Backpacking Europe is considered one of my favourite issues to do as a traveler. There isn’t a yr I don’t criss-cross the continent (besides 2020 when nobody was crossing Europe).
In the course of the summer season, hostels burst with life, the Mediterranean sparkles, streets fill with individuals consuming wine and having fun with the day, and the late night time setting solar results in lengthy wondrous days. Winter brings Christmas markets, snowboarding, fewer crowds, and decrease costs! And Spring and Fall deliver the right combination of individuals, temperatures, and costs that make these two my favourite seasons to journey Europe.
Since beginning this web site in 2008, I’ve written quite a bit of posts on Europe. I go to Europe a number of instances a yr, have been everywhere in the continent, lived there on a number of events, and I’ve even run excursions there.
With a lot content material on the weblog, I wished to create a useful resource web page that may assist you to plan your backpacking journey to Europe with ease. That manner you don’t miss something! On this put up, you’ll discover all my greatest assets on planning a backpacking or funds journey to Europe, together with vacation spot guides, transportation ideas, lodging info, methods to satisfy individuals, and a lot extra!
So, with out additional ado, right here’s all the things you possibly can ever need to find out about backpacking Europe:
Step 1: Plan Your Backpacking Europe Journey
The best way to Plan a Journey: A Month-By-Month Information – This put up breaks down the planning course of by month, making it tremendous simple to plan your journey to Europe. Simply comply with the steps and also you’ll be in your manner!
How To not Really feel Overwhelmed Whereas Planning – Planning the right journey to Europe might be daunting and overwhelming. I’ve been there and I perceive, however I can inform you from years of expertise that the extra you propose your journey, the extra nervousness you’ll face.
The best way to Save for Your Journey – Is cash stopping you from taking the journey of your desires? Right here is my checklist of simple methods to chop down in your each day bills so it can save you cash to backpack Europe.
The best way to Discover a Low cost Flight – Attending to Europe might be half the problem. Fortunately, there are a ton of flight offers to the continent now if you understand when and tips on how to search for them. This text will present you tips on how to all the time get an inexpensive flight to Europe.
The best way to Earn Factors for Free Flights and Resort Stays – Free journey is my favourite sort of journey! This put up exhibits you eight methods I exploit to recover from 1,000,000 frequent flier factors. These will get you out of your home quicker, cheaper, and in consolation!
The best way to (Legally) Keep in Europe for Extra Than 90 Days – Yearly, 1000’s of vacationers surprise how they’ll keep in Europe for greater than 90 days, which is the restrict within the Schengen Zone. The excellent news is that there are a couple of alternative ways to remain. On this put up, I share what you are able to do to remain legally past 90 days and on the continent typically.
The best way to Keep away from Paying Financial institution Charges – You need to by no means need to pay any financial institution charges if you are accessing your cash in Europe! Right here is my recommendation on tips on how to keep away from financial institution charges as your backpacking Europe.
Is Europe Protected to Go to? – Right here is how to make sure you keep protected whereas touring throughout the continent.
Step 2: Get Your Gear for Backpacking Europe
The best way to Choose the Greatest Backpack – It’s essential to select a high quality backpack to your journey because it’s going to get crushed up as you journey! This information to choosing the proper journey backpack will assist you to decide the very best pack to your journey.
What to Pack for Your Journey – What do you have to pack in your journey? Effectively, there is no such thing as a one proper reply, however this checklist offers you an excellent place to begin. It’s what I tackle my journeys with me (although you’ll have to make some seasonal differences, I’m certain!).
The Final Packing Checklist for Feminine Vacationers – On this put up, Kristin Addis shares her packing insights for girls, to be able to journey nearly anyplace with out spending a fortune on gear.
The best way to Purchase Good Journey Insurance coverage – Journey insurance coverage is among the most essential belongings you’ll want to your journey. You wouldn’t have a automotive with out automotive insurance coverage or a house with out house insurance coverage, and you may’t have a visit with out journey insurance coverage!
The Greatest eSIM for Touring Europe – Accessing cell knowledge when you journey can’t solely hold you protected if there’s an emergency, but it surely ensures you may e-book lodging, flights, and actions on the go. This put up breaks down the very best eSIMs for vacationers in Europe, serving to you keep linked on a funds.
Are These The Greatest Garments for Vacationers? – Unbound Merino make sturdy, trendy, and inexpensive journey garments. I deliver them with me each time I go to Europe. On this put up, I clarify why I believe you must examine them out to your subsequent journey.
Step 3: The best way to Get Superb Lodging in Europe
The best way to Discover Low cost Lodging – In case you are trying to keep someplace apart from a resort or a hostel, this text lists all of the kinds of locations the place you may relaxation your head in Europe — from couches to farms and even monasteries!
The best way to Discover a Good Hostel – This text options my greatest recommendations on tips on how to discover an inexpensive, clear, and enjoyable hostel the place you may meet plenty of wonderful individuals.
The Greatest Hostels in Europe – It is a checklist of European hostels that I’d undoubtedly use once more if I’ve the possibility. Hope this helps together with your subsequent European backpacking journey!
The best way to Turn out to be a Housesitter – It is a how-to information to house-sitting, a beautiful alternative that permits you to keep in a location hire free in alternate for watching somebody’s home.
The Greatest Web site for Home Swaps: My HomeExchange Assessment – HomeExchange is a community that facilitates swapping houses with one other individual or household. It’s a tremendous platform if you wish to deepen your travels, join with locals, and get monetary savings.
For extra funds lodging options, take a look at my hostel hub web page. It has all my favourite hostels round Europe!
Should you’d moderately keep in resorts, this web page has all my favourite resorts in Europe.
And, to search out out the place to remain in every metropolis, go to my checklist of the very best neighborhoods in Europe!
Step 4: Get Round Europe on the Low cost
7 Low cost Methods to Journey Throughout Europe – Touring round Europe can nonetheless be pretty costly. Listed below are seven methods to backpack Europe with out breaking the financial institution.
The Final Information to Saving Cash with Eurail Passes – Everybody touring to Europe wonders if they may get monetary savings by shopping for a rail cross or if it’s cheaper to purchase tickets as they go. This detailed put up outlines all the things it’s essential to find out about shopping for a rail cross!
Should you’re planning to take the practice however don’t need to use the Eurail Go, take a look at Trainline. It’s the web site I exploit to search out routes and purchase practice tickets once I journey Europe. it’s tremendous simple to make use of!
Europe can also be a tremendous vacation spot for highway journeys. International locations like Iceland, Scotland, Eire, Portugal, and Norway are all wonderful locations to discover by automobile.
Should you’re planning to drive round Europe, use Uncover Automobiles to search out the very best rental costs. They search rental corporations huge and small to search out you the very best offers.
You should utilize the widget under to get a quote. It’s quick and free:
Step 5: Save Cash Whereas Backpacking Europe
Costs range wildly in Europe. That implies that the way you get monetary savings in a single nation may not apply in a neighboring vacation spot. To make sure you don’t break the financial institution throughout your journey, listed here are a couple of posts that may assist hold your funds in tact:
The best way to Save Cash on Meals – Whereas touring Europe, meals usually turns into a significant expense. Listed below are some ideas for saving cash on meals so you continue to can afford a pleasant meal out from time to time.
The best way to Use the Sharing Financial system to Save Cash – The rise of the sharing economic system has made backpacking Europe a lot simpler and cheaper. This put up lists all my favourite ridesharing, home sharing, native assembly web sites so you may get off the vacationer path and expertise day-to-day life with locals!
61 Tricks to Make You the Savviest Traveler – These 61 journey ideas will assist you to turn into an skilled traveler who will get round Europe cheaper, higher, longer, and smarter!
14 Main Journey Scams to Keep away from – Dropping cash to a preventable journey rip-off sucks. Be taught what scams to look out for in Europe and save your self a possible headache!
Step 6: Discover Out What to See and Do in Europe
What do you do whereas backpacking Europe? LOTS! Listed below are all my complete funds journey guides for locations round Europe with ideas and recommendation on issues to do and see, methods to economize, and typical prices for every of them. You’ll discover country-specific ideas in addition to a number of cities listed as nicely.
Moreover, listed here are a couple of of my favourite corporations in Europe. These are the comoanies I exploit once I’m searching for issues to do, meals excursions, strolling excursions, and extra!
Walks – Walks provides in-depth historical past, meals, and cultural excursions in cities around the globe (particularly Europe). Its small-group excursions supply unique behind-the-scenes entry different corporations can’t get and use actually unbelievable and educated guides. I can’t advocate them sufficient.
Devour – Devour has all types of fantastic meals excursions round Europe. Should you’re a foodie who desires to be taught extra in regards to the historical past and tradition behind every dish, these excursions are the very best on the continent. I take them each probability I get.
GetYourGuide – Get Your Information is a big on-line market for excursions and excursions. The positioning has tons of tour choices in cities all around the globe, together with cooking courses, strolling excursions, avenue artwork classes, and extra! It’s an excellent useful resource to seek for particular excursions in any vacation spot.
For a whole overview of Europe in a single easy-to-read put up, you may take a look at this free information. It covers all of the fundamentals, together with methods to economize, issues to see and do, when to go, and extra!
This large useful resource checklist will assist you to plan your journey to Europe in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step sample so that you gained’t get misplaced, overspend, or stress out about your upcoming dream journey. Europe is considered one of my favourite areas of the world (which is why I spend a lot time there). There’s a lot selection in meals, tradition, and language, in addition to a lot historical past. I really like the continent and hope you employ these tricks to plan your final backpacking journey in Europe!
Get Your In-Depth Price range Information to Europe!


My detailed 200+ web page guidebook is made for funds vacationers such as you! It cuts out the fluff present in different guides and will get straight to the sensible info it’s essential to journey whereas in Europe. It has recommended itineraries, budgets, methods to economize, on and off the crushed path issues to see and do, non-touristy eating places, markets, bars, security ideas, and way more! Click on right here to be taught extra and get your copy immediately.
E-book Your Journey to Europe: Logistical Suggestions and Tips
E-book Your Flight
Use Skyscanner to discover a low-cost flight. They’re my favourite search engine as a result of they search web sites and airways across the globe so that you all the time know no stone is left unturned!
E-book Your Lodging
You possibly can e-book your hostel with Hostelworld as they’ve the largest stock and greatest offers. If you wish to keep someplace aside from a hostel, use Reserving.com as they constantly return the most affordable charges for guesthouses and low-cost resorts.
For options on the place to remain throughout your journey, listed here are my favourite hostels in Europe!
Don’t Overlook Journey Insurance coverage
Journey insurance coverage will defend you towards sickness, damage, theft, and cancellations. It’s complete safety in case something goes improper. I by no means go on a visit with out it as I’ve had to make use of it many instances up to now. My favourite corporations that provide the very best service and worth are:
In search of the Greatest Firms to Save Cash With?
Take a look at my useful resource web page for the very best corporations to make use of whenever you journey. I checklist all those I exploit to economize once I’m on the highway. They’ll prevent cash whenever you journey too.
Need Extra Data on Europe?
You should definitely go to my strong vacation spot information to Europe for much more planning ideas!