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Raileurope.com: See Europe by train
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Old 01-07-2005, 12:24 AM   #1
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Howdy all!

I decided about a week ago that I'm gonna live a dream this summer that I've passed up, foolishly, once before and may not have another chance to jump on.

I'm 25 and in culinary school here in the states, and my school does a 2.5 month internship on the Amalfi Coast every summer for qualified students. I hope to do this in 2006.

In prep for that, and since one of my friends will be in Italy doing the internship this summer, I've decided to backpack across Western Europe, beginning in the end of May. This will be a solo trip, but I'm open to meeting up with other TPunks around the continent. But since I'm flying solo, I can hit a lotta or a little stuff depending.

My plan is to Air Hitch into Dublin, spend about 4 days or so there, hop a flight into Paris, and Eurail it from there.

I would like to hit the following cities/regions over 60 days.

Normandy
Amsterdam (duh!)
Burgundy
Bordeaux
Barcelona
Rome
Florence
Naples
Amalfi coast
Corfu and the other Greek party isles
Venice
Maranello (Ferrari!)
Prague
Munich (BMW!)
Stuttgart (Porsche!)
Berlin
Ingolstadt (Audi)
Wolfsburg (VW)
Frankfurt

I'd like to hit all of those places, and fly home to Maryland out of Frankfurt. Fortunately I live 10 minutes from BWI, an hour+ from Dulles and about an hour from Reagan-National.

I have family in Italy and Ireland I want to meet up with, so the time spent in Dublin may get extended, and the time in Amalfi as well. I'd like to spend a week in Greece sunning and partying.

The real questions:

1. Anyone Air Hitch? $150 for a ticket to Dublin from IAD (Dulles) is pretty fucking impressive. I understand the constraints and having to be VERY flexible. But I'd like some hard answers on it.

2. Any specific hostels recomended in any of the areas/cities I've mentioned?

3. Eurail Pass- which one?!?!

4. Pack suggestions: I think the Eagle Creek packs I've seen look about right, but I want something I can stuff my camelbak into and hike if necessary. If worse comes to worse, I'm not adverse to sleeping outside in the woods. I plan on wearing my trusty Merrel hiking boots, but bringing some Tevas for the beach, etc.

5. Hitch hiking- anyone here do it? suggestions on that?

6. Which Greek party islands should I go to/avoid?

7. How much in terms of cover am i looking to pay to get into some of the clubs in the larger cities if I am so inclined?

8. I've budgeted $3000 for the two months. This does not include Eurail, plane tickets, or expenses prior to leaving (pack, supplies, etc) Sound right? Thats $3000 split between $1K in travelers checks, and ATM/Debit Visa. I will be bringing an addtl Visa CC to have as an emergency.

9. Anyone ever bring an iPod or CD player with them? I'd love to bring my iPod with me to keep me occupied, and I don't mind packing the transformer for it to charge, or an aux battery pack. Do hostels have plugs in the rooms typically to juice up?

10. Can I transport bottles of wine with me from Bordeaux/Burgundy for later? as in across country lines? Same with shipping some Absinthe home from Prague, or traveling with it in my bag...

11. Can i purchase weed in Amsterdam to take back to the hostel for private consumption? I wouldn't be bringing it across country lines. I know better.

12. Traveler's insurance worth it?

13. Memberships other than ISIC an HI that I should pursue?

That hits most of the major ?s i have, thanks folks!



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Old 01-07-2005, 01:13 AM   #2
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First off, welcome. That's a helluva first post. And I have to like your affinity for food and German cars So as much as a motormouth as I am, I can't answer all your questions.. BUT

3. You'll probably want a 4-neighboring-country Eurail pass, good for BeNeLux, France, Germany, and Italy. Since Barca's the only city you'd hit from Spain, you can get a solo train ticket there and back from France. I don't believe the other countries on your list do Eurail.

4. I wish I'd gotten the Eagle Creek with the detachable daypack... sooo handy. Instead I have a Jansport, which I love, but still.. As for the camelback thing, you can stick the pouch into just about any bag. I pull the tube through the little headphone opening on my daypack.

7. Club cover charges can range, taking exchange into account, from free (check for flyers - lots of free ones in Dublin) to a few bucks (Amsterdam and Barcelona were really cheap, for the most part) to over $40 (but I don't see Paris & London on your list). The biggest variant are in drink prices and how much booze you get for your drink. Beer is reasonable in Ireland and Holland, but mixed drinks are an arm and a leg. In France, everything but wine is an arm and a leg. In Spain, everything is cheap... Just make a healthy budget for partying wherever you go

8. I tend to burn about $500 a week (not counting lodging and travel), and that's following the rule above. So $3k for 2 months should be plenty. Whatever I have left, I dump into the duty free to keep the folks on the homefront happy.

9. I don't go anywhere without my iPod. Just bring the power brick and a plug adaptor and you're fine. (It's got a built-in transformer.) All the hostels I've been to have power outlets in the room. Of course, not all the power outlets always work!

10. When you arrive in the EU look at the customs limits for wines within the EU as you go through customs. But don't worry - you can get good Bordeaux just about anywhere on the cheap throughout Europe. Hell, I even found Pauillac in a lot of places for the same price as a crap California wine here. As for the Absinthe, you can legally bring back 2 bottles. The US customs limit is 2 bottles of any hard liquor, and Absinthe is ok.

11. Yep. You can take your weed with you pretty much anywhere in Amsterdam. Most hostels are cool with it (especially the "party" ones like the Flying Pig) as long as you don't smoke it in the room. As for lighting up in a bar, you can go ahead if others are doing it, and if not, politely ask the bartender if it's ok. Typically, it's not in a traditional Bruin Cafe, but ok at others, where more younger folk hang out.

12. Traveler's insurance is dirt cheap, so you can't go wrong having it. And look! You can buy it through travelpunk! (link)

13. ISIC is good. I wish I wasn't too old for it HI, I haven't really heard anything good about, unless you're dead set on staying at their hostels.
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Old 01-07-2005, 09:24 AM   #3
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Thanks for the reply!

Barcelona is one of those "maybe" visits. I plan on coming back the following summer, so I'm thinking I can skip it and save it. The only catch- I hear that Queen may do a European tour this summer, or at least a show there. 1st one since Freddy Mercury died, and to see a European Mega Concert would be kickass! (Totally sweet. So sweet I'd crap my pants!

Anyway, the wine thing is important, since I want to add some to my collection back home, and I'm tired of paying $20-30 for mediocre Bordeaux's. I obviously won't be drinking French wine in Italy (YE GODS! THE BLASPHEMY!!! ) but nonetheless, would love to have some to fall back on if a lady decides that she wants to spend a wee bit o' time with me...

Any good places you recommend for a decent price on a pack? Most are kinda up there, and though I know this is a major purchase, spending $250 is a bit high for this broke wannabe chef!
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Misadventures of a Crazed Kitchen Pirate

"Steve is the prototypical cool American male. Y'know, I'm talking about Steve McGarrett, alright? Steve Austin, Steve McQueen. Y'know, he's the guy on his horse, the guy alone. He has his own code of honor, his own code of ethics, his own rules of living, man. He never, ever tries to impress the women but he always gets the girl."


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Old 01-07-2005, 09:37 AM   #4
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Great post....super helpful for me as well, also planning my first W.Europe trip.
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Old 01-07-2005, 04:34 PM   #5
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1) Get the Eagle Creek Continental Journey. It has a removable day pack(essential), and is small enough to carry on the plane(handy). I got the bigger Eagle Creek pack for my 3 month trip and it was more space than I needed. I saw one at a sporting goods store near my home for $169 the other day and sometimes they go on sale or you can get it on the eagle creek website:

eagle creek

2) Taking wine and stuff across country lines in the EU is a piece of cake, no customs involved if you're on a train.

3) I was in France and bought a bottle of the best red wine I've ever tasted at their version of a Wal Mart for 1.95euro, so yeah, it's cheaper and better there.

4) MP3 players are a godsend

5) Omi's math is a little off: $500 per week works out to $4000 for 2 months. But it totally depends on how cheap you're planning to be. Unfortunately, alcohol can kill a budget quickly....believe me I know, it kills a wasitline too come to think about it. I think the easiest way to work a budget is the $$/per day thing. $30, $50, whatever you think you can do.

6) I got my travel insurance through STA travel. 3months for $250. I never used it, but hell, what's $250 if it could screw up your whole trip if you get hurt while you're there.

7) Don't bother with the HI card. I got one and only stayed at 3 HI hostels. You can still stay at most of them without the card, they just charge you a couple of bucks. As far as the ISIC card, definitely get it, it saves a ton of money at museums and stuff.

Have fun and take lotsa pictures!!
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Old 01-07-2005, 07:12 PM   #6
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What I've been thinking is instead of bringing my digicam, as much as I'd like to, I don't wanna be bothered with copying pics from stick to CD or a dump website while I'm there. My time in internet cafes is gonna be limited to emails, and posting on a couple forums, this one included, to keep folks up to date. "Where's Waldo!"

sorry bout the shitty typing. i cut off the tip of my left middle finger todau at work. they reattached it at the hospital, but my fiinger is all gauzed up... hard to type

anyway, instead of digicam, i'm gonna bring several disposables. Each time, mail it back home. One for mom, and one for my friends... MOm's will be me at the Vatican, this cathedral, that cathedral, the louvre, eiffel, etc. Friends will ge tthe pics of me in Amsterdam eating brownies :D and in Prague taking a trip on the green garbage fairy hemingway liked so much

So then the question is, how much would it cost for me to ship a bunch of disposables par avion? Hell, I might just wanna get a cheap 35mm and hang onto the rolls...
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Misadventures of a Crazed Kitchen Pirate

"Steve is the prototypical cool American male. Y'know, I'm talking about Steve McGarrett, alright? Steve Austin, Steve McQueen. Y'know, he's the guy on his horse, the guy alone. He has his own code of honor, his own code of ethics, his own rules of living, man. He never, ever tries to impress the women but he always gets the girl."


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Old 01-08-2005, 01:40 AM   #7
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Quote:
5) Omi's math is a little off: $500 per week works out to $4000 for 2 months
Damn me and my late night post-beer-binge posts!

And yes, you can get damn good wine for damn cheap anywhere in France. I would go to the local G20 (kind of like a 7-11, but more market-like) every day and buy a bottle of two of kickass wines for under 5e. Along with a 50 cent baguette and whatever excellent cheese or meats I felt like, that was enough to get me through for a day with no complaints.
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Old 01-08-2005, 02:10 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally posted by omisan@Jan 8 2005, 02:40 AM
Quote:
5) Omi's math is a little off: $500 per week works out to $4000 for 2 months
Damn me and my late night post-beer-binge posts!

And yes, you can get damn good wine for damn cheap anywhere in France. I would go to the local G20 (kind of like a 7-11, but more market-like) every day and buy a bottle of two of kickass wines for under 5e. Along with a 50 cent baguette and whatever excellent cheese or meats I felt like, that was enough to get me through for a day with no complaints.
Now that sounds like fucking plan, Omi!

Shit, two bottles of red, some pate de campaigne, some gruyere, chevre, and a tomato... thats a meal and then some! Hell, throw some dijon and lettuce on that bastard... oh man, Paul Bocuse ain't got nothing on that! :eat:
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Misadventures of a Crazed Kitchen Pirate

"Steve is the prototypical cool American male. Y'know, I'm talking about Steve McGarrett, alright? Steve Austin, Steve McQueen. Y'know, he's the guy on his horse, the guy alone. He has his own code of honor, his own code of ethics, his own rules of living, man. He never, ever tries to impress the women but he always gets the girl."


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Old 01-10-2005, 03:01 AM   #9
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Hey man
Well, here are some answers in no real order
bring your ipod or mp3 it gets quiet and lonely at times and its good too have tunes. As far as the greek islands go, just grab a lonely planet on Europe browse in there at what they say and hit a pretty popular one right off the bat, most of your info will come from other travelers who are in the area at the time they will tell you whats good too hit and what too miss at the moment, just talk too people. Umm, good places too stay hostel wise again any guide book should point out whats good and some you might already know like flying pig, pink palace or the generator and again its not hard too find the top 10 hostels of the year online usualy they are all in Europe too. Cover charges now that varries alot, I know the super high end places especialy in Ibiza like privialge the biggest club in the world on Ibiza costs about 50Euro last time I checked and some will be 5 euro, it all varries on how popular the club is and usually the more the cover the more the drinks. Smoking pot in A-dam is pretty laid back, good rule of thumb in any unsure situation just look at what the other people are doing around you, or as someone said, just ask a bartender they will tell you, the hostel might not dig it so much indoors but Im sure they have an outdoor common area where its totaly flying around just cause some people hate smokeing and pot kinda falls under the same category. Travel insurance, now listen too me on this one GET TRAVEL INSURANCE!!!!!!!!!!!! I put the big ass smiley on there so you can see it, I broke my leg in Thailand last month and had too come home, I have travel insurance and just got a call from a lawyer today saying that we are takin the insurance place to court and getting some money for my pain and suffering now if you dont have it, not only are any med bills coming out of your pocket and in Europe its gonna be expensive trust me but your also gonna see no compensation on it. If I get 5 grand for this leg, that totaly pays for a trip right there! Plus I paid 340 bucks for almost a year insurnace and I might make almost 10 times that if im lucky so its just good too have. I dont know about the STA insurance or how it works in the states but in Canada we pay 1 dollar a day for coverage. Hope I could help mate
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Old 01-11-2005, 12:52 AM   #10
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the way its looking, I may want to set aside $1K for preliminary expenses, etc, like the pack, Eurail, air fare, etc.


Came across a nice pack today from Columbia, the Europacker, for $150. Seems laid out well enough, with plenty of storage, and has the all-important detachable day pack... Anyone out on the inner web have one?
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Misadventures of a Crazed Kitchen Pirate

"Steve is the prototypical cool American male. Y'know, I'm talking about Steve McGarrett, alright? Steve Austin, Steve McQueen. Y'know, he's the guy on his horse, the guy alone. He has his own code of honor, his own code of ethics, his own rules of living, man. He never, ever tries to impress the women but he always gets the girl."


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Old 01-11-2005, 06:04 AM   #11
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i was looking at the very same pack...i too would love to here any personal reviews on it
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