10 Things To Do When Backpacking Europe
i. Plan for Error
When planning for a trip, something that I learned was to plan for the unexpected. This could mean anything from poor timing to bad luck to unprepared situations. Some things to take into consideration are the following:
A. Make your budget bigger than what you intend to actually spend. You never know when spare cash will be needed. For us, we had to buy TWO new plane tickets, which was way over budget and not planned for.
B. If you’re travelling in the morning, do your research. I can remember a specific time in Portugal when we were booked on an early flight but the subways and other transportations weren’t running that early and we were almost stranded. Another time was in Paris, when we needed to be at the airport for 5am and the metro would have taken an hour at least to get there- we had to uber. Trust me, afternoon flights ARE IDEAL.
C. Shit is going to happen and you can’t avoid it. Sometimes things aren’t going to go as planned or you might miss out on something and that is FINE. It isn’t perfect, but you have to go into a trip like this with realistic expectations so that when shit does happen, it doesn’t consume you and take away from your journey.
ii. Schedule and Unschedule
I planned everything for this trip from the flights to buses to trains to tours. It was a lot of work to say the least. Overall, scheduling the transportation was something I personally found useful for the trip we wanted. It made staying organized really easy and it helped for planning what we wanted to do/see in each country. Although, some of the best things we did were unplanned. The spontaneous food we ate, places we visited and people we got caught up chatting with. It was nice to just wander and let the city lead you to where you wanted to go. As a person with a touch of OCD, planning helps me feel more safe and organized, however, if I was staying for more than a month, I’m not sure I would have scheduled so much. Sometimes you don’t want to leave a place or you REALLY want to leave a place, and not being tied to a set itinerary allows you the flexibility to change your mind and still experience what you want.
iii. Travelling Alone vs with Friends
Now, when I backpacked Europe I went with one of my best friends Sydney, and I have no regrets about my choices. I have never backpacked alone, however after having backpacked with a friend, I would not be opposed to trying it. Being attached to one person for a month can be difficult for the best of us, then adding stress to the mix over travelling, schedules, money, plans…etc. it can be overwhelming. Sydney and I did really well keeping it together for each other and communication really made a huge difference when tensions were high. It is important to really consider who you are travelling with if you are travelling with a friend. Are they opening minded and open to new things? Are they patient? Do you have the same interests? Can they compromise? Can you respect each other?
Here are some pro’s to travelling with a friend and pro’s to travelling solo:
Pro’s to travelling with friends:
· You know the person
· You’ll feel more secure and less home sick
· You have someone to share the experience with
· You have a second set of eyes
· Comfort
Pro’s to travelling solo:
· You get to do what YOU want when YOU want
· You don’t have to worry about another person’s schedule
· There isn’t anything to hold you back and you will probably learn a lot more about yourself, independence and meeting new people.
· You will get to step outside of your comfort zone!
· You don’t have to worry about making another person happy
iv. Do your Research
So much research and questions went into planning my trip to Europe. Youtube and blogs like this were my main go to for questions I had. It was super helpful to see what real people did for their travelling and taking what worked for them and tweaking it to fit my needs. Whatever your question is, YouTube has an answer- trust me.
v. Find a backpack, carry on or whatever suits your lifestyle and travel plans
Okay this one is actually important! When I decided “ yeah I’m going to backpack Europe!” I may have taken the phrase a bit too literally. Here’s the thing- backpacks aren’t for everyone. That is okay. When you say you’re backpacking Europe you don’t necessarily need to use a backpack. For us, we booked a lot of flights and we needed a piece of luggage that would be counted as a carry-on bag and a backpack just made sense. However, I could have easily had done it with a smaller suitcase. My backpack was tedious and by the end of the trip I was SO done with it. Realistically, it always stayed locked in a locker in our hostels and I used a day bag. Now if I had been camping or hiking or doing more outdoor activities a backpack would have been perfect! But if you are going city to city- suitcases are more than acceptable, they are preferred.
vi. Invest in a good camera
This one is not a necessity, but a recommendation. Don’t get me wrong, phones these days are equipped with some amazing features and you can capture some amazing things on them. However, if you are vlogging, like we did, or if you are afraid of taking up storage on your phone- buy a digital camera! It is worth it in the long run and they are just as portable.
vii. Hostels are your new best friend
When travelling in Europe, there is no better place to stay than in a hostel! Not only are they crazy affordable, but they are REALLY NICE! Sharing a room with strangers is not bad at all. Sydney and I did everything from girl dorms to co-ed. We were able to meet some interesting people and we never feared that our belongings weren’t safe. They have nightly activities and they are unbelievably helpful when it comes to getting a lay of the land for whatever city you’re in. Some of our best moments were spent in our hostels. And realistically, if they aren’t the most luxurious it doesn’t matter, you’re visiting a city not a dorm room. You go to a hostel to sleep and eat and that’s about it. www.hostelworld.com is incredibly helpful and I used it to book everywhere we stayed. (see each trip post for exactly which hostel we stayed in).
viii. Pack Light
As a person who appreciates a variety of selection when it comes to my clothes and personal items, packing as a minimalist seemed damn near impossible. One thing that made it exceptionally difficult was planning different outfits for a trip that included visiting different climates- one day we would be in the heat of Portugal and Spain and the next over in dampness of Ireland and France. Luckily, we only experienced one or two days of wet weather, but we couldn’t have known that before leaving Canada.
Wearing the same clothes for a month got really old, really fast, but that is one of the things you have to sacrifice when you plan a trip like this. The important thing is to pack clothes that you wear often and that are comfortable and light. Remember- if you forget or lose something you can always buy a new one. With that being said- leave room for things you might want to buy later- either clothes or souvenirs. You will get sick of the same clothes, they will smell, they will get dirty, but you’re not travelling to impress anyone, you’re travelling to see new places and to have new experiences.
ix. Be present and Be open
One thing that can really make or break a trip is mindset. This is something that I personally struggle with when it comes to travelling and I’ve made a conscious effort to improve upon it every time I travel. Too many times I have caught myself looking forward to the next destination or next meal or moving on from a place, instead of appreciating where I already was. Looking back, I wish I had been more aware of my present and been more attentive to embracing where I was and all it had to offer.
This can be connected to who you travel with. When you’re travelling with someone who may not be as flexible, open minded or egger to trying new things, it can take away from your experience. I am someone who really wanted to make the most of everywhere we travelled to and my mentality was “I’m exhausted and tired and I feel gross, but I’m in an incredible place and I want to see it. I can sleep and rest when I’m home”. Now, that isn’t to say that every person should tough it out the way I chose to- there were days where all we did was go out for a little bit, and ended up back at our place in our PJs watching a movie, which was probably seriously needed. But when you’re missing out on opportunities because of a negative mindset, you aren’t doing yourself or the people around you any favours and it makes enjoying the experience more difficult.
So be open to change and culture and to trying new things. Get lost and make mistakes that you can learn from. Take each moment day by day instead of looking into the future.
x. Make Mistakes
When you’re travelling things happen unexpectedly and some things happen that are out of your control. Sometimes you don’t plan well for flights, you spend too much on items you don’t really need or in our case, you leave behind 100 euros worth of souvenirs in an airport and fly away without them or you misspell the last name of the friend you are travelling with and they won’t let you on the plane because the ticket doesn’t match the passport and you have to buy an entirely new ticket, putting you 1400$ in debt… yeah that happened. Even though shitty stuff happens to the best of us- sometimes it is for the best. I WILL NEVER spell my or my friend’s name wrong EVER AGAIN! I triple check that I have all of my belongings on the plane with me before we ever board. Some things you have to learn the hard way, and in the moment, it is painful and discouraging and it really makes things seem bleak, but tomorrow is a new day. A new day to start fresh, to hit reset, and to make better decisions and plan for better outcomes. That’s just life- ups and downs. You just have to be ready to face them and celebrate the ups and not let the downs keep you down.
