hey everyone,

im headed to europe for a month.  it was a spur of the moment thing, i never cared for traveling often but bought plane tickets not too long ago and had enough accumulated vacation.  i need this.. i never really explored much outside of beach destinations..  

anyways i literally just bought a 'lonely planet book', got a bunch of traveler's checks, and a backpack.. and am leaving this thursday.  i did a small amount of research and plan on staying at hostels, i consider this my attempt to get out of my shoebox 9-5, ordinary life.  

has anyone done this before?  any advice would be appreciated.  i'm not sure what to expect from this..

Talk with the front desk / concerge about nocturnal activities and they can help out.  There is another forum (ISG) that may be more specific detaiils with the cities that you plan on visiting.

Happy punting!

Backpacking in Europe for 3 months a while back, it was a lot of fun, I stayed at hostels and camp grounds a lot to save money. I don't know how old you are, but if you are younger than 28, you are entitle to discounts on train tickets and museums. If you plan to visit few countries, get a EuroPass, that will take care of transportation. And get an international youth hostel membership, that will save you some money if you are going to stay at youth hostels. Be very careful with your passport, whatever you do, don't lose it, it will take a while to get a new one. Make a copy of you passport - the page with your photo and passport number and give it to you friend or a family member, just in case. Bon Voyage!

Sure I did the same thing last year, got on my motorbike and rode to Japan from London, took me half a year BUT

NOOO! DO NOT BRING THE LONELY PLANET the LP is a fucking abomiation!

The lonely planet is the fucking anthesis of independent back packing travel I travelled the world last year and didn't touch a single one.

The reasons are thus:

Every fucker has a LP book and you will only meet other people who have LP books, therefore you will NOT meet local people you will only meet facilities designed for LP people. Which are jacked up in price because they are in the LP book. Meeting other backpackers is not what travel is about it is about meeting local people, if you follow a LP book all you will do is meet other backpackers.

You only have to look at Beijing and Qianmen, every white person strolls around holding an LP and all they do is interact with other LP holders, the more you meet local real people the more you get out of your travels, following the LP minimises your chances of doing this.

Compare my trip to that of Russ another guy who did a big motorbike trip, he carried a LP for EACH country he travelled through, he made it to Australia, I met more real people in my 150 day trek than he did on his 1 year trip as all he did was turn to an LP and go to the top listed hostel and went to the top listed bar and met fellow LP travellers.

If you are Asian looking people will speak english to you and will tell you good places to stay good places to eat, and you will avoid the other backpacker types and get so much more out of your travels. Ask the locals, travel around look and don't just follow the fucking LP crowd.

Yes I have a hate of the LP I wrote an article and incorporated it into my book and won an award for the antilonely planetism I held.

I remember about 15 years ago I was in Shamian island, Guangzhou, looking for a restaurant to eat lunch.  My bro and I picked a restaurant that looked nice and comfy and we had an excellent Cantonese meal for a very good deal.  On the way out, I noticed there was small, dingy cafe next door that was packed to rafters with backpackers cradling their LP guides.  It was quite humorous to see that all these idiots eating at a dingy cafe that served Chinese - American style food at prices more expensive than what I just paid.  I think banana pancake was on the menu too. (banana pancake is a popular dish among the European backpackers in China).   

And I seen this same phenomonen too in Japan when I had to choose a local Japanese restaurant to eat.  The 1st one I went to had pretty good sushi, but it was strange it had a menu in English and Chinese, until I realize some of the other patrons were HKies.  Apparently the restaurant was written up in a HK travel eating magazine so all the HKies go there to eat.  The next day I found a very local restaurant that rarely served non-Japanese ppl, but had the usual models of the dishes.  Here the sushi was many times better than the 1st place plus was less expensive.  (I would never write up about this place to a HK travel magazine as I wish to keep this place untainted by HKies money).  

Many travellers do not realize that travel books are written by people.  People who have his/her own bias as to what is interesting, what is fun, what is great tasting, what is new, what is old, what is comfortable, etc.  I can understand why ppl read travel books as many ppl are afraid of looking like a fool and entering the wrong place , ordering food does not taste good, or wasting valuable time visiting off the beaten track places that may or may not be interesting.  

But if one is adventurous and has time, try if you can at least once, just go into some place randomly.  The locals will know you are a tourist and will politely lead you on the right path if you are lost or will help you order food to eat as they are generally happy to have new faces trying their real local cuisine.   Also conversations with real locals allows both sides to get 1st hand opinions what the other culture is really like instead of depending on the usual news media to teach them.  

Good luck.

i was debating this in my head... it came after i decided to go at this trip by myself (i guess the only worse thing than doing backpacking alone with LP is doing it in a group).  itsjust hard doing this without much planning or anything at all .. sure i can google some attractions but i guess you all are right, i can ask any local what i should see or sometimes just wander around aimlessly.  all my life i do things with a plan, i figure out my budgets, organize any small road/camping trips and activities, its just hard diving into something likebackpacking without extensive planning or a guide (which i have still yet to do, and as it looks i won't have much of one).  i guess i imagine if someone were to ask me what to see in my city i would be able to come up with a good list in seconds.

so thanks... ill ditch the guide.

btw im 26 and yes im asian.  i dont know if this isn't an asian thing to do but all my friends are questioning why i am doing this alone and think im nuts.

[ Last edited by  sa14 at 1-6-2010 21:15 ]

I don't reccomend ditching it entirely. There are some pieces of useful information contained within and places you may otherwise miss. But certainly do not follow it blindly or you'll end up as described above. Just take in some of it's points of interest, and when it comes to places to eat or nightlife, just ask some locals or go for a little wander around.

i envy you.

i used to think of backpacking in europe but now if i had a month off i would go backpacking in China. i would start in Guangzhou and head somewhere in the direction of Dongguan and probably end up living in some sauna and ktv for the rest of the month.

hah i dont know if its good to envy me... i think i was pushed to the brink with stress from work and life in general to where i just needed a break and got myself one.  i remembered i wanted to travel before but time goes by so fast and i definitely want to do this and hopefully more traveling before i settle down.  

haha yes i think would love to backpack asia with all the reviews here but i think i need to save up some more for that ;)


yeah i think ill use it for some of the tourist destinations but i won't follow it very closely ... its time for me to wander.

LP is good for reference only but dont follow it to the book.
I backpack around the world by myself for 8mths. Been a chef it was like a passport to everywhere. I worked for couple of weeks and then travel work travel work travel. It was the best thing i ever did i my life. Something i'll share it with my kids in the future (if i have any).
A month in Europe is enough for me as there is sooooooooooooooooooooooooo much to do and sooooooooooooooooooooo much to see.
The best thing for me was i worked in some of the best restaurant in the Europe.

the only thing i would suggest to you is do your home work........................like i said one month in Europe you are limited to what to do. So plan your trip from places to places.

Good luck mate, hope you have a fantastic experience.

P.S. you have to go to Germany to see one of those all you can eat brothels. http://www.fkk-artemis.de/en/index.php


and fuck a few Prague chicks as they are HOT HOT HOT

The LP is useful for the "How to get there/around" sections, but forget all the "Where to eat/sleep" and "What to see/do" sections, seriously. I remember once traveling around India, I got so fed up with my GF at the time and her bias towards the LP recommendations and the pretentious people that comes with that that we ended up having a lot of arguments. One day, while getting our train tickets for somewhere, I bought a different one for myself, going in another direction... She would have been alright since she'd easily get in with an LP group to continue with, but it was priceless seeing her face once she realised I really was not going to continue the trip with her! Bumped into her a few months later, in Sumatra, but by then we really didn't need each other.

Europe is so easy to travel around it's not actually necessary to have a guide book, especially with the Internet so readily available. Have fun, bro! I never really mongered when I was traveling, but I wish I had! In fact, I often think about what if I knew back then what I know now about women and everything else...

Honestly, contrary to a lot of what seems to be written above, I don't think it's so bad to make some friends with fellow backpackers, as it's really fun to go exploring together. It'd be nice to meet some locals in each place but you'll probably only be hanging out there for a few days before moving on. Who knows, you may even find yourself a travelling buddy that you'll keep in touch with down the line. That being said, definitely do try to walk into random places, whether it be restaurants or some sort of store, and just ask around. Usually people would be happy to take a few minutes to talk to you and that'll point you to what's interesting to see and do.

In any case, it sounds like a great opportunity for you to kick back and crawl out of the shell of the 9-5. I wish I had the time/money to do the same! Have a good trip!

im writing from budapest and im having an awesome time.  i did what most said and basically ditched the guide.. locals and other backpackers were happy to help me out in finding good places to see.  thanks for the advice guys, it made my trip seem a lot more free.

now i didn't do any hobbying but did get a good look at the red light district in amsterdam and its crazy there!!!  people getting drunk watching the world cup, rolling joints, and prostitutes all rolled up in one area... just insane.  headed to munich for the beer halls, and then ending in italy

edit: doing asia in january... ill definitely be doing THAT trip a bit different

munich is alot of fun.
unlike most of germany, the locals are very friendly towards americans.
don't forget to hit hofbrahaus.

Back Backing in Europe is Awesome. If your under 30 stick to the Backpackers and hostels, they are cheap (some are really crap, and don't leave anything lying around) but you will meets heaps of people from all over the world and lots of hot chicks and everyone just wants to get drunk have a good time, and fuck. Oh and see some of the country as well. Which is where the LP or any of the other publications helps, cause when you can't speak the language the book will help you out finding places to visit, tourist information, red light districts etc.  But really it's all about meeting people and having a good time. I was lucky to meet up with some ppl I know in a couple of countries, but most of the time I was flying solo or travelling with ppl I meet in bars. When you start talking to other Backpackers they will give you a better idea of what is good to see and what is a waste of time. When I went in '99 I was only going for 3 months, I was there for over a year. Constantly running out of money, but there always someone who knew about where to get work, and buy you a beer. England was the easiest place I found to get work (and get laid, night clubs in maidstone are full of sluts), probably cause Im an aussie.  It is such an awesome thing to do esp. when your younger. I went back to Europe last year for 6 weeks staying in 5 star hotels, business class flights etc and it was good (got to see a lot of things that I missed last time because i was drunk) but fuck me it was expensive. It was much better just living day to day, with maybe a few goals of seeing certain places, rather than a hour by hour itenary.  Fuck Im jealous actually. Can I come too, we wont tell my wife. Good luck

[ Last edited by  Alcoanno at 22-6-2010 08:06 ]

Did anyone mention "interrail" tickets yet?  

You can get a fixed-price 30-day pass for unlimited travel on all of Europe's railways.  Absolute bargain BUT you must get it before you arrive in Europe - check with your travel agent.  

Trains are THE way to get around Europe, forget planes or buses, and much more relaxing than hiring a car.  Straight from one city centre to the next, with frequent service, especially fast in Germany and France (TGV).  A lot of people getting the 30-day rail pass even save money by taking over-night trains.  They get on the train one side of Europe, waking up in a new city on the other side, and then travel back across the next day ...

Places to visit, highly recommend
  Paris
  Venice
  Rome
  Florence
  Amsterdam
  London
... and a few other places of course ... but those are probably on the must-see list.  

But do get that rail pass.

haha yesss just got back from there its crazy!!!! i LOVE beer halls.. why don't we have these in canada?? aie...

DArtagnan, do you know how much those rail passes cost off of the top of your head?

I'm sure you can get it cheaper, but just so you can have an idea.
(Still a lot cheaper than flying from place to place
http://www.eurail.com/eurail-global-pass?currency=usd

I personally chose the select pass since I was only visiting a few countries.

Here's the interrail link:
http://www.interrailnet.com/interrail-global-pass-order

(This is for European residents only!)

[ Last edited by  asianman888 at 23-6-2010 14:42 ]