Steps to Planning a Backpacking Trip

1) In what country do I want to begin my backpacking vacation? 

2) When do I would like to go? 

3) How long do I want to stay? 

4) Do I want to travel alone or with a partner?

Once the answers are known by you to these four questions you can begin seriously preparation your wonderful experience backpacking Europe. We hope these backpacking vacation planning ideas will build your confidence in understanding that you are ready to have the vacation of a lifetime. also know more about Backpacking Eastern Europe and Backpacking Around Iceland

 

This will be your starting point and perhaps your ending point. A tip to consider: check into "open jaw" tickets, which allows you to fly into one location and depart from another. This has great advantages for saving time and allowing you to see more of Europe than a loop trip. Also, "open jaw" tickets can actually be less expensive than a round-vacation ticket in and out of the same location. Determine where you will be flying into and from where you will be flying out. If you are under 26 years of age, ask your travel broker if there are any youth passes accessible. Avoid being shy when checking prices. Call or "Google" to find the best price accessible. Also, end up being reminded that you must show you have a return ticket when you arrive in Europe. Not having proof of a return ticket may bring about your not being allowed to stay.

Are you planning on attending any special event while in Europe? Any special plans to stay with friends or family members in Europe? If so, you will likely want to set an exact date, i.e., Salzburg Songs Festival July 24-26, or staying with friends June 5-8. These should be agenda items that you will need to program around and that will not be flexible in your schedule.

Now we get to do what we call "dream session". We suggest you make two lists: 1) the countries that you feel are "must see" (end up being very picky about the musts); and 2) countries that you hope you have time to see. You should leave area under each country to write down specific metropolitan areas you have dreamed of seeing. We recommend that you choose a few locations and stay more time at each. Plenty of inexperienced backpackers method their planning as if their trip will be the only time they will ever get to go to Europe. They attempt to see 20 countries in 60 days and find that they did not enjoy the vacation at all as they felt too rushed. I wonder why?? There is more to notice in Europe than a person could ever see in a lifetime. Why not decide on a few "must see" countries and really enjoy the experience. For us, our very first backpacking trip only included three countries. After the trip we immediately started planning and conserving for the next trip as we enjoyed the experience so very much.

Next, under each national country write down the cities you need to visit. Now refer to your map to visualize a visit plan to see if it is possible to visit every city you have written down. Be picky and use common sense in making your decisions. Again, we advise to choose only an allow and few time to really see them. To accurately program this you will need a map.

Now comes the hard part (unless you have unlimited time and money). We do not recommend traveling to a populous city and staying any less than two days, three or more for larger metropolitan areas like London, Paris, Vienna, etc. The Eurail is fun, but it can be quite tiring! Trust me on this. You don't want to arrive in a city on Monday and depart on Tuesday, you will wear out and you will miss seeing a whole lot that the city provides.

It is time now to produce a rough sketch of your route. If you are arriving and departing from the same city the route of course shall be circular. But if you have an "open jaw" ticket, the route should straight be somewhat. Check to make sure there is no "backtracking" in your route.

Decision time again. Will you be using Eurail to these locations or flying. We strongly recommend Eurail, as you get to see so much of the countryside, but flying does save a whole lot of time.

Should you decide on Eurail, the "Eurail Global Pass" is a good selection. With an Eurail Global Pass you not only get unlimited train travel in all of Europe, you will end up provided with the ability to see the attractiveness of Europe the way is was meant to be appreciated. Over the last 10 years the rail system in Europe has been consistently improved for maximum passenger enjoyment.

Now let's get a calendar and start filling in the days. We suggest that you give yourself enough time at each destination to both enjoy the location and to relaxation up for the next train trip. We never count our arrival time as each day visiting as you really just arrive, locate your lodging, and get something to eat. Why not just relax the rest of the time (what's still left of it) and be better rested for your first full time of exploration. When you get all your days laid out on your calendar you should recheck your itinerary to be certain that you have given yourself enough time to enjoy each location. Many times we have decided to add more time in some cities and remove others until another vacation. You should not try to see every place in such a rush that you do not get to really get to know the city and learn to appreciate its people.

With your calendar completed you may now move on to completing some detail work. When you research lodging places we have found it best for the budget to shop around to find the best deals. Most people will tell you that staying in a hostel is the least expensive way to go. That is not always the case. If there are several people in your group, you can very often find "budget" hotel rooms in a city that is cheaper than staying at a hostel where they have multiple beds. Also, we have found that in the larger cities you will not find lodging cheaper than at a hostel. We enjoy the hostels for more reasons than saving money just. They are frequented by other "travelers" from many different countries. Most are very friendly and it is both fun and educational to "try" to communicate with them. For us English speakers, we have found that many travelers know at least a little English and communication is an adventure and very rewarding.

Once you are satisfied with your itinerary, we suggest a copy is made by you to leave with somebody who is not going with you. Be sure to include the places where you plan to stay and, if possible, a phone number for your hostel or hotel.

It is my hope that these tips shall help you in your planning your next backpacking adventure. If this is to end up being your first backpacking trip to Europe, get ready to end up being hooked! It is unlike any journey you have ever undertaken. I am writing this article while sitting at a desk in our area at Sir Toby's Hostel in Prague, Czech Republic. My grandson and I are at the mid-point of our backpacking vacation. This vacation has been by far the most enjoyable of all my backpacking journeys taken. Maybe because my grandson and I did so all the planning together. We had an unbelievably emotional knowledge a couple of days ago when we visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial. My grandson loves history and he had been in tears at the conclusion of the guided visit. He told me he would never forget his knowledge at Auschwitz. I only say that to emphasize that a backpacking trip can be both fun and educational. It is our wish that when you go on your backpacking trip to Europe you are rewarded with experiences that you will treasure for a lifetime. Happy Travels!

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