Want to travel

You need to do some serious research because we cannot answer all your question in the limited space provided by this site. The first big problem is that you are only allow 90 days out of 180 days in the Schengen zone which is most of western Europe. You get 180 days in British isles. Get the Rick Steves book, Europe Through the Back Door. Memorize it! That will answer most of your questions. Europe is a big place and one answer does not fit all situations. Do your homework. Then return with specific questions.

Kyle, a great idea. Nothing is as good for you as seeing new places while you are young. However, there are some restrictions you need to be aware of. The main one is the Schengen agreement, which basically says you can spend 90 out of 180 days in a Schengen country. Most of the countries you
mention are Schengen participants. You can still make an extended trip but you need to plan it carefully so that you are in Schengen countries for 90 days, in non-Schengen countries for 90 days, then you can return to Schengen countries for another 90 days. You will not be eligible to work while you are in Europe. These laws are enforced. As for hostels, they can be a great way to travel cheaply. You can get an international youth membership card. Many hostels have cooking facilities that are shared by guests, which can save money. Make sure your smartphone or tablet has data roaming capabilities turned off - use free wifi where available. Check other forums and guides (like Lonely Planet) to get advice from a younger crowd, and keep asking questions as your plans progress.

hi, i second doing some homework upfront and getting RS book "Europe thru the back door". The concepts in the book, will be used throughout your travels if you do so. just so you know travel and Europe isnt cheap. here is what i would do as a starting point. 1. Determine why you want to go there. Do some research into what you want to do and see in each country, city, town ect.... Make a list of those things and the cities/towns associated with them and then rank them in order of importance. YOu WILL need to narrow down your choices eventually, so its best to do it at the start. 2. Then determine/estimate/read or ask here how long it will take to do such and such. From this you will get an idea on how long you will need at each thing/attraction. 3 Then you can research into travel times and cost using train, plane, bus, car, bike or foot.
4. that will give you an idea on where you need to stay. from there you can look up hostels, rooms and such. another option is to just wing it. just start somewhere and once your board of it, move on to the next place. in my opinion, this could be more of a waste of your time, but some people love/like this method. I prefer to know where im going and to see the most with the limited time and MONEY i have. but to each his own. happy trails.

Kyle: Have you considered getting some time under your belt at your own university, and then taking a European college credit program over there? Florence is packed with North Americans in U.S. run college programs. I once studied at the University of Innsbruck, and had the time of my life. We continue to return to Austria and even eat in my favorite beer garden/restaurant that's never changed.
Going to university over there produces memories you'll never forget.

Kyle, Travelling right after high school is a good plan, as you won't be tied down with career, post secondary education or other obligations. However, finding the money for a long trip will be the biggest challenge. As the others have said, the first step will be to read Europe Through The Back Door, as that provides lots of information on "how" to travel in Europe, including sections on Itinerary planning, money, rail skills, etc. Use the country-specific Guidebooks for more detailed planning of lodgings, sightseeing, transportation, etc. A Railpass may or may not be the best option (you won't be able to determine that until you have an Itinerary "roughed out"). As mentioned, you'll only be able to stay in the Schengen countries for a maximum of 90 days in any 180 day period. After you've reached the limit, you can spend time in non-Schengen countries such as the U.K. Trains are usually the best and most efficient method for getting around. Note that some trains have compulsory reservations, which aren't included with Railpasses. Hostels will provide the cheapest lodgings. Cost will vary between Hostels, but a "ballpark" figure is €25-35 per night. I'd highly recommend getting a membership with HI HOSTELS. Having a membership provides slightly cheaper rates and preferred booking over non-members, and they have properties in most cities in Europe. The facilities are fairly consistent from one property to the next. There are also excellent independent Hostels. You might find it interesting to visit your local HI Hostel: http://www.hihostels.ca/novascotia/331/HI-Halifax/index.hostel It all starts with a plan, which you've now started on. Good luck!

What's a "student's budget" mean to you in terms of dollars per day to adequately cover your needs? $100/day? $50/day? Are you planning to visit mostly big cities where prices are higher? Have you looked at any currency convertors online like xe.com to get an example of how many Euros/Pounds, etc. you might get for your Canadian dollars? $100 USD might get me around 77 Euros right about now. If a bed in a 6 person hostel dorm in Paris is 35 Euro for a night, 2 admissions to sights I really want to visit are costing 15 Euro for the day, I skip breakfast but buy lunch & dinner from a street vendor with a bottle of Coke (another 15 Euro), I need a carnet of tickets to take the Paris Metro (13 Euro) and I want to buy a beer or glass of wine at a bar (6 Euro) so I can mingle with the locals, I've now come up 7 Euros short for the day on my budget of 77 Euros. If your budget is even less than $100 per day, think outside the box for other ways to cut costs. Investigate things like couch surfing or WWOOFing where you can get put up for free. Look over prices of hostels in the places you hope to go to at Hostelworld.com. Unlike others, I don't recommend always sticking to HI facilities as there are many independent hostels that offer far better amenities and perks for often the same amount or less than an HI property, and some of the HI hostels are downright dull and dreary (another reason to read the reviews from other hostelers at websites like hostelworld.com). The HI membership is really only worth the price if you plan to consistently stay at HI hostels.

The Let's Go and Lonely Planet travel series are written specifically for young travelers with more time than money. Start your research there.

"The old days of Europe on $5 and $10/days with maybe an odd job along the way are long gone." Those days may not be entirely gone..... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_holiday_visa As Canada is one of the participating countries, some work may be possible along the way (subject to the rules of the WHV). This may change the terms of the Schengen Visa and 90-day limit (depending on country). Here's the text from the Italy section: "Citizens of Australia and New Zealand aged 18–30 and citizens of Canada aged 18–35 can apply for a 1 year Italian working holiday visa. As Italy is a Schengen Agreement signatory, the 1 year Italian working holiday visa serves as a Type D national visa, which permits the holder to stay and work in Italy during the visa's period of validity, as well as travelling in the rest of the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in a 180 day period (i.e. a maximum of 180 days in the 25 other Schengen countries during the visa's 1 year validity)." That might be a way to stretch the travel budget a bit. Cheers!

Hi Halifax, from Truro! Have you looked into couchsurfing...it's not for everyone, but I know there is a pretty good network in Halifax - you could attend some meetings, maybe meet up with travellers for a coffee/sightseeing and make some connections with people who can maybe reciprocate when you get over to Europe. Your parents may not be keen on hosting people, but we've had great experiences, both hosting and being hosted (and we aren't young!) We get a lot of young people from Germany and Switz and France taking a gap year and travelling, so you could meet up with some interesting people...

Here's a completely different thought. If budget is a major concern, you could look at going in a different direction - to Asia. Vietnam, Thailand, India, Nepal, Burma, Cambodia, to name a few. All are easy to do, lots of other young people to hook up with, fascinating culture, scenery, beaches, great food, and soooo much cheaper than Europe.

In terms of Canadian dollars, I think you would need to budget in the range of $25,000 to $30,000 for a full year that would be using youth hostels, local trains, buses, and going cheap. Obviously half of that for six months. The old days of Europe on $5 and $10/days with maybe an odd job along the way are long gone. The new standard is a lot closer to $50 to $100 a day.

Kyle, You might try reading on bootsnall.com since it seems closer to the kind of travel you plan. Most young people travel to SE Asia first because it's much cheaper but whatever you decide have a great trip.

Kyle I think you have a great idea, I totally support travel after HS.. my own daughter is just turning 17 and only has one more year to go and I am supportive of her desire to go to Europe too. She is going to be able to because she works part time now and has no expenses,, no rent, no bills , no car ( so no gas or insurance or repairs) and no debt ( like student loans) .. so now is the time to save your money and make a go of it... Save every dime you can right now.. and do tons of research, it does make a huge difference. Narrow trip down a bit, too much travelling can add a lot to costs, read hostel reviews, they vary from crappy to great, and great hostels book up .. so get your peanuts in a row. I would look at perhaps a month in UK, and then you can spend the other 90 days in Europe.. Also note seasons, many people talk about going to places off season to save money but sometimes its just not a good idea, ie, I loved the Greek isles, but they are cool and mostly closed down in winter, so don't plan them then! Scotland in March,, wet and cool, and Rome in July and August .. too hot and pricey.. so plan route carefully.

Another way to experience foreign culture be an exchange student. Some programs will accept you as a high-school graduate and colleges may give you an extension on your enrollment. You would have to stay in one place (and go to school there) but there are programs for a year or a semester. My daughter did a "gap year" between high school and college as an AFS exchange to Finland. Not a lot of traveling, but she got to know Finnish people and food and holidays from the perspective of a local (and came home fluent in Finnish.)