Hi Everybody,

I am planning a trip through Europe and Australia. I was just wondering if you had any tips or advice. I would enjoy hearing about your own travels.

Cheers

Just be safe!!

Yess I do



































Make sure you are taking a large bag




















Cuz I am stowing away in your luggage.
Please Please Please

I backpacked across Europe several years ago .. how long are you planning on going ? Do you have a train pass ? Do you have check points?

I'm pretty sure there's no bridge going to Austalia, so you might want to pack a raft.

The more the merrier!

take water

I'm planning on being gone for at least a year or more. I am selling my house and going for a stomp sorta speak. As this is my first trip overseas, I'm wading through hundreds of websites and getting bogged down in padded opinions and advertising. I'm looking for real information about how to properly prepare for the trip.

well I had checkpoints places that I would check in with friends and family. get mail, and of course send stuff home so I wasn't bogged down.. I also had a train pass so i could hop on the eurorail ... I was only 18 when I did it so there was some safety issues involved. I did not stay at hostiles and I only stayed in hotels every so many days .. slept in a farmers field in Ireland.. Amsterdamn however I staying in a hotel .. it all depended.. Each country you go to will have it's own issues and make sure that you are familar with them.. Good luck what a great trip I stayed 9 months.. the dollar was stronger then...

I love to sleep outside. Its nice to know that I won't be forced into staying in hostels and hotels all the time. I camp most of the year with work so thats what I like and what I'm used to. I'm guessing its not like BC where you can just find a spot on a river or a lake!

most people were very accomodating about us crashing in fields and such.. just be careful, I would do it all again in a heart beat.. watch the currency exchanges people will be people and you could get ripped off.. I was there pre euro, you can take a piss about to france and that is good fun, but I did throw up all over the English chanel, transportation is awesome , Have a great trip

thanks, I'm looking forward to it!

wow, not to many travelers on this site I guess.

Well if you plan on a second trip to South America I can help you there. In the meantime, have a safe and happy journey

Thats on the list as well but I don't know when I will make it there. I really want to go to Florida again as well. We shall see how this little adventure pans out!

First, and most important tip I can give, is to plan your travel carefully. Give yourself the time to get info on countries, treaties like Schengen (http://www.eurovisa.info/SchengenVisa.htm) and eurozone (http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/the_euro/index_en.htm?cs_mid=2946).

Second tip would be that don't worry. Europeans are just people, like anywhere in the world. And I suppose there's no country left without a McDonald's =)

Ask stuff, maybe someone here has already done some digging on questions you have.
Also, Lonely planet (www.lonelyplanet.com) and it's "thorn tree"-forum can be a massive help.

That sounds like fun, I hope to do it some day.
Carry a money belt on you.
Keep your plans spontanious and your mind open.
Have fun!

Thanks, I have been on lonely planet. Thorn tree is good but a bit confusing. I was really worried about having to slave to an itinerary but I guess I won't have to worry so much about reservations and commiting to far in advance. Its looking like I am going to fly into london and make my way around England and then to Wales to visit a friend. From there I'm thinking of getting a boat and touring some of the canals in Belgium and The Netherlands. I'm kind of worried about camping for that though. From there I think I'm heading through Germany, The Czech republic and down through Italy and Greece. I worry about finding places where you can camp along the way though. There isn't really a lot of info for camping and I doubt its like BC where you can flop down pretty much anyplace you like! Any suggestions for a good place to spend the winter?

TAKE ME WITH YOU!!!

Do not try to smuggle anything into Italy!