Backpacking Vacation in Europe
If you’re just getting out of school and planning your first trip to Europe, or you’ve been there before with family but it’s your first trip solo, you may be wondering if it’s possible to enjoy yourself with little money. There’s a long history of the “backpacking trip around Europe ” in movies and literature, but these days with the poor economy, a lot of people are wondering if it’s possible to make it a reality. The good news is that with some planning ahead, you can still enjoy a memorable trip without spending lots of money.
The first thing you need to look into is Europe hostels for the most inexpensive lodging, unless you’re actually okay with sleeping on trains or in parks, which is possible in certain areas but is both dangerous and illegal, so it’s not recommended as a long-term plan.
Hostels are small lodging areas with dormitory style accommodations. They frequently are low on style and amenities, and many of them require that you bring your own bedding and help out with chores. However, they have some great points too. They often offer free breakfast, and they are a great way to meet a lot of fun people in your same age group to hang out with. For your best bet, hostels should be booked in advance, but you can sometimes find a room the same night by calling them. You can still find hostel rooms for less than $50 a night, which makes lodging, take a much smaller bite out of your budget.
Cheap tickets to Europe are a bit harder to find but you can get them if you look hard enough. Consider checking all airports surrounding the city you want to visit, because it’s sometimes cheaper to fly to a less popular airport and take a short plane hop or train trip for the remainder of the ride. Check into Eurail passes and inter-city airline carriers to find out if you can save money this way.
