First time in europe...

[jen]

hi...

i am backpacking throughout europe for the first time with a friend. we are both females and are alittle nervous about that and also because we don't know what to expect.

any packing/pretravel tips, safety precautions, and any other pointers would be helpful! i'd appreciate your tips!

we are traveling for 26 days to london, paris, nice, interlaken (switzerland), italy, and barcelona.

thanks for your help!

[Melanie78]

Hi there,
I'm backpacking for the first time too throughout Europe with two others and here are some tips that hopefully will be of help:
Get a guide book like Lonely Planet - even though the prices may not be 100% accurate they give detailed info on how to get from A to B... where to eat, sleep and so on. Try Europe on a shoe string as this covers heaps of countries in the one book
Make your backpack water proof or buy a cover for it. I went to a camping shop and bought this big water proof backpack cover (like a giant shower cap) it takes a couple a seconds to put it on and I'm going to keep it in the front pocket incase of a suddern down pour. Plus if there are two of you, you don't even need to take your bag off your back - let you friend put yours on and vice-versa
Buy a little travel clothes line - it's basically two long bits of elastic with little suction bits at either end so you can hand wash your undies and socks and leave them to dry while you sleep.
Put something on your bag so you can tell your bag apart from all of the others out there. I had this problem once before and I couldn't tell which bag was mine - now I have put two bright pink straps on the top of my bag - which hold my sleeping bag - and let me tell you no one so far has had these pink straps so I spotted my bag straight away

I have a feeling this reply is getting a little long - if you want more info just ask

Melanie

[Kim]

Excellent tips, Melanie!

Kim

[Michael]

Jen, if you are planning on making the trip to Nice from Barcelona, which is a beautiful train ride, be careful. I made the trip at night and a guy actually came in my room and started going through one of the bags. I was in the room with two guys I met from Calgary. We knew about the crime on the train but we were suprized at how bold they are. Make the trip durring the day if you can.

If either of you are blonde you will attract a lot more attention in Spain and Italy. I was walking with a friend in Naples and two guys on mopeds actually came up on the side walk to get a better look at her. They were saying a lot and making gestures to their friends. She was so freaked out after that she didn't want to go in town without somebody else.

The Backpackers Hotel in nice in Nice, cheap, has a kitchen and laundry.

The HI hostel in London near St.Pauls is nice (good breakfast) but it is close to $50 Canadian a night. You can easily get a cheap hotel for around $65 and not share a room. There are a bunch listed in the Lonely Planet books.

If you want to meet people in Barcelona than Hostel Kabul is for you. It is right downtown, has palm trees in the courtyard and is cheap $17 CAN, it has a bar with pool tables and $1.50 beers. Bring a padlock, the lockers here don't have locks but are big and the maids will steal from you.

In Paris I stayed in a place right near the Louvre (an excellent location) for $17 CAN it is really big has a great breakfast but the lockers are coin operated. I think it is called Hostel International, I don't have my Lonely Planet book with me.

Italy is awsome, Venice is cool, Pisa is worth about an hour of your time, the leaning tower is the tallest building there. Rome has a lot of history but it is not the nicest of places but you are going to need 3-4 days at least to see all of the basics. Naples is dirty, stay around the bay in Sorrento if you can Pompei alone is worth the trip that far south. Do your shopping in the large open air market in Florence. If you are going to see the statue of David get there early in the morning you can easily wait a couple of hours to see him.

Switzerland is beautiful but really expensive shop around for cheap hostels and places to eat. The Lonely Planet guides are the best for that.

I apparenly have a lot to say, sorry, I hope you find it helpful.

Pack half the clothing you think you need. I only take 5 days worth of clothing and a rain jacket and put it in a school bag sized backpack. Take laundy soap and a garbage bag with you and go to the laundry mat to dry the clothes. You can put your wet clothes in the garbage bag. I find that is it too humid down south for the clothes to dry and in some places they won't let you hang you clothes out the window. You can also use the garbage bag to cover your backpack in the rain too.

I could go on,
Have fun

[jen]

thanks you guys!!!! i can't wait till i leave for my trip. all of your hints and suggestions were great!!!!