How
about a Europe trip? Great idea, but it will be tough to get the Visa, Ooh no!
It will be expensive….the usual replies from my friends whenever we discuss
about a trip to Europe. I was not daring enough to plan a Europe trip all this
while thinking of the expenses and the stringent VISA procedures. The package
trips never fascinated me and I find great joy in planning a trip by my own and
executing it.
Going to
Europe? You should climb to the top of the Eiffel tower…..you must taste a
brownie in one of those cafes in Amsterdam….. I am not against to these
suggestions but then they are not my priorities. I enjoy experiencing the
places as a local and in my own way, understanding their culture, eating like a
local, embracing the fragrance of each street and if time permits just getting lost
in those cities.
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| Sky Diving - Prague |
Being in
the travel app couchsurfing.com, I have been hosting people from different
countries in Qatar for the last 2 years. Their stories of back backing in
Europe and South East Asia inspired me to go on a cheap backpacking trip across
Europe. They gave me the idea of covering more countries in a short span of
time. Generally back packers travel for months and most of them leave jobs to
fulfill their dreams but I was not in a position to quit my job.
So is it
possible to travel for some weeks without leaving the job? This question comes
as a villain whenever one thinks about a long trip. I spoke to my manager and
succeeded in convincing him and getting my leaves sanctioned. Working in Middle
East was an advantage for materializing my back pack trip to Europe as I can
take leave from my job for up to 30 days and the best part is it is paid.
I felt
summer is the best time to visit Europe as one can experience pleasant weather
with long days allowing you to cover maximum area in the day light, the sunset
is around 9PM in summer. The other side of summer is that the beauty won’t be
covered up; neither by the snow nor by the thick woolen clothes.
After
several days of brain storming and taking advice from experienced travelers I
slated out the itinerary for 24 days covering 11 countries. The countries were
chosen based on the ease of traveling to that country and the living expense.
Moreover I am a person who doesn’t enjoy very touristy places with huge crowd.
The cities planned to cover were Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Prague, Berlin,
Riga, Tallinn, Helsinki, Vilnius, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Krakow, Rome, Florence and
Pisa.
Most of these cities are well connected by buses and the travel duration
is on an average of 4 hours.
Once you
have the clarity on the itinerary and the dates it is time for applying for a
Schengen Visa. I received mixed responses while checking about the Schengen
Visa for Indians. I applied in the agency http://www.it.ckgs.qa/ of Italian
embassy in Qatar as my friends told that chances of getting Visa is higher
through Italian. It is better to apply for the Visa at least a month before
your travel date. I created a separate itinerary including just 2 countries
with the port of entry and the maximum days were shown as Italy. It is better
to submit a confirmed air tickets and room bookings, rooms could be booked with
no cancellation charges in http://www.booking.com/ . I applied for 24 days and
they gave the Visa for almost a month. They might give the Visa just to cover
the dates mentioned if you are applying Schengen Visa for the first time. Make
sure that you have sufficient balance in your account to cover your expenses. I
showed a balance of QAR 14000 (€3500). I received the Visa just 2 weeks prior
to my traveling date. It was a long wait of one month to get the Visa and I
would say it was the biggest of the hurdles in making this trip a reality.
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| Speed Train - Italy |
I booked
all the tickets a month in advance and the below mentioned sites helped me
throughout the journey in trying different possibilities of traveling. a)
www.rome2rio.com b) www.skyscanner.net c) www.goeuro.com d) www.regiojet.com/en e) www.booking.com f) www.hostelworld.com & g) google travel. I took flights from Berlin to
Riga and Warsaw to Rome. The journey between Rome and Florence I decided to go
by the speed train as I wanted to experience the same. The speed trains were
quite expensive charges around €35. Rest all journeys I opted the bus as they
are the cheapest. I had to book these tickets even before I got the Visa as a
delayed booking can be expensive. It was a task to get confirmed hosts through
couchsurfing.com to stay in different cities. This will require some time as
one need to go through each profile and write a customized message to them.
I was so
excited about the whole trip that every evening I find some time to go through
the Youtube videos on different cities and make sure that I note down the
things I really felt like doing while I am in that city. Reading from the
Wikipedia and Tripadvisor gave me deep insights about these places.
Now it’s
time to get your things ready for the trip. As per my friend’s advice I decided
to carry all the money in Euros. I converted QAR4000 to get 965 Euros. This is
the budget for my 24 days trip excluding the internal buses and flights. The
internal flights, trains and buses together came to €240.
It is
advisable to get a good quality bag and sports shoes. For a month’s trip one
need not get a big backpacking bag. A normal sized shoulder bag and a medium
sized side bags are sufficient (one shoulder bag of size 55cm x 40cm x 20cm
less than 10KG and a side bag of size 35cm x 20cm x 20cm). Travel light is the
best thing one can do; at times you might roam around a complete day with your
bags. It is convenient while taking the cheap airlines so you can take them to
the cabin; make sure you don’t put the bags in the luggage as it will charge
more.
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| Budapest |
What
should I carry with me for the trip…..should I carry 3 pairs of jeans? 3 pairs
of shoes? Should I keep one pair of cloths to use in case of emergency? These
questions kept pouring to my mind. I was never satisfied with the things I kept
in my bag and every single thing appeared to be important for me to carry in my
bag, trust me half of the things you will not use in your trip. I would say one
must learn to skip things so as to make your backpack as small as possible. You
may refer the check list I have mentioned regarding what to carry with you for
a month’s trip. I took the print out of all the tickets and multiple photocopies
of my passport & ID card and was kept in an easily accessible place in my
side bag.
I have
not mentioned the to and fro flight charges to Europe here as it changes with
the time of booking, the departing city, the destination and how prior you book
the tickets. I am leaving this part for you.
I
boarded the Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Budapest on 7th June for a 5
hours long but comfortable journey. I had activated the monthly Vodafone
roaming pack worth €125 from Qatar which enabled me to use 2 GB data and 200
minutes for a month in all the 11 countries I am traveling in this trip. The
total money I was carrying was divided and kept in different parts. I kept my passport,
€500, credit card and a paper written all important contact numbers strapped
around my waist in a small water proof pouch.
The
first glimpses of Europe from the flight were amazing; it was green everywhere
and long stretches of mountains carrying streaks of snow over it. As the flight
was descending one will definitely appreciate the coexistence of man-made structures with the nature.
This was
quite evident in the cities I visited wherein they have put lot of effort in
preserving the nature unlike many developing countries that are running behind
development staking the nature.
(To be continued...)
General
Tips:
1. The
whole trip is framed for a span of one month for a solo traveler.
2. The
countries are selected in such a way that one can travel by bus or cheap
flights between countries.
3. Need
to plan and book the tickets at least one month in advance.
4. Smart
phone with data connectivity. Either a roaming pack from the home country or a European
SIM card need to be considered as it will be worth for the money you spend.
5. Where
to check for tickets or book tickets: a) www.rome2rio.com b) www.skyscanner.net
c) www.goeuro.com d) www.regiojet.com/en e) www.hostelworld.com
6.
Things to carry: 2 bags; one shoulder bag of size 55cm x 40cm x 20cm less than
10KG and a side bag of size 35cm x 20cm x 20cm. it is better to stick to the sizes
mentioned as it will help you to roam around freely. The budget airlines in
Europe will charge extra for the check-in luggage were as you can take these
two bags in the cabin.
A pair
of jeans, one track pants, 2 pairs of shorts, 5 T-shirts, 2 shirts (if
required) 8 pairs of under wears and socks, 3 pair of night wears (like boxers
and briefs)one pair of sports shoes of premium quality, one pair of sandals,
towel, 1 or 2 bed sheets, 1 swimming trunks, one cap, One nice leather Jacket,
one muffler, 1 kg of dry nuts in small packets, one low weight good quality
water bottle with a capacity of 750ml, one small note book, pen, Hand sanitizer,
a small pack of tissue paper, chargers , a good quality power bank, one small
lock, one belt, toiletries – don’t keep liquids in big containers or in large
volumes- try to keep pastes or gels and not as liquids, one nail cutter, a
small pouch to keep coins, one sleep mask and ear-plugs, a travel pillow
(optional), Credit card to use in case of emergency, one universal power plug
and some plastic bags.
7.
Accommodation: 1. Couchsurfing - www.couchsurfing.com 2. Hostels, 3. Airbnb www.airbnb.com
8. Visa:
I applied for my Schengen visa at the agency (Cox&Kings) of Italian
embassy. Everything is clearly mentioned in their website
http://www.it.ckgs.qa/. Generally they will process the Visa 3 weeks prior to
your travelling date. I applied for 24 days and they gave it for almost one
month. So be sure about the travelling dates as they might give the Visa just
to cover the mentioned duration. A confirmed to and fro air ticket is
mandatory. Try to show the port of entry and the maximum number of days in the
country you are applying the Visa in. The hotel bookings can be done in
http://www.booking.com/ where you can book a 100% refund hotels using a credit
card. I made a separate travel itinerary just showing 2 countries and maximum
days in Italy. It is better to show a minimum balance in your bank account and
in the bank statement, for example if you are spending 30 days in Europe then
30 X €100 (per day expense) = €3000. I kept QAR 14000 for 24 days. It is
mandatory to keep this amount in your account till you get the Visa. Avoid
transferring huge sums of money to your salary account while getting your bank
statement.
