Backpacking through Europe?

I strongly suggest you to take the "tour buses" in cities like London, Paris, Rome and Berlin. They really show you the main attractions of the cities. You can take all the pictures you want and they save you time and energy.

Al of western Europe is safe. Most people speak English (except in France, Spain -except the tourist areas - , Italy - young people speak English ). I also think u have to need some sort of a international adaptor because we have different outlets than the US. Personally I would backpack between two or 3 countries. Two or three weeks isn't that long. I'm from Belgium, I'm not going to say visit my country - you may if u want. I would visit France and Italy if I was u, the south of france and the north of Italy. Three weeks are over before u know it. Use the train for larger distances otherwise use bus or hitchhike. Stay in hostels when u can, but the south of France has good and cheap camping sites. One great tip, all tourists go to the bigger cities and capitals. Look for the smaller cities and villages, then u get in touch with the real local culture. In Europe a place is concidered a city when it has 50.000 inhabitants. Looks strange to Americans, but thats due to historie. South of France, places to visit: Avignon (former residence f the pope, when there where more then one pope in historie) Orange (Roman arc and theather - one of the best preserved in Europe) Arles (Roman Amphitheather) Aigues Mortes (City that lmost didnt change since 1300, crusade city, all the midievel wall are still there) Vaison la Romaine (Very intact roman Villa and theather) Monaco (see rich people) Cannes (Movie heaven of Europe) Italy: Genova (very nice old town) Torino Milano (wild) San Remo (fast) La Spezia (one word beautiful)

Hey !! You might be about to do one of the best things you'll ever do, you'll never forget an adventure like this. You'll even might get caught up into the backpack culture and start doing it for the rest of your life. 1.) You have one of the main things right: HOSTELS; they are cheap and most of them are very close to the center of the city. Never use hotels, unless you're rich and have lots of money to spend. 2.) If you're an adventurer and you're not rich = hostel = backpack If you like comfort and you're rich = hotel = suitcase 3.) Carrying the backpack around or leaving it at the hostel depends on: i) Whether your going from point A (airport / train station / bus station) → to Point B (the hostel) → around a particular city → back to point B so you can pick up your backpack and then → back to point A so you can move → to point C (airport / train station / bus station in the next city) You can do this when you're visiting big cities e.g. London, Berlin, Paris, Rome. Pros: * In some countries (Lux, Fra, Bel, Nld, Deu) temperatures during summer can reach up to 35 C / 95 F. And in some other countries (Ita, Grc, Esp) temperatures during summer can reach easily up to 40 C / 104 F. So it's great to walk all those miles under those temperatures with nothing on your back. * You'll want to take a nice shower and a nap after some of those long walks Cons: * You'll notice that there are some cities (generally small cities) that are kind of boring and don't have that much to see, so you'll wish to move to the next city right away but you won't be able to, cuz you'll have to go back to point B to pick your backpack. * Most hostels don't take responsibility for the stuff you lose (get stolen), so there's a risk right there. * Paying a hostel in every city you visit makes the trip more expensive. ii.) Or whether your going from point A → around a particular city → back to point A so you can move on to point C. You can do this when you're visiting small countries or cities e.g. Lux, Bel, Nld, Che, irl, Grc, Scotland Pros: * You're very flexible and can leave whenever and from wherever you want. * You're having your stuff with you at all times, so it can't be stolen. Unless they steal it in front of you lol. * When taking pictures; the police and security guards don't bother you as much, cuz they know you're a tourist. Cons: * Your back will start hurting sooner or later. * After a few miles you'll wish you didn't had a backpack lol. * It's kind of annoying when you want to get into a bar or a night club. 4.) You could go to all of those countries if you have the time and the money. But if you don't, these are the MUST GO cities: * London, at least a whole day. * Paris, at least a whole day. * Rome, at least a whole day. * Amsterdam, half a day. * Barcelona, half a day. (Catalunya has also great "beach-party-cities" like Salou) * Greece = full of "beach-party-cities" There are a few things you can do to reduce costs and traveling time: * In most cases flying from one country to another is way cheaper than taking a train or a bus, so you're saving time and money right there. (look for ryanair, vueling, easyjet, transavia) * In some countries taking a bus to another city might be cheaper and better than taking the train, e.g. the UK. * In countries like Belgium and the Netherlands; traveling by train is the best option, is fast and cheap, even traveling from one country to the other is way faster and cheaper by train. ---------------------------------------… Extra tips: * You might want to look for lockers close or inside of points A, because you will always have to come back to points A so you can move on to the next city. But, you should also have into account that some "locker places" and points A close after a certain hour, so your backpack would stay locked the whole night till the next day. Generally some "locker places" close after 10 pm, some points A close after 12 am and some others stay open the whole night. * You can save money by avoiding paying hostels at night, and instead traveling at night. You can do this in the UK, for example if you want to go from London to Edinburgh (Scotland) that's like 8 hours in a bus, you can use those hours to sleep. ------------------------- check the country codes right here: http://userpage.chemie.fu-berlin.de/diverse/doc/ISO_3166.html --------------------------------- btw, be informed about current events in the countries you might be visiting, sometimes they are striking (e.g. in France they strike a lot all the time) and you won't be able to get out of the country or it could be very difficult.

The longer you can stay, the better of course, but this is something that will likely be decided by how much time and budget you have to spend. While it's probably feasible to do all those countries in just three or four weeks, the trick is about finding a balance between the time you spend traveling and the time you have to actually discover and enjoy a place. It's tempting to rush around trying to tick off as many countries on a virtual checklist, but it's usually more rewarding to concentrate on just a few places and spend more time there. From my experience: I find the traveling part (getting from point A to B) the most exciting, in a positive and a negative sense. It's therefor also very exhausting. So my general rule is that for every day of travel, I should spend at least two in one spot. The other reason I tend to prefer to stay longer in one place: the first in a new place is usually just finding your way. If you are not traveling with others you already now, walking through a city can feel empty and you're just looking at facades. By the end of the second day, I'll have made friends with people I can really connect with and that is when the fun usually starts. Especially as you've now seen most of the highlights the place has to offer, and you start discovering the less obvious things. By the end of the week, you feel right at home, and feel sorry you have to move on. But there is always a new adventure waiting elsewhere... There are plenty of hostels to choose from. But the more north you travel, the less likely you'll find hostels that have A/C. Hostels are safe, but that doesn't mean you should leave valuables laying around. Have a padlock with you and make use of any lockers or safe a hostel has to offer. While you can safely keep the rest of you luggage in the shared areas of a hostel; even if you are not there, it's always a good idea to store your valuables in a locker or safe. Travel light. Seriously. Take just enough clothes with you that will keep you warm and dry if it's cold and wet. You only need enough change of clothes to keep you going for three or four days. Take soap with you in case you have no other laundry options available. You should aim for 10kg, max 15. Go over that, and you will suffer. If you are simply traveling from airport to hostel and back with your luggage, a carry-on pilot case is perfect. Not only does a smaller case force you to pack less, they are also very easy to negotiate escalators, uneven floors and other obstacles. Even with wheels, the bigger suitcases are hell. They tend to topple over when ever you need to rush somewhere. If you need to negotiate entire cities on foot with your luggage, a backpack is a better choice. Be prepared to spend some money on this and get professional advice when purchasing one. Make sure that it is fitted properly so that it suits your body length. The weight of the backpack should rest on your hips, not on your shoulders. It will seriously improve the comfort of your travels. Enjoy your travels :)