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Post by defining on Feb 6, 2004 12:13:49 GMT -5
Hi,
I was just wondering about the europass, after looking at the different options, I'm not too sure it would even be worth while for myself/girlfriend to purchase one...
reason... we plan on travelling from 10-12 months or more and we are very relaxed about where we want to go. I figure 70% of our travels will be from small town to small town, but if we find a place that we like, we might stay there for a couple weeks etc..
So do you guys think we should still get a euro pass? or can we just wing it and buy passes for when we need them? or maybe if we are travelling for a good chuck of days/weeks just buy a europass off the net in europe or something like that?
any tips/info would be great.
Thanks,
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Post by nitsansh on Feb 6, 2004 20:20:02 GMT -5
For a start... there's no rail pass that lasts longer than 3 months...
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Post by Kim on Feb 6, 2004 21:13:03 GMT -5
Either way, it isn't going to be cheap.
In order to figure out what will work best for you, you have to know where you are going to be for most of your trip, where you plan on travelling to and how long you will be staying.
Without that info, it's pretty much impossible to tell which is better.
I don't want to scare you off but having travelled for 7 months in Europe, I really want to stress the expense of it. We are talking thousands and thousands of dollars, more than our downpayment on our condo. And we did it really cheaply.
Lots of people think they can go to Europe and work their way throughout their trip, but without a visa and speaking the local languages, this is pretty much impossible. It doesn't work like that.
When you are budgeting a minimum of $50 per person (you can't do it for any less, trust me, you can't), 10 months adds up to $15,000 each per person.
I'd say for 7 months in Europe we probably spent in total about $20,000. It's shocking.
I don't want to be a bummer but I just want everyone to be aware of the serious expense. Everyone thinks they will just do it cheaper but trust me, $50 in Europe (things are alot more expensive!) is VERY cheap.
Kim
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tryshah
Full Travel Member
Posts: 47
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Post by tryshah on Feb 6, 2004 21:59:16 GMT -5
I have been looking a lot at the Eurail options (haven't actually gone yet), but it seems to me that point-to-point travel is in order for you. You wouldn't want to waste a bunch of money on travel days that you may not take advantage of.
good luck!
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Post by nitsansh on Feb 8, 2004 14:37:22 GMT -5
That is the budget for western/central Europe... you might do it cheaper in the east... and in general, smaller places cost smaller money...
However, at the current rate of US$ vs Euro and other European currencies, everything is more expensive for Americans... if you happend to earn your money in AUS$, your currency will buy more in Europe these days...
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Post by defining on Feb 8, 2004 16:03:09 GMT -5
I guess the main thing that I'm looking for is, can I buy europasses while I'm travelling?
Also due to the fact that we won't really have a 100% set plan on where to go, will I be able to still find train tickets/passes that are still cheap, or are is travelling by train $$$ without a europass.
Also we plan to be working during our trip also, from place to place.
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tryshah
Full Travel Member
Posts: 47
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Post by tryshah on Feb 8, 2004 16:15:19 GMT -5
You can buy europasses while you are travelling (there are internet cafes, for one). However, I have never heard anyone say anything positive about working from place to place abroad. I'm sure you have looked into it though, so good luck  |
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eyespy
Senior Travel Member
Posts: 73
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Post by eyespy on Feb 8, 2004 16:21:30 GMT -5
No experience with it but Kim says working is VERY hard unless you know the local language...and? I forget the second thing. Maybe cause you're foreign? Something like that. It sounds as if knowing the local language is a huge step in the right direction but the idea is still iffy. But great if you can pull it off.
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tryshah
Full Travel Member
Posts: 47
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Post by tryshah on Feb 8, 2004 16:29:20 GMT -5
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Post by defining on Feb 8, 2004 18:23:24 GMT -5
thanks for the info, I plan on being a certified Bartender, before I leave, I'm also fluent in French and I've taken german in school.
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tryshah
Full Travel Member
Posts: 47
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Post by tryshah on Feb 9, 2004 9:10:51 GMT -5
Tres bien, bon chance!
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Post by nitsansh on Feb 9, 2004 20:50:12 GMT -5
It's impossible to make a general comment about transportation in Europe... there are various discounts and ticket types available in every country...
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Post by LauraLee on Feb 12, 2004 13:24:07 GMT -5
I've talked to two of my friends who are just getting back from europe and they had no problems finding jobs in the areas they stayed. Alot of the hostels they stayed at gave them work right away or helped them find work. I guess it just matters on where you are...
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Post by Kim on Feb 12, 2004 14:09:50 GMT -5
Usually when you work at a hostel though, it's in exchange for free room and board. You can't expect to make money off of it.
What I am trying to say here is don't go over there expecting to work. If you find a job, great. But have enough money to cover yourself if that doesn't happen. Many people go over thinking they will work across Europe - as in make money at one place to keep funding their travel expenses.
Also, most places including hostels expect some sort of time commitment. So if you are going for 4 weeks, do you really want to spend 3 of it working in a hostel? Generally, companies want someone with a working visa - in order to cover their butts. Also, for the most part, they want to employ locals over tourists, which is fair.
Having worked in a hostel for 4 months I know that you think you will go and do things on your day off, see the sights etc. but it ends up not really working out that way.
Kim
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