Welcome noobs! Not to depersonalize the TravelPunk experience, but the wonderful team here has answered many questions many times. Browsing the boards is a wonderful way to gain information you may not have found elsewhere or to answer a lingering questions. While some questions are more personalized to your situation, please feel free to browse the boards to see if your question has already been answered before posting a new topic.
Here is some general information that gets asked a lot, but there is A LOT more info scattered around the boards!
Eurail and travel throughout Europe
Before deciding what you should choose as a method of transportation, you need to gather some
form of an intinerary. You should also browse through the
Eurail page (passes can and
should 
be bought
here!) and browse. Look at the various passes offered.
There are two main types of passes that people have a hard time choosing between: Eurail and Eurail Flexi. The difference between the two are that the Eurail gives you days that have to be used
consecutively. Meaning if you get a fifteen day pass, you only have fifteen days to use the pass.
The flexi pass gives you X amount of days of travel in a certain timeframe. IE you have 10 non consecutive days to use your pass within a 60 day timeframe. Days count as 24 hours, meaning you can use your pass as much as you'd like in a 24 hour period and it will only count as one single day.
The above mentioned are great if you're wanting to see a lot of Europe, or will be going all over (Ireland - Spain - France - Italy for example).
If not you may want to consider a regional (predetermined pass for bordering countries) or a selectpass (you select 3-5 bordering countries to "make" your own pass [Benelux = Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg - all count as one]).
You can also get passes within individual countries.
Now,
should you choose a pass or point to point? The cost worthiness is up to you. You can view the prices of the varying passes (cheaper for people under 26 or buying in pairs). How can you figure out if it's worth it?
It is hard to say P2P (point to point) ticket prices without actually being in the country getting a quote. You can go directly to the site of the country train (Die Bahn is German's train system for instance) and get a price, but they're not always accurate. "My" way of guestimating was every 8 hour trip was approximately 80-100 Euro, or so it happened to work out. Again, guestimations aren't going to be completely accurate but may give you a rough idea.
So, start counting the number of P2P trips you'll be making. Are they adding up? You'll probably want to consider a pass. Which one? Look. Calculate a rough idea of days you'll be traveling and see if it'd be worth it to flat out get the Eurail pass or a flexi pass. Not sure about your itinerary? Winging it? Then you'll probably want to consider the Eurail pass as it will allow you the freedom to travel whenever/wherever.
Not only do you get the pass plus the handy dandy stuff they give you, but you also get bonuses (view on their site) such as boat rides, reduced/discount fair on other lines, ferry rides, etc. Browse the site and see what all they're offering.
Keep in mind the pass is only valid for travel in W. Europe and does not include the UK or Northern Ireland. You are eligible for discounts in C./E. Europe with the pass though and there are rail passes for those areas.
Most overnight trains require a reservation which can be done online or at the train station. It is recommended this be done at least a day in advance. You will likely have to pay a small sum of money for reservation trains. It varies (2-30 Euro). You will have to pay extra if you want a sleeping compartment. Are they worth it? Some say yes, some say no. The cars aren't too bad, but people are coming and going, so it depends on how well you can sleep. I do not recommend non reservation trains for overnight travel if you want sleep.
Other forms of travel -
If you're thinking a pass may not be for you or you want alternate choices, here are some links.
Eurolines was a great way to travel and is very affordable, especially outside W. Europe. I found it to be plenty comfortable. You can look at prices and book online. It is different for every country, so go to the country site.
Busabout is another bus system that offers flexibility for the traveler. They have information on their website, but I have no previous experience.
Flying is
extremely cheap on budget airlines -
Ryanair, and
Easyjet are two of the most popular.
Wizzair is more focused towards C. Europe traveling.
Travel in the UK can be done cheaply ala
Megabus or you can also view
BritRail's page for more pricing information.
Travel through Ireland is best by
Bus Eireann as it's relatively cheap and goes more places.
You can take ferries - a good place to look is
here.
So this information should give you a good start on determining how you should get about Europe. You should hopefully be able to determine what's right for you.
Lodging
Most budget travelers book rooms in
hostels (which can be booked through that link through a very reputable site we all use and love
). Many people have misconceptions about hostels, such as they're dirty and sleazy. Not true for most. Many are very, very nice and clean and have wonderful staff. Most offer private rooms if you're not comfortable sleeping dorm style (usually ranges between 4-20 beds). The main difference between hostels and hotels is hostels have a community kitchen (
usually) so you can do your own cooking, and there are shared bathrooms/sleeping rooms. They have a very relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. If you are traveling with 2-3 people, you may want to consider booking a budget hotel.
There is a section on this site that has hostel recommendations and hostels de-recommnedations. Check it out. If you're iffy about a hostel, do a search for it online and you can usually find a place where it's been rated.
Many people wonder if they should book ahead - the answer is
probably. If you're hanging out in Paris in July, YES. If you're in Dundalk, Ireland in November, probably not necessary. It is understandable that people want flexible itineraries, but if you book a few rooms ahead of time and pay the small reservation fee and decide not to stay, you're only out a few dollars. If you can't find a cheap/room and end up paying out a lot of money for hotel or have no place to sleep, you're out a little more. Use common sense - busy areas during busy times usually call for reservations.
What about
camping? Camping can be cheap. Look online at campgrounds in cities you'll be visiting or visit a tourist center when you arrive. You can buy uber cheap 3 lb bivy tents that relatively comfortably sleep 2 people from
Sportsman's Guide for around 25-30 USD or you may want to consider higher quality and look at some place like
REI or
Cabela's. If you're going to be doing a lot of camping, buy one and strap it to your pack. You'll barely notice it. If you won't, stop at a Carrefour (Europe Wal Mart) and pick up a cheapy bivy tent for some ridiculously low price.
Also, have a look at
Altrec for backpacks and other travel/camping/hiking gear.
Sleeping bags? You can buy a low quality ultra light cheap one from SMG again, or look at higher quality elsewhere. Is it worth it? Hell yes. They weigh less than a pound and barely take up any room. So worth it for camping, when we had to sleep outside a train station and on overnight trains as a small example. Some people won't even use hostel linens and will only use their bags.
Do I have enough money?
Maybe... There is a wonderful site that does realtime money conversions call
XE. You can keep an eye on the exchange rate for the country you'll be visiting. A good rule of thumb is about $75 USD per day (ie 20 days of travel = $1500). The more the better for emergencies and splurges. Can it be done cheaper? Sure it can. Say you camp and eat grocery food every day, you can probably get by on the equivalent of about $30 USD a day (without travel), but it's always better to budget higher and have extra money. You should not budget your airfare or rail pass into the large sum.
How do you get the money? SAVE! Take on a second job. Do strange things like recycle aluminum, donate plamsa, participate in research, etc. Babysit. Do chores for people. Invest in the stock market. There are some great links throughout this board about how people have saved (IE tape up a shoe box and put money in it every day (just a little)).
When to book
I usually try to book about 4 months in advance. I have always had good luck getting the best price within that range. Where should you look? Discount sites like Orbitz, Hotwire, Travelzoo or directly at the airlines site and browse their specials and deals.
Food
Best way to save money on food? Stop at a grocery and pick up staples, like bread, tuna, cheese, sausage, juice, etc. There's lunch! Pick up stuff to make at your hostel like noodles or rice or anything that is cheap.
Eating out cheaply is possible, even in tourist areas. How? Go a few streets down from the major streets and shop around. Most places have menus in the windows or advertise their specials.
Drink Buy beer and drink it before heading out! Easiest way to save $$ on alcohol.
Will add more as time goes on.
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