<p>Read everything you can about tourist scams and robberies. Be very, very cautious - my D and her friend were robbed while sleeping at a hostel. The thieves even removed items they had on their bodies (cameras) and things supposedly safely locked up in a locker.</p>
<p>I always travel with light-weight shirts that wick moisture away from the body, can be washed in a sink and will dry overnight. EMS has their own brand, Exofficio is another and I’m sure there are others.</p>
<p>Doing 24 countries in one month is not a good idea. What would you think of a European tourist who is trying to see North and South America in one month? The distances in Europe are shorter, but the culture is very diverse. If you stay one or two days in every country you will get to see the train station and one or two sights at the most. Think about it for example in England. You get to see Buckingham Palace and maybe the Tower Bridge. But young people meet in other places and there are so many interesting things to do, even if you never ever enter a museum. After the first week or so everything will be in a blur and you will have a tendency to confuse the countries and sights.</p>
<p>Also, if you just go to the capital cities, you will only get to see the cosmopolitan part of the country. Hungary is a good example. Budapest is beautiful and every young person speaks English. But Pecs is so much more typical for Hungary.
Rome or Paris cannot be experienced in one day. Berlin is a wonderful city, but Dresden will give you a more authentic impression of Germany.</p>
<p>Also, some cities are safer than others. That does not mean that you should not visit them,
but you might want to be more careful in certain places. For example, going to the southern part of Italy is different than staying in Milano!
Remember that you will be travelling in the hot season of the year. Trains are usually air-conditioned, but most other places, like apartments or hostels are not. So walking around and carrying your backpack will be exhausting. You need time to wash and dry your clothes, to try the local food ( near the train stations you will get the ubiquitous burgers and doeners) and talk to people.</p>
<p>I have not read the whole thread, but here is my 2c</p>
<p>whatever you do, do not put all your valuables in one basket, keep the important papers in a separate, safe place.</p>
<p>DS is planning a similar trip between some study abroad. A couple of posts refer to no foreign fees credit card?? Can someone name a few, please.</p>
<p>Capitol One is the most commonly referred to no fee card. Plus, they are no yearly fee, and have a points program to earn trips. Don’t have this myself, but know folks who use it. </p>
<p>Be aware that most cards in Europe have chips, and our chipless American cards do not work in some places, such as the Paris Metro. Have to go to the window to get tickets, or insert cash. </p>
<p>I don’t know about the current editions, but the Rough Guide for the countries I will be visiting soon have a wealth of detailed information. Better than random on line searches. </p>
<p>Choose an area or two of Europe that you want to see and concentrate on those. Especially if you care about mountains and hiking, as getting to rural areas takes more time, and sometimes greater linguistic skills. Know that much of Europe has a well developed trail system. Spending a week walking in Britain for example, could be an easy and interesting time. </p>
<p>Here’s link showing the extent of one of the longer path systems. Though having a companion would be safer and probably more fun. </p>
<p>[E-Routes:</a> UK and Europe](<a href=“http://www.ldwa.org.uk/ldp/public/e_routes.php]E-Routes:”>E-Routes: UK and Europe)</p>
<p>Northern Europe is FAR more expensive than the south. Eastern Europe is far more affordable than France and Scandinavia.</p>
<p>Think of your childhood dreams and plan more extensive travels in those countries. Eiffel Tower, Greek temples?</p>
<p>Both the Charles Schwab credit card and Capitol One credit card have no foreign transaction fees. Schwab also offers a debit card that will reimburse for ATM fees. As far as I can tell, neither of them have “chips,” referenced above. There are a few other credit cards I do have that have chips, but very few and not cards I use regularly.</p>
<p>i am extremely interested in this now…how much would you estimate a 2 month adventure around europe would cost? i think im going to do this if i dont go abroad</p>
<p>Thank you for the answers. I will look into the Capitol One card :)</p>
<p>Brojan - it’s really one of those questions where the answer is “how long is a piece of string?” </p>
<p>Try to work out a budget, including
- flights
- travel insurance
- intercity travel (e.g. Eurail)
- accommodation - hostels are a pretty good bet for budget travel. Check out [Hostels</a>, Hotels & Youth Hostels at HostelBookers](<a href=“http://www.hostelbookers.com%5DHostels”>http://www.hostelbookers.com) and realise that different cities cost more or less
- basic living costs - will you be cooking from scratch in your hostel kitchen each night, eating as a student would? If so reckon on about $50pw to be on the safe side. Budget for buying shampoo, tampons, whatever else it is that you would need at home
- costs of tourist attractions - entrance tickets etc
- souvenirs
- intracity travel
- contingency money </p>
<p>The total will have a great deal to do with how much luxury you wish to live in, how many & what sort of activities you want to do.</p>