Another vote for ditch the laptop. Those socks the airlines give you dry quickly.
Please read “A Hitch In Time” by Ian Rodger if you can get your hands on it. Fascinating post second world war insight to traveling low budget in Europe
No. It was my year off before university. I worked for 6 months in the UK saving (living with my parents) and then travelled. I don’t think you will be able to pick up work that easily.
Well them being expensive is one reason I’d skip them. You’ll miss out on a few things, but you will also gain others. In general I think Eastern Europe is more interesting to travel in at the moment.