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Backpacking Europe

bizou311
Joined: April 06, 2005 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 498
Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 01:48 PM UTC #
I'm planning a backpacking trip in Europe for September and part of October. Does anyone know of any club size venues similar to the 930 club that i should check out?

Any tips on booking flights, hostels and countries to visit would be helpful too.

Thanks!
thirsty moore
Joined: January 11, 2000 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 6131
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 02:20 PM UTC #
What countries are you currently looking at?
demsrock
Joined: August 23, 2004 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 567
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 02:21 PM UTC #
Check out lonelyplanet's message boards. http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/

I did a contiki tour after graduation. 10 countries in 24 days. They have a budget tour with camping/hostels. I did the next price range up which was hotels and hostels. I liked it because they bused us around to each city then dropped us off with a map and said meet us back at the bus at a certain time. http://us.contiki.com/
lwoxley
Joined: October 06, 2004 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 4792
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 02:27 PM UTC #
Enjoy your trip, should be fun. Just try to make you being American (if you are American) not so obvious. Europeans aren't too big on doodles at the moment.
Relaxer
Joined: October 15, 2001 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 5410
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 02:56 PM UTC #
Milkweg in Amsterdam
bizou311
Joined: April 06, 2005 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 498
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 03:15 PM UTC #
I have friends in Germany and Italy and relatives in Holland, so those are a definite.

I'm getting a Eurorail pass, so anywhere that takes me is a possibility.

I was planning on buying my plane ticket through orbitz.com unless anyone has any websites they recommend.

Thanks for tips!
bizou311
Joined: April 06, 2005 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 498
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 03:25 PM UTC #
I found their website, but couldn't understand any of the text on the site

Originally posted by Relaxer:
Milkweg in Amsterdam
ratioci nation
Joined: November 22, 2002 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 4463
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 03:46 PM UTC #
Originally posted by bizou311®:
I have friends in Germany and Italy and relatives in Holland, so those are a definite.

I'm getting a Eurorail pass, so anywhere that takes me is a possibility.

I was planning on buying my plane ticket through orbitz.com unless anyone has any websites they recommend.

Thanks for tips!
i dont think there are any great secret airfare websites out there anymore, but I do like farechase.yahoo.com, it searches all the websites

and check first, but it is normally a little cheaper if you buy the ticket directly from the airline website once you have found a flight you want
georgewendt
Joined: October 05, 2006 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 63
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 03:53 PM UTC #
Melkweg, Paradiso, and Bimhuis in Amsterdam.
Rhett Miller
Joined: November 15, 2001 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 17762
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 03:53 PM UTC #
I can't wait until our kid is old enough to backpack Europe with her/his parents. Wish I was going; have fun!
georgewendt
Joined: October 05, 2006 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 63
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 03:54 PM UTC #
Unless you plan on hitchhiking, I'd suggest you break the bank and get a Eurail pass before you go. Expensive, but worth it.
ratioci nation
Joined: November 22, 2002 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 4463
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 03:55 PM UTC #
Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes,Japanese Golfer:
I can't wait until our kid is old enough to backpack Europe with her/his parents.
<img src="http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ANYWXRPEL._SS500_.jpg" alt=" - " />
HoyaSaxa03
Joined: March 22, 2004 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 7053
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 04:00 PM UTC #
Originally posted by bizou311®:
I have friends in Germany and Italy and relatives in Holland, so those are a definite.

I'm getting a Eurorail pass, so anywhere that takes me is a possibility.

I was planning on buying my plane ticket through orbitz.com unless anyone has any websites they recommend.

Thanks for tips!
www.kayak.com
bizou311
Joined: April 06, 2005 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 498
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 04:06 PM UTC #
It is a little pricey, but I plan on buying one after my next paycheck.

Originally posted by georgewendt:
Unless you plan on hitchhiking, I'd suggest you break the bank and get a Eurail pass before you go. Expensive, but worth it.
ratioci nation
Joined: November 22, 2002 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 4463
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 04:25 PM UTC #
Originally posted by Hoya Paranoia:
www.kayak.com
wow, looks like farechase with better tools, I am still surprised how many useful websites there are that I just dont hear about, maybe we should start a thread for that
HoyaSaxa03
Joined: March 22, 2004 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 7053
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 04:34 PM UTC #
Originally posted by pdx pollard:
Originally posted by Hoya Paranoia:
www.kayak.com
wow, looks like farechase with better tools, I am still surprised how many useful websites there are that I just dont hear about, maybe we should start a thread for that
kayak is fantastic, by far the best travel site out there … root around on it and see all the different things you can do

this section: http://www.kayak.com/buzz

is particularly cool
sweetcell
Joined: July 18, 2006 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 22608
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 04:37 PM UTC #
this is the travel website that keeps me on planes:

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch/prego/calendar

a meta-search engine. lots of different way of planning your trip, the "Search any 30 day period for the lowest prices" and "Find the cheapest weekend to travel in any 30 day period" features are very useful.

www.sidestep.com is also good. but as pdx pollard pointed out, there aren't too many "hidden deals" to be found anymore… most sites have access to the same pool of 99% of the fares. occasionally i come across a unique fare, but it's getting rarer and rarer.
bizou311
Joined: April 06, 2005 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 498
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 04:46 PM UTC #
hahahaha this is keeping me busy while at work.

Originally posted by Christine Moritz:
Originally posted by 6949:
Check out lonelyplanet's message boards. http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/
Especially this memorable thread:

http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/messagepost.cfm?postaction=reply&amp;catid=32&amp;threadid=776884&amp;messid=6606542&amp;STARTPAGE=1&amp;parentid=0&amp;from=11&amp;showall=true

;)
bnyced0
Joined: March 02, 2006 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 894
Re: Backpacking Europe May 25, 2007 at 05:11 PM UTC #
You might find you have more flexibility and greater use of time if you use the cheap airlines once you're over there. It takes a bit of logistical planning but it might provide more bang for the buck. These sites are good for getting an idea about which destinations connect the easiest then I'd go to the airline site for details and bookings, nearly all of them have english buttons so don't fear the initial burst of foreign language.

http://www.flylc.com/directall-en.asp

http://www.skyscanner.net/

only note of caution, the reason why these flights are so cheap are they use underutilized airports sometimes so the lead time on getting to/from major cities may be an issue but there are many destinations that use major airports so it just depends on your itinerary. Think South West, but sometimes the quality is much better.

As far as venues, depends on where you're going. Once you have an itinerary PM me and I'll have someone provide detailed info on all the cities you're hitting.
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