Hey guys!

[Vincent]

Hey, Im Vincent from Brisbane in Australia. (probably realised from my username, I sure am a creative one) I'm not too sure on where to start but I can begin by saying I love travelling! And at 19 years old I've been across Canada and the east coast of the US, as well as spending 4 months in Kenya, South Africa and Mauritius.

Im a Student, so the money is a little tight, clearly. I have been saving up for a trip to Western Europe for a little while and am planning to go at the end of this year when my course concludes. (late November) I'll have the latter part of November all the way to the start of March free. I've saved up oh, 4,000AUD (about 25 Euros I think, the Aussie dollar fell another 1.5cents today ) and another 1k in my Poker account at Full Tilt.

I plan on spending anywhere between 8 to 12 weeks on my trip, visiting Northern Italy, Amsterdam, London, Paris and Germany. I was thinking flying over to London first since the flights are cheapest from Oz to London directly when going to Western Europe. Cost is an issue, and I'd like to get people's ideas on it - I have family in London, so no accommodation needed, ditto in Frankfurt and Munich. But I will need to stay in Hostels when I visit Italy, Berlin, Amsterdam and Paris. Im clueless on some of the costs and how much money I will need to be taking an 8 week+ trip, so a little perspective would be awesome.

I'll be travelling solo, all my friends are close minded wusses. I was invited to another trip to Thailand or Bali for a week or two, getting plastered and quickly coming back to Brisbane. Everyone I've talked to says I'm crazy, they say I'll be killed in Rome alone, they say that I'm crazy to be wanting to meet new people at hostels, they think I'm crazy in general for wanting to do this. My mum said this to me tonight on the phone actually - "You know this is what Hippies do right?" Bless her little heart. I guess this is just not a normal thing to most people. I think it would be awesome though.

Of course, this is all very daunting, and Im not embarrassed to say that I'm somewhat scared. "Can I really do this? Me and my baby face in Europe alone? I still get carded at pubs and clubs FFS!" But I really want to do this, this is something that I've wanted to do for a long time and I WILL NOT let me or anyone else talk me out of it, but Im gonna need a lot of advice and a lot of information, hopefully thats where you guys come in.

My personality is that of any 19yr old male, I love to Party, have fun, chase girls that clearly have no interest in me.

Anyway, this is a great community and here's to a lot more posts between now and my trip.

[Elizabeth]

welcome to tpunk!

hey ur gonna go and ur gonna have an awesome time! i already know it! ha!

there's always someone (though for many people myself included it seems like its everyone) who wants to naysay but those same people who say youre gonna get killed in Rome have probably never set foot outside their own state (or do u guys call them provinces? too lazy to look it up)

there's nothing to be afraid of - in fact 80% of the people you meet are prob going to be fellow aussies because it seems like half of u all are out globetrotting!

and take it from someone who travelled at 18 - they dont give a shit about carding

admittedly my travel experience is mostly concentrated in central and eastern europe, but I have done some western europe, and my ideal budget for those countries is 50, maybe 60 euro per day

anymore questions ask away...everyone here will be happy to help

[offhegoes03]

Originally Posted by Vincent

My personality is that of any 19yr old male, I love to Party, have fun, chase girls that clearly have no interest in me.

hahaha that last line is great

anyways, Lizz is right, you'll totally be fine, and lots of people who have never left their hometown like to base their entire opinions based on what a friend of a friend of a friend heard on the news. As long as you are aware and don't act like an idiot, you'll be fine. 99% of the time you can act like an idiot and still be fine!

check out the boards for tons to tips, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

[mooloo]

Welcome to the boards!!

I was in Brisbane in April for the first time since I lived there when I was a baby and I really enjoyed it!!

You have seen a lot for someone so young, I feel old & boring now!!!

Don't let others try to talk you out of such a great trip, you will have a blast!

I can't personally help with the europe tips except to say to make use of the hostel link through tpunk and check out the rail passes to see if any of them will suit you

[travelpunk]

Welcome aboard, Vincent! You're very determined and witty for a 19 yr old. This tells me that you'll be just fine.

With that itinerary, you'll find it easier than you think. All of those places are heavily hit with english speaking backpackers and you'll never really be alone. Easy to meet people and get around.

No sweat, bro. I mean seriously, you know this is what Hippies do right?

[Vincent]

Thanks for the wonderful welcome guys!

The travel bug is most definitely thrusted deep into my flesh. Our lecturer said he was going to Beirut for week and I couldn't help but feel how lucky he was, I'm fascinated by..... everywhere. I think I've found a life long passion.

The funny thing is my mum went to University in Padova, near Turin. My parents actually met in Rome! You'd think she'd be the first to endorse the magic of Europe right? I guess shes just being a mother, worried about her son alone in another foreign continent. She's just giving me advice though, and I appreciate it, its good to have people that care. She really doesn't want me to sleep in a Hostel though, hostels have a bad rep in general. "You're going to sleep on the cold European floor with 32 strangers in the same room?"

Hey Lizz, yeah it came to me that there will probably a lot of Aussies staying at the Hostels since it'll be our long Summer Holiday. Hopefully not too many Aussies! Ive been envisioning a common room in Berlin with a Czech guy, an Angolan, a petite little Japanese girl, a breathtaking Argentine girl my age and a few other Europeans along with an American. We'd ostracize the American guy at first, calling him Dick Cheney Jr and ignoring him. But by the end of the 3rd day it'll all be cool and we'd all be going to the awesome Techno Clubs together. Enjoying life and using many a Condom.

50 Euros a day, oooh. Sounds a bit much. Damn worthless Australian dollar! Im too scared to convert my AUD to Euros to see how much I would have. I think I'll be doing a lot of mooching when I stay with family in Frankfurt, Munich and London. But 2 months in Europe is the minimum.

I think I'm very mature, of course I've been known to pretend to slam dunk a basketball by smacking street signs with my hands. But I'll remember to keep well behaved and I'm relatively polite, I think I'll be fine.

I don't think I'll have trouble meeting new people at all. The solo backpacker's life really suits my personality I think. I'm an outgoing person, but at the same time I love my personal space and time for myself. I like eating alone, I also like seeing a movie on a Tuesday afternoon alone. Can I say Im an Extroverted Introvert? :D

Im so excited. :D Im not able to view any of the threads in the TPunk lounge, do I need to post more before I get those privileges or what?

[Canadian Bacon]

Originally Posted by Vincent

I don't think I'll have trouble meeting new people at all. The solo backpacker's life really suits my personality I think. I'm an outgoing person, but at the same time I love my personal space and time for myself. I like eating alone, I also like seeing a movie on a Tuesday afternoon alone. Can I say Im an Extroverted Introvert? :D

SAME HERE! I totally like eating alone, it just allows me the chance to enjoy my food. Yup, definittely makes sense being an extroverted introvert.

All the same, as this is your first trip, know that travelling alone is inifitniely more dangerous than with someone else... so maintain situational awareness - even in a 'safe' place like Europe. (although i would argue that places in Paris are just as dangerous as, just say, Istanbul or anywhere else)

[Vincent]

Thanks for the tip Canadian bacon. I'd like to say that I'm experienced; I've been to some pretty dangerous places in Africa, but this time I dont have mummy and daddy with me. I'll be very cautious.

I got a nice surprise this afternoon, got a call from my mum promising 5k for the trip. So thats 5k to add to the 4k I have now, I think I have enough money to stay for my 3 month Journey. I'm so incredibly excited!

[offhegoes03]

If you budget that money, 9k can go much further than 3 months! Damn, I wish people were just throwing money at me!

[Vincent]

Calm down mate! This is Australian dollars we're talking about!

[Elizabeth]

boy thats still alot of money, especially if you gravitate eastwards...anyway who knows what could happen to the euro...just in early january the euro wasn't doing too bad against the USD so who knows

[Vincent]

I'm not too worried about the cash, especially after the phone call I just had with my cousin Lee in Munich, so accommodation is sorted there as well as Frankfurt and London.

I've been looking at the blogs on travbuddy and I must say, a lot of people backpacking across Europe have a different mid set to me - Sightseeing by day, going back to the Hostel at night and then having a drink or two before going to bed. I'm a bit more of a... Party animal. My question is; will there be a lot of like minded people at the Hostels? Will there be nightclubs near a lot of the Hostels, I dont fancy stumbling from a nightclub in Rome to my Hostel.

Yeah, basically take in the culture by day, sight-see and then enjoy the nightlife at night. Im a a complete novice when it comes to staying at a hostel, so some info would be very helpful. I've been reassured about Germany from my cousin, he says I'll love Munich with him and also the Nightlife in Berlin when I stay in a Hostel there.

Cheers ~ Vincent

[marc873]

WOW Vincent!!! Sounds like you've got things VERY undercontrol!!! The hook ups whilst on the road are like a god send And 5K from your mom! Cherry!! Can't wait to hear the details as the trip goes. Been to a couple of places you are headed, so feel to PM me...

[Vincent]

Really? Thanks! Its just that I'm so ridiculously excited, the anticipation in itself is something amazing, a really euphoric feeling. I'm so pumped, I can't imagine what I'm going to feel like once I touch down in Heathrow. I reckon my bags will feel very light my first couple of weeks, simply due to the adrenaline. Tapping strangers on the shoulder "Im in Europe!"

I just can't stop thinking about this trip, and I think it's definitely served as another example why backpacking is so suited to me - When Im excited about something I plan, something essential when a journey such as this is undertaken.

Thanks a lot Marc, (and to the TPunk community in general, very friendly and helpful bunch ) unfortunately I don't have the Personal Message feature available to me, I recently cancelled my Credit Card and am looking to get another one around my 20th Bday, and thats months away. We can always discuss everything in this thread, and I can always leave my email address.

Yeah my mum really came through for me, it was a very emotional phone call. She knew I was saving up for this for a while, and I also paid the Insurance for her car earlier this year. I would have saved up a long time ago, its just that things just kept coming up, and Ive really been stranded on 4k for a while. She also knows the sacrifices I've made to try and make this trip work - It feels like I'm the only student on Campus without a car, I ride my bike everywhere. I'm also essentially living off of WeetBix and Canned Tuna, I drink my alcohol before I go out to Clubs, simply because I dont want to pay for drinks, I now have to say "Would you like to Dance?" Instead of the more effective "Can I buy you a drink?". All worth it though.

I've been thinking about my Itineraries, I already know the places I want to go. A bit sketchy but:

Start - London 10 days; Free accommodation, living with Aunt and Uncle, very conservative family so I'll probably be touring the City by day and resting up tucked up in my bed at night. Im a big Football fan, so hopefully I can see a game or two.

Amsterdam 7 Days; This is where my party will begin I feel, I think my intentions are rather obvious, Im going there to do things that many young men my age do when visiting A-Dam...... Thats right, Im going to see the Ann Frank Museum.

Now it gets tricky, because I want to go to Frankfurt as my first trip to Germany, where I can see my family and stay with them while gearing myself for Germany. But the more practical thing to do would be head straight to Berlin and then head my way down to Frankfurt and then Munich. Lets just say I decide to make a more taxing trip:

Frankfurt - 5 Days; My Aunt and her German husband.

Munich - 7 Days; My cousin Lee's house. He tells me he's a bit of a party animal, I'll put that to the test.

Berlin - 7 Days; Im really going to immerse myself into Berlin's famous nightlife and Techno Music. I think this will begin my 'Sightsee in the day, enjoy my youth at night' thing.

ROMA, ROMA, ROMA LALALALALALA! 10 days; Ah the Eternal city, where my parents met, where my brother was conceived and just generally where my wonderful family emanates from. Amazing culture, amazing monuments, amazing food and I'll finally get a chance to go to the Stadio Olimpico and see my beloved AS Roma play, right before Totti retires.

Fiorentina - 3 days; Good and bad reviews, lets check it out.

Milan - 3 days; May get a chance to visit the San Siro.

Torino - 3 days; Might be one day, might be 3 days, not too sure on Turin.

Paris - 7 days; Sitting at a coffee shop with the world's most famous monuments around me. Merci!

HAHA! Only 62 days, I cant fit in the 90 days! But you can see the clockwise loop Im trying to do. Umm, Ive always wanted to go to Prague and I can also add Vienna to my list. Im sure I'll spend a lot more time in some places; I may really enjoy Florence for example and spend a week there. I discriminated against the smaller cities just a tad.

Im really worried about the transport costs, can anyone tell me the most cost effective way to get around city to city and how much it'll set me back? I read somewhere that Eurail has this great deal where I can get a Eurail pass and go through all my cities and only being set back about 500 Euros all up. Sounds great.

That was just a rough sketch of my Itineraries, theres a lot of time between now and late November. I could touch down in another place if say, I decide to leave in December, where a ticket to London really rises due to the Christmas Holiday and expats visiting family and things like that.

I really need to study for my exam now. :D