Pocket Friendly Eurotrip

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.

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.

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.

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.