already been credited to my account. I'll redeem for cash back in a few weeks (travel purchases can be redeemed against for up to 120 days).
I'm limiting myself to a single backpack for luggage. Bought a nice one from eBags for ~$60 around Christmastime.
I discovered a neat trick when buying my Eurostar ticket: If you go to their web site and tell it you are in the United States, it tries to add a $7 credit card fee (in addition to a lousy exchange rate on the actual fare in dollars). If you instead tell it you are in Belgium, there is no credit card fee, and your credit card will be charged in euros, resulting in a much cheaper fare, especially if you have a no-foreign-transaction-fee credit card. The web site doesn't seem to care where you really are. I think it just means they bill your credit card from a Belgian location rather than a stateside location, which must be cheaper for them.
The same holds true for booking hostels via Hostelworld and probably lots of other things. Always tell the web site to bill you in the native currency. You'll generally get a better exchange rate from your credit card than you would from the web site or merchant.
I originally started planning my trip wanting to see many more cities, but quickly realized how hectic and tiring that would be. So I limited myself to just a handful (only 3 of which will involve overnight stays; the other two will be for a few hours while passing through on the way to my next destination). A week in London will allow me to acclimate in a more familiar cultural context (no language barrier!), do some side trips to places like Cambridge, and get over the jet lag before moving on to the continent. I have already purchased a 6-day London Pass, which allows free admission into many museums and other sights. With a holiday discount they were running, it was about $150, which will break even after just a few attractions.
Maybe I'll follow up here with some lessons learned after my trip. :-)
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I can't speak from past experience, but I will be traveling solo to Europe for 2 weeks later this spring and thought I'd share what I have decided to do (so far):
- Total time in Europe: 14 days
- Cities to visit: London (7 days), Brussels (half day, just passing through), Bruges (2 days), Antwerp (half day), Amsterdam (3 days)
- Airfare: Flying Icelandair into London, out of Amsterdam. Layover in Keflavik. About $850 roundtrip from Boston.
- Transportation: Eurostar train London-Brussels ($59), Thalys train Antwerp-Amsterdam (not booked yet)
- Lodging: Hostels all the way. Shared dorm room in London, private rooms in Bruges and Amsterdam (avg. $35-40 per night)
- Sightseeing: Free self-guided walking tours. Possibly "city pass" type deals for museums and other attractions if they are cost effective. Rent a bike and go for a ride through the countryside. Go on a canal ride.
I signed up for the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Mastercard back in December. I just reached the spending threshold this month and the 40,000 bonus points have already been credited to my account. I'll redeem for cash back in a few weeks (travel purchases can be redeemed against for up to 120 days).
I'm limiting myself to a single backpack for luggage. Bought a nice one from eBags for ~$60 around Christmastime.
I discovered a neat trick when buying my Eurostar ticket: If you go to their web site and tell it you are in the United States, it tries to add a $7 credit card fee (in addition to a lousy exchange rate on the actual fare in dollars). If you instead tell it you are in Belgium, there is no credit card fee, and your credit card will be charged in euros, resulting in a much cheaper fare, especially if you have a no-foreign-transaction-fee credit card. The web site doesn't seem to care where you really are. I think it just means they bill your credit card from a Belgian location rather than a stateside location, which must be cheaper for them.
I originally started planning my trip wanting to see many more cities, but quickly realized how hectic and tiring that would be. So I limited myself to just a handful (only 3 of which will involve overnight stays; the other two will be for a few hours while passing through on the way to my next destination). A week in London will allow me to acclimate in a more familiar cultural context (no language barrier!), do some side trips to places like Cambridge, and get over the jet lag before moving on to the continent. I have already purchased a 6-day London Pass, which allows free admission into many museums and other sights. With a holiday discount they were running, it was about $150, which will break even after just a few attractions.
Maybe I'll follow up here with some lessons learned after my trip. :-)
Most museums in London are free without a pass, I believe, so for most people, the expense of the pass isn't worth it.
I highly recommend the London Walks tours. They have dozens of tours at all rimes of day and days of the week. We did two--a pub crawl/historical, and one that started near the Tower of London and focused on Greenwich. Both were superb, and IIRC, they were fairly cheap. And I loved that you don't have to pre-book. Just show up at the designated time and place. I hate having a strict schedule when I travel, so I liked being able to go only if it fit my time and mood.
Check out their website and see if they have tours that interest you.
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I can't speak from past experience, but I will be traveling solo to Europe for 2 weeks later this spring and thought I'd share what I have decided to do (so far):
- Total time in Europe: 14 days
- Cities to visit: London (7 days), Brussels (half day, just passing through), Bruges (2 days), Antwerp (half day), Amsterdam (4 days)
- Airfare: Flying Icelandair into London, out of Amsterdam. Layover in Keflavik. About $850 roundtrip from Boston.
- Transportation: Eurostar train London-Brussels ($59), Thalys train Antwerp-Amsterdam (not booked yet)
- Lodging: Hostels all the way. Shared dorm room in London, private rooms in Bruges and Amsterdam (avg. $35-40 per night)
- Sightseeing: Free self-guided walking tours. Possibly "city pass" type deals for museums and other attractions if they are cost effective. Rent a bike and go for a ride through the countryside. Go on a canal ride.
I signed up for the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Mastercard back in December. I just reached the spending threshold this month and the 40,000 bonus points have already been credited to my account. I'll redeem for cash back in a few weeks (travel purchases can be redeemed against for up to 120 days).
I'm limiting myself to a single backpack for luggage. Bought a nice one from eBags for ~$60 around Christmastime.
I discovered a neat trick when buying my Eurostar ticket: If you go to their web site and tell it you are in the United States, it tries to add a $7 credit card fee (in addition to a lousy exchange rate on the actual fare in dollars). If you instead tell it you are in Belgium, there is no credit card fee, and your credit card will be charged in euros, resulting in a much cheaper fare, especially if you have a no-foreign-transaction-fee credit card. The web site doesn't seem to care where you really are. I think it just means they bill your credit card from a Belgian location rather than a stateside location, which must be cheaper for them.
The same holds true for booking hostels via Hostelworld and probably lots of other things. Always tell the web site to bill you in the native currency. You'll generally get a better exchange rate from your credit card than you would from the web site or merchant.
I originally started planning my trip wanting to see many more cities, but quickly realized how hectic and tiring that would be. So I limited myself to just a handful (only 3 of which will involve overnight stays; the other two will be for a few hours while passing through on the way to my next destination). A week in London will allow me to acclimate in a more familiar cultural context (no language barrier!), do some side trips to places like Cambridge, and get over the jet lag before moving on to the continent. I have already purchased a 6-day London Pass, which allows free admission into many museums and other sights. With a holiday discount they were running, it was about $150, which will break even after just a few attractions.
Maybe I'll follow up here with some lessons learned after my trip. :-)
Nothlit looks like a good plan and smart move on booking the open-jaw (into London and back from Amsterdam). Many times travelers waste time and money backtracking to their original arrival city. The only suggestion that I would make for your next trip would be to use airline miles to book your flight instead of (or in addition to) getting a cash back card. For example, if you avoid peak summer dates, you can get a round trip on American Airlines for 40,000 miles plus a few bucks in taxes. Citi has an AA card that usually yields a 50k bonus and American Express has the SPG card where you can convert the SPG points to AA miles. Tip, avoid booking flights on partner British Airways as they add fuel surcharges to the award bookings.
Making the leap from simple cash back to airlines miles can be very rewarding if you can plan ahead and know your options. Frequently I can book travel where my airline miles are valued at 2+ cents each. If you take cash, typically you are getting 1 cent/point.
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I go on solo trips a lot, and have been to Europe solo 3 times in the last 3 years.
1) Travel with a single bag. If you have a shoulder bag or other carry on, try to pack so that it fits in the other bag. This is for convenience and cheap airlines. I use a CabinMax "guaranteed to fit" bag, that has worked wonderfully with my trips.
a) Pack enough clothes for 6-8 day max. I've done clothes in the sink, and gone to a laundromat. You can meet some great people in the laundromats. I pack a few Purex all in one sheets (with soap, softener and anti-static on a cloth). They are compact and don't take up your liquids limit. I believe that they are discontinued now, but I found a bag on ebay or Amazon, and have just been using them for travel.
b) You don't need to go this far, but I have a couple pair of ExOfficio underwear. They are easy to wash, and dry in under an hour. In the past, I had a small packing cube just for undies, so I no longer tote that one around.
c) If you're worried about your liquids stash, don't be. You can always find shampoo, toothpaste, and lotion in other countries. If you can't find a small size of something, you can buy a normal bottle, refill your small bottle, and offer your roommates or other hostelers a refill as well.
2) I'm a planner. I know that people say planning stops you from seeing the best things, I think it keeps me on track to see and experience what I want to. I give myself x days in an area (between my major flights), and try to plan my lodging ahead of time. Not everyone does that. The planning ahead has worked tremendously in my favor, though. The discount airlines can give some pretty great fares for one way trips. I did a triangle from Amsterdam to Rome to Madrid and back to Amsterdam (3 flights) for less than $250 total. My flight from Madrid to Amsterdam was on Air Iberia, and cost $54 ($20 fare with 27$ taxes/fees).
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Read When Wanderers Cease to Roam by Vivian Swift for an ode to wonderful ways to travel...
Your most value resource is time. Time to slow down, savor where you are and connect. When I've left myself open, am respectfully curious, ask questions and really listen - wonderful things happen, I get invited to dinner, meet families, go to classes/weddings/picnics, learn to cook a local dish, share a car with new friends and taking a road trip someplace wonderful, etc.
My best travel moments were found off the beaten path:
- Staying at a farmhouse in Normandy, making butter by hand, seeing the Bayeux Tapestry
- Stumbling on a Walloon-language puppet show for local kids in Liege (Belgium)
- Watching flamingos at sunset in the Camargue (France)
- Walking along the Nile or the Seine in the early morning as the city wakes
- Eating at a bar in Valencia along with all the other Spaniards on their lunch hour
- Walking along the top of a hidden Roman wall in the midst of Paris
You could do your proposed itinerary in 6 weeks, but will probably miss out on a lot due to constantly moving. I suggest thinking something along of the lines of:
1) Paris/Normandy, Brussels/Antwerp, Amsterdam/country bike ride = one trip
2) Berlin, possibly Munich, Prague = one trip
3) Italy (Venice, Naples/Pompeii, Rome & Cinque Terre) = one trip
4) Barcelona and then back up through France = one trip
- Pack very very light
- Get travel insurance
- Bring a little photo album - people love to see your life, helps make you more real
- Bring postcards to give as gifts
- Rick Steves has great info. Airbnb, etc. are good options
Have fun!
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I go on solo trips a lot, and have been to Europe solo 3 times in the last 3 years.
1) Travel with a single bag.
b) You don't need to go this far, but I have a couple pair of ExOfficio underwear. They are easy to wash, and dry in under an hour.
^^ Good stuff...
I travel with a single bag also, and wear the same underwear...hah. :)
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I solo'ed around Europe on my own for a month just over a year ago (UK, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Denmark), so these are the things that I wish I had known before I left or that I figured out along the way
On the travel side:
1) I didn't find the rail pass useful (I got one for the couple of days I was traveling the most). After that, I took buses (I was very impressed with Polskibus). Yes, it takes time but you do get to see a lot of scenery and use it as downtime so you can pack more into the time you have once you arrive
2) Backpack rather than suitcase (I was coming off a previous trip then a semester abroad so I couldn't do it myself but boy do I wish I could've) plus a small backpack
3) Check which airport you fly into, particularly if you are flying budget. That goes double for Ryanair
4) Try to only plan so half your time is visiting tourist attractions. Spend the rest of the time walking around, enjoying things that are off the beaten track
5) Google maps + screenshots FTW. Before each leg of the trip, try to find wifi and take lots and lots of screenshots of any route/area you might need to know before the next place you're likely to get wifi (most places in Western Europe, can't speak for Eastern Europe)
6) Free or cheap doesn't mean bad, but then you're a Mustachian so you already know that
7) Book hostels through hostelworld.com or the like. I start by sorting by lowest price, opening the one that I would be prepared to pay for with ratings over 70% or equivalent then reading the reviews until I found one I'm happy with
8) Look at the attractions tab on Tripadvisor for the place you're visiting and sort by most popular. I've found a lot of interesting things to do that didn't appear in my guidebooks
9) Moneybelt under clothes with back-up money options are a necessity. Its not confortable, its not fashionable but its a godsend
10) Don't take anything you can afford to lose/damage/have stolen
On the solo side:
1) Keep in touch with one person consistantly throughout the whole trip. They need to know at least what city you're in at all times but preferably also what you intend to do that day. The moment your plans change, they need to know. I get that this can seem restrictive and hopefully nothing will happen that makes it necessary but that way there's someone who can sound the alarm if you don't check in
2) Have at least two ways of contacting your check-in person. If you're likely to be going somewhere where neither will work, warn them and check-in the moment you can
3) Remember that you have no reliable personal back-up so avoid situations where you're likely to be vulnerable. I know that traveling through Europe is meant to be a party but I thin I had a total of two beers the whole time, both times while with friends I had made at hostels and felt comfortable around (then again, as a 19 year old girl traveling alone, I was probably more paranoid than you need to be)
4) Over, over plan and have all emergency information clearly written down and on you at all times (eg. travel insurance info) because you just won't think about it at the time
5) Make friends at hostels all along the way, and try to see at least some attractions with company. It makes some things more fun and its that little bit safer
TL;DR
Be frugal in your travel, diligent in your planning and sensible with your safety and you will have a blast :D
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Nothlit looks like a good plan and smart move on booking the open-jaw (into London and back from Amsterdam). Many times travelers waste time and money backtracking to their original arrival city. The only suggestion that I would make for your next trip would be to use airline miles to book your flight instead of (or in addition to) getting a cash back card. For example, if you avoid peak summer dates, you can get a round trip on American Airlines for 40,000 miles plus a few bucks in taxes. Citi has an AA card that usually yields a 50k bonus and American Express has the SPG card where you can convert the SPG points to AA miles. Tip, avoid booking flights on partner British Airways as they add fuel surcharges to the award bookings.
Making the leap from simple cash back to airlines miles can be very rewarding if you can plan ahead and know your options. Frequently I can book travel where my airline miles are valued at 2+ cents each. If you take cash, typically you are getting 1 cent/point.
This is definitely something I plan to investigate next time. For this trip, though, I wanted to go ahead and book rather than have to wait to earn the points. I realize it's possible to do better, but I'm still pleased with what will be, after cash back, a ~$400 roundtrip ticket.
Most museums in London are free without a pass, I believe, so for most people, the expense of the pass isn't worth it.
Understood. I went through the list of (non-free) attractions (http://www.londonpass.com/london-attractions/index.html) which are covered by the pass and added up the total cost of the ones I'm interested in seeing, and it was cheaper to get the pass. But I agree that may not be true for everyone, especially for shorter visits. I figure with a week I'll have time to use the pass to its fullest extent. And even if I just barely break even, the pass offers line-skipping benefits at some attractions, which may be worthwhile. I'm fully prepared to admit after the trip if the pass turned out to not be worth it, but for now I still think it makes sense for me.
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As someone living and studying in Europe atm, it is a great idea. Definitely visit the major cities for your first visit, even though you might want to visit more.
(Which is understandable. I have travel out at least one time per month and still have not seen all the places I want to. And probably not when I get back.)
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So much advice!! Lol. Thanks everyone so far for your contributions! I'm actually finding it quite hard to plan this trip.
I'll get the more utilitarian stuff out the way first :-)
*I'm an experienced back packer, but I've only done Asia (backpacking). So I have all the gear, like an awesome pack with detachable lighter backpack
*I'm a Kiwi and also have a UK passport. I think this may make some things cheaper for me (as I can claim to be a citizen of the EU I guess, so long as they don't ask for proof of address), but still researching how much actual benefit I will have from this...
*I work in a bank, so I get subsidized travel insurance, a no-transaction-fees ATM card & credit card (with PIN & chip, we only have these in NZ)- WAHOO for work perks!
*I've heard couchsurfing can be awesome but I've also heard of near-literal horror stories... especially as a woman, I'm a little nervous about this... any ladies about there have any thoughts about this? I am very capable of defending myself (hurrah for self-defence in NZ girls schools, a few boxing lessons and older brothers lol) if needed but don't really want to be in the position where I need to if I can avoid it...
*I'm not that fussed about flying versus trains so long as I'm not wasting a lot of time. Does sitting in an airport awaiting to clear customs count as wasting time? To me, it does. I hate these periods. At least with a train I'm still technically moving and I can watch the scenery right? And trains are faster than buses, plus I think more comfortable? (correct me if I am wrong about the comfort, I live in the South Island of NZ and our trains are only for tourists here, so I am NOT speaking from experience) But maybe I should get individual tickets rather than a rail pass...
*I LOVE the atmosphere of a hostel :-) I have never failed to make lots of friends while staying at a hostel, and I think that's a big part of the fun on an awesome trip like this!
*I used to speak fluent French and although rusty, I believe languages are like riding a bike... you never forget. Last time I was in a French-speaking country I was speaking reasonably OK after 2 days. So I hope that this will be a useful skill!
*Since a few people have mentioned it- I said Carcassonne because I spent 6 weeks every summer in the South of France when I was a teenager. It's an area filled with memories :-) But it was just an example, there are lots of towns/villages/areas I will visit but haven't mentioned because to most people they won't mean anything. The leg from Barcelona to Paris is one where I will take my time if I can.
What I want to do:
*I'm still young enough that I want to go out and 'party' and drink and bar-hop. But I'm old enough that I don't want to do it every night- or even every second!
* I love immersing myself in the local culture. So for me, this means sitting and having a glass of wine on a street corner and watching the world go by. It means walking around looking at the architecture and going to the markets and listening to everyday life. It means that if I am in a park and there's an aerobics or dance class or whatever going on, I join in.
*I love museums, castles, churches, art galleries and other places of historical note. I can't get enough of them. I was the child who you couldn't get to leave until they had done every interactive activity and read every plaque. I still am!
*I have a sense of adventure, so I like going off the beaten track, trying new activities and I'm not too scared to try anything adrenaline filled either...
So I need to incorporate a bit of all of the above in this trip!
Where to go
Awwwww this is the really hard bit- trimming the fat, as it were. I really want to fit them all in! Even this list cuts out HUGE chunks of where I want to go. But I know I may need to. Still looking at this, but if needed I will look to cut out the Eastern side as it is the logical step.
I still want to do the full itinerary but considering this:
Amsterdam, Brussels, fly to Naples, travel from there via train up to Rome, Cinque Terre, around the Cote d'Azure down to Barcelona, back up to Carcassonne, and then on up through France stopping off here and there. A couple days in Paris (I have been maybe 6 times so don't need a very long time there, perhaps just 2-3 full days), and then Eurostar to London and finish there instead of start? I looked into it and it would be cheaper for me to fly into Amsterdam too.
Thanks to the people as well who mentioned the main in seat 61...
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Out of curiosity, what do you intend to visit in Belgium? Personally I would just visit Bruges, maybe the Grand-Place of Brussels if you really want to see it.
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Out of curiosity, what do you intend to visit in Belgium? Personally I would just visit Bruges, maybe the Grand-Place of Brussels if you really want to see it.
Lot's to see in Belgium, certainly not just Bruges. I was there for 4 days three years ago and it wasn't enough...
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To original poster: you are very experienced traveler for such a young age. From your original post I think most of us got an impression that it will be your first time traveling around Europe...
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To original poster: you are very experienced traveler for such a young age. From your original post I think most of us got an impression that it will be your first time traveling around Europe...
Sorry I didn't mean to give a false impression at all- BUT it is my first time travelling Europe really. I know France well because I have family there and acted as an au pair for my niece & nephew in return for the free trip! This started when I was 14, and ended when I was 17 but then I also did a school trip
when I was 18. So I know the towns around where I was, but wasn't able to travel as I will now. I speak French from studying it in school & university, and it is something I used to speak with my mother before she died.
This is effectively my first Europe trip, which is why I have asked for advice. I know Asia very well but I feel that is very different to backpacking Europe
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Hi everyone, I'm looking at taking a trip for 6 weeks through Europe in late August/September. I know that's not the cheapest time but it's when my boss says I can go! I'll be travelling solo and I'm weighing up all the different ways of doing it. I'd really appreciate some advice from people who have done it before- obviously I want to do it as cheaply as possible but without missing out on experiences.
I'm thinking of flying into London as I have friends and family there, and then go from there. The places I want to visit (still flexible at this point but I think I have the highlights covered) are: Paris, Belgium, Amsterdam, Berlin, possibly Munich, Prague, Italy (Venice, Naples/Pompeii, Rome & Cinque Terre), Barcelona, and then back up through France stopping at heritage/cultural sights (such as Carcassone) along the way. I'll then fly out from Paris or London. So I'm basically trying to do a bit of a loop. I know I'll be missing some pretty awesome places but I will go again in a few years.
So- how should I do it? I looked into tours such as Contiki & Topdeck (I'm 25)- I haven't ruled them out but I suspect I could do it cheaper and also have more flexibility on my own. So then I looked into Busabout as well, but I don't want to waste huge amounts of time on a bus if I can avoid it. I looked into renting a car but it's hugely expensive for one person.
My instinct is to get a Eurrail pass, taking night trains when available. For the big trip between Prague & Italy I'd probably get a budget flight such as Ryanair.
For accommodation, I plan to stay in hostels. And I'll buy food at markets as much as possible for picnic lunches etc. But I probably won't skimp on passes to museums etc and if I get the chance to do something awesome like paragliding, I want to have the money available to do that.
Is this the best way to do it? Or should I do it a different way? And how much do you think I would need to cover everything? Thanks for your help in advance! :-)
Ive done this inumerous times.
Last time was this summer with my wife, for 6 weeks. We spent total about 1500 hundred dollars per person for 6 weeks including accomodation, food, travel, and so forth. And thats because we splurged a little bit in the end.
If you can, dont go the planned tours way. Its wayyy more expensive.
Since you're not European I assume, getting a Eurorail pass is really expensive as well, not worth it in my opinion since it can get way more expensive than just buying point to point tickets outright.
If you do a little planning, you can find great deals on train rides as little as 30 bucks from London to Paris for example.
In a lot of countries actually, such as Germany, Portugal, Spain, Austria you dont even need to buy the tickets too far ahead. If you buy them 2 days in advance you get 50% discount outright on the price. If you go towards the eastern side of europe, theres actually no need to buy them before hand since the tickets are fixed prices, and even if you buy a Eurorail you still have to pay the reservation fees and so on, which if you buy the ticket outright is already included.
For example my itinerary this summer was:
Lisbon --> Berlin --> Dresden --> Prague --> Krakow --> Budapest --> Vienna --> Bratislava --> Bled --> Ljubljana --> Hallstatt --> Innsbruck --> Zurich --> Basel --> Milhouse-ville --> Marseille --> Perpignan --> Barcelona --> Madrid --> Seville --> Algarve
Here's our map:
(https://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/l/t31.0-8/10572132_10154488208760074_3183697263948540967_o.jpg)
Download the app from D Bahn and it has ALL the train schedules of all europe pretty much!
Hostels will cost you from 10-17 dollars a night depending where you are... food is rather cheap especially if most of it is supermarket. We usually went out to dinner on a fancy restaraunt each city... then the rest we'd mostly cook ourselves and to other people in the hostel - a good way to make lots of friends :D
You cant buy an interrail pass since youre not european as someone else said. You can only buy eurorail and they are first class, and a total ripoff.
You dont need to book hostels that far ahead either. Usually, Id book a city in advance... so for example on my itinerary, during my trip to Dresden Id start looking and researching for Prague and so on. Leave the research part when you are traveling. 3-4-5-6-7-8-or even 10 hours in a train will give you plenty of time to research train schedules, and other info.
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"You dont need to book hostels that far ahead either. Usually, Id book a city in advance... so for example on my itinerary, during my trip to Dresden Id start looking and researching for Prague and so on. Leave the research part when you are traveling. 3-4-5-6-7-8-or even 10 hours in a train will give you plenty of time to research train schedules, and other info."
As a trip planner, I had difficulty "letting go" of pre arrangement, but last September I did an Octoberfest to Paris route. I only had a room in Munich and started talking to other travelers and some EU FB connects asking for recommendations. I found people along the way who said "oh you should go here, or here. In one restaurant I was talking to the bartender and a stranger chimed in, jumped in his smart phone and confirmed there was a bunch of reasonable hotels options within blocks of the train station in my next town. I ended up liking every place I went.
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"You dont need to book hostels that far ahead either. Usually, Id book a city in advance... so for example on my itinerary, during my trip to Dresden Id start looking and researching for Prague and so on. Leave the research part when you are traveling. 3-4-5-6-7-8-or even 10 hours in a train will give you plenty of time to research train schedules, and other info."
As a trip planner, I had difficulty "letting go" of pre arrangement, but last September I did an Octoberfest to Paris route. I only had a room in Munich and started talking to other travelers and some EU FB connects asking for recommendations. I found people along the way who said "oh you should go here, or here. In one restaurant I was talking to the bartender and a stranger chimed in, jumped in his smart phone and confirmed there was a bunch of reasonable hotels options within blocks of the train station in my next town. I ended up liking every place I went.
Yup that's why we wanted to keep flexible. For example in dresden we were going to stay only for two nights... We ended up staying four nights because the group in the hostel was amazing... We all had so much fun and we all stayed extra... Another was a guy told us about Halstatt so we went there. I like to be flexible and we didn't have a route planned per se... We had a general idea of direction but nothing too specific...
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Don't worry about time wasted in customs. I believe all those countries are part of the Schengen agreement, which means no customs or immigration. The most you'll do is pick the "nothing to declare" door when you exit. You'll do customs when you first enter the Schengen zone, but even that, IME, is far, far more efficient than I've ever experiences in the States and many other places.
But once you are in and just bouncing from Barcelona to France, for example, it is essentially like domestic travel.
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*I've heard couchsurfing can be awesome but I've also heard of near-literal horror stories... especially as a woman, I'm a little nervous about this... any ladies about there have any thoughts about this? I am very capable of defending myself (hurrah for self-defence in NZ girls schools, a few boxing lessons and older brothers lol) if needed but don't really want to be in the position where I need to if I can avoid it...
I'm one of the people who mentioned couchsurfing, and I'm a woman. I've never had anything horrible happen to me - stick with highly-rated hosts, preferably a group of people of mixed gender. Trust your instincts. Be sensible, and I think you'll be fine. There is truly no better way to experience a foreign country than through the eyes of a local. The worst that's ever happened to me was a last-minute cancellation, and you can book a hostel or find another host in those rare cases.
That said...
*I LOVE the atmosphere of a hostel :-) I have never failed to make lots of friends while staying at a hostel, and I think that's a big part of the fun on an awesome trip like this!
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*I'm still young enough that I want to go out and 'party' and drink and bar-hop. But I'm old enough that I don't want to do it every night- or even every second!
Hostels aren't a bad option either. I've had a lot of fun at hostels too and met some great people to spend time with.
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This sounds like a wonderful trip!. Following the post so I can learn from the many useful tips, and in hopes of a followup post on your trip.
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Out of curiosity, what do you intend to visit in Belgium? Personally I would just visit Bruges, maybe the Grand-Place of Brussels if you really want to see it.
Lot's to see in Belgium, certainly not just Bruges. I was there for 4 days three years ago and it wasn't enough...
I would agree. In fact, I would avoid Bruges. I have been all over Europe and lived in plenty of cities in Belgium, and Bruges definitely isn't on the top of my list. Just go off the beaten track and avoid provincial capitals cities like Bruges, Ghent or Antwerp. Same goes for The Netherlands. Places like Kortrijk, Oudenaarde, Mechelen, Tienen, Spa, Huy, Ath ... are so much more interesting and you avoid the typical tourist traps. Anyway, your trip is so long, and tries to cover so many places that you really need to sketch things out a bit more for us to give any solid advice :). Europe is very diverse with a rich history, so everyone town and city has something awesome to offer!
Just a few more words of advice: how about Ireland and Northern Ireland? Beautiful, sometimes cheap, and very different from England. How about flying from Paris to Dublin, move up to Belfast, and then fly to Manchester? or Glasgow? Easy enough to get from any of these cities to London whenever you want. Ow, and try to avoid Ryanair if you can use Aer Lingus. Might be a bit more expensive, but if you run into any problems you will be glad you went for Aer Lingus ... . It should also be cheaper than Eurostar. Finally, places like Slovenia, Poland, Iceland ... will take your breath away yet aren't on your itinerary, so think carefully what you want to get out of this trip. That being said, small places like Slovenia will make you pay through your nose to visit their castles, as it is one of the few sources of tourist income they have.
I will keep an eye on this topic, so just fire away if you have any specific questions. Especially Ireland/Belgium/south of The Netherlands/north of France are my speciality, but I know plenty of people all over Europe as well.
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I'm surprised as so many Moustachians only going to the stereotypical places in Europe.
If you want a good return from your money, go to Poland and east/south (Poland, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Macedonia, Hungary, Slovakia, etc.).
These countries will make your dollar go much farther (it's like choosing between two equally risky investment with estimates of 3% or 7% returns...) and they have the same pluses that all the more popular destinations have:
- People speak English in these countries too
- These countries are mostly in the EU (which equals security as an American citizen and no hassle when travelling there)
- Great history (you like WWI? Churches? Buildings from the 12th century? Castles? Art? It's all there too...)
- Less tourists (because everyone and their mother prefer to waste $$ in Paris and London and have no problem spending $16 for a $2 baguette)
So...bottom line, if you knew you could see/explore an equally rich culture but pay less for food and pay the same amount for lodging (but get a hostel in one and a hotel room in another)...why would you pay more?
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Yes! I've spent a lot of time in Hungary, and Budapest is a great city. Last time I was there I thought it was nicer than Paris, a lot changed in 5 years it is crazy!
My favorite destination so far was Bosnia. Lovely people, culture, and history. Mostar is an amazing town, and not far from the Croatian coast.
I honestly think that most Americans idea of Paris is from the days of Hemingway, turn of the 20th century. That Paris does not exist! There is a false romanticized idea of Paris. It would be like going to San Francisco with an idea of the beat generation or hippies, that time is OVER.
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I'm surprised as so many Moustachians only going to the stereotypical places in Europe.
If you want a good return from your money, go to Poland and east/south (Poland, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Macedonia, Hungary, Slovakia, etc.).
These countries will make your dollar go much farther (it's like choosing between two equally risky investment with estimates of 3% or 7% returns...) and they have the same pluses that all the more popular destinations have:
- People speak English in these countries too
- These countries are mostly in the EU (which equals security as an American citizen and no hassle when travelling there)
- Great history (you like WWI? Churches? Buildings from the 12th century? Castles? Art? It's all there too...)
- Less tourists (because everyone and their mother prefer to waste $$ in Paris and London and have no problem spending $16 for a $2 baguette)
So...bottom line, if you knew you could see/explore an equally rich culture but pay less for food and pay the same amount for lodging (but get a hostel in one and a hotel room in another)...why would you pay more?
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I see this advice from time to time, but if your dream is to see Rome and swim in Mediterranean Poland will be a poor substitute. Let's not kid ourselves, there is a lot more to see in Italy than in Bulgaria or Lithuania. Not that the latter are unworthy of a visit, but I wouldn't start there.
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Along with hostels, you could check out couchsurfing.com.
My housemate is planning to use this on a trip to Istanbul next month.
Re traveling light, here's a fun link to a couple who went 21 days in Europe with nothing but one change of clothes and a tiny purse:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2503328/Craziest-OkCupid-date-Couple-21-day-European-trip.html
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That sounds a bit like hipster "I shun anything other people like because it makes me look interesting". I'd wager I've seen more of Europe than most posters. And while I've been to some great smaller cities and towns (Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber comes to mind as one example) and enjoyed them tremendously, Venice and Rome were head and shoulders above. I didn't love some of the big-ticket cities (Paris, for example). But by and large, there is a reason the most famous cities are the most famous.
I'm heading to Slovenia next month. So again, I'm not opposed to the out of the way locations, nor am I immune to their charms. But I think it smacks of snobbery to judge people if they want to prioritize the cities they've grown up hearing about.
Also, given that millions of people live and work in Paris and London, it's ridiculous to say you can't get authentic Europe there. Perhaps if you are a shitty traveler who can't move beyond a guidebook that might be the case. But it's just as easy to seek out some out of the way pub in London, and to chat with the locals there, as it is to do so in Bulgaria. Just because it is London doesn't mean you have to spend all your time ogling Big Ben and touring the Tower. In fact, I've been there twice and never gone into the Tower. But I have wondered a wonderful market in Greenwich and eaten amazing local food there. And I have sat at a pub and chatted with the locals.
You prefer out of the way places. Cool. That's not inherently superior to someone who wants to see the Colosseum or the Parthenon or Buckingham Palace.
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^^ Well, that was a good scolding!
I was just browsing this thread and found it nice how a few of my favourite off the path places were mentioned. The big cities aren't usually as much fun because of the throngs of tourists. When you visit some off-the-beaten path place, you often get treated insanely well because people find you to be a very cool novelty. Some of my favourites are Manchester, Riga (Latvia), Inverness, Yorkshire, and Karlsruhe. I did enjoy Paris, but didn't do any of the tourist stuff at all, just hung out with friends in small neighbourhoods. I also enjoyed Venice but was very glad I booked my hotel on Murano Island. And I liked Santorini Island (over Athens any day of the week.) Last year I went to Latvia and Estonia. I wasn't too excited about Riga but once I got there I fell in love with the city!! And $2.50 a beer? :)
Anyway, I don't think it's snobbery (well, sometimes it is) but people often like to point out alternatives to what the mainstream knows about because they're often a lot more fun and people may not have heard of them. Errr... All Mustachians sort of go against the mainstream crowd's grain by definition, I guess?
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Are you implying that it is most American traveler's "dreams" to see these top cities? I would argue that they don't know their options so they automatically think of them. And to be honest, I feel that the dream is to see and explore what an authentic Europe is - you don't get that in tourist traps...
No idea about America dreams, as you might have noticed I'm not one. The thing with "tourist traps" is that most of the time they are not random. Yes, there are a lot of tourists Rome and Florence, but it's for a very good reason as there is a lot more to see there than in, for example, Kaunas or Varna. Plus those places are not Disney lands, there are plenty of local people (particularly in a large metropolis like Rome) who live completely normal "authentic" (whatever that means) lives.
If you mean that there is more to see in Italy because there is more land mass, then I agree, but I don't agree with the implication that the other countries have less to offer.
I have to admit here of having never been to Bulgaria, but I'm very familiar with Lithuania. Been there about ten times both for pleasure and business. About four days is a all you need to see the most memorable places there. After that you'll have to be a bit inventive. Yes, people are friendly, many speak English and it's cheaper than in the West but there are limitations too. It's like going to America for the first or second time and choosing Nebraska and Kansas.
Americans usually choose these "top cities" because most Americans haven't heard of the smaller countries. The lack of education on other cultures makes them want to go to traditional sites (Rome, Paris, London, Madrid, Berlin, Venice) that are, "let's not kid ourselves", not much more than tourist traps today.
I'll give you Venice, but it those other places are tourist traps then so is NYC and San Francisco.
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^^ Well, that was a good scolding!
I was just browsing this thread and found it nice how a few of my favourite off the path places were mentioned. The big cities aren't usually as much fun because of the throngs of tourists. When you visit some off-the-beaten path place, you often get treated insanely well because people find you to be a very cool novelty. Some of my favourites are Manchester, Riga (Latvia), Inverness, Yorkshire, and Karlsruhe. I did enjoy Paris, but didn't do any of the tourist stuff at all, just hung out with friends in small neighbourhoods. I also enjoyed Venice but was very glad I booked my hotel on Murano Island. And I liked Santorini Island (over Athens any day of the week.) Last year I went to Latvia and Estonia. I wasn't too excited about Riga but once I got there I fell in love with the city!! And $2.50 a beer? :)
Anyway, I don't think it's snobbery (well, sometimes it is) but people often like to point out alternatives to what the mainstream knows about because they're often a lot more fun and people may not have heard of them. Errr... All Mustachians sort of go against the mainstream crowd's grain by definition, I guess?
It's not snobbery to like and point out smaller places. But to boil many great cities down to "tourist traps" and suggest that a preference for the famous cities is based on lack of cultural education? That's when it become snobbery. And that's with what I took umbrage. "I didn't like Paris" or "Rome is too crowded for me" or "check out Herculaneum instead of Pompeii" is all just sharing of opinions, and exchanging ideas.
You are right, there are other great places, and perhaps more importantly, different people are going to love, like, or dislike different things. You like Paris, I didn't. I preferred Skye (Paradise!) and Oban/Mull to Inverness. Several here have cited Venice as the king of the tourist traps apparently. I found that simply going 3 streets over from the main drags and wandering got me to places that felt not at all touristy. And that was the very best part of Venice. Others clearly disagree. It takes all kinds. But those who adore London, even if that means Big Ben and the London Eye, aren't necessarily uneducated sheeple.
As I said, there are ways to do the big cities without succumbing to the tourist trap (through frankly, if someone wants to do the "trappy" things, after exploring alternatives, what's wrong with that?). There are ways to avoid crowds--carefully choosing options and traveling off-season chief among them, as well as careful research.
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That sounds a bit like hipster "I shun anything other people like because it makes me look interesting". I'd wager I've seen more of Europe than most posters. And while I've been to some great smaller cities and towns (Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber comes to mind as one example) and enjoyed them tremendously, Venice and Rome were head and shoulders above. I didn't love some of the big-ticket cities (Paris, for example). But by and large, there is a reason the most famous cities are the most famous.
I'm heading to Slovenia next month. So again, I'm not opposed to the out of the way locations, nor am I immune to their charms. But I think it smacks of snobbery to judge people if they want to prioritize the cities they've grown up hearing about.
Also, given that millions of people live and work in Paris and London, it's ridiculous to say you can't get authentic Europe there. Perhaps if you are a shitty traveler who can't move beyond a guidebook that might be the case. But it's just as easy to seek out some out of the way pub in London, and to chat with the locals there, as it is to do so in Bulgaria. Just because it is London doesn't mean you have to spend all your time ogling Big Ben and touring the Tower. In fact, I've been there twice and never gone into the Tower. But I have wondered a wonderful market in Greenwich and eaten amazing local food there. And I have sat at a pub and chatted with the locals.
You prefer out of the way places. Cool. That's not inherently superior to someone who wants to see the Colosseum or the Parthenon or Buckingham Palace.
Slovenia is a nice country, be sure to check out Lake Bled and the Julian Alps!
BTW if you were so well traveled you would know the the term "hipster" has very little meaning nowadays and can usually be replaced by "yuppie".
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I'd wager I've seen more of Europe than most posters.
If snobbery has a smell what is it?
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That sounds a bit like hipster "I shun anything other people like because it makes me look interesting". I'd wager I've seen more of Europe than most posters. And while I've been to some great smaller cities and towns (Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber comes to mind as one example) and enjoyed them tremendously, Venice and Rome were head and shoulders above. I didn't love some of the big-ticket cities (Paris, for example). But by and large, there is a reason the most famous cities are the most famous.
I'm heading to Slovenia next month. So again, I'm not opposed to the out of the way locations, nor am I immune to their charms. But I think it smacks of snobbery to judge people if they want to prioritize the cities they've grown up hearing about.
Also, given that millions of people live and work in Paris and London, it's ridiculous to say you can't get authentic Europe there. Perhaps if you are a shitty traveler who can't move beyond a guidebook that might be the case. But it's just as easy to seek out some out of the way pub in London, and to chat with the locals there, as it is to do so in Bulgaria. Just because it is London doesn't mean you have to spend all your time ogling Big Ben and touring the Tower. In fact, I've been there twice and never gone into the Tower. But I have wondered a wonderful market in Greenwich and eaten amazing local food there. And I have sat at a pub and chatted with the locals.
You prefer out of the way places. Cool. That's not inherently superior to someone who wants to see the Colosseum or the Parthenon or Buckingham Palace.
Slovenia is a nice country, be sure to check out Lake Bled and the Julian Alps!
BTW if you were so well traveled you would know the the term "hipster" has very little meaning nowadays and can usually be replaced by "yuppie".
Lake Bled is our primary destination!
I'm not sure what being well-traveled has to do with that terminology, but I'll take your word for it.
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For the debate about 'off the beaten tourist trap/track' in Eastern Europe: I agree these are most definitely undervalued places- and I fully intend to travel them. But time constraints meant that I need to prioritise a few select places on this trip. I'm young, I'll go again in the future!
Why have I chosen the places that I have for this trip? Because I CAN. These are places I grew up hearing about. There are photos of me in many of these places when I was a very small girl (I can't remember the trips). As a history and classics buff they are places I have read about countless times. I dated an Italian for years- so naturally talked about Italy with him. I have friends and relatives in London, Paris, South of France, Berlin & in Scandanavia (which you will note I have also missed out since I had to prioritise).
I don't think you should judge people for choosing 'tourist traps'- in many of them I have no intention of doing anything particularly touristy. And even if I was- this is my trip. And many others will look at similar trips to my choices. We all have different reasons for wanting to go somewhere.
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When I visit the big tourist locations, I typically just walk a half mile or more away from those areas and find myself in a more culturally authentic location every time it seems. Someone else mentioned that above, and it's very accurate. Within some areas of Barcelona, you can walk just a few blocks from the expensive restaurants and find yourself in residential areas that have 2-3x less costly items.
Once you're done with this trip, definitely go to Eastern Europe as you stated. That's where I'm headed in 4 days... we'll be travelling all over Romania for extremely cheap, followed by a few days in Budapest and London. I'll make sure to find a cheap beer in the latter places for all the haters. :P
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I really enjoyed my road trip through Romania, beautiful country. It was helpful to have a rental car.
Do take the roaming bands of kids begging for change seriously! They will crowd around you pulling at your pants/pockets with their sad faces. A group of 4 of us were surrounded and when we didn't give them anything they kicked my wife and ran off!
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The #1 thing you can do to make your trip WAY FUNNER: learn at least a few phrases in French, Italian, and maybe German.
If you can say "excuse me, do you speak English?, please, thank you, where is . . .?, I am from . . ., how much, I'd like that one . . ."
YOU WILL BE REWARDED.
Many, many Europeans speak English. They're multilingual people. Their expectation is that North American are unilingual.
The slightest effort to speak the local language will pay off big time. Even if people revert to speaking English instantly, they will note your politeness. They're so jaded by tourists who just start speaking English as if it were the world's only language.
Italians will love you the most. French people will shrug, but will be secretly happy.
Also, learn to count in a couple of languages! It helps. It's fun, and you can do it for free via your library.
Finally--small businesses in Europe are very personal. Greet the people, say "bonjour" before you start your business, and when you leave, say "merci, au revoir." That's the way they do it. It's still more formal over there.
Also: +1 to reducing the number of cities on the list!
Remember that a major city, which is new to you, and has an unfamiliar language/transit system/culture, will take some getting used to. I always plan to have a crap day on the first day in a new city. Doesn't always happen, but it's easy to get lost, fail to find the good local restaurants, feel ripped off, get exhausted . . .. You need time to get your feet under you. So plan for that. 3-4 nights per city seems like a minimum, to me anyway. Maybe I'm slow . . ..
Leave at least 20% of your itinerary unplanned. You meet people, they suggest stuff. That's how you find the cool places. Leave space for that.
Travel much, much lighter than you think possible. Be scared by how little stuff you have! Every single thing you need, you can buy once you're there. But you don't need it. (If you pack for one week, you're done--there's this thing called "laundry . . ..")
Above all, keep an open mind. Stay relaxed. Go with whatever comes up.
Have a great time.
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I backpacked Europe for 2 months and I found the cheapest way to travel was getting a bus pass from Eurolines.com. You try to travel using the overnight buses so you don't waste travel time and you save on a night's hotel.
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+1 on the above...
I did the 2+ month European "grand tour" several years ago... SEVERAL years. But I learned travel lessons I still use today.
* Travelled solo, but was never alone - always found fellow travelers / friends at all stops.
* Eurail Youth Pass - 35% cheaper than adult, good for unlimited 2nd-class train travel.
* Sleep on the train - pick cities with 6 hour overnight trips between.
* Use a good travel guide - back in the day, it was "Lets Go Europe" (written by Harvard student travelers)
* When in a new city arrange 3 things as early in the day as possible:
-Sleeping arrangements for the night (might include a train trip), backpack storage for the day, & meals (in that order)
* Spend your days with your eyes UP - look at the people and things around you (not your phone)
* Spend your nights with your eyes DOWN - read up on the next day's destination(s), social networks, email etc.
* Set up time to visit friends in destination countries - if you're in Mensa, or other organizations, find other members who open their homes to travelers, and make new connections.
* Have FUN! Don't spend all your time in museums - you'll burn out quickly.