Help Going travelling

[tris-]

im starting to rack up savings now and im still at uni so thats a bonus. people reckon i should save it for a house deposit or other things when i need to move out and get a job etc..

i think id rather spend it on something so i can live a little and see a bit of stuff before its too late.

heres some Qs as i know a few here have done it -

1 - in general, how much does it cost for say 3 months?
2 - how do you plan it all, is there a service?
3 - im not bothered about adventure activities and prefer more to see culture, festivals etc. can anyone recommend some places?
4 - what else should i know about?

 

[Chilly]

do the eastern bloc, plenty of weird culture there and the opportunity to see some old skool soviet shit.

If you are doing a lot of europe, get an interrail pass (look up the details). basically its a gold card for all of europes trains and you get them in zones for different groups of countries. will cost you a couple hundred for a month- no idea about non-europe equivs.

 

[tris-]

i was thinking europe to get me started off as ive never gone solo travelling before.

do you mean the pass costs a couple hundred a month?

 

[DaGaffer]

1 - in general, how much does it cost for say 3 months?
2 - how do you plan it all, is there a service?
3 - im not bothered about adventure activities and prefer more to see culture, festivals etc. can anyone recommend some places?
4 - what else should i know about?

1. As little as £20 a day, as much as you like. All depends on where you're going; "easy" backpacker countries like Oz, NZ are quite expensive, South-east Asia and most of South America are cheap, but with expensive bits (Thailand isn't that cheap anymore, bits of Brazil like Rio are expensive). Eastern Europe is no longer that cheap, Russia is downright expensive (especially Moscow), Africa is cheap but hard-work, (and needs more upfront planning, I'd seriously think organised tour for Africa rather than indpenedent travel, especially if its your first big trip), Central America is good but surprisingly expensive in places, North America is currently cheap, but the US obviously isn't that tourist-friendly at the moment.

2. Planning is part of the fun! This is also where you get a real understanding of the upfront costs; flight tickets, visas, jabs, gear.

3. What kind of culture? Be more specific.

4. More info would be useful; do you like hot climates, do you speak any languages, how 'sociable' are you? What interests you?

 

[tris-]

3. i like festivals be it music, beer, art etc. i like to see other ways to life too which i usually feel after spending a few days in the proper parts of a country. and of course, to live that way of life for a while. i prefer bustling lively places to country sides.

4. i like hot and sunny over cold but i dont mind either. i only speak english and a few sentences of french. i dont mind talking to strangers. im not entirely sure what interests me. i suppose that could be part of what i find out if i get out there.

i think id prefer europe but asia might also be good as ive always wanted to see the Buddha statues and temples etc.

 

[old.Tohtori]

Be wevy wevy careful

I think i did the math once, that with a single trip to the US, you can travel around Europe for a month(hostels and such) and then go live in Thailand or some such for a month

Rather worldly experience i believe.

When traveling though, avoid camping areas and camping altogether, very dangerous.

Also, if you end up in germany/amsterdam, take a boat trip to finland, it's worth a quick visit especially in the summer (late june!) when the sun doesn't go down at all.

 

[TdC]

things can be cheaper than you think, although sometimes you have to weigh the costs against the gains before you see. example: I went to Australia and rented a campervan (small one, 1 driver 1 pax). that cost ~70au$ per day. I guesstimated fuel at 50 au$ per day. Then food, campsites, National Park passes, etc. That may seem a high initial outlay for a three month holiday, especially added in the cost of the plane tickets, but the total freedom of the car made me decide in favour.

Costs for things like that can also go down if you do things communally: group all pop for fuel/food in order to go to nice place X, or rent prices can go down if you do a well known route against the normal flow: example: I went to New Zealand with two mates, we got a camper that was two sizes and classes of luxury up from the one we were planning to get, and the company deducted the normal collect fee from our rate, as we were in fact going from Christchurch South Island to Auckland North Island and not the "normal" other way round. (though ofc we did initially have to get to ChCh, a low cost national flight, as an extra which we otherwise would not have had to pay).

Going by backpack travel, there are hop-on/hop-off bus services that you can use when holding a certain pass etc. work out a vague route, and see if you would benefit from doing such a thing. Other benefits would be meeting more people, etc. You don't really meet hordes of folk when cruising along in your own car, unless you're really chatty at campsites/pubs

Iirc there's a pretty cool music festival in Spain/Portugal but I forget the name :/ you could potentially work that into your plans. Spain has huge amounts of culture, food and weather too, and fits into your Europe idea.

 

[tris-]

i suppose another question needs answering here then. how do things like this work when going for post grad jobs? i cant go this summer because i need to work for 3 months to get the money and im doing that now. next summer im finished with uni, but that is the only time period long enough to go.

i see what youre saying tdc re: cost v benefit. i prefer getting around places on foot or bus though to a car. on family holidays we always get a car anyway.

 

[DaGaffer]

i suppose another question needs answering here then. how do things like this work when going for post grad jobs? i cant go this summer because i need to work for 3 months to get the money and im doing that now. next summer im finished with uni, but that is the only time period long enough to go.

i see what youre saying tdc re: cost v benefit. i prefer getting around places on foot or bus though to a car. on family holidays we always get a car anyway.

Shouldn't be a problem with post-grad start; talk to your tutor, they'll usually understand.

I think Interrailing would be the easiest option for you; no visa issues (unless you go to Russia, Belarus or Ukraine), no jabs etc. This is a really good site for planning train journeys anywhere in Europe (I used it when I went from London to Moscow).

 

[Milkshake]

I travelled europe for a month using the Interrail pass, and it's fucking awesome. Jump on any train, at any time within your zone for free. Course, if it's full you have to stand...but being able to be in Geneva one day, meet up with some people, join them in Barcelona, head over to Milan to chill out for a bit then over to Munich for some beer.....well, it's awesome. Hostels are cheap and plentiful - except for some like Amsterdam and Barca where it's kinda busy so book online.

We also stayed in a 5-star hotel in Arnhem for 3 nights after stumbling over a deal online whilst in southern france

I'm in America now, and although it's nice, it's not as interesting as Europe. In Europe you have the awesome instant-friendship with any other traveller who talks English. In America you just get fat.

If you wanna get in touch, just PM me or use this thread to ask questions

 

[pcg79]

ooh handy thread: im going away at the end of the month - thinking about money, im pretty sure in places like the thai islands etc there are no banks to do travellers cheques etc? so is it a good idea to just get money out at the ATM? or are the charges too ludicrous?

 

[tris-]

how much GBP did you spend in a month?
what do you mean by "in the zone", doesnt the pass cover all the countries?
can you recommend some must see places?

 

[DaGaffer]

ooh handy thread: im going away at the end of the month - thinking about money, im pretty sure in places like the thai islands etc there are no banks to do travellers cheques etc? so is it a good idea to just get money out at the ATM? or are the charges too ludicrous?

In 26 countries last year the only places I stuggled to find an ATM was a remote part of Patagonia, one town in Bolivia, and Venezuela and Cuba where my credit card worked but my Maestro didn't. No problems at all in Thailand. As for using ATMs, cheapest way to get currency tbh, especially if you have a Nationwide account (or a special HSBC one like I did) which have free international banking.

 

[pcg79]

In 26 countries last year the only places I stuggled to find an ATM was a remote part of Patagonia, one town in Bolivia, and Venezuela and Cuba where my credit card worked but my Maestro didn't. No problems at all in Thailand. As for using ATMs, cheapest way to get currency tbh, especially if you have a Nationwide account (or a special HSBC one like I did) which have free international banking.

details on that special HSBC one? is it a 'plus' account with an extra monthly charge or something?

 

[Milkshake]

Last year you could buy for zones, but it seems now Interrail tickets are either global or not....which to be fair, makes sense. If you are under 25 I think, it's youth tickets. I got the 1-month Youth ticket.

Cash? I reckon overall, I spent about a grand for the month - which includes the tickets. Hostels are usually really cheap, foodstuffs - well, I kept myself in calories through the beer I drank. We also cocked up at the start by paying to book our trains - don't do that, just get on them.

Don't carry too much stuff with you, there's no need for that extra shirt (you are travelling for a month ffs people will understand) and it just means you got to carry lots of shit around with you.
Also, don't take anything expensive with you and you won't need to worry about safety deposit boxes.

You gotta go to Munich, that was my favorite for beer...though Brussels has some awesome bars if you know where to go and Belgian beers are awesome. Florence was my favourite for olde culture, though Luxembourg was nice too.

The way I traveled was to spend one, two (three or four in some awesome places) days just seeing the main sites, then moving on. If I want to spend way more time enjoying the culture, I'll go back (took the girly to Milan then Lake Garda for Valentines).

It's also an idea to travel with someone, that way if you get *really* drunk then you have at least a 20% chance of getting home. Duncan got me home a few times when there was just no way I could have done it myself. It's also nice to experience travelling with someone, even if it's just a mate.

 

[tris-]

to be honest its more than likely id be going on my own, and i think id prefer it anyway.

ive not done anything major on my own and i think id enjoy it. i dont get bored being on my own etc and id happily talk to other random travellers i reckon.

a grand is cheap! i will probably have a couple saved up by then hopefully anyway.

what would you say is essential to take? and optional.

edit: also you cant use that rail card in the UK. how is it you got into europe its self?

 

[Chilly]

get the chunnel or a cheap flight into a main city (good rail links: paris, amsterdam, brussels are good places to start).

Take:
-a camera
-register for your nhs eu health card thing which basically means any medical care you need will be paid for directly by the NHS (within all EU member states, remember this doesnt include switzerland or some of the weird ones out east)
-some decent shoes
-few books for the trains (can be long and dull)
-a good european map with a good pan-european map and a couple higher res per-country plates to help you plot your course.
-cable for your camera so you can spurt the photos to your online space at an internet cafe or whatever, worst thing is to take 500 photos and then lose them all when some **** at the airport puts your bag on a flight to /dev/null

cant think of owt else yet. oh - you might wanna register for the yha (youth hostel association), better rates at yha places and im sure there will be other extra stuff they can help you out with. its not free but im almost certain itl pay for itself over a month of stays.

 

[Scouse]

I'm 34 - interrail cards are f00king extortionate for me! Why the fuck should "young" people get so much help? You spawny blighters.

It seems if I want to travel round europe I'll have to take the type-r

 

[DaGaffer]

Take:

• spare memory card
• photocopies of your docs (kept separate from your originals), or, scan them and stick them online for easy retrieval.
• condoms

 

[tris-]

whats the deal with clothes then?
just take a few days worth and rinse them in a hostel or something?

 

[DaGaffer]

whats the deal with clothes then?
just take a few days worth and rinse them in a hostel or something?

Most hostels have laundry services or washing machines. You have to decide how much weight you want to carry in your backpack versus how often you want to use the laundry. Or you could just smell. Unfortunately in Europe clothes aren't cheap; in Asia you can damn near buy clothes as you go along.

 

[tris-]

i dont mind stinking of shit and piss some of the time. this is some good info to know for now. the more i think of the prospect of doing it the more i want to go. only a year to wait

 

[DaGaffer]

i dont mind stinking of shit and piss some of the time.

Forget what I said about condoms.

 

[Milkshake]

Seriously, get a 40-50L rucksack and don't carry anything you can't fit in there. You might need to wear pants for more than one day, or a T-shirt for longer than a day, but it's survivable. Plenty of laundromats kicking around that you can just wash *everything* every 10 days (depending on how smelly you get) and you only need to do it thrice.

Chilly was bang on with some of his suggestions. I took a few books, I like em, and there are english bookstores out there...or you can swap with people as you go.
A good book of the area (like a Rough Guide to Europe) will be heavy, but worth it...especially if you change your plan half way round.

I flew into Geneva and started from there. Flew out of Frankfurt eventually, though I hadn't planned any of it before I left (not stupid, just a bit stressful not knowing how you'll get home.)

My advice, get a there ticket and a back ticket.....but don't get too focused on where you want to go in between.

 

[TdC]

also have a look at the weather: ie hot countries, wear sandals etc no need for socks/sweaters shirts. you don't need super duper walking shoes, because you'll be dumping your backpack at a hostel asap so you can get out again without it.

depending on how long you want to go without visiting a laundromat/hostel washery thing you'll need to think about 2/3/4/etc sets of clothes. you may want to invest in a windstopper + goretex-esque rain jacket that are both thin as you can get them (I have a thin shell jacket that is waterproof and packs into a bag about the size of a fist, ideal for a daypack and it goes with me everywhere) because for me, wet legs is fine but wet bod = cold = sick = bad.

tbh perhaps one set of nice kit and the rest you'll not regret if it turns pink / gets stolen/broken/lost. you can get new stuffs, don't worry about it.

 

[tris-]

thanks all good info. ill save the link for this page so i can refer back in some months time.

whats it like meeting other travellers? going on my own, ive got this vision im gonna meet people, befriend them and end up going with them to other places etc. (<what id like to happen anyway, im not big on planning. i dont mind getting the basics sorted but inbetween i like to go with the flow).

is it anything like that?

 

[DaGaffer]

thanks all good info. ill save the link for this page so i can refer back in some months time.

whats it like meeting other travellers? going on my own, ive got this vision im gonna meet people, befriend them and end up going with them to other places etc. (<what id like to happen anyway, im not big on planning. i dont mind getting the basics sorted but inbetween i like to go with the flow).

is it anything like that?

Was for me. In a year I hardly spent any time on my own, and I'm still in touch with loads of people I met while I was away.

 

[TdC]

thanks all good info. ill save the link for this page so i can refer back in some months time.

whats it like meeting other travellers? going on my own, ive got this vision im gonna meet people, befriend them and end up going with them to other places etc. (<what id like to happen anyway, im not big on planning. i dont mind getting the basics sorted but inbetween i like to go with the flow).

is it anything like that?

well there are travellers and travellers imo. some of the more 'core people get a bit strange due to the constant looking out for themselves etc, but on average you'll be fine with your idea. thing I noticed was that people associate but to not become the friendly type of amiable because the odds they'll meet again are slim (unless they arrange the meeting ofc). Ofc I do tend to travel quickly, so the odds of me being with the same people for more than two days are slim, and I'm a bit stand-offish as is anyway. That aside, I note that people can be very much the interested stranger (which is a psychological concept iirc) and are thus very easy to talk to and vice versa. I've had very deep, meaningful discussions with people I'd just met and would lose track of that afternoon about anything from their relationship to mine to any subject at all.

 

[Mey]

This is going to sound stupid but, er.. where do you meet "other" travelers?

In hostels and shit?

 

[DaGaffer]

This is going to sound stupid but, er.. where do you meet "other" travelers?

In hostels and shit?

Hostels, buses, trains, diving schools, you name it, but mainly hostels.