hey guys I'm sorta planning a year long trip (maybe more, who knows?) and I'm just wondering who's done it for that long... wanting stories, advice, tips, ideas, etc. Anything. I'm losely planning a big packpacking trip to Europe that's going to be at least a year -- want to see everything from Ireland to Turkey, Spain to the Ukraine, maybe dip over into Russia, and perhaps down to Morocco while in Spain, wherever the road takes me really. How much money will this be? I plan on using my deployment pay of liek 35K for the whole year... should I save before I deploy (I'm going to Afghanistan for a year long tour and will be doing the trip AFTER that). Anyway, yeah just want some ideas, or whatever. Oh and also, mucho questions about where I will stay -- hostels every day for a year would be expensive... I was thinking maybe subleasing a flat and breaking the trip up like a month for spain/portugal, a month for germany, etc... but then if I'm going to be traveling around and not staying put unless I feel like it at the moment. So yeah, confused.

any info would be appreciated!
Nicole

The sooner you start saving, the better, there's nothing wrong with having too much money for travel. Actually, there's no such thing as having too much money for travel!

The idea of leasing a place for a month or two will certainly save you money, though in some instances can be a bit hard to arrange (language issues, payment issues, etc.) Some hostels might cut you a break if you intend to stay in one place for a longer time (say, upwards of two weeks), and it's nice to have something approximating a "home" when you're on the road for such a long time. Contact hostels, inexpensive guest houses (sometimes you can arrange to stay with a family which can be a great experience for all concerned) or apartment letting agencies (this could be more expensive, as they mostly cater to business travelers) to see what your options are. Even if you don't know for sure what/where you plan to go, if you make the enquiries now, you will at least have a ballpark figure and a couple of contacts when you hit the road.

Good luck with your planning, and stay safe during your tour.

:tumbleweed:

I know you were asking about your OTHER trip, and I hope I'm not stepping over a line here, but I just want to say please be careful in Afghanistan. Do your job, but don't try to be a hero. Just stay as safe as you can and make it through. God bless.

thanks for the wishes during my tour, they are much appreciated. :)

Your whole trip sounds exciting. I went to Spain/Morocco this summer. I wished I had seen more of Morocco (I still want to go back!) especially but I had fun. If you like the hype of city life with a blend of history Madrid is good. I loved Granada. Morocco would be an experience just because of its difference compared to Europe. Hope you have a good time travelling too!