User Comments

1. 

   10/14/09

   crazyTsu

   Get some friends in those places so you can live with them.. it would save your hotel expenses
   I met one lady on a plane who did this

   [reply]
   1. 

      10/14/09

      lotusb

      Really? Isn't that kinda risky? I would certainly rob anyone who came to stay with me... (kidding).
      
      So like craigslist or something?
   2. 

      10/14/09

      crazyTsu

      Wel, don't know the details of that case.. but you could even try BC for instance, or any forum where you know some people
2. 

   10/14/09

   sjtavo

   I'm one of those people who trusts no one I don't know personally, so I can't advocate that kind of approach.
   
   However, there are a lot of sites out there that will rate different hostels depending on where you want to go....
   
   I've travelled all over - my personal opinion - leave France alone. They don't generally like Americans (I had a couple friends who'd get pulled into fights in Paris because they were Americans - and I mean sitting there drinking a beer and something gets thrown at them kind of fights) and I just didn't enjoy my experience overall.
   
   I adore England/Scotland, as well as Italy, Switzerland and Austria. I wasn't crazy about Hungary but I've heard it's improved. You really don't have to worry about language barriers - you can almost always find someone who speaks English and if you have a dictionary, you can figure things out.
   
   What would be great would be to base yourself in one country and plan on train trips. Keep in mind also, depending on what month you go, some countries are on Holiday. For instance, August will find all Italians either on the coast or vacating the country because it gets unbearably hot. My cousin lives in Anzio and runs a hotel with her brother (Mediterrean Coast of Italy) - she heads to her home in Austria around July to escape the heat.
   
   Europe has a wonderful train system - and you can find a lot of information to plan your trips, get a Euro-rail pass, get the train schedules online, etc.... Rome has gotten obnoxiously expensive - so if you were to do that (which I recommend), I'd stay about 20 minutes outside of the city and then train in for the day, then back out for dinner. To stay in the city can be about $400 a night for small room, plus $40 for dinner - which is soup, a coke and maybe half a sandwich. They are definitely profiting on the tourists.
   
   Belgium is also very nice but not a whole lot going on - and I loved Germany as well (I was there before the Berlin Wall went tumbling down, I would love to revisit).
   
   I'm an enclyclopedia of knowledge LOL I've been overseas five times I think? Maybe more.... I now do yearly trips to Tuscany. You can contact me through Shoutbox if you want more info or have questions at any point.

   [reply]
   1. 

      10/14/09

      lotusb

      Wow, awesome information! Aside from the France thing...I will most definitely go there eventually...fights or no.
   2. 

      10/14/09

      sjtavo

      LOL most people do want to experience France so have at it - my sister enjoyed it the first couple times - but now if she has to go, tends to just chill in her room - how many times can you see the Eiffel Tower or enjoy a cafe on the corner... LOL
      
      As I said - if you can locate yourself centrally somewhere in Europe, you can do a lot of countries in one-day trips to get a taste of everything. And since everyone is on the Euro (except for Great Britain and Switzerland) your currency is universal.
      
      Oh - in case I die tonight and we never chat again - beware of using your credit cards over there. Numbers get stolen easily. I'd plan on loading a prepaid Visa with money, then making cash withdrawals over there... and take a credit card for emergency reasons only in case the card number does get stolen... I've had my numbers stolen twice.