Backpacking in Europe Can Be An Amazing Experience

by Ric Henderson

We have all heard the stories about that fact that you have not truly lived until you have backpacked through Europe.  While this was once considered something that the “hippie generation” did, people are quickly realizing that this is a great way to see the country and not really spend a lot of money.

Backpacking is a truly wonderful experience and if you enjoy backpacking where you live, why not take a trip to Europe and keep your costs down by backpacking your way across the country?  This enables you to have a great vacation and not have to be concerned with a lot of the details that you normally would on a vacation.  No hotel or restaurant reservations, just you and the country and nothing in between.

Europe is a beautiful part of the world, but with the economy being the way it is, traveling to Europe may not be in your budget.  Between airfare, hotels and food, it could set you back quite a bit. This is why backpacking your way across Europe is such a great idea.  You can keep your costs down and still enjoy everything that Europe has to offer.

The ideal time to travel across Europe by backpacking would be the summertime.  The weather will be ideal and the prices for the Hostels that you can stay at will be extremely inexpensive.  You will learn to love these little diamonds in the rough as you will be able to get yourself cleaned up and get a great nights rest for a very inexpensive price.  If you go at the height of the season, you may have some trouble getting a room though, so you will want to plan your trip more on the extremes to avoid the really popular times.

One of the things that you will definitely want to invent in during your trip across Europe is a railpass.  You can be in Paris in the morning and Italy at night if you so desire.  If you pay upfront for a multi-city pass, you will be able to pretty much get on and off as you please and will have true freedom to explore your favorite areas of Europe.

Now while you will occasionally be staying in hostels, the bulk of the time you are going to be on the road. That being the case, you need to pack smart.  Since you are going to be in a foreign country, you are going to have to make sure that you have your passport with you and keep it safe and dry.  In addition, you will need to make sure you have extra clothing, a tent, toiletries, money (and maybe some credit cards) and the other basics.

For the most enjoyable trip to Europe, do some research and plan your whole trip out.  Find out where the hostels are and when you will be using them.  Figure out where you will be camping out and make sure you are going by a water source so you can replenish and clean up.  Now the only thing left to do is hit the trails for an experience that you will never forget.