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What do I need for backpacking around Europe?

Backpacking around Europe, need help from experienced people please?

  • After years of hard thinking and a lot of suffering, I recently discovered who I am and what I want out of life. For now, I want to know the world, and the cheapest way of doing so is backpacking, starting in Europe, and completely alone. I was wondering if there was any website or such that could help me get started since I don't know what exactly to do. The dream sounds amazing, pulling it off however might be harder than it sounds. All I want is a place that helps beginners when it comes to backpacking basics such as what to bring, budget, tips, etc. Or even people that could help me out! For the second one, MSN would greatly help :]

  • Answer:

    First.you'll be fine alone,with the usual precautions. Thousands of singly's are doing just that right now,all over Europe. You'll need bit of street sense,and take care with your money and papers. They are you're life-blood. You can get a body-belt to hold those. Wear it under the top layer,at least,to keep it safe. You will need the first few days' accommodation already booked somewhere,so you can show an address to immigration. I've covered some of the points in another answer (link below) for someone else with just your intention. I'ts geared to a more specific November trip but some of it is relevent to your own trip. There are loads of travel sites. Boots 'n All is a good one.(link below) Backpacker hostels are good for meeting people,maybe finding a travel companion for a few days if you want, and getting tips about travelling. Hostelbookers.com is very reliable,and I've used them for years. Couchsurfing is also worth considering,if you can be sure of getting to a place on time,or are able to make arrangements well enough in advance. A small present for your host would be nice,and shows thoughfulness on your part. It doesn't have to be much. Sometimes you could make little presents to help pass the time on long bus rides. You'll find as you go along how much you're prepared to lug around. Don't bring too much. You can get all you need as you go. Always keep some food and drink with you in case you get stuck anywhere,and enough clothes to keep warm and dry. Go away empty,come back full. The less you take,the more you can bring back.You can post souvenirs home to avoid carrying them around. Everyone will have their own list of places to visit. You can't do it all. In over twenty trips from UK to various parts of Europe,I've hardly touched it. Be patient if transport or accommodation doesn't work out the way you want sometimes. Better days will come,and most will be very good. A philosophical attitude gets you through much better than grief does. Muck happens. Shrug it off,and enjoy the next day. Ryanair and Easyjet are good for cheap flights. Nearly all the hostals have internet,and you can book flights,rail or bus tickets,or the next hostel. Otherwise,use an internet cafe in town,which are also useful for cheap phone calls home. A Eurorail pass will be very useful,and long-distance buses are good all over Europe. Booking an over-night bus can save you the cost of a nights' lodging. Sleep on the bus. They are normally quite comfortable. If you type 'backpacking europe' in the 'search for questions' box,you'll find 63 questions about it. A lot of the answers will be very useful to you. Have fun. Be bold,but take care. Travelling is wonderful. Very best of luck...http://www.bootsnall.com/

Toke T at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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I highly recommend http://www.couchsurfing.com/ It doesn't really teach about backpacking specifically, but is a community of people that keep open house to travellers in cities around the world. This means that you have free accommodation anywhere you go, as long as you plan far enough ahead to make arrangements with members there. There are also forums to read about low cost travel in specific cities, and to ask further questions about your plans. Good luck, backpacking can be an incredible experience!

Elizabeth

the FIRST thing you need to do is BUY some travel guides. You can take them with you and read them on the trains and they are much more informative than asking about backpacking here on Answers... GET OFF THE INTERNET and BUY SOME BOOKS. I went to Europe the first time when I was 17. I had a ONE MONTH Youthrail pass (at your age you can get a EURAIL PASS) and that is a great bargain... you sleep on the trains at night and sightsee during the day) Anyway, I was 17... had a one month Youthrail pass and $1000 which was a graduation present from High school from my parents. I had my guitar and a SMALL backpack... NO SLEEPING BAG.. POTS AND PANS... ENTIRE WARDROBE and all that other crap AmeriKans think they have to drag along... Get a SMALL backpack... and NEVER... and I do mean NEVER pack MORE THAN 40 POUNDS in it.. I know you've probably seen all the AmeriKan movies that show people taking 5 steamer trunks with them... WELL IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY... Remember, I was 17 years old and I found that, after lugging that backpack around for a couple of weeks... I ended up cleaning out about half that 40 pounds of crap because it was just too heavy to drag around. BUY a copy of EUROPE BY EURAIL and that will give you some inspiration about HOW to travel and WHERE to travel.... BTW... I practice what I preach.. I can STILL go to ANY FOREIGN COUNTRY with nothing more than a tooth brush and a small camera case and be gone for several MONTHS... I just learned that I didn't need to drag a bunch of crap with me... and that I can BUY anything I need in almost ANY country... so I buy it... use it... and leave it in the last hotel room There are 2 ways to travel.. you can travel LIGHT AND FAST or HEAVY and SLOW... and light and fast means LIGHT... not more than 40 pounds TOPS.

retiredroadie

A good website is wikitravel.com. Although ive never done it If you go to europe in summer you should bring what you wear in america and a sweater and rain jacket. Also if you go to the mountains (the alps, tatras, pyrennes etc) bring a Winter coat and maybe even a hat and mittens if you will be going above 3000 metres in altitude (9000 feet) there it is always winter and it rarely gets past 12 degrees celsius. Also in expensive places just go to a moderately priced restaurant occasionally (about 35 euros) and more often eat at cheaper restaurants and fast food. In western europe the roads are in good repair and tap water and food is usually very safe. Some places I recommend seeing are : Paris (expensive but must see) , Brussels (very nice city in belgium with nicest old town in Europe) Bruges ( the nicest city in belgium and a unesco world heritage site and the city is almost completely medieval with a nice river running through it) Barcelona ( nice beach city in spain) Madrid (capitol of spain and a nice city) Nice (a good beach town in southern France) Lyon, chamonix ( a small but famous town in the mountains) Geneva, Zurich, Zermatt (another small mountain town in switzerland and the gateway to the matterhorn) Venice ( a watery city) Florence, Rome, Amsterdam (a nice city in Holland where marijuana is legal and there are nice canals running through the city) Berlin (a good city in Germany with lots of history) Munich (another good city in Germany) Warsaw (a city in Poland rich in history) Gdansk (a city thats in Poland thats the gateway to the Baltic) Prague ( one of the most beautiful cities in the world and is in the czech republic) Kyiv ( a city in the ukraine) Bucharest ( a city in Romania) Sofia ( a city in Bulgaria) Also im getting tired from writing al this but go to the scandinavian countries. Also remember that the eastetn european countries are poorer then western europe and the food may not be clean and tap water not safe to drink and there are also higher crime rates and those countries do not yet have th euro.

Rowan

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