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Backpacking in europe, tips?

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TWT
Post subject: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Thu 09 Apr , 2009 8:29 pm
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I know the B77 lot has to have a number of tips for me!

Please? :D

I haven't made any concrete plans yet but I'm wanting to go for about a month. Preferably to the UK, get up to Scotland then make my way down to southen Spain and Gibraltar. Heard there's a last homely house bordering Spain there... ;) Then probably make my way back up to Paris or wherever I can get a decently priced flight back to Canada for.

I'm thinking of leaving in May probably, or latest June. I mainly want to hitchhike around. Don't have any particularly specific destinations in mind other than I'd like to Visit Edinburgh and Newcastle (not really much problem for those), Paris and Gibraltar. Where I end up between and how I get there will hopefully be an adventure of sorts.

I am planning on traveling alone and was thinking of buying a GPS so that I'm never completely lost while I'm there.

In my research I've heard a lot about getting rides in advance. From sites like this: http://www.hitchhikers.org/" target="_blank Looks pretty nifty to me...

So any tips? Cautions? Advice? Offers for a vacant couch and perhaps a meal? :D I'm serious. If I make it near where anyone lives I'd love to meet up, and if anyone offers me a bed, couch, floor panel for my sleeping bag I'd appreciate the generosity so much! I am trying to do this trip very very thrifty and just get around and see stuff. :)

Waitin' for your comments!


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Estel
Post subject: Re: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Thu 09 Apr , 2009 10:47 pm
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TWT wrote:
... then make my way down to .... Gibraltar. Heard there's a last homely house bordering Spain there... ;)
:D :cool: :love:



On a non-emoticon mode, I've never actually backpacked, so I'm no help, but it sure sounds like fun! :horse:


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Jude
Post subject: Re: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Thu 09 Apr , 2009 11:53 pm
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Ooh, I remember backpacking through Europe after I graduated. I got a Eurailpass and went from top to bottom. Sometimes I slept on the train to avoid having to rent a room for the night. :D Sometimes I got lucky and got two seats to stretch out in. One time I did not get lucky and every single seat was taken, so I spent the entire night standing up with my backpack. I remember that as "the night that would not end". So you may want to take the trouble to reserve in advance, if you go that route. :poke:

So... Edinburgh, eh? It's no secret that Edinburgh is one of my favourite cities in the world. How long do you plan to stay there?

I always prefer to rent a flat while I'm there and do my own cooking (and have people over!). It works out cheaper than a hotel. Here's a good site I use to find a place to stay:

Apartments and flats in Edinburgh

If any of these strike your fancy, let me know which one and I'll tell you what I know about the neighbourhood.

There's a strong possibility that I may be there in the first week of October - if you were planning to be there at the same time, you could always sleep on the couch for free (a lot of these flats have sofas that convert to beds). Or we could split the cost of a two-bedroom.

If you stay in a place where you have access to cooking facilities, be sure to pick up some pasta from Gourmet Pasta on Bruntsfield Place. It's amazingly delicious, and cheap too, considering how good it is. You don't need to add any sauce to their filled pastas, just a bit of butter.

Most people like to climb Arthur's Seat, if the weather is fine (you can't miss it - a huge extinct volcano in the middle of the city). Less well-known is Blackford Hill in my old neighbourhood of Morningside, which also has great views. You can also wander around in Blackford Wood, and argue with the ill-tempered swans in Blackford Pond if you're feeling brave.

Most of the museums are free, except for special exhibits. The Chambers Street Museum has all kinds of cool stuff - I used to hang around there a lot. Also the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Both of these are free.

The Castle and the Palace both have steep admission fees, but still - why spend hundreds of dollars getting there, and then hesitating to spend the few pounds to get into the Castle? If you want to visit the Palace, check first to see which parts are open before handing over your money. When we mooted there a couple of years ago, the most interesting parts (the rooms where the conspirators murdered David Rizzio) were closed for construction.

Have fun!

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Crucifer
Post subject: Re: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Fri 10 Apr , 2009 4:14 am
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You know where Europe starts? Ireland.

I have 2 Canadian friends who came to Europe for a year.

They left Ireland 11 months later. :D

(hint)

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TWT
Post subject: Re: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Fri 10 Apr , 2009 4:59 am
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I have a lot of friends who've gone to Ireland. Thing is, they all come back saying its a hell of a lot like Canada!

I want to do Ireland, but not this time. I have to wait for one of my best friends to gather some cash and we're supposed to then book it to the Emerald Isle for a couple weeks.

Is it wierd I really want to visit Newcastle? Something about the place has always intrigued me. Don't mind the local footy team either...

Thanks Jude! Closer to when I go there I will make sure I know what places I'm going to visit. Edinburgh looks gorgeous. Plus I'm rather certain I'm loosely related to the Simon Frasier Clan... Some Scott blood on my mom's side of the family. As for October, well this trip will be before then, but if I really like it there and I have an opportunity at a free bed then I might just go again in August! :D

Estel, you're right. You're no help. Shame on you.

Oh wait...i'm staying at your place....hehehehehe

:D

Actually, speaking of emoticons, this one suits visiting you guys much better:

:banana:


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Lidless
Post subject: Re: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Fri 10 Apr , 2009 7:27 am
Als u het leven te ernstig neemt, mist u de betekenis.
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I've backpacked around Europe for a month on two occasions. The last time though was, gulp, 26 years ago. Rule number one was to carry two books. One was the European Rail timetable, and the other was a book on how to do the trip cheaply (tips on good but cheap restaurants, hotels, pensions etc). Back in the day you could do it on USD 15 / day, including food and accomodation. With the advent of the internet, you could probably survive without either - but I would still take the timetable with you in case of hick ups, missed connections or change of plans.

I was doing a city a day in the main. Sometimes two days. As a result there was a lot of travel! Made it all the way to Athens as well, albeit that particular trip from Vienna was 46 hours, standing room only, and don't use the toilet. On average for both trips, I ended up spending a third of the nights on trains (a good use of time and money), a third in cheap pensions, and a third in cheap youth hostels.

Rule 1: Get the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable. It also has important phone numbers and assorted info as well. It's only about USD 20.

Rule 2: Plan your trip, but don't expect to stick to it. Try not to book any specific hotels on specific days unless you know you'll keep to it. Do plan to have one or two days of just doing nothing in the middle. Backpacking can be exhausting!

Rule 3: Make sure your mobile will work in Europe (you'll need a triband), and may well have to tell your provider to ensure you have permissions to use it in Europe ahead of time. Incredibly, this is not a default setting for most North American providers and many get caught out.

Rule 4: Universal plug adapter, a good secure fanny pack that can hold your passport and cards, one of those thin foam matresses, a small stain remover thing and perhaps a simple multilingual phrasebook.

Rule 5: Have the Canadian flag stitched prominantly into your backpack. (And this would apply to Americans too, unless national pride fucks with your head - but not so important since January this year though).

Rule 6: Only take what you really, really need. Backpacks are heavy at the best of times. You don't need a month's worth of soap for example. There are shops dotted all across the continent!

Rule 7: Expect to have to rough it on ocassion and to accept it with good grace.

Rule 8: Expect to lose weight. I lost 15 pounds in a month. Maybe I should take a three month tour...

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Leoba
Post subject: Re: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Fri 10 Apr , 2009 3:34 pm
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Lidless wrote:
Rule 4: Universal plug adapter, a good secure fanny pack that can hold your passport and cards, one of those thin foam matresses, a small stain remover thing and perhaps a simple multilingual phrasebook.
Rule 9: Do not talk about your fanny pack.

Try and avoid the school holidays, if you can, as everywhere will be so much quieter and more pleasant - easier to find accommodation and often a lot cheaper. I think the Dutch hols start in early July (and the Dutch get everywhere :D ); the English don't break up until around 20 July.

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ToshoftheWuffingas
Post subject: Re: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Fri 10 Apr , 2009 6:31 pm
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Don't expect to understand a single word said to you in Newcastle. They speak the Queen's English fairly grammatically but borrowed their vowels from a passing Martian.

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Areanor
Post subject: Re: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Fri 10 Apr , 2009 9:05 pm
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well, hitchhiking - nope, sorry, never did that.

If you should come near southern germany - well, here's a bed for sure, if you give ahead warning.....

What about the money? Paying with Mastercard, Visa or American Express doesn't always work over here, and getting cash with credit cards is rather expensive. Are you going to take some traveller cheques with you?

oh, and you may want to check http://www.couchsurfing.com (woah, there are over 53000 couches in France...) or get a youth hostel guide book.

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Lidless
Post subject: Re: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Fri 10 Apr , 2009 9:10 pm
Als u het leven te ernstig neemt, mist u de betekenis.
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Oh yes, I forgot. If you can arrange it, visit Germany but try and avoid the Germans.

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Areanor
Post subject: Re: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Fri 10 Apr , 2009 9:18 pm
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:salmon:

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Legolas the elf
Post subject: Re: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Fri 10 Apr , 2009 9:52 pm
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Sounds awesome, TWT!! I'd love to do that myself. Sorry, don't have any tips about Europe.

As for just general backpacking rules,which you probably already know: pack light as possible.


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TWT
Post subject: Re: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Sat 11 Apr , 2009 10:03 am
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ToshoftheWuffingas wrote:
Don't expect to understand a single word said to you in Newcastle. They speak the Queen's English fairly grammatically but borrowed their vowels from a passing Martian.
I've really never had a problem understanding British accents. However that became irrelevant when I heard Geordies speaking. I didn't have a clue what was being said.

Even at one of my favorite pubs here some guy started talking to me about me footy team choice and I barely could keep up to what he was saying. Made sense when he told me he was from Hartlepool!

Areanor, I'd love to visit Germany! Its one of those things, if I can make it there once I'm in Europe then I'll do it for sure. I'm sure that if I'm making my way there I'll know a little while in advance. :) Thanks for the offer.


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Jonny
Post subject: Re: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Sat 11 Apr , 2009 4:35 pm
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For me I've always enjoyed spending more quality time in smaller areas instead of trying to squeeze in, say, a country a week which, for me, would be rather mentally & physically exhausting! In 05 I spent a month and a half backpacking in the UK & Ireland, and when I left there was still so much that I wish I could have seen. I still ended up changing towns every couple of days but the traveling was limited to, say, an hour on a bus, at most. Sometimes I could walk to the next town. It was really lovely. Looking back I wouldn't change the way I did it at all, even though I didn't get to experience the rest that Europe had to offer, but there are always future trips for that. ;)

Have a GREAT time whatever you do and I know that it will be an experience of a lifetime for you!

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Amrunelen
Post subject: Re: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Wed 22 Apr , 2009 11:05 am
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No specific tips to share, but I'm in Glasgow until June 13th and Edinburgh's an hour train ride away, so if you do make it over in the near future. ;)

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Leafy
Post subject: Re: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Tue 28 Apr , 2009 11:44 pm
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I have a sofabed and knowledge of cheap eats/drinks/outings in Manchester, if you want to break your journey on your way down through England. :)

I'd be wary of hitch hiking in the UK though - IMO the only people who'd pick you up are the weirdos. Book trains at thetrainline.com or nationalrail.com well in advance to get the best deals. If you're playing it by ear, with a young person's railcard (not sure if this applies to you) on the day of travel, a single from Manchester to London costs approx. £40. If you don't get travelsick easily, there's always megabus.com who do loooong coach journeys between major UK cities for just a few quid.

For the rest of Europe, try interrailnet.com for all your overnight-standing train journey needs ;)

I'm serious, please get in touch if you need somewhere to crash. I'll be in Manchester till early July :)

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Pippin4242
Post subject: Re: Backpacking in europe, tips?
Posted: Wed 29 Apr , 2009 3:49 pm
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I'm probably too far out of your way, but if you fancied Wales, I live at the very end of the country, in Aberystwyth. I'll be here until the end of May if you do wind up passing through by some chance. :)

Hope you have an amazing time! :D

-Pips-

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