File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
So my buddy and I are planning on doing the whole "yurop" thing this summer: Eurail pass, backpacks, hostels, etc.

Has anyone done this? Any ideas on what to expect or what to do?
>> Anonymous
btw, pic not related at all
>> Anonymous
Pic will be related once you get to Amsterdammit.
>> Anonymous
How about some more specific questions:

-Is the Eurail pass worth it ($1019 for two people for 1 month of unlimited travel), or should we just buy point-to-point tickets?
-Is staying with Hostel International worth it? Should I buy a membership card?
-How long should we stay? I was thinking a full month, but maybe that's too long?

I've never really done anything like this before, what should I expect?
>> Midwest Mike
Yes! DO NOT buy a rail pass. It was a ripoff. Fly everywhere you can, it's usually cheaper, and faster. If you do rail, GET A SLEEPER CAR. The only way rail is worth the money that way unless short hop flights are too expensive. Also visit Eastern Europe! Western Europe is good, but some of the best deals can be found out east. Bosnia is one hell of a place that I really, really enjoyed. Also Czech Republic...In the west skip France (My advice) and the UK, unless you have your heart set on those places. Belgium is nice in the west.
>> Midwest Mike
No, screw the HI card, it hardly did anything for me and didn't pay for craaaaap. And NO...stay for as long as you possibly can. Squeeze every single day out you can by pinching as many pennies as you can, which is why Eastern Europe is a great option. Also, Nordic countries can be nice, I had fun in Denmark...Germany is great, one of the few places trains ran on time. Fly to major hubs, and then use the trains on single tickets for day trips.
>> Midwest Mike
Additional thoughts. Call ahead and have a hostel for the first few days when you first arrive. That means have a hostel room secured and held for you, or even a pricier hotel room for your first few days. A HUGE mistake I make was trying to find a hostel room after jet lag. Already having a hostel room or atleast a hotel room for one night can give you time to find a hostel that you like or change to a different hostel. To save even more money..be flexible in your schedule. You can save big bucks by hanging out at airports and taking empty seats on flights that are about to depart if you don't care for just going wherever the winds take you..
>> Anonymous
>>5656
London and Paris and non-negotiable. Austria and Hungary were also high on the list.

My preliminary route was London-Paris (by rail or air)-Germany (Berlin or Munich)-Prague/Budapest-fly to Rome-then either to the south of france or to Greece.
>> Midwest Mike
Also, photocopy your passport and important documents. Copy down emergency numbers for family members. Hide the photocopies of your passport and documents someplace different from where you would keep your passport. (Since my passport was in my bag, I kept my photocopied passport and some extra money in my boot under the support insole thing.)Try to pick up some Euros here already so you will have some on hand when you get there. Try not to carry too much in hard currency except for your backup emergency money in your boot, here is one case when plastic is great. When you draw it out there, it is in the local currency, it does the exchange for you. Also, DO NOT exchange with anybody except at a bank. A real, brick and mortar bank. No matter how good an exchange rate the guy on the street offers.
>> Midwest Mike
Which is fine, remember however that especially in the UK, the exchange rate works against you, and even in Euro countries it hurts you. I can't sing the praises of Eastern and South Eastern Europe enough. I had my best in Belgium/Netherlands...Czech Republic..Hungary and Bosnia. Bosnia especially will open your eyes..and also it is one of the few places where Americans are actually liked, and it's a majority Muslim country. It's not a tourist trap like France/UK is, atleast not yet.
>> Anonymous
>>5675
If everyone on /trv/ goes there, it might be.
>> Midwest Mike
Good point..but most people still think it's a warzone. Which it can be...PROTIP: Don't go hiking without a local. A kid got his leg blow off by a land mine while we were there because he went hiking by himself into a minefield in the hills around Sarajevo. On the upside, if /trv/ goes there, you will be spending your money in a country where the people need it. I came back with plenty of Bosnia/Hezegovina soccer gear.
>> Midwest Mike
Let me know if you have any more specific questions OP, I can only answer as to what I experienced. But maybe you will be able to avoid some of the mistakes I ran into. The biggest thing is money..you will always need more than you think you will.
>> Anonymous
> -Is the Eurail pass worth it ($1019 for two people for 1 month of unlimited travel), or should we just buy point-to-point tickets?
I was on a single person pass, 10 days of travel within 30 days, that cost me about $500. I paid for one or two of the short hops out of my pockets, and was good for 2 months for travel.

> -Is staying with Hostel International worth it? Should I buy a membership card?

No, HI hostels are shitty. Go to something like hostelbooker.com, and find the highest user-rated hostel in whatever city you are staying at. Worked wonders for me and my friend.

> -How long should we stay? I was thinking a full month, but maybe that's too long?

We did ~50 days and saw most of what there was to see (excluding Scandanavia). 30 days will show you most of western europe, but not all over.
>> Anonymous
>>No, HI hostels are shitty.
How so? I hardly stay anywhere else. Cheapest rates you can get, in dorms there are people from all over the world you can have a chat with, breakfast buffet and most often it is very conveniently located. Heck, many have an own bus stop. The only downside I see are the sanitary facilities, which SOMETIMES could need more attention by the warden. Finally, there are times you cannot avoid using YHs, because there is nothing else in the vicinity of 40km - on the Kungsleden for example. Look at the ratings on the HI website, if you want an estimate on what to expect.
Nevertheless, you should still ask yourself, if you will stay in YH often enough to make that membership card pay off.

Trains, night trains, flights are only cheap if you book far in advance. A rail pass gives you more flexibility. For some trains reservations must be done. Especially the night trains to/from Eastern Europe. And for some trains you should do it as well, so that you don't need to wait an additional day in Copenhagen, because that @!ยง$#*! EuroNight is entirely booked. Perhaps you should also have a look at the "10 days in 2 months"-option. Please note that there are MANY restrictions on the use of EuRail, so you better look them up beforehand.