What’s the best/cheapest way to travel through Europe?
My friend and I are planning to backpack through Europe when we graduate highschool in a year. I was wondering what is the best way for two 18 year old girls to travel? Keep in mind that we don’t have too much money. We also need advice on where to stay, and where to go? If anyone has any advice or has done this themselves that would be great.
Rail travel is still very popular there, so a lot of people get a Eurail pass to get around. For a flat fee, you can get a pass that you can use for rail travel for as few as 3 but as many as 10 times within a 2 month period.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you could rent small motorcycles to get around, but you would want to have your license to drive one in the country where you currently live.
As far as accommodations, definitely Definitely DEFININTELY join the International Youth Hostel Association. You have to join in your country of residence, so if you live in the US, you need to join here, now, before you go. Youth hosteling is the best and cheapest way to travel. They cost anywhere from $20 – $50 per person, depending on the hostel. Bigger cities and/or hostels cost more. I like staying at the smaller out of the way places because there were fewer people staying there, and you could really get to know your fellow hostelers. Larger hostels are more like a hotel; smaller ones may close down durning the middle of the day, so you have to be out by 10:00 am and can’t return until after 2:00 or 3:00. The smaller ones may also have a daily chore that you are assigned to do, but it’s usually something simple such as empty the trash cans in the bathroom.
You’ll want to bring a sleeping bag, though some supply linens for the beds for an additional fee.
You’ll also want to buy a money belt and wear it while you sleep. I never had a problem, but I’ve heard stories of people getting things stolen from them at youth hostels. I even took mine into the shower with me and that was the only time I took it off. I kept my traveler’s checks, drivers license, credit card, back-up cash and passport in the belt. Once a day I took out the traveler’s checks I needed and put them in my “outside” wallet, so when I was out in public, people wouldn’t see me digging into my money belt.
You are paying for a bed, not a room, so you are usually sharing a room with as few as 2 but up to 20 other people. The official international youth hostels usually have men’s rooms as women’s rooms, but I’ve stayed in independent hostels where guys and girls slept in the same room. There will be separate showers for guys and girls, though. If the hostel does not have separate sleeping quarters for guys and girls, it will say so in the guide, so you can avoid those if you are uncomfortable with that idea.
Most hostels have a kitchen so you can save money by cooking for yourself. Most experienced hostelers will carry some non-perishables with them, then buy fresh ingredients at the market when they get where they’re going. You will probably have a cubby hole in the kitchen assigned to you so you can buy stuff and keep it there without keeping it in your room, but if you buy anything that needs to be refrigerated, you need to mark it.
I loved traveling this way. I met so many amazing people, because you are sharing rooms with people from all over the world. I met an Italian medical student, a Belgian auto plant worker, an Australian couple who hired themselves out to work on sailboats for professional races and another couple who riding their bikes from the southern tip of England to the northern tip of Scotland. I even met a Dutch architecture student who had basically the same agenda as me, and we ended up traveling together for about a week.
Lots of people will warn you about security, and absolutely listen to them, but I was a single female in my late 20s, traveling alone, and I never felt uncomfortable. I was only in Scotland and England, so I can’t speak for other countries as to their safety.
You can make reservations on line, and I would definitely book your hostel at your destination city and departure city ahead of time. Also, you’ll want to book any larger city destinations ahead of time, and you can do that from one hostel to the next. For example, if you are flying into Amsterdam, and flying out of Madrid, make sure you book the hostel before you even leave for your trip for the dates you will be arriving and leaving. You can pre-plan your entire trip, but I really enjoy spur of the moment travel. If you decide you’re having a great time in Prague, you can stay there, as long as there are still beds available. If you think Loch Ness isn’t nearly as exciting as you thought it would be, check out and move on to the next destination.
Sorry for the ramble, but I really loved traveling like that. I married a stick in the mud who won’t go anywhere without a reservation, so I haven’t done it since the mid-90s.
My last piece of advice was something I read in the travel section of the newspaper: Figure out how much money you think you’ll need for the trip and pack everything you think you’ll need to bring. Then remove half the stuff from your backpack and double the money. I wish I had read this before I left the states…I ended up paying about $50 to ship half of my clothes home the first week I was there