First time traveller..

[Acorti]

First things first..
I will be in Granada March 25-April 22
Valencia April 22-May 20th
May 20-23 Madrid
May 23-28 Amsterdam
May 28-31 Edinburgh
May 31-June 4 Dublin
June 4-7 London
June 7-10 Munich
June 10-13 Prague
June 13-15 Vienna
June 15-17 Paris
June 17-July 30 Salamanca, Spain

I'll be staying at hostels at all these cities, and I am flying almost everywhere, except taking the train in a couple places... I guest my first thing is, if anyone is going to be around these places, give me a shout, as I would love to meet up with fellow travelpunkers... P.S. I like to drink and party...

But I had a couple more questions and I was hoping for advice. I was looking at getting the rail pass for Spain, just in order to travel all over Spain, as I have to anyway to get to the cities I will be staying in. I can not figure out off the rail europe website if it covers any trains in Spain, as I've already researched RENFE, which is the local train. Also, with the rail pass, are reservations never required, you just show up at the train station and tell them where you want to go?

I was also hoping to visit Greece for a long weekend in April, but I have to transfer planes and it comes out to be very expensive. Is it a good idea to get the Greece-Italy rail pass, and with that, I can just travel into Italy and take a ferry to Greece without reservations?.. and how would I know where to go, or what ferry to take, or how long it takes?... Because whenever I try to enter it at Rail Europe, it says theres an error and it doesn't give me any info at all...

Quick question... As far as a backpack to use for the trip, is a small roller suitcase a bad idea?, so you think I definitely need a backpack designed especially for backpacking?

And the final question... is tipping expected at any of the places Im travelling to at all?
Thanks so much.. I feel kind of needy, but any advice would be greatly appreciated

[nemesis331]

hey, i'm running out now but i just wanted to throw it down. first off. welcome. this is the place for your questions and i will definetly be crossing your path at some point this summer. most likely between munich and paris. i'll try to get back on later with more information for you!

[space virgin]

Hey there, welcome!

First of all, that's a grueling pace you've set for yourself! Keep in mind that traveling between many places, especially longer hauls like Madrid to Amsterdam, will take an *entire* day. Two days not including travel time should be a bare bones minimum if you have any interest in actually seeing the place you're at! I prefer a minimum of three days myself.

Spain has a decent rail system and yes, you will need reservations for longer trips, but just show up at the train station early or even the day before to get your seat. I've also had very good luck with the coach system there, the buses are all nice and new.

I personally wouldn't take a rolling suitcase on that long of a trip but if backpacks don't work for you, it's not going to be that big of a deal.

Tipping is always a good idea. Generally the percentage isn't (usually) as high as it (usually) is in the U.S. but it's better to pay a little more than not enough!

Have a great trip.

[Acorti]

Thank you so much for all the advice. I would love to stay longer everywhere, but I only have a month, so I kind of want to get a taste of everything and then hopefully come back in a year or two and explore the places I really want to see more...