Planning a backpacking trip...?

[dreamer]

I am from the States and am looking to travel with a friend to Europe this summer (May) We want to plan a 4 week trip to backpack around Europe for as cheap as possible. Neither of us have ever been to Europe and are unfamiliar with the place in a lot of ways...

When do these youth rates come into play?
Which countries are must see?
How much can we get accomplished in 4 weeks?
Will it be easy enough for us to get around on our own?

I am overwhelmed almost

[herrbert]

dreamer said:

I am from the States and am looking to travel with a friend to Europe this summer (May) We want to plan a 4 week trip to backpack around Europe for as cheap as possible. Neither of us have ever been to Europe and are unfamiliar with the place in a lot of ways...

When do these youth rates come into play?
It depends on what you call youth rates.
A lot of places in student cities, have rates for students. If you can prove you are a student (usualy a ID card from you college or university, will do), you can get discounts on entrance, and in some student-restaurants on food.

Most train passes have a special rate for 25 and under. (or give these passes an other name, then the passes for adults)

Which countries are must see?
That depends on what you and your friend are interested in. Do you want to go to the beach or mountains, visit cities or small towns, visit museums or check out the nightlife, go shopping or go hiking, go for the highlights, or do you want to go off the beaten track.

With a little more information, I am sure you will get some good suggestions.

How much can we get accomplished in 4 weeks?
The most important thing is to don't want to see too much, and leave every city behind with the feeling you wanted to stay for much longer, because you haven't seen half the things you wanted.

As a general rule, you can say that the number of days needed in a major city (Rome, London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Vienna etc.) are 4 or 5 days. (of course also depends on your interests), some smaller cities can be done in 3 days (Amsterdam, Florence, Athens etc), and even smaller or places with less sights can be done in 1 or 2 days (Brugge, Cologne). If you want to go Island hopping in Greece, take at least 2-3 days on an island, but also be aware of the time it takes to get there.

Will it be easy enough for us to get around on our own?
the locals do it, the millions of tourists do it, so why can't you?

Public transport is very good in most countries, and flying is very cheap within Europe.

If you are worried about the language barrier, then know that in a lot of places they do speak English, but in some others like France and Spain it is very wise to know at least some words like 'Hello' and 'Thank you' and maybe some lines like 'I would like a ticket to ...' If you are really worried about language, then you can always stick to countries like the UK, Eire, Portugal, the Netherlands, the Flemmish part of Belgium, and the Scandinavian countries. In these countries you are not very likely to have a lot of problems if you don't speak the language. (well for the UK and Eire, that shouldn't be a problem). And never forget, you can go a long way with pointing and making gestures.

[pointofnoreturn]

I suggest you pick up a guidebook (Let's Go is pretty good) that covers all of Europe as well as Rick Steves' "Europe Through the Back Door" which is extremely useful for first timers.

[Eagle]

dreamer, Welcome! herrbert and PONR have provided some great suggestions. However, it's difficult to provide more specific recommendations until you have a list of cities. One point to mention is not to try and fit too many places in (something that happens quite frequently). Four weeks is not a long time in terms of European travel!

I definitely concur with PONR that reading some Guidebooks is a great way to start planning. I'd also highly recommend Europe Through The Back Door, as it's well written and contains a wealth of information on things like Itinerary planning, Rail Skills, Currencies, languages, places to stay, places to eat, etc. If one requires more specific information, country or city Guidebooks can be used. Check your local Library or book stores.

May is not far off, so it would be a good idea to start on the planning as soon as possible! I couldn't tell from your Profile exactly where in the U.S. you're from, but you might want to speak with a travel agent about open-jaw flights, before you buy any airline tickets. It's the most efficent way to travel, especially for short trips, unless you're going to be staying close to the point where you arrived in Europe.

Cheers!