Any safety concerns with travelling to Budapest and Prague?

"4-5 month holiday travelling around Europe and Great Britain" - I hope no more than 90 days of the 4-5 months will be in the Schengen Area, because that is all you are allowed.
Unless, being Australians, you can claim a British (or other EU or Schengen Area) passport, in which case there is no time limit.

Schengen Area restrictions are much discussed on this site, do a search. Enjoy your trip.

It is as safe as in western Europe if not safer. Or do you expect highway robbers?

Reasonable question. I am going to guess you have some access to a van for free that offsets all the costs associated with the idea vs pretty cheap public transport, hostels, apartments, etc.

Going from "Western Europe" to Prague and Budapest you might find yourself driving through the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary; three pretty modern, very safe countries. They actually have lower crime statistics than the UK and Germany, so don't sweat it.

Back to the camper. You had better understand how the toll roads work in Europe and you do know how much gas costs I assume. Then there is parking. I guess you have sources to find the camping locations and know what they will cost. Then when you get to a town like Prague you know the camper is less than useless. You will pay half the cost of a rental apartment just to park it and there is no way to use it for sightseeing. BUT it does let you get to the small places in-between so capitalize on that to the fullest extent.

See some camping tips and links at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/sleeping-eating/camping. The recommended link to Europe by Van and Motorhome expands upon the idea that you can park overnight in any legal parking space (but won't have many back-up services).

Since I think of Australians as the masters or the long trip, you'll probably find more resources near you, but don't overlook the fact that Schegen-area visit time is more limited than it was 20 years ago (3 months for the region instead of 3 months per country). Poland, Slovakia, Czech Rep, Hungary, and Slovenia are all part of that visa agreement and present no safety concerns different from the rest of the E.U. If you are renting the vehicle, however, then you must indicate in which countries you plan to drive it.

Hi Laura, James and Chris,
Thanks for your helpful feedback. I am glad to hear that they are safe to visit.

Yes, I am aware of the Schengen Area.....otherwise we would probably go for 6 months :) With the high cost of flights from Australia (plus the time it takes for us to get anywhere) we tend to spend as long away as possible, which is probably why we have earned that reputation :)

In regards to costs, my parents just spent 4 months in Europe last year and kept a detailed list of expenses. It averaged out to a daily rate of $100 for the camper van, $14 fuel, $28 caravan parks, 50c tolls and $7 for public transport with the added bonus of having the flexibility of going wherever you want.

Our local automobile club has a camping card that we can purchase which means we don't have to hand over our passport at each camping ground.

Susan

Do also check out carefully the requirements for equipment as they vary a lot from country to country (eg warning triangle, breathalyser kits, hi vis vests etc).

They only spent $60 AUS for tolls during their entire 4 month trip? So they didn't go to any of the counties with toll Vignettes like Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland? And nowhere like Italy or France with high tolls? The tolls for campers are often higher than cars. No bridges or tunnels? 50c a day?

Are they sure?

Michelin says Vienna to Budapest will cost you $57.00 in gas and road tax. Then you have the camp ground costs. I have no idea that that will be but for sake of argument let’s say you are correct at $28.00. Now you have to get from the camp ground the 30 minutes or so into the city? Going to drive your camper? Let’s say yes, figure no less than $20.00 a day to park it. So driving to Budapest and spending 3 nights will cost:
Van for 4 days $400.00
Vienna to Budapest Camp Ground $57.00
Round trip drive to Budapest each day x 3 $45.00
Parking in Budapest x 3 $60.00
Camp Ground x 3 $ 84.00
Total of $646.00 for 3 nights.

or
Train Cost for 2 people $60.00
Apartment for 4 nights $250.00
Rental Car for 1 day to go sightseeing in the country $200.00
Total of $510.00