Hello!

I just turned 21 and I don’t want to waste my life, lol. I want to get away from my family and have been dying to experience Europe for a while. I had this idea that I would backpack Europe for a year. But having no permanent / semi-permanent residence for a whole year seems like a lot of things could go wrong, I would likely be out of Wi-Fi for unexpectedly long amounts of time (which would be critical to continue working in the US), and be an overall stressful experience for me. I overthink everything so I am worried I am just talking myself out of something that would end up being so rewarding.

I want to explore basically all of Europe. I feel that bouncing from hostel to hostel with a tiny backpack, 3 outfits, and my laptop would be too unstable and stressful for me to truly enjoy my time? I was looking into monthly Airbnbs and thinking about doing for example: a month in France and day trips around the country for the time I stayed there, then a month in Italy, month in Hungary, etc. But day trips would get expensive.

I have been researching for a long time but feel I am still naive on the subject. Not really sure what to do and super open to advice! What is the best way to backpack Europe over a long period of time? Thanks so much!!

  • SixZer0s@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Rent a flat for a month at a time to use as a home base and take day trips/weekend trips on off days. Been doing this for the last year and it has worked out great. My only word of advice would be to just do it and try not to plan too far in advance. Be flexible because you never know how things may change. If you’re considering the Balkans to reset your Schengen time, I would very highly recommend checking out Bosnia. Sarajevo is an incredible city and it’s very cheap. Centrally located as well so it’s easy to travel to other parts of the country. I rented a room there for a month for about $400 USD and meals were typically under $15 for a full meal and a beer or two. The food there is great too. Let me know if you have any other questions or need recommendations for the Balkans, I spent 3 months there in Albania, Montenegro, and Bosnia this year.