<p>When DD did something similar she found old friends in many of the countries, be sure to check with your friends (maybe via Facebook) and see if anyone is already over there to host you.</p>
<p>Somewhere along the way DD took an overnight ferry in the Mediterranean, I think in the regions of Italy and Spain, it was 15-20 hours and she discovered it was one of the best random things she did.</p>
<p>I did this after college. But it was many years ago. I went over alone and a friend joined me later. And I’m a girl. Hostels are great for meeting people. I’d hook up with people, travel with them for awhile and then split up. My big piece of advise would be TRAVEL LIGHT. You will regret a heavy pack.</p>
<p>my daugter did a semester abroad in prague and traveled many places alone. she loved it. as for hostels, they are amazing and worth the money. you meet the most amazing people, get good advice, and are so safe</p>
<p>my daughters advice would be to pack light as you can pack. the less you have to carry around, the better</p>
<p>if you gave us more of an idea of what you want to see, ie museums, mountains, nature, archetecture, etc, any particulare countries? </p>
<p>simple advice for example would be to check out the banks in the countries you are going to and see what banks here they have relationships with, as atm fees can really add up along with conversion fees. my daughters had a citibank and a bank of america account, as those had different deals with different banks with different countries. my daughter had very low atm fees. they can really add up very quickly</p>
<p>check out rick steves travel bo\log there is a whole section about women travelers</p>
<p>There are some credit cards that reimburse ATM fees and waive foreign transaction fees. CapitolOne and Schwab both do and there are others, I believe. </p>
<p>I think my D would be interested but isn’t positive she’d want to go solo. She was thinking of going with a friend and her BF, but nothing definite yet.</p>
<p>Make sure you have at least 2 credit/debit cards. Make sure that you have a photocopy of your passport (or two) with you and leave one with a friend/relative. Scan it and e-mail it to yourself or take a picture on your phone so you have a backup. If you’re traveling alone, make sure that someone else (even two people) have your itinerary. Be faithful about checking in to let someone know you’ve made it safely to your destination.</p>
<p>Also, read Rick Steve’s suggestions and figure out what you will wear on you AT ALL TIMES to hold your valuables (under your clothing). This can really make a huge difference in having a pleasant trip or a very stressful one. We used many of his suggestions, including lodging in B&Bs and had a great time, H & I back in 1995.</p>
<p>My D did some travel alone this summer in Europe. I wasn’t thrilled, but she was fine. She had been to Europe before though. She found cheapest air fare was Icelandic air if she did a two day stop there. She loved it. She did hostels. She,d done study abroad in Paris and went back, but didn’t rally like being there. Loved the alps, hostels were much nices. Yes, only pack light!! You don’t need half as much stuff as you think you do. Be VERY careful and aware at ATMs, in fact , we encouraged D to go into the banks to get money. She also had the no foreign travel added fee credit card, handy for booking on line hostels.
d got a little lonely by the end, or just tired of traveling alone. …actually it wasn’t exactly summer either because she wound up in Budapest at thanksgiving with our DS.</p>
<p>I went to Europe for 3.5 months after I graduated college many years ago–went alone but had plans to meet friends here and there. The great thing about hostels (no organized couch surfing back then) was that there were so many other people like me but from many different countries. I ended up traveling with people I met at hostels so, along with the people I planned to meet, I think I only spent 3 nights where I truly was ‘alone’ – without a companion. Really an amazing experience and I think it’s great you want to go and are planning so far in advance.</p>
<p>I echo what others have said about safety, the ‘no transaction fee’ credit card, packing light, etc. A few other thoughts–if you’ll be traveling the way i’d imagine, I’d try to find a backpack-type bag rather than a rolling suitcase. Also, certain sites (eiffel tower and certain museums in Florence come to mind) permit you to purchase tickets in advance and they can sell out months in advance during the busy summer months. It’s so nice to skip an hours-long queue because you have advance ticketing. Once you know for sure where you’ll be when, assuming you want to see certain sites, check out what’s available online…tripadvisor is a wealth of information regarding planning.</p>
<p>My d and her bff went to Europe a few summers ago for 5 weeks and they had a fabulous time–stayed in hostels. My D did have some money stolen from one of her “roommates” in a hostel so do be vigilent and another friend of hers had a rather scary incident with a male “roommate” in a hostel so, my takeaway from that experience was that, if there’s an option, elect single gender rooms if you’ll be staying in hostels.</p>
<p>Happy planning and have fun!!</p>
<p>Evidently, single gender rooms are slightly more expensive at hostels now. I traveled solo by Eurailpass when I was 19, and my DD just did it at 20. The big difference, besides coed hostel rooms, seems to be that you can now book many hostels online in advance, which is fabulous. No more schlepping out to a hostel miles away in the suburbs only to find out it’s full.</p>
<p>D backpacked through Asia, mostly alone, a while ago. She had a great time, but did have to be on the alert for unsavory types. She was scammed in one hotel but was able to “go with the flow” so she did not get too upset. She had a great time all in all! Loved being on her own and did meet great people.</p>
<p>My advice would be to alert your credit card companies to the fact that you’ll be traveling. You don’t want them to put a hold on your card if you need it. They will do that.</p>
<p>Let someone know where you’ll be. Make an itinerary with all details as soon as you can, or just before you go. While it’s tempting to be totally on your own, there need to be some folks who would be able to retrace your steps in case of a God-forbid, on either end (your trouble, or home trouble). </p>
<p>The most important thing you can bring with you is an open mind and a real ability to be flexible. Travel can be wearing, and doing it solo might amplify the stress factor. Part of the charm will be the unexpected opportunities that will arise.</p>
<p>Don’t stay at the absolute cheapest places. A woman on her own could be seen as a target. Not to get politically uncorrect, that’s just the way of the world. Be careful.</p>
<p>Have a great time! You’ll be fine.</p>
<p>I haven’t read this entire thread so I apologize if this was mentioned before --</p>
<p>If you go to Barcelona, be aware that every tourist is robbed. This happened to my 26-year-old son the minute he got off the train. In fact, there’s an entire Facebook page called “I Know Someone Who Got Robbed in Barcelona,” just to demonstrate how common it is. </p>
<p>If you’re going to go to Barcelona, that is absolutely the time to use a money belt under your clothes to hold your passport, money, credit cards, Euro-Rail pass, and anything else of value.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, my son was (and continues to be) most upset by the loss of the memory card in his camera (seven weeks of European memories) and his journal.</p>
<p>Be careful out there!</p>
<p>We went to Barcelona this summer, and didn’t get robbed, but my daughter and I both got some kind of food-bourne sickness and the second half of our trip was spoiled. Don’t eat raw stuff from the markets.</p>
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They might do it anyway, which is why you should have more than one.</p>
<p>D1’s hostel experience was in Barcelona and NO issues. Not everyone runs into problems or even probability of illness. And she was out late- I think including one bar that opens at 1am.</p>
<p>I loved Barcelona, and would go again–I’d just be more careful about what I eat.</p>
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<p>This is exactly the kind of experience I want to have! Just sort of meeting new people and travelling with them for a while, then being on my own some.</p>
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<p>I was thinking of just going to lal of the countries that are available via the Eurail (I was going to purchase the global pass). My only concern is fitting in all of those countries within a month (there are 24 I think), so I wouldn’t be able to stay in once place any longer than a day at the most. </p>
<p>I’m not really a museum type of person, but I am interested in scenery, mountains, hiking, etc. I’d like to meet people, do activities with the locals, try the food, and just have a good time really. I can’t think of anything too specific I want to do. I know that I’m most excited about Prague, and Italy. Hungary is also at the top of my list.</p>
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<p>Currently, I have one debit card from Wells Fargo, and a credit card from Capital One. Everyone is saying good things about CO, but what about WF?</p>
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<p>Any idea what type of backpack? And what things I need to pack besides the obvious? (clothes, phone, wallet) </p>
<p>With purchasing tickets in advance- how advanced? When should I get my plane ticket, my Eurail pass, etc? </p>
<p>Thank you to everyone for the help!</p>
<p>We never had a prob in Barcelona. Like any other large city be aware of your surroundings and be street savvy. Don’t leave camera, phones etc sitting on tables while eating outside- very easy to be snatched.Couple of waiters warned us.</p>
<p>I travelled solo around Australia at the age of 19 (2011); I’m an unusually petite female and I think the worst thing that happened was losing (or possibly having stolen? Unsure; don’t really care - it wasn’t a big deal) my $30 phone. I’ve also done some backpacking in mainland Europe, albeit not solo, and as a native Brit I’ve stayed in more YHA hostels in the UK than I care to remember (family holidays always involved a YHA!). If you plan to go to the UK (yes, you can go on an InterRail pass; there’s a rail tunnel under the sea from France), then please shout and I will give you some more UK-specific info. </p>
<p>Anyway -
<ul>
<li><p>Europe is no more dangerous than the US, and in many cases it has substantially lower rates of violent crime (especially gun crime). However, you should follow the basic mantra of “don’t be an idiot” - don’t walk back alone whilst drunk, don’t walk through parks at night, don’t flash your iPhone etc. Essentially, if you wouldn’t do it at home then don’t do it on your travels. </p></li>
<li><p>You’re going to be legal to drink. If you aren’t used to drinking, then do be aware of your limits, don’t try and keep up with how fast the others are drinking, make sure that you’re always capable of getting yourself home and always keep your drink in your hand to stop it being spiked. Go out with your new hostel friends / couchsurfing host (heck, drunken nights out are a great way of bonding), but don’t rely on them to get you home safe. </p></li>
<li><p>You’re never truly alone when travelling solo. Talk to people! In hostels, you tend to make friends very quickly before you move on, though there’s invariably a core of long termers. These people will be your drinking buddies, your friends and they will point you in the right direction for anything from supermarkets to the best tourist spots. </p></li>
<li><p>In terms of travelling, check out [Travel</a> Europe with an InterRail Pass | InterRail.eu](<a href=“http://interrail.eu/]Travel”>http://interrail.eu/) which is a hop-on hop-off train pass for Europe. It’s the most convenient and reliable, though not necessarily cheapest way of travelling. </p></li>
<li><p>Do be aware that Europe is a big place, and one month is not a long time. Do try and avoid the stereotype of the American tourist who says “it’s Tuesday so it must be France” - a whirlwind tour will leave you utterly exhausted and you won’t really have seen anything beyond the main tourist sites. Personally, I’d do no more than 4 or 5 geographically concentrated countries (not Portugal <em>and</em> Greece!). Make sure that you schedule in contingency / down time. Otherwise, something will go wrong (even if it is only that you get a 24 hour bug) and your whole schedule will end up up in the air. </p></li>
<li><p>Make sure you have travel insurance that will cover you for medical care and theft. I once broke my leg in France and was frisked for an insurance certificate before they even took me anywhere. Perhaps this will not be a surprise to someone from the US, but for someone from a country with socialised healthcare it was an unwelcome shock. </p></li>
<li><p>Travel light. You will have to carry everything that you take, and you will buy souvenirs along the way, so leave plenty of space for them. Remember that you are not going to be in the middle of nowhere - if you desperately need it, then you will almost certainly be able to buy it there, even if the packaging is a bit different. </p></li>
<li><p>Take a guide book. Perhaps they’re a little old fashioned now, but in reality you won’t always have the internet and your laptop won’t always have battery. If nothing else, then they are useful for an overview of what to see, though you are probably better off picking hostels online. Rough Guide does one, and Lonely Planet does a comparable one (Europe on a Shoestring) [The</a> Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget: Rough Guides: 9781405386920: Amazon.com: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/The-Rough-Guide-Europe-Budget/dp/1405386924/ref=rec_dp_2]The”>http://www.amazon.com/The-Rough-Guide-Europe-Budget/dp/1405386924/ref=rec_dp_2) </p></li>
<li><p>Do at least try to speak some of the local language. You will get a much better response if you do. The French, in particular, are notorious for deciding that they only speak French when confronted with someone who doesn’t even try. Unfortunately some tourists (the British, in particular) are known for speaking loudly and slowly in English when they need to talk to someone who doesn’t speak English. It doesn’t work. Don’t do it! </p></li>
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<p>In terms of places to check out, then I LOVE Berlin, though it often doesn’t seem to be included on the essential itineraries of US tourists. Check out the Berlin Wall, Brandenburger Tor, Reichstag, the many Turkish restaurants and takeaways (there was lots of postwar Turkish immigration, hence the food). Paris is extremely expensive, so try and minimise any time there (ditto London). </p>
<p>Hmm . . . that’s all that springs to mind, though I’m happy to answer any more questions you may have if I can.</p>
<p>I think that EURail is the name of the pass that is only available to purchase outside of Europe, and inter rail is for Europeans. Same trains, different pass (none of which are valid on Eurostar, that is the train which goes between England and France in the tunnel).</p>
<p>24 countries in a month is barely physically possible! You wouldn’t need hostels for this because you would probably have to sleep most nights on the train to make it work (and most proper sleeper trains with beds in are not included in any rail pass either). If you just want to tick off countries to say you’ve been there, fair enough but you won’t see or experience anything but train stations (and though some rail journeys are scenic, on most you are just going to see flat fields or suburbia).</p>
<p>This is the backpack I use for all my trips, and I love it:</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Teton Sports Scout 3400 Internal Frame Backpack (Hunter Green): Sports & Outdoors](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Teton-Sports-Internal-Backpack-Hunter/dp/B000F34ZKS]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Teton-Sports-Internal-Backpack-Hunter/dp/B000F34ZKS)</p>