How can you finance a backpacking trip to Europe?

Question

My fiance and I are wanting to get rid of most of our belongings and let our lease run out so that we can spend a lot of time (two weeks to two months) in Europe next summer for our honeymoon. I've been before he hasn't. Any tips for calculating cost and not going into extreme debt?

Answer 1

Buy the crucial items before you depart the USA like rail pass, airline tickets (obviously!). These tend to be the most expensive items besides accommodations. Now, it's your honeymoon so you may not want to stay in hostels - but many of them have private rooms and this is going to be your cheapest lodging source. Check out http://www.backpackeurope.com/ They have a section for estimation costs that might be helpful for you
http://www.hihostels.com/
http://www.hostels.com/en/index.html

I back packed when I was 20-something and spent 3-months over there and saw 17 countries. We hardly stepped foot in a restaurant. You can do this and still dine fairly decently. Visit the local outdoor markets and supermarkets and picnic. Many of the hostels have cooking facilities so you can cook your supper there. The pastries are delicious in Europe, as is the vino! Most hostels will serve a breakfast. Eating doesn't have to be expensive.

You can take night trains to get from destinations that are farther apart. This way, rest on the train and wake up ready to sightsee. This can be tiring and not romantic - but every once in a while it will save you money.

Go for the two-month option. Buy an open jaw ticket (fly into one city and out of another. I recommend London - Rome).
Get a rail pass http://www.raileurope.com/us/index.htm
and just go for it. You might want to reserve your first night so you know you have a place to stay when you arrive.

Congratulations on your upcoming marriage and I hope the honeymoon is great! You need to do things like this BEFORE you have kids cause once you have them it's a lot more difficult.

Answer 2

Me and my husband are doing something similar but we are going for a lot longer and are getting working holiday visas for Denmark. Depending on where you are from there are lots of different options for that. When I backpacked around Europe when I was young I didn't spend much. I rarely stayed in hostels because I bargined for cheep accomadations in trainstations. Also I choice mostly cheep countries like Hungary and Prague. In places like France you can get cheep accomadations with a small kitchen which will save you a fortune because food in France is what kills you. We also traveled with a jar of jam and some butter so we could always go to a bakery and a deli for something to eat on the train. Also don't try and see everything. The attractions can be soo expensive so pick a few things you really want and then jsut wander and get lost in a strange city. You get a real experience that way.