These are some tips I found quite useful when backpacking around the world, and specifically in Europe:

1. Figure out everything you’ll need while on your trip then reduce that amount by at least half! A common mistake is travelers taking too much stuff with them. Remember to enjoy your vacation instead of carrying around heavy luggage in areas you don’t know. One key thing to remember is as you travel you will find memorabilia that you will want to purchase, and this takes up precious cargo space.

2. As weird as it sounds, bringing a GOOD towel, such as a camping towel can really make your vacation a lot more tolerable. While traveling Europe for the first time I figured a normal beach towel would suffice, needless to say, it did not. Camping towels can be purchased luckily and are quite similar to the “sham wow”. They are great because they are anti-bacterial, absorb a lot of water and dry quite quickly. This was a major improvement to my second trip to Europe.

3. Use websites to book your hotels. By doing so you’re able to save a great deal of money on hotels by being able to book on short notice. Some people like to have the security of booking quite far in advance in which case you still get the best deals online. You don’t want to be wandering around cities at night hoping to find a place to stay. For example, You’ll sometimes find Paris rooms will close up at midnight if they think they have no more guests arriving.

4. Hostels also over a unique social setting you’re not likely to encounter anywhere else. The really amazing thing about staying in hostels is you have the opportunity to form great friendships from all over the world with people who are traveling like you. Though you may only be friends for a short period of time they help cement that trip into your mind.

5. Using the EU rail pass is a great way to travel throughout Europe. Once you’re aboard you’ll save a quite a bit of money. To top it off using the trains throughout Europe is a great way to travel. Be sure to make sure you purchase your tickets before you leave in order to save even more money. Though it takes some research to figure out what pass best suits your needs, it’s a great buy.

6. Another option to look at for your travel needs is discounter airlines that are located in Europe such as Ryan Air or Easy Jet. Due to these airlines not serving all places in Europe they are great to use in order to supplement the EU rail pass. It’s quite common to find flights for $50 and it’s possible to get from locations that are quite far apart quite quickly.

7. When you’re traveling, especially for long periods of time, it’s very important to register with your embassy to let them know what countries you’ll be in. The reason is just for peace of mind in case of disaster or other events that could leave you stuck in a remote country. By doing so the embassy can account for your and have a rough idea of where you are. Though the odds are quite small that disaster could strike, it’s better to be safe than sorry when traveling abroad and to be prepared just by chance disaster does strike.

Alessandra S. Llewellyn was born in Switzerland and lived in Paris. She has traveled all over the world with her family and really enjoys to explore new cities and meet new people. She really enjoys to write about her travels and will sometimes review a Paris hostel for some travel magazines and websites.

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