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ISIC Card/To Tour or Not to Tour

I have two questions. The first being what is the general consensus on the ISIC card? Is it worth getting?

My second question pertains to doing Europe on my own or to go with a tour? It's just me and my boyfriend and we are on a budget and want to go for a month. We both would prefer to do it on our own to ensure that we are able to see everything that we would like to and can take as much time as we need, but we are getting pressure from our parents and other people to look into tours. Is planning a month long Europe trip too much to handle?

Posted by
10344 posts

"Is planning a month long Europe trip too much to handle?"

No. It's a lot of work, but not too much to handle if you're motivated. Practically everyone on this forum does it and you can do it, too.

But it is work. And you came to the right place.

Posted by
104 posts

In my experience, the value of the ISIC depends on where you go. In London and Paris, it easily paid for itself; in Italy, I never used it. Look into the discounts first, and then decide. It is really cheap though, and good for a year, so my vote would be yes, get it.

As for planning, I thought that was one of the best parts of my trip! I was gone for five weeks, and it was a lot of work, but it also meant that once I actually started traveling I already knew about the places I was seeing. So, I could experience the sights without having my nose in a guidebook. Plus, planning on your own means you can see only what you want to see, whereas a tour might include things you don't really care about. When it comes to saving money, doing it yourself is cheaper - at least it was for me.

Where do you want to go? Are you planning on staying in hostels? They are a great way to travel cheaply!