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).
Throughout the summer time, hostels burst with life, the Mediterranean sparkles, streets fill with folks ingesting 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 occasions a yr, have been all around 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 can provide help to plan your backpacking journey to Europe with ease. That manner you don’t miss something! On this publish, you’ll discover all my finest assets on planning a backpacking or funds journey to Europe, together with vacation spot guides, transportation ideas, lodging info, methods to fulfill folks, and a lot extra!
So, with out additional ado, right here’s every thing you may ever need to learn about backpacking Europe:
Step 1: Plan Your Backpacking Europe Journey
The best way to Plan a Journey: A Month-By-Month Information – This publish breaks down the planning course of by month, making it tremendous simple to plan your journey to Europe. Simply observe 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 let you know from years of expertise that the extra you intend your journey, the extra anxiousness you’ll face.
The best way to Save for Your Journey – Is cash stopping you from taking the journey of your goals? Right here is my checklist of simple methods to chop down in your day by 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 how you can search for them. This text will present you how you can at all times 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 publish reveals you eight methods I take advantage of to recover from 1,000,000 frequent flier factors. These will get you out of your home sooner, cheaper, and in consolation!
The best way to (Legally) Keep in Europe for Extra Than 90 Days – Yearly, hundreds of vacationers marvel how they will keep in Europe for greater than 90 days, which is the restrict within the Schengen Zone. The excellent news is that there are a number of alternative ways to remain. On this publish, I share what you are able to do to remain legally past 90 days and on the continent basically.
The best way to Keep away from Paying Financial institution Charges – You must by no means should pay any financial institution charges if you are accessing your cash in Europe! Right here is my recommendation on how you can 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 secure whereas touring throughout the continent.
Step 2: Get Your Gear for Backpacking Europe
The best way to Decide the Greatest Backpack – It’s vital to choose a high quality backpack in your journey because it’s going to get crushed up as you journey! This information to selecting the best journey backpack will provide help to decide the most effective pack in your journey.
What to Pack for Your Journey – What do you have to pack in your journey? Effectively, there isn’t any one proper reply, however this checklist will provide you with a superb place to start out. It’s what I tackle my journeys with me (although you’ll have to make some seasonal differences, I’m certain!).
The Final Packing Record for Feminine Vacationers – On this publish, Kristin Addis shares her packing insights for ladies, so to journey nearly wherever with out spending a fortune on gear.
The best way to Purchase Good Journey Insurance coverage – Journey insurance coverage is among the most vital stuff you’ll want in your journey. You wouldn’t have a automobile with out automobile insurance coverage or a house with out house insurance coverage, and you’ll’t have a visit with out journey insurance coverage!
The Greatest eSIM for Touring Europe – Gaining access to cellular knowledge whilst you journey cannot solely hold you secure if there may be an emergency, however it ensures you may e-book lodging, flights, and actions on the go. This publish breaks down the most effective eSIMs for vacationers in Europe, serving to you keep linked on a funds.
Are These The Greatest Garments for Vacationers? – Unbound Merino make sturdy, fashionable, and reasonably priced journey garments. I deliver them with me each time I go to Europe. On this publish, I clarify why I feel you need to examine them out in your subsequent journey.
Step 3: The best way to Get Wonderful Lodging in Europe
The best way to Discover Low-cost Lodging – If you’re trying to keep someplace in addition to a lodge or a hostel, this text lists all of the forms 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 finest tips about how you can discover an reasonably priced, clear, and enjoyable hostel the place you may meet numerous wonderful folks.
The Greatest Hostels in Europe – It is a checklist of European hostels that I’d positively use once more if I’ve the possibility. Hope this helps along with your subsequent European backpacking journey!
The best way to Turn into a Housesitter – It is a how-to information to house-sitting, an exquisite alternative that permits you to keep in a location lease free in change for watching somebody’s home.
The Greatest Web site for Home Swaps: My HomeExchange Evaluation – HomeExchange is a community that facilitates swapping properties with one other individual or household. It’s an incredible platform if you wish to deepen your travels, join with locals, and lower your expenses.
For extra funds lodging solutions, take a look at my hostel hub web page. It has all my favourite hostels round Europe!
For those who’d reasonably keep in accommodations, this web page has all my favourite accommodations in Europe.
And, to search out out the place to remain in every metropolis, go to my checklist of the most effective 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 are going to lower your expenses by shopping for a rail move or if it’s cheaper to purchase tickets as they go. This detailed publish outlines every thing you might want to learn about shopping for a rail move!
For those who’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 take advantage of to search out routes and purchase practice tickets after I journey Europe. it’s tremendous simple to make use of!
Europe can be an incredible vacation spot for highway journeys. International locations like Iceland, Scotland, Eire, Portugal, and Norway are all wonderful locations to discover by car.
For those who’re planning to drive round Europe, use Uncover Vehicles to search out the most effective rental costs. They search rental firms massive and small to search out you the most effective offers.
You should utilize the widget under to get a quote. It’s quick and free:
Step 5: Save Cash Whereas Backpacking Europe
Costs differ wildly in Europe. That signifies that the way you lower your expenses 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 number of posts that may assist hold your funds in tact:
The best way to Save Cash on Meals – Whereas touring Europe, meals typically 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 now and again.
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 publish 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 provide help to change into an knowledgeable traveler who will get round Europe cheaper, higher, longer, and smarter!
14 Main Journey Scams to Keep away from – Shedding 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 number of of my favourite firms in Europe. These are the comoanies I take advantage of after I’m in search of 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 firms can’t get and use actually unbelievable and educated guides. I can’t advocate them sufficient.
Devour – Devour has every kind of wonderful meals excursions round Europe. For those who’re a foodie who desires to study extra concerning the historical past and tradition behind every dish, these excursions are the most effective on the continent. I take them each likelihood I get.
GetYourGuide – Get Your Information is a large on-line market for excursions and excursions. The location has tons of tour choices in cities all around the globe, together with cooking lessons, strolling excursions, road artwork classes, and extra! It’s a superb useful resource to seek for particular excursions in any vacation spot.
For a whole overview of Europe in a single easy-to-read publish, 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 provide help 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 utilize these tricks to plan your final backpacking journey in Europe!
Get Your In-Depth Finances 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 you might want to journey whereas in Europe. It has steered 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 rather more! Click on right here to study extra and get your copy at the moment.
Guide Your Journey to Europe: Logistical Ideas and Tips
Guide 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 at all times know no stone is left unturned!
Guide Your Lodging
You may e-book your hostel with Hostelworld as they’ve the most important stock and finest 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 accommodations.
For solutions 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, harm, theft, and cancellations. It’s complete safety in case something goes fallacious. I by no means go on a visit with out it as I’ve had to make use of it many occasions up to now. My favourite firms that provide the most effective service and worth are:
Searching for the Greatest Corporations to Save Cash With?
Take a look at my useful resource web page for the most effective firms to make use of if you journey. I checklist all those I take advantage of to economize after I’m on the highway. They’ll prevent cash if you journey too.
Need Extra Info on Europe?
You should definitely go to my sturdy vacation spot information to Europe for much more planning ideas!