Where to start?

Time and Places

To begin with, you need to know how many days you will spend in your trip, and what cities would you like to visit. On the basis that we did not know any city in Europe, and that almost all were interesting for us, this was not an easy task at all!

We had approximately one month available... as it is not much time; we decided to try the "most representative" cities in Europe, and also some extra city that could provide us something different. First we chose Madrid, Barcelona, Munich, Rome, Paris and London, which are cities that you cannot miss, and then we decided to visit smaller cities too, with very different characteristics between them, as Füssen, Budapest, Firenze, Venezia, Basel and Amsterdam. To decide the order and number of days we were going to stay in each city, took us about 4 or 5 months. During the planning, our trip was changing all the time, depending on the price of flights to go from one side to another, accommodation, and so on. It is very important to have defined this part of the plan, accommodation and flight reservations are something that must be done very well in advance.

How to get around?

Another important thing is to define how you will move through Europe. The greatest advantage is the variety of transportation forms that can be chosen. We opted to do most of our trip by train (for which we got an Interrail-Eurail ticket), and some other specific routes by plane. Later we will talk about the use of Interrail and Eurail, which requires some expertise knowledge! Ha ha.
The advantage we found in the train, which is why we chose it as the main mean of transport, is that you cannot only look at the landscape (that changes completely just in seconds from mountains and lakes, to deserts), but also because train stations are always at the centre of the city, so if you already have your ticket, arriving 10 minutes before their departure it’s ok to get in. Other advantage is that you can save time by traveling at night and sleeping on the trains at the same time.
Finally, airports are always on the outskirts of the city, and sometimes getting to the center of the cities could be as expensive as paying another plane ticket.

How much is spent?

We must also mention the issue of money. Obviously it's going to change from person to person, but doing most of the rides, staying in hostels or in some friends homes, eating "good" food (McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, sandwiches, pizza ... ), going out for a drink at night, paying transport from country to country and within cities, and so on, we spent an average of 50 or 60 Euros a day.

What we carry?

The luggage is obviously something very personal, but anyway something can be advised on this issue.
Make an effort not to carry with you rather than:
-- Big bag style backpack. (Camping)
-- Little handbag.
-- Belt compartment
-- Coat with compartment
-- Comfortable shoes and waterproof.

Backpack:
Try not to exceed 10-12 kg weight. You walk more than imagined with the bag behind yourself and the physical fatigue affects much on what you appreciate and enjoy. So do not carry too much clothing. There is always a possibility of washing something in hostels or laundry places.
Little handbag:
There you can put little stuff and practical things as your passport, maps, iPod, camera lens, sunglasses, etc. ...
In fact, all the things that you must always carry with you. Consider that you always have the risk of losing your luggage in some flight or airport.
Belt:
I brought a belt that had a closure inside, I put the cash planned to use for the entire stay, so as not to leave it in hostels or lockers and feel safer (even though we did not have any problems with that).
Coat:
Here you can put your wallet, which include credit cards and cash that you use on a daily basis.
In case you go in summer, it is better to have it in the little handbag.
Footwear:
Footwear is very important. Try not to take more than a couple to make your bag lighter. It is better if they resist the water, just in case the rain gives you hard times.

Summing up ... This is the most personal part of the trip so it requires a lot of time and dedication, and research for different options, but it is also great fun to imagine the different possibilities that are almost endless!!!

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