"Moving" to Europe

[TheAnalogKid2112 163]

I've recently made the decision that I'm going to leave my job next year and backpack across Europe. I'm not going to waste my time on details, but I'm posting this topic because I know many of you live there and I'd like advice. Where to go.. what to do.. specifically.. where NOT to go considering I'll be travelling alone for this period of several months. I'd rather not be mugged for entering the wrong area. My goal is to see as much of European culture and notable nature while I'm out there. I have about nine months to plan and save but still would like some insight.

[Massacre 7646]

Don't go to Spain.

[TheAnalogKid2112 163]

Don't go to Spain.

Why don't you elaborate?

[Massacre 7646]

Spain is dangerous for tourists, and you're a bitch. You will be robbed, stabbed, and raped, in a very enthusiastic fashion, by poorly-dressed street gangs making cat noises for no apparent reason.

Yes, that is what street gangs in Spain are like. I am not joking.

[Rob 1390]

Spain was awesome.

The food, the wine, the food.

[DuPz0r 5361]

Play it safe and stick to the commercial holiday towns. Although you may get ripped off with prices, you'll more than likely be safer than if you were to wonder into the wrong areas.

[cuda 939]

Don't listen to Massacre or Dup, don't ever fucking stick to tourist areas - you will never get to experience the real feel of the country.

You have time, so start exploring what to do in capitals, visit as many as possible and steer away from tourist traps. Get to know the highest points in cities, go there and enjoy the view.

Visit coastal areas in southern Europe, there's true beauty in the south of Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, etc...

Visit Malta. Malta is fucking awesome.

Go in the summer, everything is better with a clear sky.

Experience the cuisine (again, southern europe owns in food).

I really hope you go and do this, it's an amazing experience. Don't fucking worry about getting mugged and whatnot, just don't be stupid, I've never had any issue in my travels.

[Massacre 7646]

Don't listen to Massacre or Dup, don't ever fucking stick to tourist areas - you will never get to experience the real feel of the country.

I'm just trying to keep a very feeble Jew from being violated by filthy Spaniards.

[GunSmith 2452]

Why would you keep him from it? The war stories he'd share upon his return would be golden.

Anal:

-You have to go to Nice. Do it in the summer.

-If you find yourself in Italy, avoid the north (unless you really like white people and mountains) and stick to the southern coastline.

-Istanbul (not Constantinople) is cool as fuck.

-The Dutch are immensely nice people.

-Keep two wallets on hand: one full of a small amount of money and the stock photo that came with it, and the other full of the rest of your money. Should you get mugged (being a Jew, it's pretty likely -- we make easy targets, been that way for millennia), give them the fake wallet and they'll probably be satisified. Keep the fake wallet in your ass pocket, the real one in a front pocket.

-If you cross France, don't go to the restaurants within a mile of the Eiffel Tower. They're for gullible tourists and probably serve reheated frozen food at a ridiculous markup. Ask the oldest guy you see to tell you where he eats.

-Poles are batshit crazy.

-Don't backpack across Europe. Thousands of white guys have done it before you. It's no longer cool and it's no longer life-affirming, not to mention it's very unoriginal. Dare to be different: backpack across Asia or Australia instead.

[Rob 1390]

Don't backpack across Australia. There is fucking nothing in the middle. You will die.

[GunSmith 2452]

Really? Nothing? Sounds like my kind of place.

Backpack across Australia.

[Rob 1390]

Well not nothing. There is a big arse rock, a fuck ton of desert and lots of shit that can kill you.

There is also a hotel shaped like a crocodile. Nothing else though.

[GunSmith 2452]

Save for that last "shit that can kill you" bit, still a place I'd thrive in.

Isn't the rest of the country full of shit that can kill you, too?

[Rob 1390]

Isn't everywhere?

[DuPz0r 5361]

Don't listen to Massacre or Dup, don't ever fucking stick to tourist areas - you will never get to experience the real feel of the country.

You have time, so start exploring what to do in capitals, visit as many as possible and steer away from tourist traps. Get to know the highest points in cities, go there and enjoy the view.

Visit coastal areas in southern Europe, there's true beauty in the south of Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, etc...

Visit Malta. Malta is fucking awesome.

Go in the summer, everything is better with a clear sky.

Experience the cuisine (again, southern europe owns in food).

I really hope you go and do this, it's an amazing experience. Don't fucking worry about getting mugged and whatnot, just don't be stupid, I've never had any issue in my travels.

Says the fool that moved to the UK from sunny Portugal...

It's his first time. He needs to get a feel for the places he visits before he starts wondering into peoples homes and eating with their families, or hanging with the locals. Just listen to your gut instinct, and stay within your comfort zone (however broad that may be). And try to find people from your own country, or English native, as they may have been there more than once, and know where all the best places are. And it's just easier to make conversation.

[GunSmith 2452]

Oh, right. Eat all kinds of shit that's not Mickey D's. Ask what food a person's town/region/city is famous for. They'll be too happy to tell you. Eat lots of shit, so long as it's in your budget.

[ViceMan 1380]

Don't go to that Inglund place, it's a right shithole so i've heard.

Well if you do come to England my advice is don't go anywhere within 50 miles of London unless you like hearing arabic being spoken all the time and see lots of dusky bearded people walking round in their pyjamas. Even outside that radius you're not safe. I would suggest somewhere rural like Cornwall, i've always liked Cornwall... except the incessant hills. Didn't somebody here used to live in Cornwall? It wasn't Pec or EMBO.

[Ace Of Spades 1182]

Just go to Amsterdam and spend the whole time there. If you catch my drift

[GunSmith 2452]

Cornwall, Cornwall...Cornwall?

CORNWALL. YES.

Go there.

[gtagrl 4317]

Don't pack more than you can carry. Only pack clothes that launder easily. Get something with a smaller detachable daypack to use for your excursions. Bring extra memory cards for your camera. Leave yourself enough room to bring home some treasures.

Make a list of countries in categories: must-see; would be nice to visit; and pass/not this trip. Research your travel options, train passes and travel packages may help to guide where you're going in which order and when.

Try out a general routine, such as travel & find your hostel in one day, then use that as a home base for a few days or up to a week before you move to the next place.

Plan ahead so you know about at least one or two places to sleep before you get to your next city, there's a good network of cheap hostels for backpackers. Make up a master cheat sheet with the name, address and phone number of bed options by city/country. Keep a printed copy with you in case your phone dies. I find as long as you know where you can sleep that night, the rest of the adventure is fair game. (And yes, there will be nights where you end up sleeping it off on the beach...sand is not comfortable for the record.)

Look up the highlights in each city and list the ones that you really want to visit, again in must-see and would be nice categories. You won't be able to see everything, so pick and choose your top three and then really savour what you do get to do. Allow lots of time to get there and back from your home base, since you'll be getting lost along the way. Sometimes you can buy an entrance ticket to places the day before, it's a great way to avoid standing in long line ups just to get in the front door. It's impossible to avoid some touristy areas since a lot of attractions will be swarming with other visitors, but that doesn't mean you have to get shafted by shifty people overcharging for cheap souvenirs either. And you'll meet people along the way that will have other suggestions, you'll make friends along the way that can become temporary travel buddies. The idea is to have a general itinerary to work from, but still have the flexibility to explore and discover while you're there.

Eat lunch in restaurants and cafes, it's cheaper than buying supper. Buy food for breakfast and supper from the local market daily. Fresh bread, a chunk of cheese, fruit & veg and wine or beer can go a long way.

Ask the locals. Talk to people in the cafes and pubs you visit for recommendations about places to eat, off-the-beaten-path gems, or nightclubs to go to.

[narcolepsy 581]

If you want to try true fish and chips in the UK go to a northern town well known for fishing like whitby. It's less of a "sea side" town like blackpool and scarborough so the prices are far better [blackpool is just price gouging for food] and the town is nicer anyway. There's also a rather interesting goth culture in Whitby so you could check out the museums there and the like if thats your thing.

if you bother going to towns in the north of england, avoid Asian areas, you will get attacked, verbally if not physically.

[cuda 939]

Here's what you can also do: not have fish and chips.

Sorry UK, but putting fish and chips together isn't enough to call it "national cuisine" - it's fucking fried fish with chips. In other parts of the world we just call that unoriginal, we don't mix the two together because there's literally 3000 other things you could do with fish/chips.

Thank god for all the immigrants that brought good fucking food here.

[Qdeathstar 1763]

The only things I know about Europe is polish sausage, socialism, and king Richard 111.... You can get polish sausage in America and everything else is gay so idk yd you want to backpack there.

[Brian 972]

Visit cities and more isolated areas. I love http://www.wikitravel.com for information. I'd also get yourself a metal detector or something, and go out into the woods in various countries, you can find small treasures from Roman Times to WWII and anywhere in between. Visit historical spots, get a varied experience in climates and regions.

Some places I'd recomend would be Sweden/Norway above the arctic circle and also the Southern regions. You will most likely be able to see the northern lights and beautiful mountains and forests in the north.

Germany has many great places, I'd recommend Berlin and Munich for a great experience.

Italy is another nice country, but don't only stick to the coast, the northern parts offer some wonderful experiences as well. Speaking of the that region, I'd visit Switzerland, Austria, and France as well.

Who wouldn't want to see this in real life?

Russia would be another nice place, and a few friends of mine have visited Poland, and they would recommend Warsaw as a nice place to visit. Poland is a beautiful country.

I'd visit Dublin, as a friend of mine also went there and loved it.

[DuPz0r 5361]

Fish & Chips may not be anything special, but they're a national treasure because they helped us fuel the soldiers during World War 1, and it caught on. Fish & Chips is like what McDonalds is to 'merica, a cheap fast food alternative. Most of us don't really eat it all that often, but it's an end of the month sort of food, before we get paid.