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!!
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First step is just saving as much money as possible, getting a remote job that you can hold consistently as a 21 is extremely difficult. This my strategy, I work my butt off while I still live with my parents so I save most of my paychecks and then I use that money for travel around the US and Europe. Also make sure you are used to traveling around where you live so you can get a feel for being in the road for long stretches of time.
I have been a traveler my whole life (nationally) and absolutely love it. Took a 12 hour road trip by myself and have flown alone a bunch!
If you don’t mind me asking, how much would you recommend saving to feel comfortable. Thanks so much!
Do what we do. Book month long airbnbs. Stay 90 days in Schengen, 90 days out, and od the damn thing.
Imo get a taste of it all first.
Get a nice backpack to travel with and only take what you need. Check out the r/onebag subreddit .
Get a youth Eurail pass. You can get it up to 3 months. It allows you to travel all across Europe by train.
Stay in hostels and join group events and excursions.
This is not recommended if you’re working, but you’ll be able to cover a good chunk of Europe in 3 months if you’re diligent about it. Then you can slow down and go back to places you enjoy later. Getting monthly AirBnB is probably the cheapest unless you’re working in a hostel for room and board.
Edit: Also be very considerate of the Schengen Zone visa and what countries that counts in and doesn’t.
I’m backpacking a few places in Europe currently. I’ve got nothing but a backpack, 3 outfits and a change of shoes with my work stuff it’s very rewarding and I’m the same type of overthinker ! I’ve got most things planned out but I am taking some things as they come because you can’t plan every second of Europe, it’s not possible. I haven’t even booked transportation to some of the countries yet lol because trains over here are east to book a few days prior or day of. It’s a lot less stressful thank you think I promise…though I think maybe you ought to start with a month or few instead of a year.
Thank you so much!
You’re welcome ! Do take my suggestions with a grain of salt, I experience home sickness often whilst traveling and I always think it’s silly because when I come back home it takes me exactly 3 weeks to start planning another trip away from home lol. Hope it all works out for you though, I’m all for people leaving their home I think it allows for the kind of personal growth you don’t get at home.
Have you done much overseas travel or travel to Europe? If not, if suggest starting with smaller trips to get the hang of it, see how you like it, etc. You will need to see if your income will allow you to travel through Europe, staying in air bnbs, paying for train/ bus travel, phone plans, groceries in each place, insurance, etc, especially if you want to spend time in Scotland and Ireland. They can be very expensive.
One piece of advice is skip Greece. The Internet is dial up slow and was infuriating to work with.
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.
Thank you so much!!
To add on to what others said regarding the Schengen Zone. Since you are an american you may visit the Nordic countries (denmark, iceland, sweden, Finland and Norway) for a combined total of 90 days after staying elsewhere in the Schengen area for 90 days through the nordic bilateral agreement. You will still after your nordic stay need to exit the schengen area for 90 days before re entering. (I just did this myself)