Backpacking Europe: The Guide You Need

People say that dreams do come true in Europe. You get to witness a lot of astonishing landmarks, visit historical places, and experience the diverse culture. In other words, Europe has so much to offer to you. Let it be the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the stunning architecture of Rome, the culture of Barcelona, the beautiful landscape of Switzerland, the list goes on.

Undoubtedly, Europe is the most preferred continent in terms of traveling. It is ideal for those tourists who want to explore diversity and want to know more about the history of the world. Europe indeed is a historical continent. 

Now a lot of people visit different cities in Europe every year. And there are many people as well who wish to travel to Europe but for some reason, they are not able to make it. The factors which prevent them from traveling to Europe can financially be related, lack of planning, little to no information about the continent, and various other factors.

However, don’t worry, here you have a guide when it comes to backpacking Europe. We will discuss the planning you need to do initially, the budget you have to set, the right time for you to travel, the packing list you have to make, and few other important things which will assist you while backpacking through Europe. 

So, without further ado, let’s jump right into it!

Plan your backpacking Europe adventure

Backpacking Europe would be a failure if you would not plan smartly and accordingly. You should have at least a basic plan list of the countries and cities you will visit, your travel itinerary, amount of days you will spend in a particular city, the airplane tickets you will book and the mode of accommodation which you will choose. 

• Choosing the destination

There are a lot of cities to choose from when traveling to Europe. It will entirely depend upon you which places you would choose to travel to, however, while selecting the destination, keep in mind the budget you have and the motive of choosing that city or country. 

• Plan a perfect travel itinerary

In order to have a perfect route map or travel itinerary, you may need to do a bit of homework. Decide the number of days you will spend, select the total number of cities, see if their route is connected, gather information about each city you are going to visit, and then you are good to go. For that, this travel journal from Aliexpress will be of great use.

• Choose the best airline and book tickets in advance

There are various airlines that are considered best when traveling to Europe or from Europe. You can visit experttravelworld.com to find out the best flights. Moreover, you should also book your tickets in advance so that you can have a hassle-free journey.

• Mode of accommodation

Choosing the mode of accommodation also depends upon your preferences. If you have an ample amount of budget you can choose to live in hotels or if you are a bit low on budget, you can go for hostels. This entirely depends on you. Trivago is the best place to book hotels and find out their prices. To find the best hostels in Europe, you can visit HostelWorld.com.

Now that we have a solid plan and an outline to follow, it has become much easier to backpack Europe. Still, we have a few more points to cover. 

How to save while backpacking Europe?

Backpacking Europe can be costly and at the same time, it can be affordable as well. It will only depend upon the budget you have and the costs you can bear. Let’s discuss this in detail. First, we will discuss every expense you can make and what option is best for you if you have a big budget.

• If you have a big budget, then you can easily travel to cities that are generally perceived as expensive in Europe. Three of them are Paris, Zurich, and Geneva. 
• Even though you can afford expensive flights, it will still be beneficial to use airlines which are easy on pockets as you will have to travel from city to city and if you choose expensive flights all the time, it can become a bit heavy. 
• Booking a 5-star hotel should be your first priority if you can afford to stay there. There are plenty of benefits to staying at a 5-star hotel, such as top-notch service and quality food. 

By the way, you can still be making money while traveling. That is what digital nomads do. If you want to become a digital nomad, check out our guide here.

Now let’s discuss the best options for you if you are not willing to incur a lot of expenses.

• If you are on a low budget, no need to worry. Europe is filled with amazing places you can visit and they will not be expensive as well. Hand Luggage Only can be a useful site to learn about the top 15 inexpensive European cities. Budapest, Cesky Krumlov, Skopje, and Istanbul are some of the most inexpensive cities to travel to in Europe. 
• Ryanair and WizzAir are two of the most inexpensive airlines in Europe. If you are low on budget, you can opt for this airline. 
• Living in a 5-star hotel is fun, but residing in a hostel with other travelers is a wonderful experience. You get to know about them and can expand your social circle as well. 

Having discussed both scenarios, we are hopeful that you can now decide the best options for you. By the way, you can also save on city transport if you get yourself a foldable electric scooter that you can take on your trip. Check out my reviews on the best foldable electric scooters here. Let’s move on to the third tip. 

Decide when to travel

It will depend on whether you want to enjoy traveling in winter or in summer, or you want to be at a place at a certain time of the year due to an event.  There are various factors to consider before deciding when to backpacking in Europe.

If for instance, you want to travel to Europe in winter, the top 3 countries for you would definitely be Austria, Sweden, and Denmark. Or if you want to travel to Europe in the summer, then the best countries for you would be Italy, Greece, and Spain.

However, if you don’t care about the seasons, you should have a look at some popular events and then visit those places. The remarkable events which you should witness are the San Fermin festival in Spain, which usually happens in July, or the Austrian Christmas festivities in Vienna, Austria.

Having said that check out the dates of the events you want to catch and then plan your trip accordingly. 

Things you should pack when backpacking Europe

While backpacking Europe, you will need essential accessories and gears which you must add to your packing list. We know it can be a daunting task, but no worries, we are here to help. The list is as follows: 

• Travel Backpack: It is important for you to have a travel backpack instead of rolling luggage as it will keep you hands-free and is also easy to carry. To buy the best travel backpack, click here.

• Packing cubes: They will keep your stuff well organized so that you can easily pick them up whenever you need them. I have these ones.

• Clothes\Outfits: You should opt for a limited number of outfits as it would not make your luggage heavy and can help you avoid extra luggage costs at the airports. Moreover, as you will have fewer options to choose from, the more efficient you will be while selecting the outfit. In addition to this, try to pack stylish clothes as a city like Paris is known for fashion. It is recommended to look fashionable when walking around cities like that. So choose your clothes wisely. 

• Accessories related to gadgets: You will probably have a camera and a cellphone with you which will have to be charged after every usage. Therefore, you should bring a travel adapter with you as many countries have different configurations. Also, you should have a cable organizer or a bag that can keep your electronic stuff organized. You can find that type of bag here.

• Medical kit: It is important that you pack a first-aid kit or the medical kit with yourself. It will be beneficial in case you injure yourself or get sick. Find it here.

Key Takeaways

Now you are almost ready for backpacking Europe! However, there are a few important things you should act upon to make your traveling even much easier and joyful. 

• Learning a few basic sentences or phrases in languages such as French or Spanish. This will have a good impression and would make life easier for you in that city you are traveling to. 
• Choose traveling by train as it will be more enjoyable and you can enjoy the scenery and explore the country better in comparison to traveling by plane. And it is cheaper!
• Europe is undoubtedly the safest place you can think of, but still, you should stay aware of pickpockets moving around in search of things they can steal. Try not to bring or buy expensive items, if you do, keep them close to you. By the way, if you experience travel anxiety, this blog post might help you to overcome it.
• Finally, try to fully enjoy your trip. Make it a memorable one and explore as much as you can!