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Duration, Season, Cost

10 years ago, October 24th 2013 No: 1 Msg: #176576 Delete Edit

Quest 446
Tom Smith

N Posts: 3

Hello everyone,

I'm a college senior hoping to do some travel in my breaks before going off to a cubicle.

the plan is too see Europe via backpacking, hostels, and Eurorail.

A sample itinerary is below. I'd greatly appreciate any insights.

14-17 Dec. - Spain - Barcelona
18-20 Dec. - France - Paris
21-22 Dec. - Monaco or Nice, France
23-25 Dec. - Italy - Rome

(that's 12 days)

and maybe

26–28 Dec. . Italy Venice
29-30 Dec. Croatia Dubrovnik
31 Dec. – 4 Jan. Greece Athens

My concerns are

(A) Duration

This is my first backpacking trip. Perhaps I should end the trip around 10 or 12 days (maybe in France or Rome).

Maybe some other time in my life I can do the rest of Italy, Greece etc.

(B) season - I have three chances to travel

Winter Break (12/13-1/7)
Spring Break (3/8 - 3/23)
and summer (5/20 - 6/15)

Winter has advantages (I have a longer break, Rome at Christmas). My main problem with winter is I might have waited too long for cheap rates and to plan as thoroughly as I should

(C) Cost (cheap as possible)

Thank you for any feedback!

[Edited: 2013 Oct 24 20:16 - Quest 446:274832 ]

Reply to this

10 years ago, October 25th 2013 No: 2 Msg: #176589 Delete Edit

greek gal
Inga

B Posts: 277

Hi there,
Christmas and New Year is probably the worst time to travel, lot's of people moving around, expensive tickets and usually not great weather. Also, as it is the time of year when everyone wants to be with family, restaurants, museums, shops etc may have restricted opening hours. Winter in the Mediterranean area can be fairly cold and it rains quite a lot. Of course the places you list are big cities mostly, and they will offer things to do even if the weather is bad. I wouldn't go to Dubrovnik in Winter, and it is quite difficult/expensive to get to Athens from Croatia. It is a long time since I visited Monaco and Nice, but I wouldn't say they are backpacker's first choice. If the weather is good visiting the Alps could be spectacular. You could take the train across the Alps from Italy to Austria or Switzerland.

If you have the choice the Summer break is the preferred time for travel, it is not yet high season in Europe, weather is usually pleasant, and the prices are reasonable.

As you probably realized you need to book tickets well in advance. As for your itinerary do take into account traveling time. You can spend longer in Paris and Rome, a week is probably ideal in these big cities not to rush it. Italy has so much to offer, Naples with Pompeii, Florens, Venice etc. and you could easily spend the whole time there and not be bored. Greece is wonderful, and I would give it more time - you certainly would like to explore some islands and the mainland has a lot to offer. Of course that is true for many countries! All depends on what you like to do. You also save money if you don't travel long distances but stay in a limited area. Reply to this