Anyone ever backpacked through Europe? [Archive] - Beyond.ca - Car Forums

handsomebassman

02-28-2006, 02:09 PM

Originally posted by Grip172
dude its so awesome
i did it..i went when i was 18 with 4 buddies..we did nnot make an itinerary..we just packed our bags up and left. we landed in amsterdam because it was the cheapest
we went to greece, italy, france, switzerland, luxemboug etc etc for almost 2 months

if you go to those countries, check out a EURORAIL pass, it lets you pay a certain amount and you have unlimited travel using certain trains. and you get a deal on the fairy ..so much fun...ask away and best of luck

wow dude, that actually sounds really fun! What were your estimated costs for the whole trip?

Im not backpacking to europe, but im travelling there for a vacation for two weeks at the end of march. But im sure ill want to return, and Grip172's trip sounds like tons of fun.

nonlinear

02-28-2006, 04:33 PM

yea i went last year. actually i went to a conference for work and then backpacked around by myself. it was awesome. i would suggest going with someone else, because you will get into a lot of scary/dangerous/sketchy situations (you'll see what i mean), and you can't speak the language, so it's easier if you're with someone. But on the other hand it's neat to have to confront those things by yourself.

I don't know where you're going, I was in central and eastern europe (mostly). If you consider getting a eurail pass, check the website first and make sure it's valid for the countries you want to visit. Also, they have different passes for different lengths of time and different number of countries, etc. It can get pretty complicated.

Also, I would suggest not planning ANYTHING and just going places as it happens, becuase things change, you get behind, you meet people who are going cool places and you want to travel with them, etc.

I didn't buy a eurail pass, I would just go to train stations or airports (yea u can fly for like $60 euros return in many countries, look at e.g. ryanair) and get my ticket the day of. you can get train tickets for really cheap and I think thats better than the eurail cause you can go where you want and not have to worry about time schedules.

have fun :thumbsup:

Shaolin

02-28-2006, 06:15 PM

my buddy did it last year.. I think he spent about 6 grand and went for the whole month with 12 other friends.

kaput

02-28-2006, 07:38 PM

Shaolin

02-28-2006, 08:03 PM

I think lonely planet books might give out info for accomodations..

civic_stylez

02-28-2006, 08:19 PM

i did it over this past xmas and new years... was one of the greatest things ive done... barcelona, rome, london, frankfurt were some places i will never forget... my only advise is to be prepared to live with sleep deprevation... i slept in train stations, bus depots, airports, cabs, buses and some freaky ass hostels... it all adds to the trip though...even with language barriers, talking with the locals in small towns along the way was the best part.. they know where the best food and dining is that the travel handbooks do not.. little tiny pubs and family run restaurants are some of the greatest eating you will ever experience. and the one thing you wont be able to miss, european women are friggin hot..!!!!:poosie: :thumbsup:

ProjectR

02-28-2006, 08:47 PM

Originally posted by Grip172
dude its so awesome
i did it..i went when i was 18 with 4 buddies..we did nnot make an itinerary..we just packed our bags up and left. we landed in amsterdam because it was the cheapest
we went to greece, italy, france, switzerland, luxemboug etc etc for almost 2 months

if you go to those countries, check out a EURORAIL pass, it lets you pay a certain amount and you have unlimited travel using certain trains. and you get a deal on the fairy ..so much fun...ask away and best of luck

how much did you spend in that 2 months including airfare, food, accomodations, etc?

eblend

02-28-2006, 09:01 PM

Originally posted by civic_stylez
european women are friggin hot..!!!!:poosie: :thumbsup:

if you don't mind chicks that smoke every breath they take haha
I spend 1 month in europe over this chistmas/new years and I don't remember seeing any girls not smoking haha

I spend a month and all travel and hostels + flight to london from canada came out to about $2500 thats barely eating anything more expensive the 10 dollars a day, and shit food in most of europe is expensive!

Lexxan

02-28-2006, 09:05 PM

do NOT get the euro rail pass.. it's a fuckin rip off.
www.easyjet.com flights from 10 euros

Shaolin

02-28-2006, 09:12 PM

when I was in Italy I was quite disappointed by the women there.. the female tourists were hotter than the Italian women.

wildrice

02-28-2006, 09:14 PM

just don't stay at a hostel.;)

likwid

02-28-2006, 09:20 PM

I stayed in quite a few hostels, and eventhough some are real shit holes, there were some great ones. A couple places I HIGHLY recommend going is Prague, Czech and Vienna, Austria. You wont regret it.

pints

02-28-2006, 11:48 PM

Backpacking is sweet! It's really easy to do it by yourself, and you meet tons of people in the hostels. Plus it's easier to get to do and see what you want. The only dump of a hostel I remember staying in was in London, but most of them are fairly well kept. Plus some of the one's outside the large cities are really nice. I think they've got a few in the UK that are converted castles. Venture outside the cities to get some variety and to save some money. One of the best places I went was some town with like 100 people but they had about 20 pubs on the one and only street in town.
Definetly look into flying vs trains/buses. It'll save you alot of time and maybe a bit of money as well. (Ryanair/easyjet/BA) If you've got a student ID card you can get quite a few discounts to attractions and sometimes on transport. Load up at breakfast at the hostels(which is included in the price) and have a late lunch to save some money on food costs. If you're eating out get out of the main tourist areas and it'll be quite a bit cheaper and most likely a lot tastier as well. I found alcohol to be either stupidly cheap or really expensive on nights out, too save some get alcohol at the liquor store/off license/supermarkets and have a few at the hostel before heading out.
Belfast, Northern Ireland is really worth going to. I went in the summer and had a blast there.

elementone

03-01-2006, 01:20 AM

how much money did u guys spend?

/////AMG

03-01-2006, 03:12 AM

Originally posted by Lexxan
do NOT get the euro rail pass.. it's a fuckin rip off.
www.easyjet.com flights from 10 euros

Also if you're one of the unlucky ones, youâ€™ll regret going with easyJet. Thereâ€™s a TV show in the UK dedicated to easyJet and their problems. But if it's cheap, it's worth a try. Just make sure your not late or miss your flight because they usually don't refund you.

But most of you guys will probably ask for a ticket when your at the airport.

www.bmibaby.com is supposed to be good too.
www.ryanair.com is probably the best since you guys won't have much luggage. But they do add stupid wheelchair fees and all that. But you can get flights for 25p (probably around £25 with taxes and everything or cheaper).

Grip172

03-01-2006, 09:56 AM

ok for MYSELF, i spent around $7-7500 CAN, including airfare from Calgary to Amsterdam and back.
I would highly recommend Paris. I had to spent 4 days there by myself because I left the trip early because I ran out of money, my remaining friends also went to Spain and Portugal but they said I didn't miss much.

I am fortunate to have family in Switzerland so I got to see my Uncle and Aunt as well as my Grandma and little nephew.

One of my buddies had a brother who was living in Switzerland and as an artist. ONe of his projects was to build a large artistic fountain out of a huge ass tree in the middle of a village in nowhere. if i had time, i'd scan a picture becuase its AMAZING where we stayed. so we ended up getting to say in a small little cabin, on the side of a mountain. from this mountain we got to see tons of wildlife and we did SO much hiking and we got to help witht he project and cook over fires and all that good stuff for 4 days.

When we weren't able to stay in hostels, (keep in mind, ALOT of hostels book up quickly so you actually have to make reservations...which we didn't know!) we had to stay in hotels and these sometimes became pricey.

For food, we did alot of our own "cooking". One of us would buy cheese, one would buy a loaf of bread, one would buy meat, etc etc and we'd make TONS of sandwiches haha. We did that very often to save money.

The women in Europe are amazing. When we were in Nice, France (another nice place i recommend, you can stay 2 mins from teh beach and its gorgeous with incredible views and a nice hike!), all the moms pushing baby strollers were absolutely stunning. The women in europe take such better care of themselves compared to the women of north america.

I alsohighly recommend Switzerland, this country is an expensive one in europe and its very very clean and beauitful and green.

We also managed to take a fairy from Greece to Italy (i think) [or france to italy i can't remember]... anyways, they let backpackers just sleep on the deck instead of dishing out an arm and a leg for a room. WE met up with this really hot chick from San Diego and exchanged stories with her and her friends. WE also hung out with the for quite awhile and travelled to a few of the same cities. We met alot of other backpackers, you end up exchanging stories and such.

I actually ran into someone from my hometown on the trip, they were vacationing with their parents and i think that was in Greece.

well i gotta go to school but i hope that helped you a bit

its so fun..go with 4-5 buddies max..i would probably go with 3 other buddies just for sleeping and travelling arrangements.!!

TrevorK

03-01-2006, 10:00 AM

Originally posted by civic_stylez
my only advise is to be prepared to live with sleep deprevation... i slept in train stations, bus depots, airports, cabs, buses and some freaky ass hostels... it all adds to the trip though...

What about your backpack/stuff? When you fell asleep in those places weren't you worried about someone taking it?

Or did you lock it up in a locker before falling asleep or ... ?

likwid

03-01-2006, 10:11 AM

nonlinear

03-01-2006, 11:55 AM

Originally posted by kaput
Where do you sleep when you dont know where you are or where your going?

yea, during the summer when everyone is travelling hostels are usually booked. but in most cities, at the train station when you get into town there are usually people walking around, who either have flats or rooms in their house for rent. This is what I usually did, because it's easier than trekking all over a new unfamiliar city, it's cheaper, and it lets you meet some people native to the city who can tell you about local custions, where to get the best beer, cheap food, etc.

the first few times you do it, it seems kinda sketchy, but you can usually tell based on how a person is dressed and acts whether they're trustworthy or not. I've never been ripped off or anything doing it this way (and i've been rippexd off with internet flat reservations), and most of the peiople who do this are pretty cool and like meeting travelers.

pints

03-01-2006, 05:10 PM

What about your backpack/stuff? When you fell asleep in those places weren't you worried about someone taking it?
Get a cable lock, you can thread the lock through the zippers of your bag and lock the bag itself to the bed. If you have very expensive things/important documents theres sometimes lockers underneath the beds, so bring your own combination lock. Also a few have small safes by reception that you can lock things into. Most people at the hostels are pretty cool and I've never had anything stolen.
For getting accomodations it's definetly easier to find if your in a group of three or less(if you wanted to al stay in the same place). I would check up on the internet and guidebooks to see if there were any festivals going on while your in a place. In August there's all the festivals going on in Edinburgh and we had a hard time finding beds in hostels.
For two months you should definetly be fine for having around $7000 including flights.

nonlinear

03-01-2006, 06:12 PM

^^keep in mind that a lot of bums/criminals live in hostels, and there is a a lot of theft. I've stayed in several places where people got their stuff stolen, but usually because they were being dumb and not locking things up or leaving things laying on their beds. just be concientious, lock things up, don't leave valuables in your locker where people can see them, etc. put your camera and whatever other small valuables in your daypack and take with you.

I travelled throughout europe with a laptop (heh yea, for real) and never had any problems.

civic_stylez

03-01-2006, 07:54 PM

Originally posted by TrevorK

What about your backpack/stuff? When you fell asleep in those places weren't you worried about someone taking it?

Or did you lock it up in a locker before falling asleep or ... ?

actually i used the damn backpack as a pillow or propped it under my chin and slept.. i just put the backpack on backwards and slept on it...if you pack it correctly it works pretty well.

eblend

03-01-2006, 09:05 PM

like someone mentioned, switzerland is a very cool place to visit, we stayed in Baden where my friend is on an intership job with ABB, but we also went to zermatt, damn switzerland is beautiful, and did i mention clean! after going to italy comign to switzerland is like being born again haha

Grip172

03-01-2006, 11:08 PM

yes switzerland is sooo clean

Majestic12

03-02-2006, 02:37 PM

I have only bad memories of switzerland, because my backpack got stolen and I lost everything :(

I was only halfway through my trip too, so when I flew back into Calgary, I looked like a refugee, with my tiny replacement backpack packed full, and a couple of plastic safeway bags full of stuff.

TrevorK

03-03-2006, 09:33 AM

Originally posted by nonlinear

yea, during the summer when everyone is travelling hostels are usually booked. but in most cities, at the train station when you get into town there are usually people walking around, who either have flats or rooms in their house for rent. This is what I usually did, because it's easier than trekking all over a new unfamiliar city, it's cheaper, and it lets you meet some people native to the city who can tell you about local custions, where to get the best beer, cheap food, etc.

the first few times you do it, it seems kinda sketchy, but you can usually tell based on how a person is dressed and acts whether they're trustworthy or not. I've never been ripped off or anything doing it this way (and i've been rippexd off with internet flat reservations), and most of the peiople who do this are pretty cool and like meeting travelers.

sounds like something out of http://www.mikesapartment.com (NWS)

ProjectR

03-03-2006, 10:27 AM

$7000 is wayyy more expensive than i thought it would be haha. so i'm estimating abount $2200-$2500 for just the plane ticket?

nonlinear

03-03-2006, 10:38 AM

dude $7000 is a crazy overestimate. You can get a ticket for $1200 MAX to london or so (and check travel cuts you can often get flights to europe for like $800 I think). Once you're in europe, flights and/or trains are super cheap. If you stay in hostels or rented flats rather than hotels, and if you cook your own food, you can go for really cheap.

Last time I was there I stayed at a hotel in vienna for 2 weeks and then rented flats (arouind 60 euros/night in historic city centres in smaller less touristy cities), and was eating out at fancuy restaurants with several courses and a bottle of wine. I think the whole trip cost me around $2000-$2500.

I don't know where these guys get $7000. maybe if you hire a limosuine to drive you country to couyntry and personal assistants to carry your bags and wipe ur ass.

EDIT: Plus, if you are really adventerous... once you get to europe, if you run out of money, it's usually pretty easy to get some work for a few days doing labour or picking vegetables or some crap like that, and they pay you cash. Talk to the expats running the hostels - they usually know places around town where you can get work for cash, or you can maybe do work for the hostel in excahnge for a bed. You really don't need a lot of money. be a bum - that's what backpacking is all about, and IMO it's the only way to travel.

ProjectR

03-03-2006, 01:29 PM

^^ thanks dude....but keeping in mind that I plan to travel for 2 months

nonlinear

03-03-2006, 01:55 PM

yea, really the most expensive part is the flight. I mean if you have $3498723487234 dollars then live it up, but if you're on a budget you can get by on bread/cheese (you can buy bulk cheese and it keeps OK for a few days without refridgeration, really) for food, and staying at cheap ass hostels or rent people's rooms.

I was in eurpoe for about 1.5 months and it was about $2000-$2500 for me,

doanashk

03-03-2006, 02:06 PM

I lived in the UK for almost a year. I was originally planning to go for 3 months but ended up staying. Initially I got a working visa for the three months I had intended, (the visa's last for two years and are easy to get so if you would want to go back or try living there it's a good idea) You can get them from travel agents or just go to the Harry Hays building to apply.

I went with $1000.00 in my bank, after the initial flight over. When I got there I worked at a Hotel in Bath that provided free accomodation. I worked for a month then took 3 weeks off and traveled around. If you are on a budget I would definitely recommend hostels, where ever you go in Europe. But you have to be careful in chossing what hostels you stay at. I would DEFINITELY recommend buying "The Lonely Planet" series of travel guides, they have a guide for every country, and a combination one of Western Europe. I lived off that thing. It tells you everything you need to know like currency, language, tourist spots, hostels, hotels, food, jobs, what to be careful of, must do's etc etc.

Best thing I ever did! It can get lonely if you are by yourself but if you have the right personality you can meet TONS of cool people, I still keep in touch with some.

My Must do's: - Tuscany ( go see everything you can here it's amazing)
- STAY AWAY from seedy London - the parts of town that the guides warn you about - I didn't like London very much at all, it can be really dangerous

- Paris and Rome - just do it

Good luck and HAVE FUN!!

Grip172

03-03-2006, 05:59 PM

paris and rome for sure

ok my price was including flights there and back..food, eurorail pass etc etc

nonlinear

03-03-2006, 06:02 PM

still, $7000 is crazy high... more like $3000 MAX

Grip172

03-03-2006, 10:37 PM

Originally posted by nonlinear
still, $7000 is crazy high... more like $3000 MAX

ok

you guys asked what i spent..and i told you...so take it or leave it..that's what i spent after it was all said and done

or at least that's wat i think i spent....

ProjectR

03-06-2006, 04:08 PM

^^ no i understand...thanks for the advice grip

dance4life

03-06-2006, 05:04 PM

I backbacked solo for 4 months 5 or 6 years ago and had the time of my life. I'd have liked to go with friends cause it would have been cool to share some of the expierence. on the other hand i could do whatever i wanted whenever i wanted.

yep eurorail pass is your best bet. sometime i never got my ticket stamped so i jsut used it over and over. I had 10 stops in 5 countries and i got at least 15 out of it. Night trains are great if you want to sleep to yoru next destination.

dont be afraid to look for cheap flights once your there. I have found flights from London to Spain, Italy, France for under 50 euros return. Keep that option open.

Go to Ibiza. Its crazy. If your young and into clubbing, hot chicks the beach, etc, etc its paradise. Very expensive though. And its easy to get carried away. A good place to end the holiday and blow whateve money you have left. If you go there first you could end up blowing all your cash right away.. seriously. I didnt want to leave. FYI: best time to go though is between May and September. at least that is when all the clubs are open.. like i said if your into that.

Big cities are expensive too. Although not as expensive as london. I'd also recomment getting out into the country and not spending all yoru time in the cities. The people are much friendlier and the culture is more authentic. Its alot cheaper too and not so many tourists depending on when u go.

Two cities i'd definitely visit are Barcelona and Amsterdam which i knwo your flying into already. Both really fun cities.

Have fun!!

dance4life

03-06-2006, 05:13 PM

btw i'd take at least $1000 dollars for each month you plan on traveling. Thats what i took and thats what i spent. I never bought any souvenir or any of that sorta crap. it just takes up space and costs money. take a camera and take pics. Pack light. go in the summer and u hardly need any clothes. Food can be expensive and it can be cheap. Most of the time i bought my own shit in the store and cooked it at the hostel which saved me ALOT of money. Once a week i would splurge and have a real meal out somewhere cause the food can be amazing.. especially in Italy and France. Remember that Spain and Italy have siestas and everything closes from like 2 till 5 or so.

Wes

03-06-2006, 05:15 PM

For info:

I backpacked for 7 months alone and it cost me about 20k. But thats because I took in pretty much every country I could. I was lucky enough to be working in Switzerland at the time and thus was able to pass by my flat on certain trips. Most of your money will be spent on airline ticket there and then the Rail Passes followed by shelter then food. Depending on how much of a back packer and how cheap you wish to travel, you could sleep on the train as its taking you to another city. Helps save on hostel fees. The average hostel will cost you about 15-20 a night. Its hard to tell you which countries to see as every traveller is into different things (clubs, sights, history, big/small cities etc etc).

A sneaky way to save on Eurorail passes is to travel on dates where you can modify it on the ticket. Most times you enter in the date you are traveling and your rail pass will be good for that day. Ie 03/03/06. So, depending if the process has changed as it was a couple of years ago for me, you would be able to transpose the 3rd of march to be the 8th of march and travel again on that day. The best I found was a 1 into a 4 and into an 8 if you're really good. (Insert disclaimer here)

Don't plan anything but have certain ideas/guidelines/wishes, impulse is the best way to travel. As you will be meeting fellow travellers with similar likes.

Get a student id card as it helps with discounts from museums to hostels.

If traveling in summer, yes, book hostels in advance as they do fill up fast.

If you are concerned with cost, then I would recommend Eastern Europe instead of Western. Slovakia is a ton cheaper than Germany yet the beer and women are just as fine.

If you don't speak the language at least attempt it. Locals are a friendlier if you don't start asking them directions in English.

Above all, use common sense. Good luck with your travels.

dance4life

03-06-2006, 05:26 PM

Originally posted by eblend
like someone mentioned, switzerland is a very cool place to visit, we stayed in Baden where my friend is on an intership job with ABB, but we also went to zermatt, damn switzerland is beautiful, and did i mention clean! after going to italy comign to switzerland is like being born again haha

yep switzerland is worth visiting for sure. I took the train from Milan to Luzern and what a fucking beautiful journey. The engineering that went into that piece of track is incredible. I stayed at the base of the Eiger and climbed arouind in the mountains for 4 days. Cool place.

ProjectR

03-07-2006, 10:19 AM

Thanks for the tips dance4life and wes...i'll keep that in mind when i decide to go. I'm soooo excited i want to leave now haha.

dcshoes

03-09-2006, 05:39 PM

Originally posted by Lexxan
do NOT get the euro rail pass.. it's a fuckin rip off.
www.easyjet.com flights from 10 euros

What are you stupid? Rail has got to be the easiest and most convienient way to get around europe. not to mention if you are going from place to place once or twice a week you will save hella $$$.

I would not be caught dead fucking around with those sketchy charters not to mention airports are a huge pain in the ass.

Anyway if you are going to go I recommend staying in old east berlin for atleast a week, and then checking out the beer tour munich or mikes bike tour there... it was totally the shit.

dcshoes

03-09-2006, 05:42 PM

Also my advise -- summer is super hectic busy for hostels in europe so try to come up with an itenerary and book as far ahead as you can. if your going to be late just call them and let them know and its all good.

I saw a lot of tired ppl at different hostels trying to get a room when shit was all booked this summer.

nonlinear

03-09-2006, 05:42 PM

eurail is a major rip off

airlines are good fast and cheap. but if you want rail it's still better to just buy the tickets as you go.

you will waste money buying eurail

dcshoes

03-09-2006, 05:46 PM

I saved at least $200 in two months on a 5 country pass this summer.

on the DBahn tickets it would still tell you how much the ticket would cost if you had bought it from the desk. it adds up. esp in expensive places like germany.

nonlinear

03-09-2006, 05:51 PM

if u get a eurail you're making a commitment to travel for certain length of time in a certain place. chances are you are going to change your plans somewhere along the way, or if not you're going to feel like you missed awesome opportunities cause you prepaid for some stupid pass. i would jst go ticket by ticket, has ALWAYS been cheaper for me. and everytime i've prebooked trains or flights i've missed some segment of it and ended losing money

dcshoes

03-09-2006, 06:00 PM

I got a flex pass so say you wanted to be in europe for 3 months, you would buy X days of travel on the train that dont have to be consecutive.

So you acctually dont have to base your travel around your transportation...

Like 14 days in 3 months. Plus you pay in CAD$, and if you can find a sale (like I did at travel cuts) its even cheaper.

Anyways if you used it and didnt like It im sorry to hear that.

It worked great for me. Definately recommend it.

pints

03-09-2006, 09:38 PM

Flying between your large base points can be alot more conveinient. The local transport systems are really frequent and cheap for the most part. I tend to usually fly between large cities and then catch buses to get to other towns and cities within the country. Most of the distances aren't too long within the countries themselves, if you wanted to you could also look into getting night time buses or trains to get between destinations which saves you a night of accommodation. I did the Dublin-London night bus a few times which is about 11 hours in total and about 40 euros.
If you're still in the planning phases www.lonelyplanet.com is really helpful, they've got a forum for each of the continents as well as other travel concerns that you might have.