Paris-Italy Backpacking Trip

You probably needs closer to 9, maybe $10,000 for total expenses including transportation to and from. I would come home from Rome -- better options and probably cheaper. Keep your travel in as straight a line as possible. One night stands are hard to pull off since one night means you will only spend maybe six hours in that location. Everything should be a min of two and better yet, three nights. You need to hit your public library and set out Steves' Europe Through The Back Door. Read it twice or maybe three times.

I think $6000 is more than sufficient
We take 2/3 week trips and stay in good hotels, eat well and travel by train or taxis as needed for about $6000 for 2 of us.

Your biggest expense will be airfare.

Go ahead and get your passport now so that is taken care of well in advance,

I don’t think your savings amount will be too far off but do a spreadsheet to estimate transportation to and from Europe, travel within Europe to your destinations, average hostel prices, food, admissions and incidentals or a contingency fund. Our granddaughter has shown us her budget for this summer’s post graduation trip and I think you can do it with some careful planning. I’m glad you came to the forum as you begin to plan. You can get a lot of valuable advice and links to resources here from some avid travelers.

Thank you for the advice!

Kudos to you for wanting to do this kind of trip after graduation and for beginning to plan so early. This gives you two years of anticipation, which is half the enjoyment!

I think $6,000 is more than sufficient. Just remember: you WILL be back again so you don't have to fit everything in on the first trip. No matter what your itinerary, you are going to have an amazing time!

I'm sure I don't need to tell you that hostels are the way to keep your expenses down and meet fellow travellers. Research hostels and backpacker resources before you go - especially in the cities you're interested in.
If you've never travelled then some general tips:
- Any day with an airport in it should not be counted in your "days" total because of the time and hassle. So if you really want 4 days in Paris I would not count the day you fly in or out.
- Often travel in Europe comes down to time or money. You can often go slower for cheaper so you need to figure out which is more important to you. Taxi versus bus, bus versus train, slow train versus fast train etc.
- To save money in italy eat and drink coffee standing up or waking - to sit down you'll often pay a coperto - a cover charge.
- Take TSA safe but sturdy "silverware", and some sort of eating surface (I like a foldable bowl) and ziplocks and use it for picnics buying fruit, bread, cheese etc at markets.
- Italians love to "spritz" where you hang out and have a drink in the early evenings. These usually come with some sort of snack food - scout out the places with better snacks and decent prices for cheap eats.

- Europe generally has great deals for students and young people. Take any student ID you might have and always look for discounted admissions, ticket prices or discount cards available only to young people or students.
- Look for free days/nights at museums or attractions. They can be really crowded because it's free but it's free.
- Hit up fellow hostelers for tips and tricks in various places.

Your collection of destinations look good. The only thing I would point out is that you will be traveling cross country to get to Cinque Terre and then back to Florence. From a practical standpoint I would suggest spending the time in smaller cities in Tuscany or around Rome/Naples rather than spent the time and money to go to the coast.. Also if you want to see Pompeii don't miss Herculaneum really close to Naples.
Look into Siena, Orvieto, Arezzo - all easily reachable by train from Florence. Orvieto is on the way to Rome so you could take a day or two one the way to Rome.
Schedule noodle off the top of my head:
Day 0 Fly Paris
Days 1,2,3,4 Paris
Day 5 Paris > Venice
Day 6,7 Venice
Day 8,9,10 Florence
Day 11 Siena (or day trip from Florence)
Day 12 Orvieto
Day 13,14,15 Rome
Day 16,17,18,19 Naples (Pompeii day trip)

Something like this with days and destinations added as time permits.

I'm jealous that you're able to do this. It will be the experience of a lifetime. Keep us posted!
=Tod

Skip Paris this trip. It is an “outlier” as we like to say ad adds a lot of expense for one stop on your journey. Stick with Italy for your 2-3 weeks and be prepared to stay longer in any place you really fancy. You may meet people you want to hang out with so a rigid schedule may spoil your fun. (I did this when I was 19 and not being too set in our plans was a lot of fun for my friend and I.) Just set your arrival city and fight hike, i.e., Into Venice and out of Rome and leave the rest of your itinerary sketched out but not rigid.

More $$ is always nice to have. You don’t have to spend it but having a reserve can allow some splurges.

If you’re able to travel for more than.2-3 weeks between high school and (presumably) college, why take more time? Once you start working it may be a long time before you have that much free time to travel again. Enjoy the freedom while you’ve got it!

Thanks! My french teacher said that some in some places I may have to pay the bathroom. Would I need to add money in the budget for this or is it not a problem?

It’s usually just a euro for a “ pay” toilet

Public toilets are sometimes a euro but don't don't budget for it. In most big cities you can use the toilet in a busy restaurant - like a Paris brasserie - if you just act like you know what you're doing.

One of the pieces of advice I tell first time travellers is "No matter how foreign it seems sitting here, these are cities full of people who live, travel and work there full time. If they can do it you can do it just assume the details have been worked out."

Don't overthink the little things,
=Tod

Some say 6k is enough, and some don’t. Those who don’t think you can make three weeks solo on 6k, you don’t want to know those people. We travel to many overseas destinations and outside of just Europe and for the two of us we rarely reach a $6k price point for 3-4 weeks. For two people.
Here is the math for you. Figure airfare at $1500 RT. This is generous, but leaves you with $4500. That is $214 a day over 21 days. That is a lot of money for one person. Seems like it should be more than enough.
We spent 30 days in Germany earlier this year and averaged $148 a day for two people.
Staying at hostels sounds great, until it isn’t. People at hostels tend to gravitate towards the same things. Hanging out at the hostel, drinking and nightlife. They are not locals so you are in a world of same minded people. It is a small world.
You are two years out. Lots can change, but I commend you on your dream.

I've been staying in hostels a considerable amount as a senior who doesn't want to skimp on any other elements of travel. I disagree with the thought that people who stay in hostels are all the same, and that they are uniformly into drinking and partying. That certainly wasn't my experience in 54 nights of mostly hostel stays in Europe; some people were into that, and some weren't, just like here in the U.S. Yes, if you are in a hostel you are not with the locals, but if you are in a hotel, you are not with the locals either. Just get on hostelworld.com and read plenty of reviews of the hostel you are considering and look at how the hostel positions itself. Some have a definite arts and culture tone, some plan plenty of tours and trips and group dinners, and some do neither of those things. Some are party hostels, but they will make the effort to tell you that too. You might find the party culture or you might find people crashing in the middle of the day because they just got off a 27-hour trip somewhere. Someone might be on the phone arguing with their mom, someone else might be willing to engage in a 4-hour conversation about geopolitical issues with you, and a third person might come in at 4 a.m. but quiet as a mouse. Don't believe any blanket statements about hostels. If you have any doubts, try a hostel stay in the U.S. beforehand (although I'd say there are many more older people in U.S. hostels than you will find in Europe).

By the way I think your budget number can work.

Re: Hostels. Like any other form of accommodation, if you travel during the peak summer months and don't want to make reservations ahead of time, you may find the least expensive/most convenient/nicest places full when you arrive. Just keep that in mind. I believe bunks in dormitory rooms don't fill up as fast as the private rooms now available in some hostels.

Your young, keep Paris, stretch the trip to 3 weeks, maybe a bit more. We usually go for about 3 1/2 weeks, shopping flights and picking those that are cheaper given the days you fly on. Maybe your negative is that you will be restricted to June/July/August, which is peak season, so air tickets will be a bit more, and lodging a bit more premium..

As for your budget, that is realistic. As a comparison, my wife and I just did 3 1/2 weeks in Spain, we ate well, visited what we wanted, bought train tickets last minute, stayed in decent places, and were under $6000 for the two of us, not counting airfare. Our target budget was $100/Day for Hotel, $100/Day for meals and drinks, and $100/Day for transportation, shopping, entry fees, and misc.

For your itinerary, maybe plan 3 nights in Venice, 2 in the Cinque Terre, and maybe 3 in Naples/Pompeii area, and the 4 in Rome. That takes you to 19 nights, or with travel days at start and finish, 3 weeks.

For lodging, take a look at Booking.com. I use it almost exclusively. They have options from Hostels, to budget hotels and better, to Apartments.