How to plan/price out a 4-6 week trip around Europe!!

Let me hit the high points:
The Midwest is difficult to fly to and from on budget air carriers. But WOW Airlines is in St. Louis Lambert Field and Chicago O'Hare airports and flying into Iceland. From there, you can connect to their regular European flight schedule.

Norwegian Air Shuttle also flies Chicago to London Gatwick inexpensively.
Budgeting for a long trip is difficult. But for an low budget traveler, stick to hostels and Air BnB. Forget the camping.
One way to save money is travel to fewer cities, and stick to cities close together. Go to places where you will get more for your money--like Budapest. For young adults, I like Munich, Budapest, Vienna and Prague. The ever favorites of Rome, Florence and Venice are great places. And Paris, London and Edinburgh are popular. And I love Amsterdam for a lively place--sometimes too lively. You need to plot your intended itinerary conservatively.
As far as packing, follow Rick Steve's packing list. I use it. My wife uses it. And Mr. Steves travels indefinitely with a carry on bag. So can you.

You are very late in the game to begin planning for a September trip. I am envious that you have 4 to 6 weeks to use to travel, and hope you are able to put together something quickly that will work for you.

Consider: You are embarking on an extended trip which normally would take much more than 4 months to plan. You don't have time to make things up, so purchase these books right now:

https://www.amazon.com/Rick-Steves-Best-Europe/dp/1631211773/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1528327752&sr=8-1&keywords=rick+steves+best+of+europe

https://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-Europe-Travel-Guide/dp/1786571463/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1528327810&sr=1-1&keywords=lonely+planet+europe+2018

https://www.amazon.com/Rick-Steves-Europe-Through-Back/dp/1631216252/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1528327856&sr=1-1&keywords=europe+through+the+back+door+2018

Start reading the books, and while you are doing that, begin searching for airfare online. Decide right now where you wish to start your European adventure and where you wish to end it. Use Google flights, and kayak.com. Right now is the time to purchase airfare. Look into multi city fares, arriving in, say, Iceland and then departing from perhaps Rome.

Rather than trying to figure out how much you have to spend, ask yourself, "How much money can I afford to spend?" Once you know your upper budget, then you can begin planning in earnest. Start watching the Rick Steves videos on this website. They are free and will give you priceless information about a travel attitude. One thing you need to realize is that washing machines, toothpaste, shirts and socks, and many other items can be found across Europe, so you don't need to carry the world on your backs. If you are serious about the camping, understand that many campgrounds are NOT in major metropolitan areas, so you will have to figure in the cost of transport from campsite to city center.

Most important, figure out what you WANT to do/see. A methodical approach to travel with a good knowledge of the general area of travel will allow spontaneity. Good luck! Come back after you have done some basic research so we can help you fine tune your adventure.

You may have better luck at other forums, like Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree. There are a number of blogs geared to inexpensive travel, like this one. Your best source will likely be some good guidebooks, like LP's Showstring books or the Let's Go series. I'll caution, my experience will all these sources is dated, don't know if they are still worth using.

Lodging is probably your biggest expense. Among the cheapest: Airbnb, hostels, out of season dorm rooms, & the cheapest, couchsurfing.

Do you want to go camping, or do you want to see Europe?

Yeah, it's possible to do both, but camping complicates things tremendously, and whatever monetary savings you might realize would be traded off for limiting your options. People who have never been to Europe before and are worried about the costs sometimes figure that by "camping" they can save a lot of money. I think this is almost always a poor choice. Just my opinion.

Everyone plans differently, but for me this is the process I would use...
Always assume you will be back. Going into it with the mindset that you won't be back makes the process all that much more difficult.
Next, establish what your total budget for the trip will be - and set that aside for the time being.
Then, make a list of your priorities - what countries are at the top of that list and what are your priorities of things to do and see in each of those countries.
Now you have a list to work from.

Given a max length of 6 weeks, I would personally limit yourself to no more than 6 countries - anymore than that and you will be spending more time in transit than in actually seeing what you've traveled to see. 6 is on the ambitious side IMO but doable - 4 would be better (in terms of pace) and in most cases probably cheaper, but ... it's always a trade off between time and money!
To give you some "guardrails" bear in mind...
- each change of location (whether it's within the same country or another one) will take anywhere from 1/2 to a full day - packing, unpacking, getting to the point of departure, arriving at the next lodging, checking in, etc., etc. It also adds more cost to the overall trip.
Think in terms of 2 - 4 night stops - changing locations every other day is not only time consuming but exhausting so try and limit your changes of location as much as possible.
Now that you've got a rough outline of a trip, it's time to start crunching numbers.
Look at flights (flying open jaw will be best) - that will give you a ball park of that cost.
Next look at transportation between locations - flights, trains, etc., etc. - again this will give you an idea of what those costs look like.
Then look at your budget - how much do you have left divided by the number of days you are planning on going. If it's a reasonable number (I ballpark at 125 pounds or Euros per person) ....
then look at lodging - do any of the lodging options give you a reasonable amount left over for food and incidentals?.

If it's a comfortable number your probably well on your way - if not, go back and either shorten your trip and/or trim countries/ locations from your list.

Again, this is a lengthy process and not everyone "plans" as thoroughly as I do - but I've found this method has worked for me.

Good luck - half the fun is the planning!!!

One more thing.....you only need to pack 3 or 4 outfits and plan on sink washing or hitting up laundromats. Most on this board take 1 carry on bag no matter how long the trip.

There is also a wealth of information on this site under the travel tips section.

It sounds like you are of an age that hostels make the most sense for lodging, or something similar. There are also monastery stays you could look into. Camping makes sense if you will be traveling off the beaten path, literally, meaning the decision about touristy vs. not touristy will be made. That is, if you camp, you will be much less likely to see/do touristy things. Its hard to recommend not doing touristy things, because they are touristy for a reason. I visited David in Florence last summer, and yeah, you just cannot replicate the awesomeness by looking at a picture. Same for the Eiffel tower, etc etc. It seems like, if you are going, you will be this close to some phenomenal art, history, architecture, and it would be hard to say "yeah, skip that, too 'touristy'". The fact that you are going in September will help a lot with crowds.
As for how to pack for 4-6 weeks - Id say pack the same as for one week. I was in Europe last summer for 5 weeks and brought vey little and it was more than enough. If you camp, this will add a significant amount of gear and weight, so thats another thing to consider. Alternately, you could look at renting camping gear (because buying would be, IMO, way too expensive and time consuming, and just why), but then you have to figure out how to get it to and from the renter. Does your boyfriend's family have any gear?
Flights and lodging will be your biggest expense, but its possible to go very cheaply. Again, hostels, monasteries, and rooms in Airbnbs (vs the "entire place" option). One site I like for cheap travel suggestions is "Nomadic Matt"
Thats all I can think of at the moment...

Wow, very late to plan to leave in September.

These are the countries I have visited from your list, placed into More Expensive/Medium/Less Expensive buckets:

More Expensive: Switzerland, Iceland, England, Denmark
Medium: France, Germany
Less Expensive: Spain, Italy

Packing: look at the Travel Forum "Packing" category - a plethora of information. Also, check out one of Rick Steve's guide's packing lists: https://adventureswithsarah.net/packing-checklist/ DO NOT BRING MORE THAN 1 CARRY-ON SUITCASE (repeat this & apply) and a small daypack. The last thing you want to do is haul any more than necessary since you will be moving so often.

Cost: that can vary so much, but I'll give you a starting number. We spent $112 each/day for all expenses during our trip to Spain + the cost of an airplane ticket. This was two people sharing a decent hotel or apartment. We only stayed in Madrid & south, so our train/bus costs were much less than if you're traveling across several countries.

definitely cheaper to fly out of Minneapolis or Chicago. look at Delta and Iceland Air. If you can be flexible with dates, that helps. Typically the cheapest cities to fly into are Paris and Amsterdam. I took my college aged daughters in January for four weeks using carry on suitcase and backpacks (perhaps, slightly oversized daypack) Layer, Layer, Layer! For example, I didn't bring a winter jacket. I brought long underwear, fleece pullover, packable jacket and raincoat. Everyday I wore some combination. I purchased fast drying underwear, tops and socks. We washed our clothes in the bathrooms occasionally. Train tickets purchased in advance are often reasonable. In Bavaria which includes Salzburg area of Austria, the Bayern train is quite reasonable. In France, hotels are fairly reasonable. I always stay close to city center, but I'm willing to stay at well reviewed two and maybe three star places. Switzerland is pricey, but we stayed there over a week. Used an Airbnb and cooked our own meals in Berner Oberland, used Coop stores and stayed in a "nice enough" hostel in UBER expensive Geneva. On another trip, I did do an Iceland Layover. There are ways to make Iceland less expensive. I stayed in a cheap hotel. My son and his wife are going soon and they are doing Airbnb. I did bring some of my own food--almonds, granola bars, mac and cheese mixes dumped into ziploc bags, there are many things you can do. Carry a water bottle and fill when you see water.

P.S. I live in MN and use the MSP airport. I have two daughters in college in Iowa. The MSP airport is infinitely cheaper. Also, I'm going to southern Spain in November. Very inexpensive. Your timeframe will be more expensive, but I suspect even then relative to the rest of Europe, a bargain.

What will it cost to be in Europe is not an answerable question. Iceland is much more expansive to be in than Italy. Generally, big cities are more expensive than small ones. But Paris, London, Amsterdam, and Reykjavik are relatively cheap to fly into.

I begin with a budget constrant, that is what I am willing and able to pay. It is a limit to what I will spend not a spending goal.

I also have a hardship/nuisance limit---meaning there are things I won't do to save money either because they take too much time, are too uncomfortable, or destroy the reason for traveling in the first place. Hostels and camping were not on my will not do list when I was in my 20s, but they are now. I am willing to stay in places with kitchens and cook in. I'm also willing to stay longer per place. I walk up to thirty minutes before considering a taxi.

Once you know your limits then price out where you ideally want to go. Cut what you can't afford. When cutting, think in terms of bang for the buck. But what is a bang depends on what you want to do. Are you a foodie? An art fan? Do you like history? Scenery? Drinking? Shopping? Being somewhere new? Music? Biking?

Remember that travel between places costs time and money. Choose a route that minimizes travel time. Also expensive places may average out if you also visit cheaper places.

I see a lot of people saying it is very late to plan a trip for September. I disagree. Three months out gives you plenty of time, particularly if you are flexible.

I would always start with a budget. I take this approach with everything I buy - holidays, cars, TVs, whatever.

This then allows me to focus on what I can afford and many sites will allow visitors to filter things like accommodation based on price. That way you're not wasting time looking a places that are over your budget.

Having said this, for new or inexperienced travellers, this first time could turn out to be an iterative process, especially if you underestimate costs to begin with. You might set a budget of $10K only to find that this limits you to flights and hotels that you wouldn't want to stay in, or forces you to use transport options that take up too much time. You might at that point decide you can actually afford to up the budget to $12K - and so on. On the other hand, perhaps you are a very level-headed and realistic person who will set the budget firmly, first pass. Experience tells me that I should budget AUD200pn for accommodation, though I sometimes do better than that. A rough budget for me would therefore comprise flights at AUD2200pp, accommodation at AUD200pn, car hire at AUD65per day and a daily budget for 'holiday activities'. I generally don't budget for food and petrol because I pay for those when I'm at home, too. Some basic research on your part should help you arrive at your own breakdown and thus a total budget.

Once you have a budget, my next step is to decide where I REALLY want to go. I usually book flights first, sometimes in/out of one airport, sometimes open jaw. As I look at flight options, I design possible itineraries around those flights and, when I have some flights with attendant 'draft' itinerary that I'm happy with, I lock in the flights. Then I start searching for accommodation. I find Google Maps indispensable at this stage. It allows me to estimate distances, travelling times, draft possible routes by car and even look at accommodations using Streetview - a hotel's own website usually won't tell you that it faces a huge traffic intersection or is 'marooned' between two big highways!

I always use a spreadsheet from the outset, which provides a total costs each time I play around with options. This is especially useful given the short time you have because it will allow you to play around with big differences in flights and destinations while seeing the impact on total costs at the tap of a key. When I start actually booking things, I use the same spreadsheet to keep track of everything, making sure I factor-in exchange rates.

EDIT< I should point out that the above planning usually takes me many weeks from "Let's book a holiday" through to all booked. I am very fussy about certain things though and probably spend way more time investigating every aspect of potential flights and - especially - accommodations than most people. I even (as mentioned above) use Google Streetview to check out each place we might stay, and the immediate vicinity. I do this because I get grumpy if, for instance, I open my apartment window only to be greeted by deafening traffic noise or find that the floor below ours contains a popular nightclub!

To get an idea of what lodging may cost in the various cities/towns you might like to visit, you can use booking.com, which offers a lot of hostel beds as well as hotels, B&Bs and some apartments. I don't know that it has individual rooms in inhabited apartments, however, so to see those costs you'd probably do better with airbnb. You don't need to book through that website, but it's a very convenient information source.

I suspect you'll be most comfortable with the cost of hostels (and they often come with kitchen privileges, which helps a lot with the cost of food), but you can consider splurging on a hotel room when you head to a less expensive city. It's pretty common for hotels in capital cities and other very high-traffic destinations (like Venice, Florence, beach/mountain towns during peak season, etc.) to be about double the cost of rooms in other places within the same country. With hostels, even if the price is double for a dorm bed in the big city, the difference probably won't be all that many dollars, but I love spending many weeks (or even months) in a single country, visiting regional cities where I seldom hear English spoken on the street.

Within the last few years, traveling between May 1 and mid-September, I have found air-conditioned single rooms as low as $35-40 (especially in Sicily and Spain, plus countries formerly behind the iron curtain), but the best I can do in London is £90 for a room without a/c, which is over $120. Iceland would be worse. I don't do hostels, and I want a room with an en-suite bathroom. Some older hotels have rooms with shared bath. You'll see them on booking.com, and those rooms are typically quite a bit cheaper. I haven't been in one of those rooms for over 20 years, but in the old days each room had its own wash basin; you just had to go down the hall to use the toilet or shower.

London aside--it has a lot of great museums that just ask for donations--paying to enter big-name sightseeing attractions can cost a lot more per day than you might expect. (I adore Barcelona, but most of its top--meaning most popular--sights will cost you more than $20 per person, though you can see the exteriors of the modernista buildings for free.) Sightseeing expenses can feel particularly significant if you are keeping your lodging costs down by staying in hostels. On my first trip to Europe at age 20 I didn't pay many entry fees (and they were a lot lower back then); I mainly walked the streets, staring at the buildings and absorbing the atmosphere. I had a great trip, but it would be a shame not to see the interiors of any of the attractions. Be sure you don't skip things that would particularly interest you, whether thay are art museums, historical sites, etc. Many churches are free.

Express-train fares can be reasonable (sometimes even cheap) if you buy non-refundable/non-changeable tickets far in advance, or they can be painfully expensive if you wait until the last minute and other travelers have snapped up all the decently-priced seats. Fares can reach exorbitant levels in England. In general, the more territory you try to cover, the more painful this phenomenon will be, because your transportation legs will be longer and more costly. Regional-train fares often do not vary. Also, buses can be a lot cheaper than trains, but for longer distances they can take twice as long (or longer), so they work best when you're visiting places within a relatively limited area. Budget airlines have some good deals within Europe, but again the low-priced tickets go to those who buy very early. Late purchasers may pay 4 or 5 times as much.

Because of the escalating transportation expenses as the travel date approaches, winging your itinerary over long distances puts you at substantial financial risk. It hasn't affected me much, but I do things like spend 89 days in eastern France, with nothing but short hops on trains and buses.

Two other things:

• Read the money-related information in the "Travel Tips" section of this website. All ATM cards and all credit cards are not created equal. You can save at least 3% (likely more) on everything by having cards that don't charge you fees for overseas use. You have plenty of time to remedy that situation if your current cards are not good for international travel.

• Lodging prices in Munich go sky-high during the Oktoberfest. Investigate now and plan ahead, or avoid being there during that period.

You are young and may wish to stay in hostels, we do not, well, we are in are early 70s. We like B&Bs, which usually provide a free breakfast and you can eat well and skip lunch, only paying for one meal a day. Use Kayak.com and TripAdvisor.com to pick inexpensive accommodations and check locations on TripAdvisor. Best to find a place where you can walk the cities from your B&B.

Camping and Europe, sorry, that is not the way to see all the history and culture. You need to be in the cities. To see much of the important stuff, you have to be touristy.

Planning is important, I learned not to shoot from the hip, when 30 years ago, we drove to Viaden, Luxembourg for a long weekend (we lived in Germany) and any hotel close by was booked due to an event.

Clothing, you can wear clothing for more than one day. In September, it is not that hot and you can wear trousers for 3 days and shirts for 2 or 3. Check the internet for coin operated laundry places. In Britain they are called Laundrettes. There is a website that will give you the location of all in Britain.

Don't try going to all those countries in six weeks. Pick about half of them.

We did a 4 week drive tour of Wales and England last October and it was wonderful.
Here is my story of our trip with details on hotels, restaurants, etc.
28 days in Britain and Celebrity Eclipse home
https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=599139

We spend about $1200 on our four week tour. Our lodgings averaged about 100GBP per night or $131. We had great places, most with free breakfasts. That sum included $2000 for our rental car, with an automatic transmission and nav system.

My favorite countries in Europe are Britain, Italy and Portugal. Germany and France are great. Switzerland is very expensive, even compared to Austria and Germany.

Rick Steves guidebooks are a big help.

Some of my favorite places in Europe are:

For England, Bath, the Cotswolds, including Stratford Upon Avon, York, Salisbury and Winchester. London if you can swing it for a few days, it is expensive.

France, Normandy is great, go to the Normandy beaches and Bayeux to see the 900 year old Bayeux Tapestry that chronicles the Normany invasion of England. Paris is a great city and the METRO is great. Strasbourg, France is on the border with Germany and you can see the German influence.

Germany, stop in Heidelberg for a day then head down to Munich via the Romantic Road (must see Rothenburg on the Tauber- perfectly preserved medieval city). The road will take you down to Munich and Garmisch/Fussen near Austria. Also, take in Salzburg, Austria, then head down to Italy. Hit the big three Venice, Florence and Rome.

If you have time, head over to Spain and/or Portugal. Barcelona, Madrid and Seville are the key places. For Portugal, Lisbon, Obidos, Cascais, Sintra and Porto.

I completely agree that in order to get the full experience in a city, you need to be in or close to city center. I also travel with a strict budget so that I can travel more! I will sacrifice amenities and will stay in more run down places, I look for charm, clean and an included breakfast, if possible. For lunches, I picnic or have some granola bars and almonds from home. If I'm in a place that is very warm and things that I want to see are open well into the evening, I will do my main meal at lunchtime when prices are lower and do my "picnicing" at night. I have yet to take a taxi in Europe. I walk or take public transportation. That has the added benefit of seeing more and a greater immersion into the local culture.

Just thought I would offer that I spent 55 nights in Europe on my first trip last year. I spent most nights in hostels to make everything else affordable. You can see the (lengthy) trip report here for details on hostels and more:trip report

Consider looking for cities that budget airlines fly out of (I'm thinking WOW Airlines here - I just flew them to Iceland and Amsterdam and was very impressed by their services. And all for $550 RT!).

Second, figure out how much you want to spend per day. I'm a budget traveler but I don't stay in hostels - more Airbnb or bed and breakfasts. My budget is between $50-$100 per night - if you're staying in hostels, you'd probably budget around $25-50 per night. Keep in mind that most hostels charge by the person, whereas if you get a room in a B&B, etc., you are charged for the room, so it could be more cost effective for two people to just get a room someplace.

Figure out what you want to spend on food. Most B&Bs provide breakfast (and some hotels/hostels). I usually just get a cappuccino and a roll or brioche or something in the morning, so that's about $5-7 per person, but you may need/want more. And you can save money by buying food in groceries or food markets - many rooms provide small kitchen areas, with small fridges, coffee and tea makers, etc. Something to think about when booking your room because that can save money on food.

Budget for train travel, local air travel, local transport, like buses and trams. This can get expensive, especially when traveling from one country to another. Consider looking at rail passes, but even those are expensive.

Lastly, I will second the rec of others here and suggest you check on Lonely Planet - they have an extensive network of travelers who post on the Thorn Tree forum and most of them are low-budget travelers.

Hostels are the way to go. You often have 2 options: The bunk room (15-20E/night/person) and a private room (40-80E/night). Hostels usually have a breakfast, which varies in type. My wife and are I in our 60s. We often stay in hostels (Munich, Leipzig, Chartres). We enjoy the contact with young people, although the noisy persons at 4 AM does get somewhat old, rather quickly.

Budgeting involves 1) lodging 2) food 3) incidentals (museums, tours, post-cards, souvenirs). If you eat 1 meal out, and buy food in groceries, you can minimize food costs to about what you spend in the US.

As far as packing goes, you need to take MUCH LESS than you think. We take camping undies - 2 pair - wash out in the sink. 3 tops, 2 pants, 3 pair socks, 2 pair shoes. Medicine, toiletries, etc. Do not check a bag. Get by with a carryon. Then if you want to buy stuff to take back, you can check that on the return trip.

Finally, Des Moines is a small market. Chicago is much bigger. Worth checking the car? I wonder.

And please DO NOT WORRY about the "touristy" stuff. You will be a tourist. If you don't do the tourist stuff, why are you going to Europe?

Hi,

Depending on your expectations and travel style, you don not need 4-5 months to plan for a max trip of 6 weeks. You do some of the touristy "stuff" only if that particular sight/place fits in with your travel plans and priorities. You don"t go to places mainly because they are withing the American comfort zone of places to be visited, again only if you want to visit the place regardless.

Your trip of 4-6 weeks does not have to be as intimidating as it might seem. I had close to 6 weeks this time, just a few days short of that literally, and could have used another 5-6 days more. I agree with staying in hostels, do that and you"ll cut down on the expenses, stay in hostels in England, Germany , France, (In Paris I know of 2 within max 30 min walk of each other, both very nice and popular.)

For planning and researching...look at The Rough Guide Europe , which lists camping sites as well as hostels, small hotels. My advice is forget the Airbnb option, but in the end that is your decision, for me it is not an option period. Consider using all transportation options...buses, day trains, night trains, discount carriers. The night train option saves you night and squeezes another travel day. If you are planning on visiting Berlin, use the The Rough Guide Berlin...you'll find it of immense help.

Use the coin locker system at train stations to store the big stuff, the big lockers cost 5-6 Euro depending on the city or country. Even though hotels and hostels (the ones I've come across) allow you to store your stuff after the official check-out has been done, ie saving you money, I don't suggest that. It means another trip with time expended going to retrieve your stuff, better to have it in a locker at the train station you intend to depart from, ie, spend that 5-6 Euro for locker storage.

Yes, Leipzig has a big hostel across from Leipzig Hbf.

There are cheap European carriers out of MSP, Icelandair and Condor, but you are too late for their low fares, with only 3 months lead time all the carriers will be the same, $1500-$2000. Although checking some days in September Condor has nonstops MSP>>Frankfurt for $360 (one way). Since Condor ends these nonstops in Sept, you'd have to book a one way back on another airline more like $750.

Looking at Des Moines, American has $1000 round trips to Paris, 1 stops with good connections, which is quite good, you could play around with an open jaw but I'd lean to this option, but move on $1000 RTs on legacy airlines only 3 months out since they won't last. Also, United codeshares with Aer Lingus through O'Hare so if you can stomach 3 flights that gets you from Des Moines to much of Europe for $950 (via Chicago and Dublin).

The person who lives in Virginia and the one in San Francisico can still get deals 3 months out from Dulles or SFO/OAK-- you don't have that option, unless you drive to O'Hare.

Longer trips to Europe the total cost, including the airfare, has run me about $125/person/day. You could manage half that with scrimping, and many spend twice that. So $6000-$24,000 for two is the range for 6 weeks. Any time in Iceland, London, Switzerland, Norway and Sweden will be more that that.

If you can get a $1000 flight out of Des Moines, I think I would take it. Its a pretty good fair. BTW, I have a daughter in school near Des Moines. O'hare and MSP are about the same distance (note that route to MSP would usually have less traffic issues) On one occasion we flew out of O'hare after picking up my daughter because it was considerably cheaper. If you drive, you will have to pay to park, but I paid $10/day at O'hare in an economy lot and I think you can find similar lots near MSP.