3 Months in Europe - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

dopeylopey · 02-25-2009, 12:07 AM

Two other friends and I are planning on heading to Western Europe for a few months. We are all guys and want to party it up for a little while at first and then do some sight seeing. Any suggestions where to hit up? Thinking about flying into dublin seems like the cheapest way into europe. We are gonna be leaving early September. Oh and how much money would you estimate we would need to do the backpacking thing for the entire time? Thanks in advance!

**mish99** · 02-25-2009, 03:34 AM

For the budget I think it really depends on where you go. Some places are alot more expensive than others.

Ive only been to Italy and France, but totally recommend Rome. They have really really good nightlife and a loads of things to see.

Have you any specific places you want to go?

Also, September is a good month, but it is gonna be a bit cold nearer the end of your trip.

bertus · 02-25-2009, 11:38 AM

I was in Europe this summer and I had a budget of $50 a day but I wouldn't recommend that. $75-80 a day would be a lot safer for you. I've never been to Ireland but I've heard good things, out of all the places I've been in Europe though Spain is the best for partying, it has a great nightlife and is cheaper than the rest of western Europe. Germany is also a good bet and I didn't think it was very expensive either. When it comes to sightseeing their is great stuff all over Europe, it just depends on what you're into.

Have a great trip!

dopeylopey · 02-25-2009, 08:08 PM

Thanks for the replies. Spain, Italy and France sound like good bets. I think there are more things we are interested about in Italy and France though after we get sick of partying. As far as places we want to go. We really haven't put enough thought into it yet. I just came to realization that towards the end of the trip it will get cold. I really don't like the cold and my friends feel the same way. I think the first change of many to come in our plan is that we are gonna go whenever it starts warming up after winter in Western Europe. When is that?

**MeTurk** · 02-27-2009, 07:27 AM

If you do come to Ireland to party don't stay in Dublin. Dublin is stupidly expensive. Go west.

I was in London during the week, I was in a pub that the lawyers go to that's across the road from the high court of justice the thing is though I'm from a small town in the west of Ireland and London seemed like good value to me.

I bought a pint of Heineken, a bottle of Bulmers (or Magners as they call it) and a double whiskey. It came to £12.50 which is a few pound cheaper than it would cost in my town.

And that was a pub for lawyers right in the heart of London, and by a small town in the west of Ireland I mean 900 people small.

Take out drink is fairly cheap, between €1- €3 a bottle/can. Drinking on the street is illegal in Ireland but it's not enforced unless your causing trouble.

On the plus side thanks to the economic crisis our economy has been crippled and is in free fall, so perhaps we'll end up being good value again. For tourists, we'll all be to broke and jobless to buy anything.

**pinknic38** · 02-27-2009, 10:24 AM

I strongly, strongly suggest Germany! I had a great time there last summer and it's beautiful.

**BedtimeontheMoon** · 02-27-2009, 07:35 PM

I went to France, Italy, Spain and London last summer and had a blast. You can party pretty much anywhere and still get the balance of culture and history.

dopeylopey · 02-28-2009, 12:09 AM

Thanks for the advice about Dublin. I'll pass the word on to my friends. The economy is definitely gonna make it a lot harder for me to get money for this trip. I was laid off a month ago.

Is the general rule of thumb to take $80 per day worth of money to feel comfortable? Oh and if we were to camp whenever we could would that be worth the money saved if any money is saved to start with? I read that the money you spend getting from camp to town and vice versa would be comparable to having just stayed at a hostel. Is that true? Do people get their stuff stolen more often when camping?

Hope I'm not asking too many questions under the wrong topic. Wasn't sure if I should of just made new threads for each question in the correct topic. Sorry in advance. Thanks for all of your help.

**Dig** · 02-28-2009, 07:47 AM

I could live comfortably on 80$ in most of Europe.

If you love to camp AND travel then I would say camp. Otherwise you will be spending close to the same when you consider travel and time costs. Hostels have their own little microculture that I normally really enjoy. I don't know about the theft rate of campers, but always watch your stuff when traveling.

dopeylopey · 02-28-2009, 09:44 AM

Cool. Good to know. I love to camp but hostel scene seems really cool too. Well back to the drawing board. Thanks for the help everyone.

bertus · 02-28-2009, 06:44 PM

In some cities you can also find urban camp grounds that are very cheap and connected by public transit. I stayed in a nice one in Paris awhile ago but I can't remember the name and in Rome I stayed in camping village roma i think it was called. It was half the price of a hostel, full of backpackers, had a pool, hot tub, nightclub, bar, restaurant and internet connections on site and was across the street from a grocery store. There was a bus that stopped about 30 feet from the gate and it was only like 45 minutes away from the Colosseum. I recommend it to anyone going to Rome.

**MeTurk** · 02-28-2009, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dopeylopey

Is the general rule of thumb to take $80 per day worth of money to feel comfortable? Oh and if we were to camp whenever we could would that be worth the money saved if any money is saved to start with? I read that the money you spend getting from camp to town and vice versa would be comparable to having just stayed at a hostel. Is that true? Do people get their stuff stolen more often when camping?

Now if you plan on camping you'll enjoy Ireland. We have great beaches if only for the fact that Ireland's cold and our beaches are of little traditional beach use. But you will have some of the cleanest beaches in Europe all to yourselves. You would run into allot of European (German) bikers though.

I don't mean to paint a bad picture of Ireland, but we are stupidly expensive. It is getting cheaper by the day though. If you spend your money wisely you can have a real blast in Ireland. At the end of the day you come to Ireland to have the craic with the people which shouldn't involve spending money.

**tumblezweedz** · 03-05-2009, 06:59 AM

Back to the weather issue, if you're not keen on cold, I'd definitely start up north in Sept and head south by Oct. Sept can be pretty iffy, sometimes gorgeous, sometimes rather nasty, but by October northern Europe is pretty reliably wet and/or cold. We lived in Germany for three years, and travelled mostly in the north during the school year - I'd say you could count on these weather conditions anywhere north of the middle of France, based on my observations. Definitely Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and northern France.

Spain/Italy and south of France should still be decent, but it won't be shorts and t-shirt warm all the time, anywhere. Bring a pair of shorts, sure, or better yet, some of those zip-off leg pants that give you an option. Also handy if you should happen to want to check out a church (like, say, St. Peter's - no matter your faith or feelings about faith generally, it's impressive). Long pants are highly encouraged, if not required. Then even if it's warm enough for shorts, you can zip on the legs and go in. And some of the buildings are quite chilly, even when it's warm outside.

Best bet, especially to deal with the damp cold, is layers. A fleece jacket and a wind/waterproof shell, layered over a tshirt or long sleeved shirt should get you through most of the time in southern Europe, you would probably want a warmer turtleneck farther north. Better those two lighter jackets than one heavier jacket, since it might be too warm and would definitely be bulkier and more weight. A waterproof jacket with a zip in fleece liner is a great choice. Also, waterproof shoes are essential. You do NOT want to drag around in soggy shoes. My husband has Dr. Martens that he swears by. They're also more versatile than sneakers or hiking boots.

**kiwichick** · 03-05-2009, 12:48 PM

in terms of citys that are both good to party in and sight see i would reccomend barcelona, belin and rome

We used hostels for almost all of our trip but stayed in a campground just outa venice as it suited us best, being flexible won't hurt.

Countzero · 04-15-2009, 03:06 PM

I am traveling during that time line with my girlfriend. Our plan was to go Amsterdam-Paris-Barcelona-Vienna-Berlin then take a plane down to Rome-Athens via ferry. I was going to budget 60$ a day but it seems agreed that $80 is more realistic.

We are looking to meet people and make friends while we are over there...