Travel guides tips for a european backpacking trip

Posted: 02/09/2007--25/11/2008 || Rate this Article: 3 || Views|| Sign In || Register ||Hello Guest

So you've decided to have an experience in Europe, eh? Thoughts of seeing Venice's romantic canals and dining at some of France's finest restaurants and cafes seep into your brain and the itch has driven you to drop everything and backpack through the continent. Here are some tips that might help to get you started.

Decide for how long you're going to travel. Even if you don't have a clue beyond "I just want to go and see where the European cities take me" you probably still have an idea about the length of time you'll be gone. The reason for this is to find out whether or not you need any sort of Visas or documentation. If you're going to make this backpacking trip into one that lasts a year or longer you best check up on the proper paperwork. Ask about this when you apply for your passport at the post office.

Before leaving, always make sure that your ATM card will work in the countries that you plan on visiting. Make sure that your bank is aware of your departure date. If they don't know, you could encounter conflicts with trying to withdraw money. Travelers checks are always a good idea. Note the countries that are using the euro and the countries that are still using their original currency. Also, always make sure that you have enough cash with you. Many European countries are not as familiar with credit cards as others. This can many times be a hassle if you don't have enough cash. And when you don't know the language it becomes pointless battle between you and the cashier. Just make sure to have cash in your pocket.

Pickpockets are always around wherever you go but can be avoided with the proper precautions. Buy a money belt that you can hide underneath your clothes. Stuff credit cards and ATM cards in your shoes or socks. If you're carrying a backpack with all of your money, swing it to the front instead of carrying it on your back. Make copies of EVERYTHING (credit cards, passport, visa, photo identity card, etc.)and leave the copies back at home with friends and family in case something is stolen. Also bring copies with you but put them in different locations so that you have spare ones.

Making sure you have everything you need before heading over the ocean is extremely important for several reasons. The first reason being that backpacking can sometimes be . . . burdensome. When you're carrying everything on your shoulders and transporting it from train to train and from city to city the last thing you want to be thinking is, "Aw crap, I forgot my deodorant" (and trust me, deodorant is not something you want to leave behind when journeying through Europe). So make sure that all of your essentials are there in your backpack before you wander from store to store urgently trying to track down your name brand whatever-it-is. This will not only be less of a hassle and less expensive, you will also feel more comfortable being so far away from your comfortable surroundings. Just keep a month's long supply of about everything you need. Then worry about refilling the shampoo bottle and toothpaste.

How often does one DO laundry when backpacking through Europe? This all depends on you. If you're one of those people who enjoy hiking through the Swiss Alps, exploring the caves in Budapest, or swimming in the beaches of Capri, then laundry might be a little more important to take care of just to keep the stench of sweat-drenched clothes to a bare minimum. Bringing more clothes might also relieve some of the pain (and expense) of laundry, but then you have more to carry. My suggestion? Bring about a week's worth of clothes and two weeks worth of underwear. Underwear takes up less space, weighs less, and is much more important, hygiene wise, than three pairs of jeans. It's also easier to wash because it dries quickly and, again, takes up less space in your backpack and on the line.

The line? Yes. Europeans generally do not have dryers that actually dry clothes. Most "dryers" simply spin the clothes into oblivion for an hour or two and drain the water from them in the process. So then you're stuck with either hanging your clothes on the beds of a hostel/hotel, out the window or any other inventive location you can come up with. Or you can invest in an inexpensive line to dry them with. You can buy these lines from most any travel store and they'll usually come with little packets of laundry detergent in case you prefer washing your clothes in the sink (if the sink doesn't have a plug, just use a sock to plug up the drain. It works wonders). Be warned-- the lines normally come with small suction cups attached to the end of them so that you can stick them to the walls. These small suction cups probably won't stick to the walls, let alone sustain the weight of damp clothes for hours on end. It's best to tie the line to something sturdier in the room. This sometimes involves maneuvering things around and using your imagination.

Travel guides. They are a backpacker's best friend and worst enemy. They are filled with tips, suggested destinations and witty little jabs at European idiosyncrasies. They become a backpackers companion throughout the journey and sometimes you even feel like fighting with them like you would any human companion. You may even have the inclination to leave the guidebook in your hostel room for the day and vow to explore the city without it. You glare at it for a while and it seems to glare back at you, taunting your every move. Its little maps and information on each location in the city slowly draw you back in. You relent and throw the book back in your bag, even though it weighs a ton and its pages are becoming creased and ruined from the water bottle and food items spilling all over it. Guide books are a good thing to buy and to have to accompany you on your journey. Sometimes they misinform and leave out vital information that you wished it had. When a guidebook says that to hike up an island is short but strenuous and worth the trip and you've spent three hours hiking up the island with your legs burning from exhaustion and an end nowhere in sight, you may find yourself writing letters in your head to the travel writer cursing his very existence and then to the editors whose book you now loath. Don't fret; these books are worth the money and even the occasional mishaps along the way.

There are ways of traveling through Europe on a tight budget. Instead of spending money at restaurants and cafes, go to grocery stores and make food in the kitchens of the hostels. Not only is this less expensive but it's also a great chance to socialize with others who are doing the same thing as you. You can also gain insight on the kinds of food the locals eat and choose exactly what you want instead of ordering something off the menu that sounded more like Pork Gunk than Weiner Schnitzel. If you prefer experiencing the joy of going to the many wonderful restaurants then ask for an English menu. You'd be surprised with how many of the restaurants offer that. And most of the wait staff does their best to explain what each item consists of.

Have a wonderful trip and allow for changes along the way. Be open to going places you hadn't planned on going and trying things you hadn't planned on trying. Flexibility and adaptability is the key to a great experience. Bon voyage!