I’m planning to go to europe in the middle of may, and stay for a month or so, travel around, see the museums and the touristy stuff. My question is, I would like to join some kind of tour group for a week or two. I’m a student, and I’m trying to keep this as cheap as possible, stay in hostels, walk around cities, that sort of thing. I haven’t had any luck finding information on tours over the internet. Does anyone have any recomendations?
Contiki is a cheap tour group operator for under-35’s. I’ve done a tour of Spain & Portugal w/ them. It was a lot of fun. Not many Americans either.
Actually, no. Most tours are arranged for tourists who are prepared to pay. You might find some hints in a “Hitchhiker’s Guide” or something like that, which is more aimed at the broke person.
Where in Europe are you thinking of going? You certainly can’t cover it all in one month. If you’re really watching your money, I’d skip the “touristy stuff”, which is mostly organized with the aim of separating you from your cash. Museums are generally not expensive, on the other hand.
My advice to anyone visiting Europe (or anywhere else) for the first time is to avoid trying to cover too much ground at one time. It’s better to spend a little time in a place (whichever place…throw a dart at a map) and get to know it. If you’re interested in culture, then the big cities are probably your best bet. You could spend a couple of weeks in Paris and a couple of weeks in Amsterdam (just to pick a couple of names out of a hat) and have a great time. Personally, I like Copenhagen, Dublin, Prague, Stockholm, Berlin (ah, yes) and Barcelona. If you’re going in May, you might want to check out the Eastern Mediterranean area. Sublime weather. The Greek islands. Cyprus (my favorite island). The coast of southern Turkey (still VERY CHEAP). Just a thought.
If you REALLY want to save money, you might try going to places normal tourist don’t go to. The Croatian coast is totally awesome. Since the last Balkan bloodbath, I’m guess their tourist trade is down to almost zero. They still have the best beaches, though, friendly people (if you’re not an ethnic enemy, of course) and lots to see.
I’m sure you’ll have a good time wherever you decide to go if you simply chill. Just don’t try to do 15 countries in 30 days. Only goofy American tourists with blue hair do that. “Oh yes, I’ve been to Sweden. We took a bus from the airport to the Hilton. I think we bought a cuckoo clock there. Or was that Greece?”
- PW
What Palewriter said about going where tourists don’t usually is so true.
There are books specifically written with the people like you in mind, stop by the library or your local Barnes and Noble type place and see if they can help you with specifics.
(I recommend shopping in local groceries, interesting and informative)
Hey, waitaminnit --checks hair-- damn Swedish cuckoos.
I’d recommend creating your own tour. You’ll meet plenty of people along the way, from a far wider set of backgrounds than those you’ll meet on any kind of package. You can find hostels here: http://www.hihostels.com/openHome.sma and you can book many online before you travel. Getting around by train in most countries is reasonably inexpensive and efficient. Timetables are here: http://mercurio.iet.unipi.it/misc/timetabl.html , or pick up this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1841574074/ref=sr_aps_books_1_1/202-5098353-7727844 .
The Croatian coast is certainly not off the beaten track. The tourist trade has recovered steadily over the last number of years (both the package side of things and independent travel) and when I was there in 2000, it was extremely busy. Dubrovnik is packed in the summer months and the islands do a roaring trade. Italy and Germany supply most of the tourists but the rest of Europe is rapidly catching up.
Still, it’s a beautiful part of the world and is well worth visiting. You can get away from the rush easily enough and it’s pretty cheap. It would probably be quiet enough in mid-May but there might not yet be weather for the beach. Given that it’s a bit of a dead end in terms of touring - it’s pretty impossible to get overland to Greece - it’s probably not what you’re after this time around.
What I would suggest to someone on a budget is to see some of central and eastern Europe. Prague, Budapest, Bratislava and Krakow are all beautiful cities and you can raise your standard of living a bit beyond what it would be in London, Paris, Rome etc. Another relatively cheap alternative is Spain. Forget about the costa del sol and if you don’t love the rest of it, there’s something wrong with you. I’m sure you can get tours easily enough but go for the cheaper under 35 type deals. Hostels all the way but the alcohol can take its toll both financially and physically.
There are tour companies that target the student / backpacker crowd, but I’d strongly recommend going it alone – it’s more cost-effective and a lot more fun. If you’ve got first-time travel jitters, start somewhere you have friends or can speak the language. And whatever you do, don’t try to cover all of Europe in a month; pick two or three countries that interest you, and allow yourself enough time to enjoy them.
Regardless of whether you end up in the market for a tour or just a plane ticket, your local branch of STA travel is a great place to start checking out the options. The boards at Eurotrip are also an excellent resource for travelers.
In addition to Eurotrip, may I also offer
Backpackers.
Scotland has a tour group called Macbackpackers, which, for those who are not renting a car, is useful for getting around. Other similar tour groups are to be found, and yeah, if you are up for the partying and socializing, hostels are the way to go, and the place to join up with like-minded others, perhaps pool your resources.