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Thread: Backpacking across Europe

  1. #1
    John I Tzimisces's Avatar Get born again.
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    Default Backpacking across Europe

    Suggestions?
    A friend's boyfriend did it a year or two ago (starting in Portugal or Spain and ending in Armenia) and I'm really liking the idea. Especially since I'm getting my undergrad in about 2 years and that means I have two years left to live

    I know I want to hit Italy (rome and venice are musts), Greece (Salonica and Athens), and Turkey (Istanbul) along the way.

    Note I'm also willing to take a very liberal definition of "backpacking" which may include but is not limited to "Flying in a plane while wearing a backpack"

  2. #2

    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    Backpacking is way overrated. I'd just fly with a plane.

  3. #3
    wilpuri's Avatar It Gets Worse.
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    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    Travelling by train in Europe is simple and cheap.
    The common culture of a tribe is a sign of its inner cohesion. But tribes are vanishing from the modern world, as are all forms of traditional society. Customs, practices, festivals, rituals and beliefs have acquired a flut and half-hearted quality which reflects our nomadic and rootless existence, predicated as we are on the global air-waves.

    ROGER SCRUTON, Modern Culture

  4. #4

    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/pa...rail_index.htm there ya go
    http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/pa..._youthpass.htm sence you are under 26 probobly the cheepest way

    also i just made a post about this about a day ago its the topic right under this one...
    Last edited by Mikiez; October 28, 2008 at 03:27 PM.

  5. #5
    dogukan's Avatar Praeses
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    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    how much would that all cost? and how are you going to skip school? Because I might do taht in future too....
    "Therefore I am not in favour of raising any dogmatic banner. On the contrary, we must try to help the dogmatists to clarify their propositions for themselves. Thus, communism, in particular, is a dogmatic abstraction; in which connection, however, I am not thinking of some imaginary and possible communism, but actually existing communism as taught by Cabet, Dézamy, Weitling, etc. This communism is itself only a special expression of the humanistic principle, an expression which is still infected by its antithesis – the private system. Hence the abolition of private property and communism are by no means identical, and it is not accidental but inevitable that communism has seen other socialist doctrines – such as those of Fourier, Proudhon, etc. – arising to confront it because it is itself only a special, one-sided realisation of the socialist principle."
    Marx to A.Ruge

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    Taxandrius's Avatar Praeses
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    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    If you want to spend some money and you want to travel in style accross Europe, travel with the Oriënt Express !

    from Wiki:

    Though the current service only runs from Strasbourg to Vienna, it is possible to retrace the entire original Orient Express route with four trainsaris-Strasbourg, Strasbourg-Vienna, Vienna-Belgrade and Belgrade-Istanbul, each of which operate daily. Other routes from Paris to Istanbul also exist, such as Paris-Munich-Budapest-Bucharest-Istanbul, or Paris-Zurich-Belgrade-Istanbul, all of which have comparable travel times of approximately 60 hours without delays.

  7. #7

    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    If you want to spend time in certain places then flying is way cheaper than rail or anything else. Especially from major city to major city.

  8. #8
    The Noble Lord's Avatar Holy Arab Nation
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    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    Oh, if you going backpacking across Europe you definitely must visit Romania, Prague, and Former Yugoslav Republics. You would love it there, and definitely go to Montenegro.
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  9. #9
    John I Tzimisces's Avatar Get born again.
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    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    Quote Originally Posted by wilpuri View Post
    Travelling by train in Europe is simple and cheap.
    That's good to hear, considering I am right now a poor poor student
    Quote Originally Posted by dogukan View Post
    how much would that all cost? and how are you going to skip school? Because I might do taht in future too....
    I don't know about the cost, but surely fairly pricey considering the Euro and whatnot...though I'd like to end up in Armenia where things aren't so expensive of course.
    Quote Originally Posted by Taxandrius View Post
    If you want to spend some money and you want to travel in style accross Europe, travel with the Oriënt Express !

    from Wiki:

    Though the current service only runs from Strasbourg to Vienna, it is possible to retrace the entire original Orient Express route with four trainsaris-Strasbourg, Strasbourg-Vienna, Vienna-Belgrade and Belgrade-Istanbul, each of which operate daily. Other routes from Paris to Istanbul also exist, such as Paris-Munich-Budapest-Bucharest-Istanbul, or Paris-Zurich-Belgrade-Istanbul, all of which have comparable travel times of approximately 60 hours without delays.
    Ooo. Istanbul is on my list, though I'd like to somehow end up in Greece in between...

    Quote Originally Posted by The Noble Lord View Post
    Oh, if you going backpacking across Europe you definitely must visit Romania, Prague, and Former Yugoslav Republics. You would love it there, and definitely go to Montenegro.
    Well I've briefly been to prague. It wasn't that great I felt but we were there for only a few hours and didn't go sight-seeing. I just remember kinda nasty fish (hurray seafood in landlocked countries) and everything smoking.

  10. #10
    Ceasar's Avatar Civis
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    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    I would advise you to watch Eurotrip.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeoX8MZd81E

    Some great tips there

  11. #11
    Legio's Avatar EMPRESS OF ALL THINGS
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    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    Or Globetrekker.
    There is great hiking in the Swiss Alps, and Germany.
    The Pyrenees are also good- I have hiked there, and it was both rewarding and enjoyable.

  12. #12

    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    I want to go to Europe too but I need money.... anyone wanna give me money?

  13. #13
    xxax's Avatar Senator
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    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    Depends on what you want. Do you want to see as much as possible or do you want to see a certain area.

    If the latter i would suggest starting in the south of italy working you're way up. Italy, Swizerland, austria and then going down to the balkans (slo, cro, serbia, montenegro, macedonia, greece). Althou if you didn't like eastern europe skip past Serbia and go directly to Greece. Althou truth be told, Greece is the same crap as Serbia (smoking wise ). The former Yu republics are quite cheap and everyone there is an alcoholic
    Last edited by xxax; November 09, 2008 at 01:03 PM.

  14. #14
    John I Tzimisces's Avatar Get born again.
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    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    Quote Originally Posted by xxax View Post
    Depends on what you want. Do you want to see as much as possible or do you want to see a certain area.

    If the latter i would suggest starting in the south of italy working you're way up. Italy, Swizerland, austria and then going down to the balkans (slo, cro, serbia, montenegro, macedonia, greece). Althou if you didn't like eastern europe skip past Serbia and go directly to Greece. Althou truth be told, Greece is the same crap as Serbia (smoking wise ). The former Yu republics are quite cheap and everyone there is an alcoholic
    well, see, I'd like to start in portugal (shortest flight from new york ), pass through southern france (to see my family), hit venice (at the very least, in italy), and somehow get to greece (salonica), and lastly Istanbul, before flying to Yerevan.
    I don't mind former communist nations , I spent a month in Armenia in 2007 (drinking drinking drinking 70% of adult males smoke...)

  15. #15
    xxax's Avatar Senator
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    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    Well if you'll go to venice then slovenia is just a heart beat away, then croatia then serbia or bosnia and then on to greece thoru macedonia.

    But if that's the route you don't see much of Western/Northern Europe.

  16. #16
    John I Tzimisces's Avatar Get born again.
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    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    Quote Originally Posted by xxax View Post
    Well if you'll go to venice then slovenia is just a heart beat away, then croatia then serbia or bosnia and then on to greece thoru macedonia.

    But if that's the route you don't see much of Western/Northern Europe.
    I'm fine with missing northern france, britain, germany. None of those places with the exception of Brittany interest me at all. I'm much more interested in the mediterranean world. That's where it's really at, yo.

  17. #17
    The Noble Lord's Avatar Holy Arab Nation
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    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    Quote Originally Posted by xxax View Post
    The former Yu republics are quite cheap and everyone there is an alcoholic
    Lots of people are smoking there for sure, but not everyone is alcoholic!!!

    I'm much more interested in the mediterranean world. That's where it's really at, yo.
    If that's so, then definitely you should go to Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro. If you want natural beauty, history, and evidence of recent conflicts then go to these places and you will see something different. If you go backpacking, its cheap there too, and more and more people are speaking English, so it would be easy to communicate. If you go to Montenegro, just ask me where to go and I'll be more then happy to give you some pointers.
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  18. #18
    Taxandrius's Avatar Praeses
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    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    Although I'm Belgian, I advise you not to visit Belgium, but just take a walk in Antwerp or Bruges if your interested.

    Bruges "the venice of the nord" was one of the most important trade cities in the middle ages
    Antwerp was very famous during the Renaissance as centre of commerce and culture.
    Last edited by Taxandrius; November 18, 2008 at 02:58 PM.

  19. #19

    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    Quote Originally Posted by Taxandrius View Post
    Although I'm Belgian, I advise you not to visit Belgium, but just talk a walk in Antwerp or Bruges if your interested.

    Bruges "the venice of the nord" was one of the most important trade cities in the middle ages
    Antwerp was very famous during the Renaissance as centre of commerce and culture.

    talk a walk

  20. #20
    Taxandrius's Avatar Praeses
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    Default Re: Backpacking across Europe

    damn, another mistake in my spelling.....
    Uch.....

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