Dream Trip - 1 year+

[minu]

I have a great job with great pay, so naturally i'm quitting to backpack Europe. I'll be 27 traveling solo for a full year. This has been a dream of mine for the past 6 years and it is finally a reality, I've worked hard to make it finally come true. Here's the details:
~1 year (or more)
~$130,000 budget (USD)

Stipulations:
~Absolutely no organized tours other than on-site tours
~As few hotels as possible - hostels or camping all the way
~Minimum planning - I have plenty of time, no rush
~As much nature and scenery as possible
~Despite my large budget, lets keep this cheap, my purpose is not to make this a resort vacation.
~I do not want to visit the following countries: England, Ireland, Iceland, any of Scandinavia, France, Portugal.

The focus of this trip is the Mediterranean, specifically:
Spain
Switzerland (Not Med. I know, but a must)
Italy
Croatia
Bosnia
Montenegro
Albania
Greece and its islands
Turkey

Then into eastern Europe:
Bulgaria
Romania
Ukraine
Belarus
Lithuania
Latvia
Estonia
Russia

If there's time:
Poland
Germany

So my real questions, is backpacking for a year feasible? Physically and Mentally. What are the benefits for a year long trip, what are the disadvantages. Which of these countries (if any) are "dangerous" (I'm a fit male athlete so i'm not worried so much about being able to handle myself.) I plan on carrying a 4" folding knife with me at all times, are there any issues with this outside of airports? How prevalent are ATMs in eastern europe?
I thank you for your input.

[WillTravel]

I think you should have a lot left from that $130K by the end of the year, but it's good that you won't be running short of funds .

The main problem you might run into is the 90-day Schengen limit. But you have a number of non-Schengen countries, also. So what I think you have to do is plan it so that for any given 180 days, you are spending only 90 of them within the Schengen zone. So for a one-year trip, this essentially means that you could spend half in the Schengen zone and half outside it.

Particularly since you will have the budget for it, I would think about arranging the camping so that you don't have to carry supplies around all year.

I've never done any trip anywhere near as long, so I can't really speak of the disadvantages and advantages. However, I do tend to miss working about two weeks in, but I don't think that's a common problem. From your list, I think that Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine might have the worst reputation, but many people travel there safely so just be cautious. Even though you are male, still take into account the need to keep your drinks safe. Make sure you take licensed taxis if possible.

I'd have second thoughts about the knife, but that's just not my style. Even being a fit athlete, if a gang decides to swarm you (unlikely) a knife is not going to help and just might escalate things.

In certain places, like rural Germany, you can get a private room in the 25-Euro range, so don't exclude the possibility of non-hostel accommodation. Also, you might want to consider renting an apartment or room for longer stays at some point during your trip.

[herrbert]

Eagle already pointed out the 90 day rule of the Schengen zone. I your case it might be wise to get a Working Holiday Visum. This is a visum for people that are mainly traveling, stay longer than the 90 days and give you the possibility to even work for short times in a legal way.

Bare in mind that for a couple of countries you listed you need a visum, Russia and Belarus I am sure of. The Ukraine I am not sure of. Check it with the ambassy.

Dangerous is not an easy thing to measure. It depends on the things you do and the risks you take (knowing or unknowingly). If you are informed about the places you go, you should not run into any problems. But there is always the chance of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. (which can also happen in your own town.)

Carrying a knife in Europe is not done. Outside of airports, this will most likely be a problem entering clubs or bars, and if you want to visit a sports event or something. As I said the European attitude to knives is very negative. (unless you are chef). The law of which knife is legal is different in every country, so you could run into troubles as well.

[cruella]

I'm planning something similar, though I will only be on the road for 8 months. Have you travelled by yourself at all before? I did a 15 day trip to Japan on my own as a "test run". Even though it was a short time, I learned a ton about how I want to travel and have some good ideas about how to keep sane on the road for an extended period of time.

The Schengen thing is a pain in the ass and I've heard different things from different people about how it is enforced. Some people say that you only have 90 consecutive days from when you enter and some say it only counts the days you actually spend in the zone (this is coming from border patrol people!) I think the easiest way to make sure that you are following the rules is to spend 90 days in Schengen, then 90 days outside, then 90 days back in, etc.

[herrbert]

As far as the Schengen"thing" is concerned, you are right. you can spend 90 days out of a 180 inside the zone. You might find some people claiming that you can reset your time, by spending one day in the UK and than go back, but that's not the case. Also note that the zone keeps expanding. (e.g. switzerland and liechtenstein joined last year.)