Fossil crossbody green, camelbak mule anaconda, backpacking europe backpack or suitcase quote

April 2024 · 19 minute read
When I first started planning my backpacking trip through Europe, I found a really good map of Europe and started looking at all the countries and cities that I wanted to visit. I figured out that if I wanted to realistically go to more than 25 cities, I would have to limit my stay to 1-3 days in each city (4 days in the big cities) in order to cover every city I wanted to visit. Note: The days on the right were the actual amount of time I spent sightseeing and experiencing each city, after traveling to the city and getting settled in each hostel. Day 37: Salzburg, Austria: 1 day (yeah, things didn’t quite go according to plan after Munich, so I ended up back in Salzburg!
As you can probably see by the map and itinerary above, I didn’t necessarily take the most efficient route (time wise at least). The second part of my trip started after the Swiss Alps, which was when my sister went back home, and I continued on the remainder of my backpacking trip solo.
Traveling that way definitely had it’s ups and downs, but it’s an adventure, which is why I did it!
Hopefully this post gave you some ideas that you can use towards planning your 2 month backpacking route. Need any advice about planning your backpacking route? I’d be more than happy to help!
Hey Devon, I am currently planning a backpacking trip next May, for 2 months with my fiance.
I am planning a 2 month backpacking trip for next summer and could use all the help I can get. Now my question is for you if its not to personal is How much money you spent on the whole trip? I am hoping to fallow in your footsteps… Your story has been very informative and inspiring!! Anyway, I LOVE your blog, and this one just happened to inspire me a thousand times more to make my trip come true.
I started planning about 8 months before… but that’s because I was really excited and loved planning the trip! Can i say that your not nearly as crazy as me.I ve been planning for my after college backpacking through europe since i was twelve! I am planning a solo backpacking trip for this summer and I see that your route, and most of the others I have looked at begin around England, go down through Spain, Italy, Greece, etc. And did you find hostels were booked up by the time you got there, like in Munich as you mentioned? I love your blog, you remind me so much of myself and anytime I’m feeling doubtful of my travel plans coming through, your blog gives me hope that it’ll all work out!
The choice to bring either a backpack or a suitcase with wheels (rolling luggage) to Europe depends on your travel plans and your personal travel style. Hands-Free Travel — Having full use of your hands makes navigating European streets and public transportation much easier.
Easily Navigate Stairs and Streets — Traversing cobblestone roads and the myriad of stairs is made easy with a backpack.
Comfortable — Assuming you have a backpack that fits well and isn’t overpacked, a backpack can actually be pretty comfortable. Easy to Store — Hostels usually have personal lockers and a backpack will fit in those fine. Airline Travel — Between the baggage handlers and the conveyor belts used to route luggage, the airlines aren’t exactly known for being gentle on backpacks.
Cost — A quality backpack isn’t cheap (although there are some nice budget friendly options — see my article about buying travel backpacks). Not Having to Carry Bag — Obviously, with wheeled luggage you don’t need to carry any of your stuff. Airline Safe — Suitcases are meant to travel well in checked-luggage (assuming a baggage handler isn’t having a bad day). Trains — The majority of luggage space on a train is above the seat so be sure you can lift your bag above your head.
Harder to Store in Hostels — If you’re staying in a hostel be aware that most lockers are too small for standard luggage. Hands Full — You’ll always have to keep one hand on your bag which will hinder your mobility.
Like I stated before, the choice between a backpack and a rolling luggage comes down to personal preference.
There are convertible wheeled backpacks available that have both backpack straps and wheels — which allows you to choose how to haul around you bag.
Finding the best travel backpack for Europe can be confusing because there are so many options. A comprehensive packing list and advice for budget backpacking and ultralight travel in Europe — including electronics, clothing, toiletries & accessories. If you want to backpack through Europe you probably need a backpack — shocking, I know.
There is no doubt that electronics play a huge part in our lives, so it is no surprise that electronics have become an essential part of travel. Each section within this article will link to more in-depth articles on the subject so be sure to click around and discover! American, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand citizens don’t need a visa to visit any European country, but the amount of time you can spend in a county will depend on local law.
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. But be aware that once you enter the Schengen zone you’re only allowed to visit for the next 90 days and the time does not reset if you visit a non-Schengen zone country.
You have to wait a full 90 days after the end of your initial 90 day visit before you can enter any Schengen zone country.
If you are planning on visiting for an extended period of time you need to carefully plan your journey or look into getting a long-stay tourist visa—which can be difficult. I recommend bringing about 50€ (or whatever the local currency) as it is nice to have a little cash when you arrive. You can avoid fees in many cases if you’re a member of a bank that belongs to the Global ATM Alliance and you use a foreign ATM that is also a member of the alliance. Read our full guide to choosing which season to travel in Europe for more great travel advice. Most people backpack through Europe during the summer, but this is also the high season in Europe.
Read our comprehensive 10 step guide to choosing a successful travel itinerary for Europe for even more tips for planning your journey. Choosing a well-researched travel itinerary is essential if you want to get the most out of your journey. Personally, I like to first take out a map of Europe to get an overview of all the places I can visit. Most budget travelers and backpackers stay in hostels because hostels are usually the cheapest accommodation option. Food costs can be a little tricky to estimate because the prices can change a lot depending on where you go.
Eating at restaurants can become costly, but it is nice to sample the local cuisine — and you’ll get tired of eating ham sandwiches and pasta.
Living out of a backpack has its challenges, so you’ll want to be organized as possible. A camera, in my opinion, is the most important item you can bring to Europe — but I love photography. I stayed in hostels and I was able to meet other travelers — both traveling solo and with other people.
Traveling can be stressful and we often take our frustration out on the people we travel with. I’m sure my family and friends thought I was crazy for trying to cram in that many places.

I hadn’t booked any hostels, planes, or trains in advance for the second part of my trip. Since I hadn’t booked the second half of my trip, I ended up traveling based on which route was available, cheapest, and as time efficient as I could manage. Whichever route you decide, just know that during the summer months you can’t go wrong. I was curious to know if you have any recommendations on Hostels you would from your experiences?
I’m currently planning my trip in March- June and would love to meet up at some point!
I was really impressed with all the things you could do with your time traveling around Europe, Congrats!
First off, your blog has been so helpful and inspiring as I try to plan a trip for Summer 2015. I started checking plane ticket prices about 6 months before, then bought my ticket the beginning of February, and left the first week in May. I have been saving the last two years for my 2+ months backpacking trip in Europe- first time traveling to that part of the world and first time being an itinerant for that long. I’m blonde as well and seemed to be another species when I went to Argentina, the attention sometimes made me uncomfortable. I know I’ll be eating a lot, and camping most of the time, but a hostel and a coffee will be a much needed break.
I have a friend in Mexico city, and every time I go there to visit I feel like the people there have never seen a blonde girl before lol. We’ve already discussed how to choose the perfect backpack for Europe and we have a list of our favorite travel backpacks for Europe — so be sure to read those two articles if you choose a backpack. Don’t expect to find escalators and elevators in most European public transportation. Most of the time a suitcase is too large so you’ll need some other way to secure your stuff. Most backpacks have lot of straps that can get caught on the conveyor belts and sometimes they get ripped off (not fun). I always try to promote traveling light but if you find yourself needing to travel with your entire wardrobe, you might want to save your back and just use a suitcase.
However, you can usually get a decent wheeled suitcase at discount stores like TJ Maxx or Marshalls for about $40-90.
This is probably largely due to the fact that everyone already has a suitcase and they don’t want to spend more money to buy something new. There might be other places to store your bag, but they probably won’t be as safe as a personal locker. Personally, I prefer using a travel backpack and that is what I recommend for budget travelers and people who are going to be visiting a lot of places. While I haven’t personally used them, I have checked out the Osprey Sojourn Wheeled Luggage, Osprey Meridian, and the Patagonia MLC Wheelie at my local travel store. That’s why we created The Savvy Backpacker — an independent resource to help give you the skills and knowledge to travel through Europe on a backpacker’s budget. While most people use standard hiking backpacks to travel, there are also other non-traditional bags. Between iPods, iPads, digital cameras, laptops, cellphones, and video cameras the choice of what electronics to bring on your backpacking trip can get overwhelming.
Make sure that you don’t put it off until the last minute because it can sometimes take 4+ weeks to get a passport. For example, if you spend 60 days in France, you can only stay in Belgium for another 30 days before needing to leave the Schengen zone. That’s why I like to use cash for small things and then my card if I need to buy something bigger. It is understandable that most people want to travel during the summer since the weather is the best, but it will be busy and crowded.
While possible, trying to visit five destinations in 2 weeks will totally wear you out and everything will blend together.
Your budget will also depend on your personal travel style and budget restraints, but I assume most people reading this guide are budget conscious travelers.
In Western Europe a night in a hostel will cost about 20€-30€ for the cheapest option, but prices drop dramatically in Eastern Europe. You can find cheap pizza and kebabs in pretty much any European city and a full meal from a restaurant will start around 15€. Luckily, good beer and wine is pretty cheap if you buy it from a grocery store. In France (and other wine producing countries), a good bottle of wine starts around 7€ and a 6 pack of Leffe Belgian beer is about 6€ at the store.
The price for using public transportation can be really cheap, but in some cities it can be a bit expensive. If you’re going to just travel between large cities then I would forget about driving. If you just throw your clothes in the bag you’ll not only have trouble finding your stuff, but all your clothes will be constantly wrinkled. Most people look for high megapixles, but low-light performance is much more important and it will make your photos so much better. I’ve done a lot of travel in Europe with my wife, but things can get a bit tense when the stress of travel kicks in. After traveling to close to 30 European cities in 49 days, I’m proof that it is possible, and definitely worth it. All of the plane tickets, and hostels for the first part of my trip, were completely booked before I even left home.
For those same reasons, I ended up almost stuck without a hostel in Munich because the overnight train to Budapest was completely full (which forced me to change my overall travel plans), ended up getting on a wrong train after a train change somewhere between Salzburg and Prague, and backtracking to a couple cities I’d already been to! You learn so much while you travel, that I’ll definitely take the experiences I had while backpacking around Europe, and use them to improve my next backpacking trip. People are traveling both clockwise and counterclockwise, and the hostels are always busy. If you pick the places you are most interested in seeing, you’ll have an amazing time, regardless of your route!
I’m planning on doing a trip like the one you wrote about next year and I was wondering about your budget, what was it and can you please tell me which are the most expensive cities that you visited.
I would only recommend bringing one if it can be packed up tightly, or if you’ll be camping or sleeping outside a lot.
Literally, I am already started to research because I have commented my trip to about 10 people and every single one told me I was CRAZY! I was wondering from your means of travel within Europe, how much did it cost for the total plane, train, and bus tickets?
Probably better not to be wandering around with your bf late at night either, unless it’s in a crowded or lit places.
I went to Bern, Zurich, and Lucerne and it was just really nice to walk around the cities because they’re gorgeous. This guide will show the advantages and the disadvantages to both travel backpacks and rolling luggage for traveling Europe and will hopefully help you choose which option is best for you.
Trust me, everyday I see people in the Paris Metro trying to lug a huge suitcase up its multiple flights of stairs and it isn’t fun. I’d guess that a vast majority of younger travelers use backpacks and older travelers tend to use suitcases. In this guide we’ve picked our favorite panel loading bags, top loading bags, and non-traditional bags. It is intended to be a good place to discover all the backpacking Europe articles on The Savvy Backpacker. Basically, any American, Canadian, Australian, or New Zealand visitor can stay in a Schengen zone country for a total of 90 days without a visa (New Zealand residents can actually stay longer, so see the laws if you’re a Kiwi). The only place that ever checked my arrival stamp and asked why I was in Europe for over 90 days was in Iceland (I had to show him my French work visa to prove that I could be there). The good thing about ATMs in Europe is that they don’t charge you a fee to use their ATM (no matter what bank you use).

If you’re traveling with another person, the price per person can be comparable to a hostel. A good way to save some money is to eat at a restaurant during lunch because there are often lunch specials. Museums generally run about 5€-12€ for the normal collection (I suggest looking up the prices for where you’re visiting). You can read our guide to cheap air travel in Europe for more information about flying in Europe. Traveling is stressful but it is much more difficult when you’re hauling around a ton of stuff. I think it is best to bring clothes that are black, dark blue, dark green, brown, and other similar colors that hide stains. That’s why I prefer to bring a small a camera as possible that also takes quality photos. Also, make sure you bring plenty of memory cards so you don’t have to worry about running out of memory card space. I was worried that I would be an outcast and I would be lonely, but I ended up meeting new people every day.
I didn’t notice it being listed as one of the items you packed, but would you recommend bringing a sleeping bag? I waited a little bit too long to buy them, hoping the price would go down even more.) I started booking my hostels about a couple months before.
The chances of that happening if you only plan on staying at hostels occasionally isn’t very likely.
Knowing different languages always comes in handy, although I’m not sure that necessarily means your safer. However, many newer travel backpacks have zip-away shoulder straps which make the bag safe for being checked.
But with so many options, choosing the perfect rail pass for Europe can often become overwhelming. A proper backpack allows you to travel swiftly and easily, but a poor-fitting pack is like an anchor. Passport costs $135, but if you need a passport quickly it will cost an extra $73 for expedited service and overnight delivery. Your local bank might charge you a fee to use your card in a foreign ATM, so be sure to read up your bank’s policies about using your card abroad.
The crowds decrease dramatically during the spring and fall and the weather can still be really nice.
I tend to grab a few travel guides to get an idea of what each city has to offer — read about my favorite guide books and online travel guides here. If you’re under 26 you might be able to visit for free or at a discounted student rate so be sure to check. Also, I personally think a panel loading (front loading) is preferable to a top loading backpack since they are easier to pack and unpack. Remember that no matter how long you travel, the amount of clothes you bring should be about the same since you’ll wash your clothes as you travel. Clunky DSLRs may take amazing photographs, but most people end up leaving it at the hostel because it is too heavy to lug around.
Make sure everyone in your group voices their opinions before you leave so everyone has an idea of what they want out of traveling. Would you rather spend more time getting to know a few European countries, or get a little taste of many European countries? I have family there and I think that seeing some familiar faces at the beginning of my trip might ease me into everything a little more as I’m sure I’ll be nervous at first! But this option is a bit risky, so if you get caught you might get a big fine and you could get expelled from the E.U. It is best to withdraw bigger chunks of cash than making a lot of smaller withdraws since your bank will probably charge you a fee each time you use the ATM.
Want to know more about hostels and what to look for in a perfect hostel — view our guide to hostels in Europe. However, many grocery stores have prepared sandwiches and salads which can be a good budget option.
I rented a car when I explored the Normandy region of France and it was fine (until I had to drive in Paris). I think the best all-around backpacks are the Osprey Porter or the Osprey Farpoint but you can read about our top rated travel backpacks for Europe. In fact, your clothes comprise the largest bulk of your backpack’s weight, so bringing less clothing will cut your weight by the greatest amount. For a better explanation on how to properly pack a backpack I invite you to read our guide to how to pack a backpack for traveling in Europe. I was able to change my plans quickly and I didn’t have to argue with my travel partner about anything. Now it's 3 years later and I've traveled to over 30 countries in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia!
Although, the weather during the winter can range from mild to very cold (depending on where you travel). In Paris, I could get a decent sized chicken salad, a bag of chips, and a drink for about 8.50€ from a grocery store (there were cheaper options, too). Be sure to brush up on your driving a manual transmission skills because automatic cars are much more rare and cost 2x-3x as much to rent. I’ve written a guide that explains everything you need to know about using electronics in Europe — from voltage issues and plug adapters to wifi and laptops. Plus, when you’re backpacking through Europe you already have a limited amount of space and a big camera will just become something else you have to pack.
Disregard those posts from others on travel forums telling you you’re crazy for having an ambitious itinerary.
So it would be Ireland-England-Netherlands-Germany-Hungary-Greece-Italy-Switzerland-Spain-France-Belgium and back to Ireland to fly home … With some other stops added in here and there. The alps were my favorite because they were just so different from everything else I’d seen in Europe.
If you do want to backpack Europe in the winter, I invite you to read our guide to staying warm while traveling in the winter for tips on traveling . I remember London, Paris, Rome, and Barcelona being more expensive than a lot of the other cities I visited. No one really seems to go from east to west so I want to make sure there’s not a reason why they don’t! I did hear to avoid the night trains, but if you’re biking and camping you don’t have to worry about that! One of the places I stayed was in a hostel in the village of Lauterbrunnen and it was breathtaking.
Either way, deciding what kind of trip you want is essential to planning your backpacking route. I general, the Western European cities are more expensive than the Eastern European cities. I bought a 4 day Switzerland rail pass that was beneficial since I spent a lot of time traveling in the Alps, and up to Jungfrau.
I took the train 18 times in a 25 day period, including 2 overnight trains and 1 scenic train (from Zurich to Lucerne).
I think a Eurail pass could save you money, but it really depends on what your itinerary is.

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