How does “Backpacking Around Europe” work? ?
It is possible to travel around Europe relatively cheaply by staying in the very large number of hostels to be found in almost all European countries. You can generally get a dormitory bed for around $20 or less, and while some are very ropey, others are remarkably good value, clean, fun and in good locations. If you want to travel between towns cheaply, hitchiking is less popular than it was years ago – (more hitchers are aware of the dangers of ‘rogue lifts’, and more motorists are aware of the dangers of picking up ‘rogue hitchers’) there are other ways which are safer and also cheap. Some countries have very good inter-city coach services, while there are also train ticket deals which give unlimited travel throughout Europe. The low cost airlines are also very good value. Checkout hostelworld.com for accomodation ideas and stories.
It’s pretty straightforward: get a large backpack (ie the sort of thing you have to go to REI for) dump about a weeks worth of clothes inside and spend a few weeks/months travelling around Europe. I have done it, and it’s a great opportunity to see a lot of the world. Some random websites that are useful for this sort of thing: STA travel: you can get good student/youth rates on plane tickets here. (www.statravel.com). Eurail: discounted youth rail passes–the train is pretty much the easiest way to get around (www.eurail.com) www.hostelworld.com and www.hostelbookers.com: you can use these websites to book beds in youth hostels just about anywhere. Tremendously useful websites for planning trips as a student.
