Help me prepare for a month backpacking in Europe

A good option if you can fit it it your budget is a kindle. The 3G version lets you download books pretty much anyway, and it means you can have as many travel books and fiction as you can afford to download. You can also get on the internet with it for free in most of Europe. Barring that, buy the travel books on the kindle app on your iphone, but beware the cost of roaming data.

The best hostels I've stayed in have not been Hostelling International. Yeah, for sure, as I said - recommendations from friends or guidebooks are best. But if there aren't any, you tend to know what you're getting with an HI hostel, and you can easily get info and book online.

I should mention that I took a three-month tour through Europe without ever booking once at an HI hostel. There really are a lot of options out there. Read reviews to find out what's best.

Re: accommodations, I found that the best combination of planning vs freedom to do as you please, compile a list of accommodations in your price range (I found the rick steves recommendations for europe was the best) and rather than making reservations, when you decide to head to a given city, just call the places on your list and see who's got room.

Some people don't like the shamwow feel of most travel towels. If this may be in an issue for you, shop around for one that has a terry feel to it. Hostels - The best hostels I stayed in where based on recommendations from other backpackers, which ones had good breakfast, etc. This was possible, because I didn't always book ahead more than a couple days. I would just use a payphone and book a room.

Totally agree with the Kindle. I'm not sure I'd buy one just for the trip, but if you have one already (or were thinking about buying an eBook reader), they're definitely great to have. I liked mine a lot as a strategy for getting my nose out of the guidebook - I was a little concerned about flaunting electronics around the streets of Cuzco, so I'd usually open the guidebook in my kindle at breakfast, make notes about where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do, and then put the kindle away and play it by ear from there.

I've always used hostelworld.com, and then googled the hostel to see what everyone else is saying about it. They are reliable in terms of your booking getting through to the actual hostel, though. Lonely Planet is awesome, but their maps are more like general guides. I'd take everything in the map section with a grain of salt. Have fun!

something to stopper a sink with Unless you are averse to wearing socks, you are already good to go on this. I have never understood Rick Steve's obsession with sink stoppers. Maybe he doesn't wear socks. Or underwear, for that matter - a pair of briefs will stop up a sink if you've already washed all your socks.

I haven't backpacked around Europe (yet!), though it's something I've half-way planned on and off for a few years now. And I have backpacked some other places. Some answers to your questions: - hostelworld.com for your hostel finding needs. - I would not buy a phone (or unlock/get a sim for your iphone) for a month's travels. Unless you will need to be in constant verbal contact with your friends in Paris. I've spent months backpacking through far less developed countries without a phone, and it's not been a problem. - re travel gadgets: remember that you will largely be traveling through highly developed countries, and mostly in the city. I would bring a corkscrew before I brought a multitool. I have found that many hostels provide towels, so you may not need a travel towel. Maybe do research on hostelworld to see what they provide? I've not used a sleep sack, either, but I get a sense that it's the done thing in European hostels. - a Lonely Planet or Rick Steve's Europe On A Shoestring (or whatever they're calling themselves these days) might help, but honestly I find those books to be way too heavy, weight-wise, and way too light on the details unless you only want to visit the most popular places and do the most touristy things. If I were you, traveling to France (where you have friends), Italy (which is a fairly well-touristed country), and Hungary, I'd buy a guidebook to Hungary and play the rest by ear. You can always pick up a Lonely Planet on the road if you're confused or bored or whatever.