There and Back Again

Slider

I don't have very much money, but I want to take a trip overseas.

To anyone who has managed to travel throughout Europe and beyond, I would like your advice.

How can I minimize expenses? Is it possible/safe to backpack? Should I stay in hostels?

What are the positives and negatives of such a venture?

Thanks for your help.

Lewisham

How much is "not very much"?

I know that sounds a bit inane, but $->£ or € is not good. It makes it painful to afford things.

Slider

Lewisham wrote: »

How much is "not very much"?

I know that sounds a bit inane, but $->£ or € is not good. It makes it painful to afford things.

$500-1000. Preferably less than $1,000.

Esh

Slider wrote: »

Lewisham wrote: »

How much is "not very much"?

I know that sounds a bit inane, but $->£ or € is not good. It makes it painful to afford things.

$500-1000. Preferably less than $1,000.

No.

Slider

Esh wrote: »

Slider wrote: »

Lewisham wrote: »

How much is "not very much"?

I know that sounds a bit inane, but $->£ or € is not good. It makes it painful to afford things.

$500-1000. Preferably less than $1,000.

No.

Not possible for less than $1,000?

Epi

I'm looking at the same situation. The sad thing is, you need at least that much or more just for the airfare, let alone costs while there.

However, if you can get enough for a plane ticket, I've always considered doing the WWOOF program.

Essentially, you stay on a host's organic farm / operation (I hear there are restaurants and other businesses in the cities that you can go to) and in return for something like 6 to 8 hours of work / 5 days a week, they provide room and board. You can stay for a range of times to from a week to months.

I always thought it would be a great way to really get in and explore a culture beyond basic tourism while doing it on the cheap and learning some pretty valuable skills to boot. I seriously consider doing it Japan once I get the money for a ticket.

Then again that turns it into a much longer trip than your average there and back again.

Lewisham

Slider wrote: »

Esh wrote: »

Slider wrote: »

Lewisham wrote: »

How much is "not very much"?

I know that sounds a bit inane, but $->£ or € is not good. It makes it painful to afford things.

$500-1000. Preferably less than $1,000.

No.

Not possible for less than $1,000?

A one-way ticket to London Heathrow from San Francisco is already $500 in the depths of off-season, so half your $1000 is gone already. You'd essentially have to eat bread in order to have any money left to travel on the trains to get around, let alone have somewhere to sleep.

The missus and I just burned $5000 for a 13 day honeymoon in Italy, and we weren't staying in the honeymoon suites. Just the train tickets from Rome to Naples (not that far in the grand scheme of things) were ~$40 each.

Slider

Epi wrote: »

I'm looking at the same situation. The sad thing is, you need at least that much or more just for the airfare, let alone costs while there.

However, if you can get enough for a plane ticket, I've always considered doing the WWOOF program.

Essentially, you stay on a host's organic farm / operation (I hear there are restaurants and other businesses in the cities that you can go to) and in return for something like 6 to 8 hours of work / 5 days a week, they provide room and board. You can stay for a range of times to from a week to months.

I always thought it would be a great way to really get in and explore a culture beyond basic tourism while doing it on the cheap and learning some pretty valuable skills to boot. I seriously consider doing it Japan once I get the money for a ticket.

Then again that turns it into a much longer trip than your average there and back again.

Right, but if I wanted to work, I would simply apply to teach English somewhere (which I have, in fact). I'm simply interested in roughing it across Europe and continuing on until I either die or decide to go back home.

I may have a place to stay for a day or two in England and I have relatives in Germany, but other than that I'll have to find my own lodging.

Epi

Noble goals!

And not unachievable. I hear plenty of stories of getting by teaching English. Had a good friend just up and go to Thailand and start asking around to teach english. Got enough business for him and his wife to stay for 2 years.

However, be aware that the EU is getting... tougher on non EU citizens working in their countries. Do you have means to acquire a work visa?

Esh

Slider wrote: »

Epi wrote: »

I'm looking at the same situation. The sad thing is, you need at least that much or more just for the airfare, let alone costs while there.

However, if you can get enough for a plane ticket, I've always considered doing the WWOOF program.

Essentially, you stay on a host's organic farm / operation (I hear there are restaurants and other businesses in the cities that you can go to) and in return for something like 6 to 8 hours of work / 5 days a week, they provide room and board. You can stay for a range of times to from a week to months.

I always thought it would be a great way to really get in and explore a culture beyond basic tourism while doing it on the cheap and learning some pretty valuable skills to boot. I seriously consider doing it Japan once I get the money for a ticket.

Then again that turns it into a much longer trip than your average there and back again.

Right, but if I wanted to work, I would simply apply to teach English somewhere (which I have, in fact). I'm simply interested in roughing it across Europe and continuing on until I either die or decide to go back home.

I may have a place to stay for a day or two in England and I have relatives in Germany, but other than that I'll have to find my own lodging.

You've taught English in Europe? Because it's not quite that simple.

But yeah, it's an impossibility with your goals and funds.

virgilsamms

http://www.couchsurfing.org/ might be able to help you out. I know a guy who is into it and they seem to build up a cool community. Staying with locals is also a way to see the best parts of a city.

Esh

virgilsamms wrote: »

http://www.couchsurfing.org/ might be able to help you out. I know a guy who is into it and they seem to build up a cool community. Staying with locals is also a way to see the best parts of a city.

Unfortunately, with his budget, he can't even eat or travel anywhere but on foot.

Jinn

You'll never know until you try. I'd say if you can go over with $1000 after airfare, you are pretty solid. You just have to lower you standards (sleep in parks, embrace the fact that you are probably illegal migrant labor in most places, for example) for a while and maintain a good enough attitude to find some kind of paying work. Then buy a tent to sleep in, keep finding work, earn enough for the next train ticket, and so on. From 5 personal (short term) European adventures, I believe it's doable, and admirable. The more flexible you can be, the better chance you have of it working out. It's all about your mindset and expectations going in.

adytum

Yes, if you want to live like a social reject you could do some traveling in Western Europe with $1,000.

From personal experience, sleeping in parks fucking sucks, and the police will hassle you constantly. If the police don't hassle you, crazy people that sleep in parks will hassle you.

You won't have health insurance and you won't speak the language (I assume) and nobody will hire you.

Honestly Slider, if you absolutely want to travel and $1,000 including airfare is your budget, you should head to Central or South America, specifically Colombia, Bolivia, El Salvador, or the ilk. It's cheaper to fly (especially if you can find a deal) and the remaining money can last you a while if you're frugal- without having to be a hobo.

baudattitude

How's your credit? If you get a mileage visa and abuse the heck out of every offer, while simultaneously putting all of your day-to-day expenses on it, it probably wouldn't take more than a year or so to get an international ticket. I've done two overseas trips that way and have miles saved for a third.

Failing that, haunt travel agents and hope you get lucky? I flew to Japan a few years ago for $400 round trip. Mind you, I had to fly out of the US on Christmas morning for that fare.

adytum

Let me add that between sleeping in parks and using CouchSurfing constantly while also staying in hostels, as well as travelling (constantly) by the cheapest transit possible and eating nothing but the cheapest things I could buy in the supermarket, I was burning $1,000 a month in Western Europe.

I didn't last long. Eastern Europe was more fun and much less expensive.

Kalkino

adytum wrote: »

Let me add that between sleeping in parks and using CouchSurfing constantly while also staying in hostels, as well as travelling (constantly) by the cheapest transit possible and eating nothing but the cheapest things I could buy in the supermarket, I was burning $1,000 a month in Western Europe.

I didn't last long. Eastern Europe was more fun and much less expensive.

I've seen you refer to your trip a couple of times now. Have you written your experiences up anywhere? It sounds pretty interesting


My aunts did a lot of free camping back in the 70s and early 80s around Europe. They would carry camping gear on back packs and sleep anywhere they could, even if that meant under a bridge, in a farmer's tool shed or things like that for weeks or months at end. They paid when it was absolutely necessary but generally swapped space for chores. Being nurses and former farm girls they had pretty useful skills I guess.

Fagatron

Slider I'm gonna say the same thing I said the last time I posted in a thread you made.

Get your life together.

You say shit like this "Going on two years of being unemployed and having a grand time not working."

And you've talked before about how you were trying to sell some of your stuff to visit that gal you met off of some forums.

Lay off the crazy internet girls, stop making grand plans for trips to Europe, conserve your money until you find employment.

I know it's depressing as fuck. On Monday I am (hopefully) coming off a stretch of a little bit more than two years of unemployment myself; but you're not doing yourself any favors behaving like a silly goose all the time and living beyond your means.

AlyceInWonderland

I went to europe once with 300 bucks in my pocket, and only spent 100 of it there. Then again it was a class trip and I paid 2K prior to actually leaving to be able to afford the plane, food and lodging.

Get your shit together first, get a job, save up, and THEN go to Europe. It'll be worth it in the end to be able to actually sleep in a bed, rather than on a park bench.

Slider

Fagatron wrote: »

Slider I'm gonna say the same thing I said the last time I posted in a thread you made.

Get your life together.

You say shit like this "Going on two years of being unemployed and having a grand time not working."

And you've talked before about how you were trying to sell some of your stuff to visit that gal you met off of some forums.

Lay off the crazy internet girls, stop making grand plans for trips to Europe, conserve your money until you find employment.

I know it's depressing as fuck. On Monday I am (hopefully) coming off a stretch of a little bit more than two years of unemployment myself; but you're not doing yourself any favors behaving like a silly goose all the time and living beyond your means.

Dude, simmer down. I'm just conducting some research. Thanks for your concern, but I already have two parents.

Kabitzy

I found a truly excellent book that I recommend for you ASAP: "The Rough Guide: First-Time Europe" I think it's on edition 8 now?

I have edition 7 though, so all of this is based on reading said edition (sure 8 will have the same if not more info, though):
It offers tons of financial advice, and how to survive on a budget abroad (recommending food, places to stay, and even lists the most expensive countries, and the least expensive, and budgets to fit those countries). I think you'll find most helpful its country profiles that offers how much you'll need per day (low budget and high budget), as well as other practical advice.

Slider

Kabitzy wrote: »

I found a truly excellent book that I recommend for you ASAP: "The Rough Guide: First-Time Europe" I think it's on edition 8 now?

I have edition 7 though, so all of this is based on reading said edition (sure 8 will have the same if not more info, though):
It offers tons of financial advice, and how to survive on a budget abroad (recommending food, places to stay, and even lists the most expensive countries, and the least expensive, and budgets to fit those countries). I think you'll find most helpful its country profiles that offers how much you'll need per day (low budget and high budget), as well as other practical advice.

Thanks. I'll go to the bookstore this afternoon.

Kabitzy

Also, I believe Sweden has a policy about free camping as long as it's not on private property (you have to ask for permission first if it is). Still, an option though.