First time traveller

Hello Sara 😊

Hooray for making decisions! I've just decided in the past couple hours to spend my last summer break backpacking in Europe,

Well, there wont be many on this site who will object to that decision. 😊

....unless I can find a buddy with the time and money between now and then.

You could put a post in the Looking for Travel Companions Forum, if you want.

A lot of people in Europe speak English as a second language at least. You will meet lots of other travellers if you stay in hostels. If you are planning to travel in Summer time, then prebook the hostels on the internet to prevent the situation where you have to go look for another hostel at the other side of the city because one is full, when all you want is to drop your backpack and crack open a beer.

There arent major safety issue in Europe for female travellers. I often travel in European destinations by myself and have been doing so, since I was 19. There are some places where it is unwise to wander around at night alone, while other places are safe enough.

...so I'm not totally lonely for two months.

Everyone gets lonely now and again when they travel. The internet is great at times like this, as an inexpensive way to contact family and friends. Anyway, most of the time you will meet lots of people to hang out with.

Also, any suggestions on the best things to do with about $5000 in 9 weeks (all of July and August)? Ireland is top on my list of places I've always wanted to visit, and Spain, Italy, and Switzerland are up there too. I love anything outdoorsy, but kind of want to avoid huge tourist traps (e.g., Eiffel Tower). And any tips on which would be the cheapest country to fly into?

You could get a copy of the Lonely Planet guide for Europe. It will give you suggestions about what you could do. It is available in most bookshops around the world for around 40 Euros.
The cheapest place to fly to as regards flight ticket price depends on which bargains you can score. Use an internet search engine for cheap flight and when you spot a bargain buy it right away. It may not be available later.

Internet cafes are just about everywhere in Europe. Many hostels also have internet access. I personally would not bother to take the laptop.

Mel
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Hi! I am planning on being in Europe in August for about 3 weeks. I'd be traveling solo too, but I am still working on dates n itinerary. Will keep you posted. Reply to this

Hey thanks so much for the advice! I bought the lonely planet book (cheaper here) so now that I've invested money I actually have to go, lol.

I've actually heard opposite advice on hostels; that it's hard to find the one you booked, etc., and you're better off just wandering around, but those people travelled in the off-season unlike me. How complete do the websites like bookhostels.com tend to be? Are those just the "classier" hostels or do there tend to be a lot of roach hotel type places that aren't listed?

Yeah, Tanya, let me know if you'd like to hook up or anything. I have not worked out an itinerary at all yet. Reply to this