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Backpacking in Europe - suggestions?
Any input? I just got my plan ticket! I will be backpacking around
Europe with a friend next summer. I haven't traveled much. It will be the first time I stay in hostels and I will have to be tight on the money situation. What should I bring to save money? We are headed to England, Ireland, France, Germany and possibly Poland. Anything I should definitely see or do? JT |
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Backpacking in Europe - suggestions?
In rec.travel.europe Jason T. wrote:
Any input? I just got my plan ticket! I will be backpacking around Europe with a friend next summer. I haven't traveled much. It will be the first time I stay in hostels and I will have to be tight on the money situation. What should I bring to save money? We are headed to England, Ireland, France, Germany and possibly Poland. Anything I should definitely see or do? I haven't hostelled much in England, Ireland or France, but I have in Germany, and have these suggestions. In Berlin, the official Hostelling International hostel is relatively expensive, at 21 Euro per night. It's really centrally located, relatively institutional and comparatively quiet. Non-HI hostels like Circus have a good rep for young people travelling, but the official hostel Berlin-International is good. In Dresden, the Mondpalast is great. Bar and internet cafe downstairs, and dorms upstairs. I stayed there twice this fall. Dresden is definitely worth seeing, especially if you are into art and culture. Only about 13 Euro a bed but they don't include breakfast. In Wittenberg, if you are interested in Luther, the hostel is in a castle, but quite a way from the train station, and it's hard to figure out the busses (and I speak German). It's by the famous church with the "Door". On the Rhine River I heartily recommend the HOstelling International Hostel in Bacharach am Rhein, which is located in a castle. Some have called it the best youth hostel in the world and it is great. The walk is long and uphill to it, but not a huge problem, and you will be rewarded with wonderful views of the Rhine. -- Julie ********** Check out the blog of my 9 week Germany adventure at www.blurty.com/users/jholm Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm |
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Backpacking in Europe - suggestions?
On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 19:58:46 GMT, Jason T.
wrote: Any input? I just got my plan ticket! I will be backpacking around Europe with a friend next summer. I haven't traveled much. It will be the first time I stay in hostels and I will have to be tight on the money situation. What should I bring to save money? We are headed to England, Ireland, France, Germany and possibly Poland. Anything I should definitely see or do? No, that oughta be enough for a week! -- --- DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com --- -- |
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Backpacking in Europe - suggestions?
Jason T. writes:
Any input? I just got my plan ticket! I will be backpacking around Europe with a friend next summer. I haven't traveled much. It will be the first time I stay in hostels and I will have to be tight on the money situation. What should I bring to save money? We are headed to England, Ireland, France, Germany and possibly Poland. Anything I should definitely see or do? Zeroth, how long for? Then first, what you need is a guidebook. Lonely Planet's Europe on a Shoestring or Let's Go's Europe are reasonable choices given your situation. They'll brief you on basics and accommodation and stuff. Beyond that, you could say if you're into culture, art, castles and opera or discos, hot chicks and beaches, or what. Don't try to pack too much in, and especially don't end up with a schedule that has you spending more time on the road than hanging out. There are many cheap flights within Europe and the train system is good and fairly cheap (except in the UK), but you want to see a lot of things that aren't airports or trainstations. Beyond that, some specifics: Stonehenge is the most overrated attraction in England - skip it unless you're a prehistoric obsessive. London is Europe's world city - its peers are New York and Hong Kong rather than other British (or even European) cities, but it's very expensive. Germany is übercool for bier and sossages and Berlin is the most happening city in Europe and has fabulous museums too, and is also astonishingly cheap for western europe. Munich is OK, but it isn't Berlin. I've never been to Paris but it's on most top threes with London and Rome. (I would go to Italy rather than Ireland any day of the week and twice on Sundays, but I am after all not you.) If you do go for sex and drugs and rock'n'roll, Amsterdam is worth considering (I'd just as soon go to Ireland, myself). Des |
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Backpacking in Europe - suggestions?
Worth considering Scotland as well. Magnificent scenery especially if
you get decent weather. There are lots of Youth Hostels and Independent Hostels to choose from. Tthe Islands and the far North-West being the best areas to visit. Lindsay www.caledoniahilltreks.com |
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Backpacking in Europe - suggestions?
"Any input? I just got my plan ticket! I will be backpacking around
Europe with a friend next summer. I haven't traveled much. It will be the first time I stay in hostels and I will have to be tight on the money situation. What should I bring to save money?" -Central and Eastern Europe are much cheaper than Western Europe, and if you are really on a budget you might want to spend more of your time in those areas. -Since you will be two people, inexpensive double rooms can be just as cheap as hostels in most cities. Hostels can be fun, and you meet a lot of people, but they can also be noisy with people always coming and going at all hours of the night and morning. -Before you buy a railpass, consider if it really makes sense given the places that you want to go. If you want to focus mostly on major cities, there are loads of cheap flights connecting almost all major cities in Western Europe and many parts of Central and Eastern Europe - look at ryanair, easyjet, air berlin, skyeurope, basiq air, and they are often cheaper and much faster than the train (the drawback on short trips is that the cheap flight airports are often far outside of the cities and you can use a lot of time and money going to and from those airports). -In general, carry as little as possible. You may have to carry your bags or backpacks up long flights of stairs in train stations or hotels with no elevator. "We are headed to England, Ireland, France, Germany and possibly Poland. Anything I should definitely see or do?" -Don't try to see too much in too short a time. Being on the train every other day will just tire you out and you'll get much less out of your trip than if you really take the time to explore and experience places. -90% of backpackers in England see London and then leave for the Continent, but consider spending more time there - Edinburgh, York, Liverpool, and Oxford are all well worth a visit. |
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Backpacking in Europe - suggestions?
Jason T. wrote in
: snip First off realize that you will never have enough money to do everything you want. If you accept that than you should have a great time. How long are you going for? London is totally expensive and I would avoid staying in the city if you can. Dublin is expensive too. Even the hostels. My last trip I bought a few things that helped, a lonely planet Europe, a long- distance calling card (I use a company called Onesuite.com) it comes in handy in case you need to call home and you don't want to spend the cash that you have on hand, an open mind when it comes to food. I like street vendors myself but you might have a sensitive stomach. And, a working credit card just in case. Try not to use it cause you will be wanting to use it but only use it in case of emergencies. That is my advice. Good for you. I have 9 to 5 job now so my chances of seeing the world by backpack are slim to none for a few years. Sean |
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Backpacking in Europe - suggestions?
Poor backpackers will usually buy their food and stuff at Aldi, Lidl, Leader
price, Franprix, Penny Market, Asda, according to the country. If you go to Paris, there are a few hotels for backpackers but I haven't tried them myself. Keep in mind that life is more expensive in Ireland and the UK than on the continent and Poland would be the cheapest country. Now you have to be more specific, people could write whole books to answer you. "Jason T." a écrit dans le message de news: ... Any input? I just got my plan ticket! I will be backpacking around Europe with a friend next summer. I haven't traveled much. It will be the first time I stay in hostels and I will have to be tight on the money situation. What should I bring to save money? We are headed to England, Ireland, France, Germany and possibly Poland. Anything I should definitely see or do? JT |
#9
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Backpacking in Europe - suggestions?
In article , Jason T.
wrote: Any input? I just got my plan ticket! I will be backpacking around Europe with a friend next summer. I haven't traveled much. It will be the first time I stay in hostels and I will have to be tight on the money situation. What should I bring to save money? We are headed to England, Ireland, France, Germany and possibly Poland. Anything I should definitely see or do? JT I highly recommend Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door, and one called First Time Europe from Rough Guides. Except for Poland, I recommend Lonely Planet's Western Europe to get an overview of the things to see, at least. In short, get some guidebooks. -- Dan Stephenson Photos and movies from US Parks and all over Europe: http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda |
#10
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Backpacking in Europe - suggestions?
On Tue, 20 Dec 2005 13:32:44 -0800, Iceman wrote*:
"Any input? I just got my plan ticket! I will be backpacking around Europe with a friend next summer. I haven't traveled much. It will be the first time I stay in hostels and I will have to be tight on the money situation. What should I bring to save money?" -Central and Eastern Europe are much cheaper than Western Europe, and if you are really on a budget you might want to spend more of your time in those areas. -Since you will be two people, inexpensive double rooms can be just as cheap as hostels in most cities. Hostels can be fun, and you meet a lot of people, but they can also be noisy with people always coming and going at all hours of the night and morning. -Before you buy a railpass, consider if it really makes sense given the places that you want to go. If you want to focus mostly on major cities, there are loads of cheap flights connecting almost all major cities in Western Europe and many parts of Central and Eastern Europe - look at ryanair, easyjet, air berlin, skyeurope, basiq air, and they are often cheaper and much faster than the train (the drawback on short trips is that the cheap flight airports are often far outside of the cities and you can use a lot of time and money going to and from those airports). -In general, carry as little as possible. You may have to carry your bags or backpacks up long flights of stairs in train stations or hotels with no elevator. "We are headed to England, Ireland, France, Germany and possibly Poland. Anything I should definitely see or do?" -Don't try to see too much in too short a time. Being on the train every other day will just tire you out and you'll get much less out of your trip than if you really take the time to explore and experience places. -90% of backpackers in England see London and then leave for the Continent, but consider spending more time there - Edinburgh, York, Liverpool, and Oxford are all well worth a visit. York is worth a 2 or 3 days visit. http://www.york-tourism.co.uk/ Northern Wales is also interesting if you like landscapes and old castles Carnafon, Harlech... http://www.visitwales.co.uk/ -- Sans liberter de critiquer, il n'est point d'eloge flatteur |
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