[21stcenturyphantom]

I want to go away for the summer, but I am not entirely sure what I could do. I have never travelled around Europe alone before, so I am keen on some adventure, but at the same time I only have a small budget. I am learning French, Spanish and German in anticipation of my A Levels and I would like to perhaps visit either of these countries to practice my speaking skills. I'm just asking for some ideas of where to go and what might be the cheapest options.

Thank you.

EDIT - I'd also like to add that I have never visited London before as a tourist; I have been before but only through work and only fleetingly. Would spending a few days in London take a significant portion of my budget?

[Rascacielos]

Sounds like Interrailing might be the thing for you. And you have a fairly big budget for the average interrailer so you could really make a thing of it (stay in hotels rather than hostels, for example, or simply visit more places).

You'll find lots of advice about Interrail on this forum.

[Ryan-Hetherington]

(Original post by 21stcenturyphantom)
I want to go away for the summer, but I am not entirely sure what I could do. I have never travelled around Europe alone before, so I am keen on some adventure, but at the same time I only have a small budget. I am learning French, Spanish and German in anticipation of my A Levels and I would like to perhaps visit either of these countries to practice my speaking skills. I'm just asking for some ideas of where to go and what might be the cheapest options.

Thank you.

Didn't you just answer your own question?

[21stcenturyphantom]

(Original post by Rascacielos)
Sounds like Interrailing might be the thing for you. And you have a fairly big budget for the average interrailer so you could really make a thing of it (stay in hotels rather than hostels, for example, or simply visit more places).

You'll find lots of advice about Interrail on this forum.

Thank you for your reply, Rasc. Yes I have briefly looked at interrailing before. I'd like to add however that I prefer to stay in Hostels, rather than hotels. I've spent some time at hostels in Scotland before and I prefer the communal aspect, it's a fun way of meeting people, and it helps to keep the costs down.

(Original post by Ryan-Hetherington)
Didn't you just answer your own question?

No, you misread my opening post. I asked what I could do with the money I have, not where I could go.

[Rascacielos]

(Original post by 21stcenturyphantom)
Thank you for your reply, Rasc. Yes I have briefly looked at interrailing before. I'd like to add however that I prefer to stay in Hostels, rather than hotels. I've spent some time at hostels in Scotland before and I prefer the communal aspect, it's a fun way of meeting people, and it helps to keep the costs down.

Okay, that's a fair point if you're travelling alone. Either way, my general point was that your budget is bigger than the average person doing interrail so you have quite a lot of options that someone on a low budget might not have.

[Olibert]

Thailand for 1 month. Done.

You'll meet loads of Germans and a fair few Spanish and French.

[Palatial Veranda]

For about 3 weeks in 2008 (so consider any inflationary factors) . . .

I spent a week in Hvar (the Monte Carlo of Eastern Europe) before heading to Zagreb, mainland Croatia and getting the train to Belgrade. I then headed up to Budapest for a bit and went to a festival before checking out Prague. After Prague, I popped over to Berlin and stayed in a hostel which looked like part of the Fifth Element film set. I then headed off to Amsterdam for a bit before having a little saunter through Belgium and France, and on to a ferry home.

All with £1000!

Interrail - Hostels

£1500 is ample amount for a good adventure. If you are on your own though, you should be especially prepared.

[nexttime]

Eastern Europe would be a lot cheaper than the west. Then again, for that budget you could get about 6 weeks in Thailand, or about 12 weeks in Nepal.

A day trip to London would be pretty much travel expenses only - loads of museums, sights etc, are free! Definitely do a little planning and give it a go.

[brabzzz]

Well, a 1 month Eurolines pass will set you back about £350. Then it's £50 a day (E30 for a hostel, the rest on food, more transport, drink and touristy ****e). SO, about 3 weeks of fun in Europe for that. You'll spend less in the East - highly recommended... Czech R, Berlin, Croatia, Romania and the weird weird east. Public transport around the east is cheaper booked on the spot, not with a pass. You can get around for next to nothing.

[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]

Even staying in a well-respected 3 star hotel in Bangkok, you could spend upto 2 months, and still have money left over to pay for airfares there and back.

You could do Bangkok, Phuket, AND Koh Samui, all with Ibis Hotels.