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Backpacking to Europe ?
Europe can be considered a backpacker heaven for both prices and ease of transportation. I will give you some tips for choosing the best hostel, the coolest cities and so...
So What is Backpacking ?
Backpacking 101
Hello backpackers and budget travellers... As a fellow backpacker, i hope this site will help you to find the perfect youth hostels in europe for the best price.
Backpacking is a form of low-cost, independent travel that allows young people to enjoy the fun of traveling without spending huge amounts of money. The factors that traditionally differentiate backpacking from other forms of tourism include use of public transport (mostly trains) as a means of travel, preference of youth hostels to luxury hotels, length of the trip, use of a heavy loaded backpack, and an interest in meeting the locals as well as seeing the sights.
Europe can be considered a backpacker heaven for both prices and ease of transportation. Railway passes like Interrail and Eurorail are widely used in Europe, which allows unlimited train travel in a specific number of days.
Backpacking is a form of low-cost, independent travel that allows young people to enjoy the fun of traveling without spending huge amounts of money. The factors that traditionally differentiate backpacking from other forms of tourism include use of public transport (mostly trains) as a means of travel, preference of youth hostels to luxury hotels, length of the trip, use of a heavy loaded backpack, and an interest in meeting the locals as well as seeing the sights.
Europe can be considered a backpacker heaven for both prices and ease of transportation. Railway passes like Interrail and Eurorail are widely used in Europe, which allows unlimited train travel in a specific number of days.
Accommodation Options for Budget Travelers
Hostels, Pensions, B&Bs or even Train Stations...
Since the logic of backpacking is spend less so that you can travel more, hostels, B&Bs and campgrounds are the top three accommodation options. Hostels provide budget-oriented accommodation where guests can rent a bed, sometimes a bunk bed in a dormitory, and share a bathroom, lounge, and sometimes a kitchen.
Rooms can be mixed gender or single-gender, although private rooms may also be available if you are willing to pay higher prices. Hostels are generally cheaper for both the operator and the occupant; many hostels employ their long-term residents as desk clerks or housekeeping staff in exchange for free accommodation. Hostels are generally more economical for individual travelers, but also have advantages for large groups.
Rooms can be mixed gender or single-gender, although private rooms may also be available if you are willing to pay higher prices. Hostels are generally cheaper for both the operator and the occupant; many hostels employ their long-term residents as desk clerks or housekeeping staff in exchange for free accommodation. Hostels are generally more economical for individual travelers, but also have advantages for large groups.
Choosing the Best Hostel
Looking for hot shower ?
There are many fascinating hostels around Europe, but also many that you should avoid. Since backpacking is an unplanned kind of travel by its nature, most people dont bother to book or at least research for a hostel. If you are lucky to avoid hustlers waiting for you in train stations, offering cheap but probably low standards accommodation, you will end up paying high prices for crowded rooms with noise and bad smells. To avoid unpleasant accommodation memories, book your hostel online.
Europe is packed with thousands of hostels, one or more in almost in every city. However, you have to do your homework beforehand. Which one is cheaper, which one is closer to city center and the ultimate question: Which one has 7/24 hot showers.
Europe is packed with thousands of hostels, one or more in almost in every city. However, you have to do your homework beforehand. Which one is cheaper, which one is closer to city center and the ultimate question: Which one has 7/24 hot showers.
To Book or Not to Book ?
Online Hostel Booking...
Luckily, almost all European hostels have a website or at least are included in hostel directories. Such directories will provide you inside and outside photos, maps, directions, and even reviews of the hostels. Make sure you read all the comments, because they were submitted by people who actually stayed there. Most sites will also offer you various booking options.
Online hostel booking is a must for every backpacker, especially in high season, with crowded cities and fully occupied hostels. For example; if you are planning a trip to Amsterdam, Netherlands on weekends, book online 3-4 days in advance, since its almost impossible to find a place to stay. This is also the same for big cities like Barcelona, Paris, Rome, and so on.
For other locations, (like Turkey hostels)I would recommend checking prices before you go, since they tend to change when you arrive at the reservation desk without any prior booking. I personally noticed that the prices at booking sites are always lower than actual ones. That means you can save some bucks and spend it for a meal at McDonalds. Hostel booking works, and is recommended for every fellow backpacker. Have a nice trip.
My recommendation for online booking would be definitely HOSTELIO.COM
Online hostel booking is a must for every backpacker, especially in high season, with crowded cities and fully occupied hostels. For example; if you are planning a trip to Amsterdam, Netherlands on weekends, book online 3-4 days in advance, since its almost impossible to find a place to stay. This is also the same for big cities like Barcelona, Paris, Rome, and so on.
For other locations, (like Turkey hostels)I would recommend checking prices before you go, since they tend to change when you arrive at the reservation desk without any prior booking. I personally noticed that the prices at booking sites are always lower than actual ones. That means you can save some bucks and spend it for a meal at McDonalds. Hostel booking works, and is recommended for every fellow backpacker. Have a nice trip.
My recommendation for online booking would be definitely HOSTELIO.COM
Europe's Best Hostels
Voted by backpackers at european-hostels.net
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byBest Cities in Europe
My Favorite European Destinations
- Florence - Italy
- The principal Tuscan city of Florence (Firenze) nestles below the wooded foothills of the Apennines, along the banks of the Arno River. The works of Botticelli, Michelangelo, Bruneschelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Boccaccio, Alberti, Masaccio, Donatello, Vasari and Fra Angelico imbue the city with the magnificence of their contribution to art and life. The city itself is muse to some and home to many stylish citizens who titivate the cobbled streets and fashionable piazzas with their inimitable Italian flair.
- Rome - Italy
- The eternal city of Rome, constructed of ruins and in whose name the Caesars sought to claim the world, opens for the visitor as a living museum. The centuries peel back with each new vista in this amazing city of gladiators, lunatic drivers and well-rounded pasta posteriors. Vespas, nippy little Fiats and red sports cars speed past trendy sidewalk bistros and nightclubs, revealing the Rome of Fellinis La Dolce Vita. The chillingly stark facades of the Stadio Olimpico complex bring back Mussolinis attempts to reinvent the architecture of the Caesars.
- Istanbul - Turkey
- One of the great historic cities of the world, Istanbul is the chief city and seaport of Turkey as well as its commercial, industrial, and financial center...
- Paris - France
- It is impossible not to fall in love with Paris. The citys people are stylish and flirtatious, its architecture seductive, its restaurants and nightlife devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and its streets are scattered with dreams.
- Amsterdam - Netherlands
- Radiating out from the Dam Square, the historic centre of the city is ringed by quaint canals and cobbled streets, thronged with bicycles, tourists, houseboats, students, and street performers. The city wears two faces: on one it smiles and beckons hedonistic youth with its notorious Red Light District and liberal view of marijuana use, while on the other it offers some of Europes finest museums and art galleries.
- Barcelona - Spain
- The enchanting city of Barcelona is a visual delight, and has an atmosphere that combines elegance and sophistication with provincial charm. In exploring its streets youll discover medieval romance in its Gothic quarter and the awe-inspiring delights of the fantastic and sometimes outrageous Art Nouveau architecture of Gaudi and his contemporaries.
- Antalya - Turkey
- Antalya city and other touristical places nearby are an important and amazing touristic attractions on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey with its perfect weather and splendid harmony of historical, archaeological and natural beauties, 12 months of the years.
Online Hostel Booking
- Europe Hostels
- We provide the biggest listing of all youth hostels in Europe, B&Bs, pensions and cheap hotels. European hostels and backpackers guide will help you to book low cost hotels, hostels in europe, backpackers accommodation in europe for free.
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- davidsutikno davidsutikno Oct 27, 2009 @ 11:00 am
- Great lens! How about the airfare? Are there any tips how to get it on a cheaper price?
Regards,
David
World Cruises - Mini Cruises
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- elad elad Jul 27, 2009 @ 11:05 am
- Really informative lens, I used to do a lot of travelling in my younger days, it would have saved me a lot of time and money if I had a guide like this.
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- goldentraveler goldentraveler Jul 23, 2009 @ 2:42 pm
- Wow great lens, love it. I especially like the listings of hostels in Italy and France, two places I'll be visiting in early 2010. I also posted some resources for the backpacker on my European Travel Blog blog. If you get a chance check it out and let me know what you think.
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- janices7 janices7 Apr 9, 2009 @ 9:07 am
- What a great lens to publish since Europe has gotten so ridiculously expensive for travel (with the decline of the dollar). Traveling on a budget is not my forte, but you've got some great information here. Thanks!
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- kevinmart kevinmart Apr 8, 2009 @ 6:46 pm
- I stayed in Hostel Centric in Barcelona last summer... Really deserves #1 in your list...
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by European-Hostels
I am a hostel owner and also a fellow backpacker who has been travelling and staying in hostels for many years. You can read city guides and book your... (more)
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