getting everything in order - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

d00d · 05-09-2006, 10:19 PM

I got my tickets to Europe, I leave on July 11th and come back August 10th. Here is our itinarary, i just want to make sure it is pretty good.
July 11th Leave from Phoenix at 11am

Arrive in Newark at 6:50pm

Leave Newark at 10:05pm

Arrive in Manchester,UK at 9:55 am July 12th

July 12th and 13th- Manchester

July 14th leave for London (early morning via bus)

July 14th,15th,16th, and 17th - London

July 18th Leave for Paris (early morning via Chunnel train- Eurostar)

July 18th,19th,20th - Paris

July 20th leave for Rome via overnight train

July 21st, 22nd - Rome

July 23rd - Leave for France (early morning)

July 24th - Leave for Venice (early morning)

July 24th - leave for Bern,Switzerland (night train )

July 25th - Bern

July 26th - leave for Interlaken(early morning)

July 26th - Interlaken

July 27th - Leave for Bern (early morning)

July 27th Bern to Stuttgart

July 28th - Stuttgart

July 29th- Leave for Munich (early morning)

July 29th and 30th - Munich

July 30th - leave for Hannover (night train)

July 31st - Hannover

August 1st - Leave for Berlin (early morning)

August 1,2,3,4th - Berlin

August 5th - Leave for Amsterdam

August 5,6,7th - - Amsterdam

August 8th - leave for Paris

Leave Paris to London (daytime about 4pm) through the chunnel

August 8 - London

August 9th - Bus to Manchester (early morning)

August 9th - Manchester

August 10th Manchester to Phoenix 9:25 am

Arrive in Newark 12:10

Leave Newark at 4:40 arrive in Phoenix at 6:55

I also have a few random questions which i feel dumb for asking but oh well. It was only supposed to be me and my buddy going and now two people joined in for a total of 4. Is that way to many? I kind of felt like it was but at the same time i think it wont be too bad, we may just have to work harder. Also we are planning 75 dollars a day. 25 for hostels, 20 for food ( not much to eat in morning and day and then more at night) and 25 for random fees and junk (beer). I just want to kind of get an idea if that is good. Also thinking about the exchange rates in england and how bad that will screw us over, i will have to be very frugal there. Also switzerland looks disgustingly expensive. And my last "random question" is what size backpack should I get? Cubic Inches wise?

Thank you all so much
Rob

**TheJake** · 05-09-2006, 10:24 PM

wish i could help with the europe stuff but im a latin american lover myself...

You're in phoenix? Let's get drinks sometime and chat about the travelin days!

**worldwidemike** · 05-10-2006, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by d00d@May 10 2006, 05:19 AM
It was only supposed to be me and my buddy going and now two people joined in for a total of 4. Is that way to many?

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No, actually it might make things cheaper. Do some hotel searches online and see if it is actually cheaper for you guys to go together on a room, rather than each of you paying for your own hostel. If nothing else, you can do it from time to time as a change of pace.

One other thing: Don't be afraid to split up temporarily to see different things. If two or three of you really want to see one thing, but the other doesn't, you guys can split off then recombine in a couple days elsewhere. I went with 2 friends to Scotland for five weeks, and we did that from time to time. It was neat to meet back up with your buddies and exchange stories and experiences. Otherwise, you may run into tensions about who wants to see what...

I say go for it!

worldwidemike

**beergal** · 05-10-2006, 04:07 AM

$20 for junk as in beer thats about £15 thats not going to get you much in London...definately get beers before you go out

Wibbs · 05-10-2006, 04:35 AM

I agree with beergal that if you are wanting a few drinks and lets face it who isnt, £15 will not get you far in a pub (£3 a pint) and will get you no where in a club except the entrance fee. Do as we do and head to your local off liscence and stock up there before you go out, this usually gives you the choice in getting what you like at a much lower price.

As for having 4 people coming I think more the merrier! It gives you more of a chance to see stuff with other people and when you want to be alone you can always split up, at the end of the day people go travelling to meet and see new things so they shouldnt mind.... PLUS if you really get pissed you will have at least three people who will carry you home!

**elfmaiden** · 05-10-2006, 06:17 AM

Going solo or with one other person does have it's appeal (I've done both and loved them). Going in a group has it's benefits as well!

I've noticed some daypasses for public transit will allow several adults onto them for a reduced rate. So the fee for 2 people would be the same as up to 4 but you could split the savings!

The hotel is a good idea. I mean alot of hostel rooms are 4 to 6 people in them anyways so you could probably get a decent room for the same price and not have strangers in there.

But you know, I was the stranger in a room of 9 other people and it was fun getting to know them all! Hee hee.

About the drinking. If you are budgeting 25 / day this seems okay to me 'cause I personally did not do heavy drinking everynight! By the time I got around to it I had some money saved from the week previous. And I did my drinking in Eastern Europe. Mmm....such cheap, great beer. Augh.

Hope that helps and have an AWESOME TRIP!

Jenn

**tumblezweedz** · 05-10-2006, 07:10 AM

Hotels may well end up cheaper than hostels for you - or at least the same price with more privacy and possibly comfier beds. In particular, check into Formule 1 and Etap hotels. They normally have room for two to three (usually a double bottom and single top bunk), and run between about 25 and 45 Euro/night (depends on the location, of course.) Since rooms at the Etaps have private baths, that's a nice feature; I think Formule 1s have shared baths - haven't tried them out yet. We are 6, and usually two rooms at an Etap are cheaper for us than 6 beds at a hostel.

Definitely, be prepared to split up and do things on your own, or in pairs or whatever - I've had great times when traveling with others, but if they want to do something other than my choice, it's much saner for everyone to just divide up and thoroughly enjoy your own experience, rather than be dragged off to do something you hate. Even now that we travel with our kids, my husband will often take them off to go somewhere fun like the park or zoo, while I check out art galleries or museums, or just wander around taking pictures of buildings I like.

I'm guessing that you made a typo and are going to Florence, not France, in the day between Rome and Venice - if not, you might want to reconsider that leg of your journey.

d00d · 05-10-2006, 06:19 PM

Hey everyone, thanks alot for the input! I can't wait and if anyone is n the same spots on those dates PM me we could do a huge meet up, ESPECIALLY on the 13th in Manchester since thats my birthday! But i'm still wandering what size of a backpack and also is 2,000 US dollars will be good for the 29 days, that 2,000 is AFTER i have already paid for my backpack, rail pass, eurostar tickets, flight and all the little goodies you buy before hand. Or is 2000 more than enough?

PLUSCREW · 05-22-2006, 01:09 AM

hi there,
$2000 is a princley sum for spending 29 days in Europe, after your initial spend, thats about €89 a day, providing you're not intending to eat out in 5 star restaurants

, accommodation is between €15-22 a night so the rest is for sightseeing, postcards, drinking and having a good ol' time.
a 65-75litre backpack (sorry i dont know what that is in oz) is the ideal size, and a small day bag. make sure you can lock them with padlocks and the big one is a zip around. i spent the first month travelling in europe with a top loader and nearly ended up throwing it into the Tiber in Rome with frustration. everything i ever needed went straight to the bottom of the pack.

if you can lift it over your head you've packed enough. try living out of it for week before you leave and you'll soon see what you use and you don't.
ciao for now
Katy

**lauren313** · 05-22-2006, 05:22 AM

Actually, that works out at about 52 euros a day.

Which sounds already to me. Just try and be a bit thrift in the more expensive cities, such as London and Paris.