Backpacking Europe - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

cassie3888 · 10-08-2004, 05:29 PM

Hey im wondering if you guys can help

im from australia and i want to backpack through europe next year when i leave school.

is there a recommended age?

Also i want to at least spend 4 to 6 weeks there and wondering what sort of route to follow?

Is there a certain amount of money i need to do this?

what are the average prices of hostels?

i at least want to visit england, italy, ireland, spain, france and germany maybe scotland and switzerland.

please help

thank you

cassie

**JiveTurkey** · 10-08-2004, 08:09 PM

Hola and WELCOME!!!!!

Well, first off, you should research some options for travel with in europe. Like the Eurorail and EasyJet or Ryan Air. The look at all the hostels and check out the reviews. Ask around here if there is one that you are looking at to see if anyone has stayed there and had a good experince. SAVE MONEY! I had to stop going out 7 nights a week, I'm not saying it's easy, but it's worth it in the long run.

Gool luck on your trip!!!

**skidrage** · 10-09-2004, 05:19 PM

There is no certain age to be to go backpacking. The only place this might end up being a problem is in Bavaria in Germany if you go because there is a rule that hostels are only for people under 26. I don't know if this is HI hostles only or all of them. As for your route, that all depends on your interests. Are you looking to fly in and out of the same city? Then making a circular journey could be an option. Are you planning to fly open jaw (fly into one city, fly out of another)?

As for money, around 50 euro a day is good for most of Europe. Eastern Europe will be cheaper, so you can budget around 30-40 euro a day while Scandanavia, Switzerland, and Great Britain are going to cost more than the average. This also depends on how you are willing to travel. Do you mind making your own meals? Do you party?

Hostels can range anywhere from 10 euro for a large dorm room (sometimes cheaper) to up to 25 euro for a small shared and then more money for a private. This also depends on where you are, but hostel prices seem to be roughly the same throughout Europe.

**worldwidemike** · 10-12-2004, 08:36 AM

You can use the hostel finder on the Travelpunk main page to get sample hostel prices...pulls them up off the net in "real time." I agree on the amounts skidrage quoted...

And definitely look to do some Ryan Air or easyjet or whatever jumping around to save time and travel dollars on the longer trips within Europe...

worldwidemike

miztrez · 10-12-2004, 08:28 PM

Hey Cassie!!

I'm from Aust too! (in melb!) and me and my two girlfriends are going backpacking around europe for 3 months.. in about 5 weeks!!

Only thing Id say to consider is the weather - considernig its gonna be winter in Europe (depending on if its an issue for you) you might wanna organize your trip in accordance to the less colder countries?

We're saving up a fair bit for the trip and we've got a Eurail pass to get us around the place. We managed to get an awesome deal from a travel agent - my best advice when your looking for ticket prices: go to as mannnnnnnnnnyyy travel agents as possible and compare prices to get the best deals - we each went and got quotes from as many travel agents as possible, then compared and took the cheapest price back to all the agents for them to beat it.. and in the end got an amazing deal!! so the hassel was well worth it!

Thats probably all the advice i've got - this is our first time backpacking so we're trying to find good but cheap places to stay aswell..

Good luck with your exams and planning your trip!

sangi