Some Camping Questions

[firsttiminit]

I'm a Canadian First-timer going to Europe for about 35 days between May and June with my boyfriend, Matt. We will most likely be going to (and probably in the order of) France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and back to France then home. We will be staying in Hostels and Matt wants to do ALOT of camping. What are some things we should bring if we're going camping, where are the best places to camp? Will a travel sheet be warm enough at night time? Is there anything I should know in general about camping in Europe maybe where NOT to camp out? Any answers, suggestions or random info will be greatly appreciated!!! ;D

[Eagle]

firsttiminit, as I mentioned in a reply to your other post, I suspect it's going to be very challenging to fit eight countries (especially Greece) into a 35 day trip. I really feel you'll need to pare down your list somewhat, but hopefully the others will have some thoughts on that as well.

Regarding "camping" in Europe, you might check your local Library or book store for the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door, as there's a section in there that covers camping (page 213 in the 2006 edition). You might also check the Lonely Planet Guidebooks, such as Europe on a Shoestring.

If you're camping, you'll need to pack along extra gear such as sleeping bags, possibly a tent, cooking equipment, etc. Note that you can not take bottled gas for portable stoves on board aircraft. Also note that if you decide to stay in Hostels part of the time, you can not use your sleeping bags there. You'll have to use the bedding they provide.

Good luck with your planning!

[madamtrashheap]

firsttiminit, to add to Eagle's excellent advice, I'd also suggest that you will need a sleeping bag as well as a travel sheet as May is still quite cool at night in Europe, and even June can bring chilly nights (I camped in Amsterdam once in early June at the ground temperature was -5C!).

Something else to consider is the method of transport you and your boyfriend intend to use while you're in Europe - trains, planes or are you thinking of hiring/buying a camper van? This will have a bearing on what you need to take, what you can take (carrying-wise) and again on how long you can actually spend in each country/city. I can only reiterate Eagle's note that you have listed a lot of places for 35day - Europe may look small on a map, but it ain't really!

Here's a Post from last year discussing camping (and hiking) in Europe: pretravel.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=Transportation&action=display&n=1&thread=4845&page=1