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Post by swanlake on Oct 13, 2008 1:52:15 GMT -5
hi, me and my friend decided we want to backpack europe. we are planning for summer 2010. --its a little early but we are SUPER excited.
we are worried we won't be able to do everything that we want in one trip, so if i could have your thoughts, that would be great.
we are thinking about two months.
we would like to visit:
Greece (the main island)
Italy (def. Vinice and Rome)
France (paris and south of france)
Spain (i just want to visit valnicia, for the awesome aquarium where it would be my dream job to work at)
England
Ireland
maybe Germany.
is it too much? we want to not be too rushed or planned and feel out the culture and stuff.
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Post by Eagle on Oct 13, 2008 3:26:36 GMT -5
swanlake, first of all, Welcome! I have a few initial comments and questions on your travel plans.
Two months is a good time frame, but careful planning will be required. I'd suggest using "open jaw" flights for best efficiency. They often cost a bit more initially, but avoid the cost and time of returning the starting point. Summer is not the best time for travelling in Europe, as it's usually hot and crowded. Is there any possibility of sliding your dates into either the spring or fall shoulder seasons?
A few comments on the locations you listed:
> Greece - you stated "the main island". I'm assuming you mean the mainland where Athens is located? I think most here would agree that 2-3 days is adequate for Athens. You may want to consider the Peloponnese Peninsula or some of the islands (Crete, Santorini)?
> Italy - Venice and Rome are most definitely great places to have on the list. Plan at least five days in Rome, as there's LOTS to see. Are there any other locations that interest you? Some other places to look at would be Lago di Como, the Cinque Terre (a BIG favourite with many travellers!), Florence, Siena (both of those are in Bella Toscana!) or areas to the south (Amalfi Coast, Capri).
> France - Paris is good (again, plan at least five days), but which areas in the south of France are you interested in?
> Spain - is a long way to travel to just visit Valencia. Are there any other cities that you might want to see? Hopefully herrbert will see this post, as he's the expert on Spain, and I'm sure will have some great suggestions for you.
> England - which cities? Again, plan at least five days in London.
> Ireland - I'm assuming you'll be visiting Dublin? Were you planning to visit other cities there?
> Germany - depending on which travel route you choose, it would be easy to fit a few stops in southern Germany and possibly Austria. I was just in Munich in May, and would definitely recommend that. There are some great day trips possible from there, such as Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen (the model for the Disney "Sleeping Beauty" Castle). If you're interested in history, Dachau is also in that area.
Just curious, no interest in visiting Switzerland? One of the most popular locations with a lot of travellers is the small farming village of Gimmelwald. Check out their web site and the awesome Mountain Hostel. It's a very peaceful location but also a fantastic place to explore the culture of the Berner Oberland. The next village above Gimmelwald is Murren, and it's a classic Swiss village!
If this is your first trip to Europe, I'd highly recommend reading the guidebook Europe Through The Back Door. It's an essential pre-read, and covers lots of topics, such as Rail skills, Itinerary planning, languages and money issues. You should be able to find this at local book stores or the Library.
Good luck with your planning!
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Post by herrbert on Oct 13, 2008 7:25:01 GMT -5
hi,
Indeed it is a long way to Valencia (esp. if you are gonna travel by land). It depends a little bit on where in the South of France you want to stay, but it must be possible to take a flight to Valencia, with one of the cheap airlines. From Valencia you can make it to Rome pretty easy if you take a flight.
I don't think your trip looks to rushed at the moment, but then again it lacks some concrete plans.
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Post by swanlake on Oct 13, 2008 21:05:03 GMT -5
as of right now, we are in the very early stages of planning. we are at the point where we are trying to figure out where we want to go. i was wondering if it would be rushed, as my friend is concerned that we won't be able to visit all these places in two months. she is thinking about splitting the trip into two summers, but i just wouldn't be able to afford that.
i got europe through the back door at my library, and so far have skimmed it.
we are both students so that is why summer works best for us. and i don't think my or her parents would approve of taking part of the school year off to go across europe. as of right now my mom isn't too keen on me going period.
ETA: thanks for your guys' input. i appreciate it.
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