As my 28th birthday approaches I have decided to give myself a gift. In the spring I will be backpacking across Europe for the first time. I need to do some serious soul searching and this is something i always wanted, but was never able, to do. A quick question, all this talk of hostel reservations has me wondering if it is better to reserve or just go with the travelers flow. I don't like the idea of having a schedule to follow or a place to be, will i be able to manage (as a first timer) without reservations? I'd like to travel through england, spain, and germany...thanx on any advice from a soon to be rookie:)

YO_YO Clevercraig http://www.animatedgif.net/welcome/ctmwelco27_e0.gif to the site, always great to have new peps here!!! When you get the chance, email a pic of yourself to tp@travelpunk.com so you can have it posted in the Travelpunk Family Album!!!

Anyway...

You question is a valid one and one that can easyly be answered, yes and no in my opinion...

To totaly plan you trip down to the last step you take, I think you will loose some of the surprise, being on a set path might prevent you from finding something interesting that you might have seen had you been a little more free spiritted. Do not get me wrong, some peeps travel like that, and its all good, this is just MY opinion, no offence ment to anyone.

If you go to the link Travelpunk Hostel Reservations you can reserve you rooms a couple days in advance which is a little more resonable that months in advance. I would for sure use that link to book the first couple nights you arrive in Europe, and for sure the last couple nights you are there, that is for peice of mind, everything in between, use that link to book a couple days or even a day before you arrive somewhere. ( i think you can do that)
Be careful though, if your going between May and Sept, you run the risk of not getting a room with out a reservation because of the heavy tourist burden on the hostels, its a chance you can take or not, its up to you in the end.
:thumbup: :cheers: :thumbup:

thanks for the words man, I can see as the my departure gets closer I'll be using this board more and more for courage. I wish i did not have to be over there in the busy months but it is when i'll have time.......i can clearley see once I get this first trip over with backpacking will become an addiction. i will never be a rich man in terms of wealth, but i believe this is a way that i can live the richest of lives....who knows, listen to me babble...lol.

Dude, thats what we are here for, the Mods, The Members, and Travelpunk himself are all here to help you with what ever you need to enjoy your adventure to the fullest. I am by no means an expert, but I know enough to give a hand.


Yup!


Money comes and goes, and beleive me I have spent alot of it on travel in the last 5 or so years, but the life experience that you get from trek'n and pack'n around the world is something that NO ONE can take from you. There is no price tag for that.

Welcome CC!!! :kisscheek:

I totally agree with CD on the booking thing... :thumbup: I would book for when I arrive and then decide what I'll do next. I don't really like to plan ahead, I prefer to go where the wind takes me heheheh! It depends on how much security and planning you need to feel comfortable, but I've always been a last minute king of girl so this works best for me. And I wouldn't be too worried about finding a place or not...When in need you'll see you always manage to find something! ;)

First post at travelpunk.com and I would like to say that this site kicks ass. This site has all the info I was looking for and more. I will be traveling to Europe March 12- 29 and staying with a friend that lives in Marseille France for a week. The week after I plan to go where ever the wind takes me, which will probably be Barcelona, Greece, Rome, and or Amsterdam. I will follow your advise and make some reservations at the fist hostel and then go from there. :thumbup:

WELCOME CC and TOBSTER!

CC, you picked the perfect bday gift to yourself B) ! This will definitely be a gift that will last a lifetime. The different cultures, new friendships you'll create, a wide variety of foods and events that you'll experience, all the European chicks that you'll be mack'n with....consider it a gift that'll keep on giving :cheers: !
As far as hostel reservations are concerned, CD is right on the button. May through Sept is the busy half of the year, especially during the summer months. Book in advanced if you know for sure when you'll be in any given city with a popular hostel.

For example, if you know when you will be in Amsterdam and want to stay in a lively hostel, you may want to check out The Flying Pig, but because of this hostels enormous popularity world wide, you may want to book this one in advanced.

Same thing goes for-

Kabul Hostel- Barcelona, Spain
Yellow Hostel- Rome, Italy
The 3 Ducks- Paris, France
Barbieri International Hostel- Madrid, Spain
The Pink Palace- Corfu, Greece
The Generator- London, England
Picadillys Backpacker Hotel- London, england
Avalon House- Dublin, Ireland
Ashfield House- Dublin, Ireland

If you want to experience first hand why these hostels in particular are so popular (as well as other hostels of the same caliber), I'd book ahead of time. Wing the rest of your trip...unless it's summer time, in which case, planning ahead is always a good idea :starwars: .

Tobster- We're happy that you found us, and thanks for the props! Just for that, you've won yourself a life-long FREE pass to these special message boards, and by coming back to the boards often, it may result in building long lasting proactive international friendships :cowboy: :cheers:

Sweet, Thanks you for the warm welcome. Since I will be traveling alone for a week I would like to stay in more of a "lively" hostel, with hopes of finding people whom enjoy chilling back, partying down and love'n life. I will make reservations ahead of time for the prime Hostels.

Thanks Again
Toby :)