[21stcenturyphantom]

Hello! Okay so I plan on setting off on my backpacking trip on the 1st July, but I desperately need to start turning my ideas into plans so I can book my train tickets etc. as I have not sorted anything yet.

The thing is, I'm a total travelling newbie. I have been on a few backpacking trips but only in Scotland and I've never travelled alone abroad. I've lived a somewhat sheltered life it seems.

My budget is around £1300-1500 and I'm going to be away for either 4 or 6 weeks; I can't decide, and I don't know how to much to budget for each day. I'll be eating simple foods and staying in hostels that are as cheap as possible; I don't care as long as it has a bed.

I want to visit France, Spain, Germany & Austria. I really don't know where to begin. I will use interrail, and from looking at the website it seems the Global Pass will be the best bet. I have never visited London before so I want to spend a few days down there, then I plan on taking the train to Dover, catch the Dover-Calais ferry as a foot passenger (£30) then I was planning on using one of my train travel days to go from Calais to Paris. Does this sound feasible? I don't know how organised to be, really. Do I book hostels in advance, or just go with the flow and have a rough map with some telephone numbers? I'm sorry for all the silly questions, but none of my close friends have ever been travelling so I don't really have anyone else to ask.

Regarding travel books, are there any that you folks can recommend? I was going to order The Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget. Any goad or a load of rubbish?

Thank you!

[Einsteinius]

Take toilet roll

[BHS12]

I am planning on travelling around America next year- so there will be the added expense of a flights and it will probably be a little more expensive over all but this is what we are planning on doing:

Flying to San Fran then going to LA on to San Diego then on to Las Vegas then travelling to Phoenix then Houston then Tampa, Miami, Orlando then DC then Boston then New York then Chicago from where we will fly home.

We have look at hostels in all the places we are staying in (minimum stay in each place in 3 nights, max is 7) and its coming to about £1000 a head just for that.

Then there is the greyhound pass to pay for- about another £300 a head. Then food- we will be away for nearly 3 months so what- another £600?

Then there is taxi fares, sightseeing and shopping.

Even though your just going to Europe- especially if your going to shop, I think your going to need to budget abit more!

[La Esmerelda]

hmm if you want to save money i wouldnt buy a travel book (prices are extortionate!) I'd rather collate things from online (especially world travel guide-google it!) and then just write it down- but then again I'm a cheapskate and don't like carrying heavy things round.

Also travel light, no bigger than a 60L bag (although I guess it depends on how big and strong you are)

[21stcenturyphantom]

(Original post by BHS12)
Even though your just going to Europe- especially if your going to shop, I think your going to need to budget abit more!

I don't have the ability to budget more I'm afraid. I only have a part-time job with no chance of overtime in the coming weeks; the amount of money I specified is all I have.

(Original post by La Esmerelda)
Also travel light, no bigger than a 60L bag (although I guess it depends on how big and strong you are)

I've carried a 100L, 30KG rucksack for several weeks and it was horrible. I'm strong but I definitely learnt a lesson regarding packing and carrying a rucksack. The smaller and lighter, the better!

[Malkmus]

Tips:

- Get and wear a money belt. If you can withdraw cash using your card abroad without incurring charges, then cool. If not, you'll probably want to take larger amounts out in one go to avoid paying charges for just taking a 20 euro note out.. Divide these amounts up so that if one lot gets lost/stolen etc. you aren't losing everything in one go. I also taped an emergency amount of cash to the inside of my backpack that was money to use as a last resort.

- Don't plan too much. You don't want a strict plan that doesn't allow for much/any flexibility. So , personally, I wouldn't book any more accommodation other than in the first place I'm staying. How much you plan depends on how comfortable you are just going with the flow. I just bought a plane ticket, bought a travel guide and booked 2 nights in a hostel - read about loads of places and then decided to go wherever I felt like once I got though. Obviously you will meet loads of people so plans may change based on their recommendations or what they themselves are planning to do.

- Don't pack too many things - particularly clothes. Just be prepared to wash them fairly regularly. If you find you need more you can always buy some on the cheap whilst you're there. There's always a tendency to want to pack much more than you'd need "just in case". If in doubt, leave it out... unless it really is a must have.

- Get a travel towel. They're light, fold easily, dry quickly and as such are much less bulky and irritating than normal towels.

- Maybe a controversial one but don't buy an interrail ticket. I am of the opinion that it often works out cheaper without one - you have other modes of transport open to you that are often cheaper/maybe more convenient. You still have to pay supplementary fees on occasion. There are certain lines/trains the ticket isn't valid for in some countries. Also, I find that you schedule is less restricted as you aren't trying to work out what the best way is to maximise the number of travel days you have left on the ticket.

Will add any more as and when I think of them. Most important tip of all.... HAVE FUN! Make the most of your time away - there aren't many times in life you feel the complete freedom to go wherever and do whatever you want!

[askew116]

As mentioned above, the key is flexibility. I haven't really travelled europe, but last year I travelled across the USA. My plan was fly to L.A, then Vegas, Salt Lake City, Denver, and finally Chicago. However, I met some fellow travellers in Salt Lake City who I got on well with and were going north, and I travelled with them up to Idaho, and had a great time there. We stayed in a town called Pocatello, and we went hiking and fishing for a few days. Something I never could have planned for, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip.