My Trip : HELP!!!!

[twelveseconds]

My names Daniel im from Australia, as Im sure most of you know, the Aussie Dollar is worth ZILCH!!!!!! So it quite difficult for me to venture anywhere, but I am saving like mad in order to go abroad. Now this is the difficult part, the main parts of Europe I wanna visit are the most expensive, or that is the impression I am getting, especially from this Board   . Well I will list what I know and my plans so far, I wont everyone to give me advice which will be VERY much appreciated!

1. I plan on a 8 week (2 month trip)
2. Countries - France (Paris), Norway (Oslo, Bergen, Haugesund, Stavanger, Kristiansand), Sweden (Stockholm, Alvesta), Denmark (Copenhagen, Arhus).
3. I plan on April-May-June sometime then I hope, I dont think it will be to cold?

Thats basically all I have in mind at the moment. I know Paris is sorta outta the way maybe I should wait for a second trip to visit Paris? Umm what do u guys think?

Some other questions I have, they might sound stupid but I have to ask people who have travelled!!! lol

1. When do u wash clothes?
2. Do most hostels have Kitchens? or is it cheaper to look for cheaps places were they serve food??
3.At hostels when your in Dorms (like lots of beds in one room) do you like sleep with your security belt on?? Or can u trust the other in your room?
4. Is it akward if u have your backpack and and a seperate Day Pack to carry arround?

umm I know they sound dum but I have no idea at the moment :-)

thanks guys for your help if you wanna contact me other then through this contact me at [e-mail]

thanks Daniel

[Kim]

Re: My Trip : HELP!!!!
Hi Daniel,

Welcome to the boards!

First, I have to tell you that besides Switzerland, Scandinavia is the most expensive place you could possibly visit in Europe. It is not even remotely cheap-if you are looking for cheaper places, I would head to Spain, Portugal and possibly Greece.

The other thing I have to say about Scandinavia is that it couldn't be more beautiful-especially Norway. You can do a fjord tour out of Bergen (it's called Norway in a Nutshell) and it is stunning-nothing in the world like it. We were there during the time you are planning and didn't find it cold at all-the weather was great! It's not hot by any means but nice enough.

When do u wash clothes?

A good number of hostels have washers and dryers in them. That said, it's often cheaper and faster (due to more machines) to drag your stuff to the local laundrymatte. Make sure to take a good number of socks and underwear, they are light and will prolong your need to wash your clothes. It can be a hassle, due to poor machines and can take a while. Often, people wash their clothes out in the sink and hang them to dry. Hostels aren't big on this though.

Do most hostels have Kitchens? or is it cheaper to look for cheaps places were they serve food??

Some do, some don't. This is something you definately want to research before you go as cooking for yourself will save you a ton of money. Get a general idea of the hostels you want to stay at and check out if they do have cooking facilities.

Some hostels include breakfast (toast etc.) which is handy but if not, buy a box of cereal, take it out of the box so it's just in the packaging and carry it with you. It's light and you can just buy a small thing of milk for every place. We took small bowls from a camping supply place for this.

For lunches, stop at the grocery store and buy some fruit, some bread and maybe a bit of cheese or meat. It's the cheapest way to go.

At hostels when your in Dorms (like lots of beds in one room) do you like sleep with your security belt on?? Or can u trust the other in your room?

Sadly, no you can never trust anyone with your valuables while travelling. Don't make the mistake many have made and leave your valuables in your room-not even when you shower. ALWAYS take them with you at all times. When you sleep, you can wear your money belt or have a pocket sewn inside your sleeping sheet and put them in there. If you are on a bottom bunk, you can lock your bag to the bed frame (beside the bed) then lock all the zippers. If you go out during the day, take your valuables with you and leave your big pack with all the zippers locked.

Is it akward if u have your backpack and and a seperate Day Pack to carry arround?

What you want is a backpack with removable daypack. The daypack zips onto the big pack while you are travelling, then zips off for when you want to go out during the day. This is the one I usually recommend to people;

Eagle Creek Continental Journery
(This is the new 2002 model)
service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=32958036&siteid=39114965&
;bfpid=ECCJ&bfmtype=premium

I think all of your questions were great-I'm sure other people will find them helpful as well. Feel free to post any others if you think of any.

Kim

[twelveseconds]

Hey its Daniel here again... :-)

I really wont to concentrate on Norway Sweden and Denmark is this possible sticking to a budget of about US$50 a day??

thanks :-)

['Guest']

Daniel,

US$50/ day just isn't realistic for Scandinavia.  two or tree times that would be scrimping.  

Sorry to burst your bubble, but your need to be realistic.  

[nitsansh]

Is it that expensive nowadays???
When I travelled in Europe, Scandinavia was expensive, but not so much. I did it then on 25$ a day budget, while in the rest of western Europe it was 20$/day. Should be 30% more expensive or so. I figure you can do it in 70$/day, excluding transportation. For your 2-month trip you need between 4000 and 5000$.
You could cut the cost considerably if you camp out. It's perfectly legal to pitch your tent in Norway in any uncultivated place 150m away from the nearest building. If you do that, you spend nothing on accomodation, and save about 20$/day. Buy food in supermarkets and cook it yourself to keep food expenses to minimum. Spend most of your time in the countryside - the scenery is beatiful, and it's free of charge. This way, you can cut your daily expenses to as low as 30$/day. Once you go to the big cities, your expenses will double. Still, if you stay at the cheapest hostels, make your own food, avoid vehicles as much as possible, even in the most expensive cities 70$ should be enough.

Paris is not too far away if you want to go there. Should be less than a day's travel to go to Copenhagen. Use Eurolines bus rather than trains to cut travel expenses. In Scandinavia, I think Scanrail should be a good bargain, but it won't cover all your transportation cost if you want to travel into the fjords land.

If you're still short of money, you have these options:
1. Shorten the trip. Every week you cut is about 500$ less.
2. Postpone the trip till you have the money.
3. If you feel you must go this spring, go to cheaper places.

[[e-mail]]

I agree with nearly all the above. I think that Scandinavia is pretty bad on kitchens in hostels -- they either dont have them, or they are not equipped (ie they will grudgingly let you borrow one pan, one plate etc).  I think kitchens are a very valuable feature of hostels, for saving money. Eating out in Scandinavia is very expensive.

I agree regarding valuables, definitely keep them with you at all times, even in the shower, but I wouldn't be so pedantic about locking your main pack, it's OK just left in your room. In hostels in country areas you can relax a bit.

[nitsansh]

UKTrail said:

I agree with nearly all the above. I think that Scandinavia is pretty bad on kitchens in hostels -- they either dont have them, or they are not equipped (ie they will grudgingly let you borrow one pan, one plate etc).  I think kitchens are a very valuable feature of hostels, for saving money. Eating out in Scandinavia is very expensive.

As far as I recall, the hostels in Norway were among the best, except for UK and Ireland. The HI-affiliated hostels were much better than the private ones, but quite pricy.
I guess you are used to "members kitchens" in Britain and Ireland... they are the best in Europe, no other country is like that. I managed to make my own food in Scandinavia, in one place I recall they even had a microwave (rare feature in the 80s...).
I carried a small pan and pot, a cup and cutlery (knife, fork and spoon) and used it where there was no equipment. As long as there was a stove it was fine. Prices in Scandinavia were so high that meat cans were over my budget... so my dinner was vegetarian... I liked their "hotdogs" which were in reasonable price...