If you are looking for a great holiday idea, it is highly recommended that you backpack in Europe. It is a very unique experience that everyone should have at least once. Odds are, if you do it once you will probably want to do it again.
When you are deciding when is the best time of year to backpack in Europe, there are many things you need to take into consideration. The summer is definitely the time of year when most people go backpacking. This is convenient because it makes it easier for you to gather up a group of people that want to go hiking with you. The downside to going backpacking in and around Europe in the summer is that the prices are higher at this time of the year. If you are going to go in the summer, it is important to make reservations ahead of time. Since this is the busiest time of the year, it is often booked months ahead.
If you decide to go in the summer, it does not matter which summer month you choose, as they all will be generally priced the same. As for the winter, there are some obvious downsides to it. The weather is not as nice, and it is harder to find people to go backpacking with you! If you are on a budget, though, going backpacking in Europe in the winter is a great alternative.
When you go on your trip, it is a good idea to get backpacker holiday insurance. This protects you and your gear in case of an accident. If a medical situation arises, the insurance will cover you. Also, if something is lost or stolen that is necessary for the trip, you will be glad that you purchased the backpacker insurance.
When packing for the trip, it is important to take as little as you can with you. You may be worried about packing every little thing that you need for your trip, but that will make your pack heavier (a lightweight backpack can counter this). If you are staying at a hostel, they offer free or cheap laundry services, which makes the pack much smaller. It is good to take about 4 to 5 days worth of clothes with you. It is important to remember that if something happens to your stuff while on the trip, there will be an opportunity to replace it at a decent price.
Now that you have planned your backpacking trip, all you need to do is select a destination. Your starting point is really not that important since you will be backpacking all over Europe. You will find that there are cheaper rates when flying to a big city, such as London. Before you go off on your trip is important to make some kind of an itinerary. Included in this, you want to have all of the must-see places listed. When making your itinerary, be sure to give yourself some freedom and extra time, that way if something arises that you want to check out, you will have plenty of time to do so.
Author: Tom A Shurville