My 6 Step Guide to Planning a Trip in 2025

Backpacking Europe is considered one of my favourite issues to do as a traveler. There isn’t a yr I don’t criss-cross the continent (besides 2020 when nobody was crossing Europe).

Throughout the summer season, hostels burst with life, the Mediterranean sparkles, streets fill with folks ingesting wine and having fun with the day, and the late evening setting solar results in lengthy wondrous days. Winter brings Christmas markets, snowboarding, fewer crowds, and decrease costs! And Spring and Fall carry the right combination of individuals, temperatures, and costs that make these two my favourite seasons to journey Europe.

Since beginning this web site in 2008, I’ve written quite a bit of posts on Europe. I go to Europe a number of occasions a yr, have been all around the continent, lived there on a number of events, and I’ve even run excursions there.

With a lot content material on the weblog, I needed to create a useful resource web page that may enable you to plan your backpacking journey to Europe with ease. That method you don’t miss something! On this put up, you’ll discover all my finest sources on planning a backpacking or price range journey to Europe, together with vacation spot guides, transportation ideas, lodging info, methods to satisfy folks, and a lot extra!

So, with out additional ado, right here’s the whole lot you can ever wish to learn about backpacking Europe:

Step 1: Plan Your Backpacking Europe Journey

How to Plan a Trip: A Month-By-Month Guide – This put up breaks down the planning course of by month, making it tremendous simple to plan your journey to Europe. Simply observe the steps and also you’ll be in your method!

How Not to Feel Overwhelmed While Planning – Planning the proper journey to Europe might be daunting and overwhelming. I’ve been there and I perceive, however I can let you know from years of expertise that the extra you intend your journey, the extra nervousness you’ll face.

How to Save for Your Trip – Is cash stopping you from taking the journey of your desires? Right here is my record of simple methods to chop down in your each day bills so it can save you cash to backpack Europe.

How to Find a Cheap Flight – Attending to Europe might be half the problem. Fortunately, there are a ton of flight offers to the continent now if when and search for them. This text will present you at all times get an affordable flight to Europe.

How to Earn Points for Free Flights and Hotel Stays – Free journey is my favourite type of journey! This put up reveals you eight methods I exploit to recover from 1,000,000 frequent flier factors. These will get you out of your own home sooner, cheaper, and in consolation!

How to (Legally) Stay in Europe for More Than 90 Days – Yearly, hundreds of vacationers marvel how they will keep in Europe for greater than 90 days, which is the restrict within the Schengen Zone. The excellent news is that there are just a few alternative ways to remain. On this put up, I share what you are able to do to remain legally past 90 days and on the continent generally.

How to Avoid Paying Bank Fees – You need to by no means need to pay any financial institution charges while you’re accessing your cash in Europe! Right here is my recommendation on keep away from financial institution charges as your backpacking Europe.

Is Europe Safe to Visit? – Right here is how to make sure you keep protected whereas touring throughout the continent.
 

Step 2: Get Your Gear for Backpacking Europe

How to Pick the Best Backpack – It’s vital to choose a top quality backpack to your journey because it’s going to get crushed up as you journey! This information to choosing the proper journey backpack will enable you to decide the very best pack to your journey.

What to Pack for Your Trip – What must you pack in your journey? Effectively, there is no such thing as a one proper reply, however this record gives you a superb place to begin. It’s what I tackle my journeys with me (although you’ll have to make some differences due to the season, I’m positive!).

The Ultimate Packing List for Female Travelers – On this put up, Kristin Addis shares her packing insights for ladies, so that you could journey nearly anyplace with out spending a fortune on gear.

How to Buy Good Travel Insurance – Journey insurance coverage is likely one of the most vital stuff you’ll want to your journey. You wouldn’t have a automotive with out automotive insurance coverage or a house with out dwelling insurance coverage, and you’ll’t have a visit with out journey insurance coverage!

The Best eSIM for Traveling Europe – Accessing cellular information whilst you journey cannot solely preserve you protected if there may be an emergency, nevertheless it ensures you’ll be able to e-book lodging, flights, and actions on the go. This put up breaks down the very best eSIMs for vacationers in Europe, serving to you keep related on a price range.

Are These The Best Clothes for Travelers? – Unbound Merino make sturdy, fashionable, and inexpensive journey garments. I carry them with me each time I go to Europe. On this put up, I clarify why I feel it’s best to examine them out to your subsequent journey.
 

Step 3: Find out how to Get Wonderful Lodging in Europe

How to Find Cheap Accommodation – If you’re seeking to keep someplace moreover a resort or a hostel, this text lists all of the sorts of locations the place you’ll be able to relaxation your head in Europe — from couches to farms and even monasteries!

How to Find a Good Hostel – This text options my finest recommendations on discover an inexpensive, clear, and enjoyable hostel the place you’ll be able to meet plenty of superb folks.

The Best Hostels in Europe – This can be a record of European hostels that I’d undoubtedly use once more if I’ve the possibility. Hope this helps together with your subsequent European backpacking journey!

How to Become a Housesitter – This can be a how-to information to house-sitting, a beautiful alternative that means that you can keep in a location hire free in alternate for watching somebody’s home.

The Best Website for House Swaps: My HomeExchange Review – HomeExchange is a community that facilitates swapping houses with one other particular person or household. It’s an incredible platform if you wish to deepen your travels, join with locals, and lower your expenses.

For extra price range lodging strategies, check out my hostel hub page. It has all my favourite hostels round Europe!

When you’d fairly keep in inns, this page has all my favorite hotels in Europe.

And, to search out out the place to remain in every metropolis, visit my list of the best neighborhoods in Europe!
 

Step 4: Get Round Europe on the Low-cost

7 Cheap Ways to Travel Across Europe – Touring round Europe can nonetheless be pretty costly. Listed below are seven methods to backpack Europe with out breaking the financial institution.

The Ultimate Guide to Saving Money with Eurail Passes – Everybody touring to Europe wonders if they’ll lower your expenses by shopping for a rail go or if it’s cheaper to purchase tickets as they go. This detailed put up outlines the whole lot you want to learn about shopping for a rail go!

When you’re planning to take the prepare however don’t wish to use the Eurail Go, take a look at Trainline. It’s the web site I exploit to search out routes and purchase prepare tickets once I journey Europe. it’s tremendous simple to make use of!

Europe can be an incredible vacation spot for highway journeys. International locations like Iceland, Scotland, Eire, Portugal, and Norway are all superb locations to discover by car.

When you’re planning to drive round Europe, use Discover Cars to search out the very best rental costs. They search rental corporations huge and small to search out you the very best offers.

You should use the widget under to get a quote. It’s quick and free:

Step 5: Save Cash Whereas Backpacking Europe

Costs range wildly in Europe. That implies that the way you lower your expenses in a single nation won’t apply in a neighboring vacation spot. To make sure you don’t break the financial institution throughout your journey, listed here are just a few posts that may assist preserve your price range in tact:

How to Save Money on Food – Whereas touring Europe, meals usually turns into a significant expense. Listed below are some ideas for saving cash on meals so you continue to can afford a pleasant meal out now and again.

How to Use the Sharing Economy to Save Money – The rise of the sharing financial system has made backpacking Europe a lot simpler and cheaper. This put up lists all my favourite ridesharing, home sharing, native assembly web sites so you may get off the vacationer path and expertise day-to-day life with locals!

61 Tips to Make You the Savviest Traveler – These 61 journey ideas will enable you to develop into an skilled traveler who will get round Europe cheaper, higher, longer, and smarter!

14 Major Travel Scams to Avoid – Shedding cash to a preventable journey rip-off sucks. Study what scams to look out for in Europe and save your self a possible headache!
 

Step 6: Discover Out What to See and Do in Europe

What do you do whereas backpacking Europe? LOTS! Listed below are all my complete price range journey guides for locations round Europe with ideas and recommendation on issues to do and see, methods to save cash, and typical prices for every of them. You’ll discover country-specific ideas in addition to a number of cities listed as properly.

Moreover, listed here are just a few of my favourite corporations in Europe. These are the comoanies I exploit once I’m searching for issues to do, meals excursions, strolling excursions, and extra!

Walks – Walks affords in-depth historical past, meals, and cultural excursions in cities all over the world (particularly Europe). Its small-group excursions supply unique behind-the-scenes entry different corporations can’t get and use actually unbelievable and educated guides. I can’t advocate them sufficient.

Devour – Devour has every kind of wonderful meals excursions round Europe. When you’re a foodie who needs to study extra concerning the historical past and tradition behind every dish, these excursions are the very best on the continent. I take them each probability I get.

GetYourGuide – Get Your Information is a big on-line market for excursions and excursions. The location has tons of tour choices in cities all all over the world, together with cooking courses, strolling excursions, avenue artwork classes, and extra! It’s a superb useful resource to seek for particular excursions in any vacation spot.

For a whole overview of Europe in a single easy-to-read put up, you can check out this free guide. It covers all of the fundamentals, together with methods to save cash, issues to see and do, when to go, and extra!

This huge useful resource record will enable you to plan your journey to Europe in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step sample so that you received’t get misplaced, overspend, or stress out about your upcoming dream journey. Europe is considered one of my favourite areas of the world (which is why I spend a lot time there). There’s a lot selection in meals, tradition, and language, in addition to a lot historical past. I like the continent and hope you employ these tricks to plan your final backpacking journey in Europe!

Get Your In-Depth Funds Information to Europe!

My detailed 200+ web page guidebook is made for price range vacationers such as you! It cuts out the fluff present in different guides and will get straight to the sensible info you want to journey whereas in Europe. It has prompt itineraries, budgets, methods to save cash, on and off the crushed path issues to see and do, non-touristy eating places, markets, bars, security ideas, and far more! Click here to learn more and get your copy today.