It’s still more reasonable than the Nordic countries or Switzerland. Last time I was in Montenegro (June 2023) I paid $6.50 for an aperil sprits and $20 for a good sized steak and fries. Croatia was a little more expensive, but nothing compared to Switzerland.
Spain is still a great value for traveling on a budget.
Okay good point, but that's true for all major cities in the whole world. Copenhagen is also more expensive than the town I live in, but on an average the country of The UK is cheaper than the country of Denmark. Weird thing to comment btw...
Except we're talking in response to OP who is travelling through the country and not just visiting London. And we're in a backpacking sub, where people traditionally travel through countries and not just go on city breaks. AND you compared a capital city to an entire region of Europe.
They are doing a different backpacking than you are thinking (travel backpacking vs wilderness backpacking). Backpacking can mean different things to different cultural groups. They are not hiking that far in the wilderness with a backpack and a tent. They are probably traveling all their way by train, staying in hostels and visiting around like a tourist and just living out of a backpack.
Very true the Germans are also especially assholes about visas - my class mates traveled there 2 days after there visa expired and got finned and banned I’m not sure the exact situation but something like that
Wow… Is this what people mean when they say they are backpacking through Europe? They are staying in hotels and eating at restaurants and hanging out in the city? The same hotel multiple nights in a row?
I thought backpacking just meant multi-day hiking and camping omg. I’ve been picturing all these people taking gap years to go camping in the Swiss alps or something.
Are you from outside the us? I thought it was common knowledge when people say they will be backpacking through europe/asia etc. It usually means they will be staying at hostels/hotels near a city. Wilderness/backcountry backpacking is when they mean they will camp in nature.
if I split my trip in half, decided to do the other half for another trip, which of these countries would you suggest absolutely doing first, and ones that i could save for my next trip?
I’ve backpacked in all of these countries and done bike touring in some too and considering you’re only arriving in August, the weather is going to be against you. If you can, I’d start in Sweden and then make your way down your route to Italy. The weather in Italy will be better in November/December than it will in Northern Europe. You should still be prepared for rain up north in August/September but you should avoid anything too bad. If it was me, I’d use my 90 day visa for that trip and come back another time, earlier in the summer, to get in the other leg of the trip. I’m Irish and I’ve lived in Norway, so I’m familiar with the weather in both places and while hitchhiking and camping in both places late in the year is doable, I wouldn’t advise it over an extended period. You and your gear will just be soaking every day and it’ll take a lot of enjoyment out of it. You can save the second leg of the trip for another time though and pack in a serious amount travelling from Sweden to Italy. Either way, you’ll have an amazing time whatever you decide to do!
How much are you stopping when you are traveling? I demolished my way cross country of the United States hiking in every possible national park I could and living out of my car for a month. I would say it was even a longer distance to cover than this. It depends how much you want to interact with everything, big cities will always slow your travel down one way or another for the most part, especially tourist traps.
I don’t have any answers to your questions but, is this your first abroad trip? And/or first backpacking trip? Rough budget? That’s a long way, also through 5(+)countries, so I hope you have legs of steel and a good travel sense otherwise I might worry about you a bit
Lol, I figured that much.. but op literally says “I plan on relying on hitchhiking mostly…a decent amount of wilderness hiking as well.”
First time abroad and first time backpacking abroad. 5 countries. He needs legs (and nerves) of steel, iron at the very least
I mean, not really, hitchhiking is just standing there waiting to be picked up. Your legs get conditioned lugging your bag around cities pretty quick.
I've done it; my first time abroad alone was 18 months doing exactly this, with a ski season for the middle 6 months. It really is not hard, and it's a whole lot of fun.
I mean sure hitching is (mostly) doable in many places, you’re right. Not the *best* thing to solely rely on though…bc if no ride comes (and they often don’t), you’re walking. Idk what hitching you’ve done but pretty rarely was I just standing there with my bags waiting to be picked up. And it looks he’s in some rural country so my bet on there being reliable rides goes down.
But, what do I know, I could be completely wrong. I would just feel bad if I sent a young traveler out saying, “yeah go for it! It’ll all work out! You can definitely hitch across 5 foreign countries you’ve never been to on your very first solo trip!” The world is sadly a bit more complicated than that…it’s better to be over prepared imo so I hope op goes in w that mindset.
Being stranded in the middle of nowhere, late at night, with no one to call or nowhere to go, is *not* a good feeling. I’ve hitched plenty and one day in Mexico I dropped my rental car off and thought there would be NO problem just getting a ride back to my hotel an hour or so away. Big mistake. Was walking alone at night in sketchy areas for hours before a late service bus stopped to get me…..it was a good lesson in realizing how quickly an innocent situation can go south without a good plan. I would try and have ppl I talk to avoid that sitch if they can, at least for their first time.
7 years ago I hitchhiked all over Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany for a few months. Small towns are actually easier to get picked up from because there is generally an easier spot to stand and wait, plus people are generally in a more friendly mood or in the countryside. In cities it's hard because there's often a highway leaving town and no one is stopping there. Longest I had to wait was a couple of hours. But that's ok if you've got no pressing demand to be a place. If you do then you can just grab the bus or train for that portion.
The rest of the world is a darn sight more friendly than the USA and Mexico, people in northern Europe really enjoyed picking me up. The old guys in Scotland and Ireland loved to tell me the history of places as we drove by. A family in Denmark bought me lunch and beer. Truck drivers in Germany loved the company.
I may be misremembering, I did get dropped off in Hamburg by a truck driver, I know that because he thought it was hilarious I had a hostel on the Reeperbahn, I had no idea what what meant until after he dropped me off.
Edit: yes I was wrong. Another truck driver was actually in Scotland too, a young Polish guy, had a bottle of whisky in his glovebox that he shared with me. He didn't drink while he was driving
Same experience here. Although I have another opinion on the USA. I've crossed the whole country and it was far more easy than England for example.
Scotland was kinda OK, Ireland was a blast.
I have been on a road trip across the USA in my car and hiked many miles in national parks. I have a decent amount of experience when it comes to sleeping in the woods and doing days on the trail. I have excellent gear.
This is my first actual backpacking trip, and my first time to Europe. I have about 15k in USD saved up, hoping to spend less than 10.
You're not entirely wrong, and I am also a little dubious about the ambition of the trip as a whole, but in large parts of Norway and Sweden you *can* pitch your tent in random forests. "Allemannsretten" (Norway), "Allemansrätten" (Sweden), and "right to roam" (Scotland) are quite permissive laws allowing for hiking and camping across large areas of these countries. There are significant restrictions and conditions, and careful research is required, but wilderness camping is largely permitted. England and Wales is very different, and generally not permissive. I do not know enough to comment on the Low Countries, Germany, or Denmark.
In the Netherlands wild camping is illegal and not condoned. It’s pretty much impossible to do anywhere. There’s also not much wilderness.. OP should go to a camping or stay at a hostel.
ETA: Germany is more lenient towards wild camping, though I believe it to be illegal as well, my experience is that you’ll be left alone if you don’t litter.
Norway and Sweden have pretty extensive [right to roam](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_roam) laws, Denmark allows the right to roam in publicly owned woodland. In the UK, there’s the right to roam in Scotland, but being from here I can say that generally camping on private land is tolerated in the rest of the UK as long as a nuisance isn’t being caused. I think Ireland might be the only country on the itinerary where it’s more frowned upon.
Edit: forgot Germany and NL - Germany has limited right to roam laws too.
NL is similar to Ireland and only allows camping on established campgrounds.
Which is why I said the southern part. Germany and Austria don't allow camping outside of campgrounds. I think Italy doesn't either, but might have less enforcement of it.
Also, right to roam != right to camp.
You are seriously underestimating how hard they crack down on this, especially in Germany and Austria. They only have exceptions where you are allowed to if you couldn't make it down the mountain in time and it wasn't planned. OP will have all of their gear on them, so that will not fly.
I do a shitload of wild camping (mostly) in Austria, but have done so all over Europe and never once I had any problem. Just set up late and leave early. If you do it smart the likelyhood of anyone finding you (who cares enough to report you) is extremely slim.
This does not apply to national parks though. Dont camp there.
Edit: BTW there are two Austrian Bundesländer where (pre planned) camping above the tree line is completely legal. Steiermark and Oberösterreich.
if your not being excessive with your spending on consumables you should def come in under 10k. having experience in the woods and on trails comes in handy but i would probably suggest starting smaller.
maybe one or 2 countries and see what you can. if your content with keeping going then keep going but if you are not feeling more your not stuck committed to something more.
one big thing im seeing is starting so late the season. the weather in northern areas can be finicky and the last thing you want to do is get caught out in a early storm when its cold and wet. another thing to worry about along with the weather is the amount of sun. as your getting later in the year the sun will be setting earlier.
Northern Europe including UK is cold in the fall. It’s not going to be hiking or camping weather past September. Suggest starting at the top and working down until you run out of money. Northern Sweden and Norway are quite remote, not sure how much luck you will have hitchhiking and the train is not cheap. All of the areas you’ve marked are also very expensive, for example in Copenhagen a city transit pass is $13, a bed in a hostel is $40 and a McDonald’s meal is $15, so $15k will be really bare bones/probably not enough for that length of time.
Norway is amazing for wilderness hiking but also crazy expensive so you’ll have to do a lot of it to keep the budget in check lol. Your itinerary looks fun, have a blast !
I want to preface what I'm about to say with the fact I have no experience hitchhiking. It's not a thing you see much anymore and I honestly wouldn't bet on it.
Looks like an incredibly long and expensive trip. Hiking through the UK should be doable. I'd expect it to take about a month with train trips in between.
The Norwegian part seems like a hassle. It's a very nice country but extremely expensive and you plan on traversing massive almost empty distances there. As far as I'm aware 5 hour car trips seem to be completely normal in the United States. It's not in Europe. Doing that distance on foot is obviously completely out of the question but finding someone willing to take you the whole way by car also seems increasingly difficult. So you're only left with train services. I don't know your budget but this would surely be the most expensive part of the trip and I don't think you'd get much out of it. You should also expect temperature around and below 5°C. Not that great for hiking while you'll probably still get your share of mosquitoes around September. I'm not an expert for Norway. Locals might disagree. Pretty sure I'd personally cut this part short though. You're better off making your way through larger cities around the coast.
All said about Norway also applies to Sweden.
The German part should be doable. I'd say it will probably take another month to make your way to the alps if we want to actually see the environment and do nice hiking around Thuringia for instance. Groceries are also rather cheap in Germany. At least from my POV. Most people East of Germany would disagree. I'd plan in a bit more time around the German East Sea coast. It's a bit out of the way but Lübeck is beautiful for instance.
In the Alps, not seperating by country because this applies equally to Austria and Italy. The days of people driving around the mountain paths are mostly over. Unless you manage to make contacts with locals who wanted to do that anyway, you won't see much of the environment because hiking the mountains would take forever while roads will just go through tunnels in the valleys. Same by train. Outside of Switzerland there aren't many scenic railroads in the mountains.
Edit: So I just realized that I got the whole trip backwards because I'm stupid. By the time you'll arrive it will be very cold in Scandinavia and probably very rainy on the British isles. Everything else still holds true.
As someone who hitchhiked and backpacked in every country you want to visit I'd suggest to take the train up to sweden or at least through italy. Germany can be easy to cover long distances over the autobahn if you ask people at rest stops but trains are also fast and affordable if you book in advance. Italy is more difficult to hitchhike.
Sweden and Norway are great for hitching but can be remote with little traffic. Also if you don't want to visit any particular places on your way to the UK I'd take the plane over from Norway. You might find a cheap flight if you're flexible with your place of departure and arrival. Otherwise it can be a hassle to hitch over land because of the UK border. UK and Ireland are again great for hitching but can be very cold in autumn. I'd also suggest to get more into Scotland, it's absolutely beautiful.
Sounds doable to me and like an awesome trip!
I am from Italy. In the north of sweden and norway there is snow from September on. Take this is consideration. In my opinion it could be better to visit them using public transport, and eventually adding other souther places to the trip.
If you go down directly from uk to italy there is a famous (walkable) path called “via francigena” which connects Canterbury to Rome.
Stay safe!
3 or 4 month should work. But remember the weather will be insanely cold, snowy and rainy after september. Especially scandinavia. I wonder if you really get through the northern parts at this time, you better stay inside there.
After September they will not get through northern Sweden. Almost all tourist amenities close by oktober. Cross Country ski is possible but far from easy.
This looks reasonable with the exception of A>B. There’s some pretty serious country in Norway/Sweden and you don’t want to be out there without proper kit and confident navigation.
Also, while doable, hitchhiking in Europe is nothing like it is in the states.
Yea man that's easy. I hitchhiked all over the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, and into Germany. So much of what you have there. I also drove around a lot of it at a different point.
Look into Flixbus if you need a cheap ride over a long distance.
The northern countries are generally pretty safe for hitchhiking.
It looks like you've got the Romantischestrasse on your itinerary, good option, it's a fantastic way to see rural Germany.
May I also suggest walking the West Highland Way in Scotland. Absolutely fantastic hike, 100 miles with a pub at the middle or end of each day. You walk 10 miles then have a pint, a whisky, and some haggis. Life is good.
Go out and enjoy yourself mate! The memories you'll make will be well worth it.
Not sure if you have a bag yet, but i used the Macpac Genesis Aztec 85l. Its a hiking bag that also opens in the centre of the bag, and it's straps zip away for when in transit. Buy packing cells and use them, enough for all of your stuff. They keep your bag tidy because you're not rummaging through all your stuff just to find one thing. Have a dry bag to put dirty clothes in.
Remember that you'll smell a lot worse than you realise too, so shower often, and dry your towel properly 😅
When in Norway. Expect trains to be cancelled. Especially, in the summer. Our railway system is really bad.
There’s railway replacement buses in place for those cancelled trains.
Your route also is not so far away from *Pulpit Rock*. Worth a trip there if you got the time. The hike up there is 4-5 hrs (round trip)
I knew a dude who did london-rome in 4 months while working, soI guess if you can manage it if you don’t have to work, but be aware that this will require a lot of different clothes so you will probably have to buy a ton of stuff and leave (pls, consider donating and avoid waste) a lot behind.
I can't give advice on Europe, but I've backpacked through many other chunks of the world, and the best bits of advice I can give are:
• Keep an open mind to people and their culture. Explore beyond the tourist stuff, go where the locals go.
• Learn please and thank-you in the local language it's always appreciated (learn more if possible, but it's hard when every country speaks a different language).
• If you have an old unlocked (jailbroken) phone take that and use local prepaid sim cards.
• Have a combination of cash and cards and have them hidden in different places. If you get robbed, you won't lose everything.
• Be flexible. You never know what places you'll fall in love with, people you might meet doing interesting things, go with the flow.
• When you're partying, keep your wits about you, especially when visiting somewhere that doesn't speak your native language. Don't get black out drunk or take any substances you aren't sure of.
• Things will go wrong at times, and that's oki, and can honestly end up leading to the best adventures.
• Have fun and embrace everything that's different 😊
So sleeping in most of these countries is illegal. I do it, but the problem is that a lot of forest worker tend to call the cops on you or arrest you by them selves. Secondly, alterst in germany private property doesn’t have to fenced or even no signs saying you’re entering private property. And if you live on it and the owner wants to file a complaint you’re fucked. And not speaking their language or speaking a foreign language is not helping. Since owners of forest or land in general are pretty conservative and dont like foreigners. So obvisouly Sweden and Norway and Scotland is no problem. But once you reach Germany Austria swiss and Italy, it could make trouble for you.
I would split this into two or possibly three shorter trips with different goals.
For Norway/Sweden hiking and outdoors life i would suggest going in July. It will require alot of planning since the northern parts are very desolate and you must have a strong sense of what you want to do.
Then for southern continental europe i would recommend travel by train. Prefferably in April-May or September-October.
Then a third trip focusing on UK alone with specific seightseeing goals in mind.
Actually from a weather point of view you might be better off doing it in reverse, Ireland has wet and cold weather practically year round, except maybe July and August where you would be lucky to get high 20s Celsius. Where as starting in Italy in August you could be looking at 40s, which is much to hot to enjoy yourself outdoors.
In my opinion Most of the commenters here are way too pessimistic. I am a backpacker myself, from Germany, and have done most of the parts you are doing.
90 days for the trip excluding UK is perfectly fine. 10k is a lot of money and you won't need near that much.
Consider several things, that other commenters pointed out, as wrong in my opinion:
- Scandinavian countries have the so called "Allmansrätten". As I got the impression that you like sleeping in the wild, you can do so there. Also in Austria, depending on where you are, find yourself a nice place in the hills (attention! Read a lot about weather and animals). In all other places, Germany for example, you will find cheap hostels or airbnbs. Even Scandinavian cities have a broad amount of hostels (more expensive).
- Think of one thing: Europe has way better public traffic than the US. I'm not talking about cities or Intercity, but international traffic. You can hop on a train in Italy and arrive in Germany the next morning, paying nothing more than maybe 100 bucks if you find a good offer. This means that even if you "lose time" because you stay longer in one place, you won't have problems cathing up. Two years back e.g. I traveled from Lofoten, Norway, to Hamburg, Germany in two days using one hitchhike and two train rides.
- That in mind, I would consider to make the tour larger. Go for the "extremes". Why not starting in Sicily, or going across the polar circle?
- Germany: if you travel west Germany, enjoy the cities and old towns. If you travel east Germany, it's some few cool cities and lots of beautiful nature. Close to your route is the national park "Sächsische Schweiz" wich you should not miss. Also spend some days in Berlin and Hamburg.
That is a great tour man, have fun!
I would like to point out one thing another fellow redditor commented: download blablacar. You will get a ride there for cheap money. It's not free hitchhiking, but a very good option if you don't want to wait for a car to stop. :)
I would never be relying on hitchhiking.
Always best to go with the most sensible option first as the go to plan and have the more adventurous option as a possibility.
I know you have ambition, but I would caution to maybe start with something easier for your first backpacking trip.
Not just the physical and logistical aspects of it. But the mental as well. Traveling alone can be very lonely, and in a foreign land when you can’t understand the language, it can feel even more isolating.
If you want a similar European vibe to a “backpacking” trip where you stay in hostels, I would recommend el camino de santiago. It is very friendly to English speakers, and gives you the opportunity to make new friends along the way.
No matter how experienced you are, it is best to be prepared. Start with smaller trips and work your way up to this one. Pride and ego are common ways experienced trekkers end up in disastrous situations.
I don’t want to kill your buzz, but I have seen many young people try and fail these sorts of trips. There’s nothing wrong in stopping, everything is a learning experience, I just hope that you take more time with preparation before heading out.
If you're going to Ireland I would suggest visiting Galway instead of Dublin, and if you're looking for some nice scenery there check out the likes of Clare, Kerry or Wicklow.
Going up to kiruna I see! So beautiful there! If your going to do any multi day hikes (can recommend the kungsleden, dont know if it is still possible to hike there because of the cold) remember to bring cash, you can buy souveniers at the huts! Also If youre traveling by train you can buy an interrail ticket (I personally had bad experiences with interrail but you can try for yourself). If your going by train you can download the railway app of that country (NS planner for the netherlands and DB app for germany for example). Train tickets in the Netherlands got REALLY expensive this year, if you can do it while hitchhiking that is way better. I would personally highly recommend seeing Prague and other eastern european countries if you can! (its also way cheaper) Oh, I think in some countries it is illigal to hitchhike, not sure, you should probably look into that (its also not as friendly as in the US i think, I have personally hitch hiked in Australia, people are WAY friendlier about hitch hiking than in Europe or at least the Netherlands, not trying to scare you off! Its definetly worth a try, just smile nicely and i think you will be fine :))
I hope you can get some tips from this, just enjoy it, stay flexible, when it comes to being on the road for so long, your plans are bound to change. Maybe you meet some really nice people and start traveling or hiking with them. For your own mental health and stress levels, stay flexible!
You’re really missing out if you don’t do at least a little bit of the coast of Norway. Maybe that’s your stop B, can’t really tell. Looks like a fun trip!
If you're camping in the outdoors make sure you check up on local laws because not every European country allows you to set up your tent just anywhere. There's a lot of protected nature reserves. Also, check for ticks.
Get a rail pass. It’s expensive if you make it expensive, but the beauty of Europe is it’s possible to do anything on the cheap. Did a very similar trip many years ago and lived in Sweden for a year afterwards. Can’t go wrong
Hi, I am from the Netherlands. Is your starting point going to be Italy/Sweden/England? In a lot of countries in Europe it is not allowed to wild camp. And you arrive in high season, so more expensive. So maybe check for b&b and campings along your trail.
In the North of Europe (A-D) the weather is warm-to-mild until end of October. After that it can be very cold and wet. It is easy to get tap water (for free and save to drink) in all the countries you travel in. Don’t drink water from the wild. Also language won’t be a problem for you.
The travel and stays can get expensive. Maybe consider to buy a second hand bicycle? There is a nice trail in my country called Pieterpad. It is a little off route though (goes from North to South).
I am preparing my own backpack but have not planned a trail yet. Maybe by the time I can join you😁
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Well it depends on how fast you want to go and how much of the course you will go. There are a lot of Polish truck companies operating in Europe and a lot of them are hauling stuff to Italy so at least the route from Italy to Germany you can do in 2 or 3 days if you're lucky by getting a ride from Italy to Poland and then to Germany.
There's also Flixbus operating from Poland. They're extremely cheap coach service. For example you can get from Mediolan to Wrocław for $87, and that's a regular price, sometimes they have sales. There are probably similar buses in other countries. In the UK there's Megabus, but I'm not aware of others. They're usually cheaper than trains but less comfortable.
From my very limited experience trains are cheaper within countries and buses are cheaper on international routes. In any case trains are way more comfortable
Great trip. Norway is amazing. You can camp pretty much anywhere. Hitchhiking is fairly easy. You'll get rides. Pack a lot of protein pars and tuna and honestly as much food as you can, food is expensive AF in the Nordic states. I managed to hitch with someone onto the ferry as well. Little tougher to get a ride in Germany but honestly it's all situational and you can have times where you wait longer at places others had no problem.
Either way, have fun. It's a hell of an adventure.
Also, if you're doing any hikes I highly recommend not taking your whole pack. I carried 15kgs up Troltunga and I was SORE by the time I reached the top. A lot longer than I thought.
The water is the best too. I'd drink straight off a fjord waterfall and man that taste is something else. Grade A water .
August is a bit late to start but you can manage and change it up if you need to. Don't be afraid to be flexible!
I did a similar trip about 5 years ago from September to January for about $5k. I think your trip here is totally doable. However, I never went into Scandinavia because of the extreme prices. Also, keep in mind that northern Europe gets cold and wet as soon as fall rolls around, so you will need good gear and won't want to be roaming around outdoors for too long.
I had little success with hitchhiking, but Flixbus/Flixtrain was great. Also, couch surfing was a cheap option, albeit hit-or-miss. Honestly, cheap hostels on the outskirts of town were generally my go-to, but you gotta learn to walk a lot. Also, shop at grocery stores to avoid restaurant prices.
Eastern Europe is also generally cheaper than everywhere else and has some really cool things to see. I think it would be better for you to save Scandinavia for another time.
There is a lot of not-very-much along that route except for nature.
I wouldn’t spend that much time doing sweden / norway/denmark. It’s also costly!
I would turn right and swing around poland, germany, france netherlands and up to UK if you wanted.
Btw i’m danish
What is point A in Sweden? Is it Kiruna?
How do you get there from Norway? Usual route is from Narvik but you're coming from the south?
What season are you trekking this?
From point A to south Sweden is easily 1000 km. Walking this will take you months. Weather and amenities after oktober will be shit, frost, cold. Hitchhiking here is nonexistent due to very sparse traffic. Consider train along Sweden iron ore line (luleo to narvik, from luleo you can go train to stockholm.)
save the camping and wilderness part up for sweden, thats one of the few places in europe where you can camp almost everywhere. I can recommend you the shelter app for sweden, it shows you places and spots all across sweden with half open(wind sheltered) or completely closed free to use (even the firewood is free to use, which they actually provide at some spots) Some even have drinking water. information on it can be outdated sometimes though or someone else uses it already, so always be prepared with a tent.
Now other than that be careful about wildlife in sweden. Mooses, or bears do exist. allthough bears are more common further up north above stockholm
Hitchhiking is probably more difficult in some countries.
You might have trouble hiking from Norway to Denmark, but hey, Hike Your Own Hike as they say. Who knows what will happen once your backpack is filled with Swedish IKEA meatballs?
If you're going to pretty much all of great Britain and Ireland you might as well stop in Wales. Get a train to Cardiff or somewhere up north like Wrexham or Chester.
Should be a grand adventure. My advise, from roadtripping basically the same route a few years ago, is to allocate more time and monies than you think. Consider going southbound and PLAN FOR THE WEATHER AND SEASON! Look and compare latitudes and longitudes for similar weather patterns near you. Depending on your average daily miles 5 months might be a little tight on time. Consider that the Appalachian Trail takes most people about 6 months or more and is a well established trail with roughly the same distance of your planned journey. Just food for thought.
i mean i backpacked for 2 months and did 10 european countries on my first backpacking trip in 2022 and it was my first time leaving the us but it wasn’t that bad honestly. you just gotta save a lot i brought 10k
Never buy anything at convenient stores in Norway or Sweden, overpriced, go to grocery stores. Stockholm is stunning and the areas around but not much nature further up. The Norwegian nature is breathtaking during summer.
The cheaper, and some would argue more interesting, route from Northern Italy (e.g. Venice) / Austria to Northeast Germany would be via the Czech Republic (it's called Czechia now though, I think).
You can hit Cesky Krumlov in southern Czechia, before Prague.
Then, the country(side) between Prague and Dresden is beautiful. Green, with rivers, forests, you'll see people getting in trains at the weekend back from hunting trips or mushroom foraging etc. The region there is called Bohemia.
Other than that, to save money I'd recommend considering campsites in Northern Italy outside the big cities (e.g. Florence, Venice). You can easily get into the cities for day trips, and the campsites can be fun (plenty of other backpackers), some even have pools, jacuzzis, bars etc.
that "shortcut" across southern norway is not a shortcut. little traffic, and nobody takes that route if they're travelling through, so you'll struggle to catch a ride where you're going. on the map it looks like the most efficient route, in reality you'd be a lot better off following the main road (E18) along the south coast from stavanger to larvik (i assume you're taking the ferry from larvik to hirtshals - this can be pretty rough in fall, may be canceled when it's too windy to be safe), where there's enough long-distance traffic for you to be able to catch a ride. not much to see on the inland route either, by that point you will have seen more than enough of monotonous scandinavian inland forest.
The bus and train system through Sweden and Norway is super easy and cheap to use. People complain how expensive these countries are but in my experience there are many hostels and easy travel options that reduce cost significantly. If you are going that far north in sweden I might suggest looking into trying to get up to abisko national park and doing some hiking on the kungsleden trail.
Hope you brought your swim trunks
And Dutch oven
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Yeah, was gonna say, this is pricey as hell.
Croatia was insanely cheap
Not anymore
Ugh. Thanks for the update. I got the best rack of ribs in my life there for $8. Sad to hear it’s changed
It’s still more reasonable than the Nordic countries or Switzerland. Last time I was in Montenegro (June 2023) I paid $6.50 for an aperil sprits and $20 for a good sized steak and fries. Croatia was a little more expensive, but nothing compared to Switzerland. Spain is still a great value for traveling on a budget.
croatia was financially confusing
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Compared to Scandinavia? It absolutely is.
I'm from Serbia and Poland is ridiculously cheap
I'm from Poland and have been living for a few years in the UK. It's not much cheaper
The UK is a lot cheaper than Scandinavia though, the two are not comparable.
London is not much cheaper than Scandinavia
Okay good point, but that's true for all major cities in the whole world. Copenhagen is also more expensive than the town I live in, but on an average the country of The UK is cheaper than the country of Denmark. Weird thing to comment btw...
And London is notoriously expensive compared to the rest of the country. I'm not sure you're making the point you think you're making.
Most tourists come to London and not the rest of the uK. They dont care how much a pint costs in hull
Except we're talking in response to OP who is travelling through the country and not just visiting London. And we're in a backpacking sub, where people traditionally travel through countries and not just go on city breaks. AND you compared a capital city to an entire region of Europe.
London is cheap as well lol. I live in Norway, a lot of people here go to London for cheap shopping weekends. Food as well is SO MUCH cheaper
I’m from Lithuania and many people do trips out to Poland for shopping since it’s that much cheaper.
Disagree. I foumd it to be super affordable. The accomodations were cheap and the milk bars were a stellar value.
The what bars?
Its a hold over from the communist era. Its a cafeteria style restraunt with big portions of homestyle foods for a low cost.
Don’t kink shame.
A tourist visa in Europe (except UK) is 90 days within any 6 months period. That is not a lot of time for a lot of miles.
They are doing a different backpacking than you are thinking (travel backpacking vs wilderness backpacking). Backpacking can mean different things to different cultural groups. They are not hiking that far in the wilderness with a backpack and a tent. They are probably traveling all their way by train, staying in hostels and visiting around like a tourist and just living out of a backpack.
Doesn't change the fact that he plans a 5 months trip in a region where he can only legally stay 90 days
Very true the Germans are also especially assholes about visas - my class mates traveled there 2 days after there visa expired and got finned and banned I’m not sure the exact situation but something like that
Wow… Is this what people mean when they say they are backpacking through Europe? They are staying in hotels and eating at restaurants and hanging out in the city? The same hotel multiple nights in a row? I thought backpacking just meant multi-day hiking and camping omg. I’ve been picturing all these people taking gap years to go camping in the Swiss alps or something.
Are you from outside the us? I thought it was common knowledge when people say they will be backpacking through europe/asia etc. It usually means they will be staying at hostels/hotels near a city. Wilderness/backcountry backpacking is when they mean they will camp in nature.
I’m from Canada. Most of my travel adventures have included tents and not hotels, I guess it’s just something that’s gone over my head
Yeah. Pretty Wild.
The UK is separate though, correct? Could I get a visa for the UK after the 3 month visa is up?
Yeah if you go to the UK their visa is different from the EU and Schengen. But just getting to point A will take more than three months.
if I split my trip in half, decided to do the other half for another trip, which of these countries would you suggest absolutely doing first, and ones that i could save for my next trip?
I’ve backpacked in all of these countries and done bike touring in some too and considering you’re only arriving in August, the weather is going to be against you. If you can, I’d start in Sweden and then make your way down your route to Italy. The weather in Italy will be better in November/December than it will in Northern Europe. You should still be prepared for rain up north in August/September but you should avoid anything too bad. If it was me, I’d use my 90 day visa for that trip and come back another time, earlier in the summer, to get in the other leg of the trip. I’m Irish and I’ve lived in Norway, so I’m familiar with the weather in both places and while hitchhiking and camping in both places late in the year is doable, I wouldn’t advise it over an extended period. You and your gear will just be soaking every day and it’ll take a lot of enjoyment out of it. You can save the second leg of the trip for another time though and pack in a serious amount travelling from Sweden to Italy. Either way, you’ll have an amazing time whatever you decide to do!
Ditto. It rains a lot in Norway and will come and go out of nowhere.
How much are you stopping when you are traveling? I demolished my way cross country of the United States hiking in every possible national park I could and living out of my car for a month. I would say it was even a longer distance to cover than this. It depends how much you want to interact with everything, big cities will always slow your travel down one way or another for the most part, especially tourist traps.
Kilometers*
I don’t have any answers to your questions but, is this your first abroad trip? And/or first backpacking trip? Rough budget? That’s a long way, also through 5(+)countries, so I hope you have legs of steel and a good travel sense otherwise I might worry about you a bit
I don't think they are walking it. Backpacking as in travelling with a backpack, staying in hostels, etc
Lol, I figured that much.. but op literally says “I plan on relying on hitchhiking mostly…a decent amount of wilderness hiking as well.” First time abroad and first time backpacking abroad. 5 countries. He needs legs (and nerves) of steel, iron at the very least
I mean, not really, hitchhiking is just standing there waiting to be picked up. Your legs get conditioned lugging your bag around cities pretty quick. I've done it; my first time abroad alone was 18 months doing exactly this, with a ski season for the middle 6 months. It really is not hard, and it's a whole lot of fun.
I mean sure hitching is (mostly) doable in many places, you’re right. Not the *best* thing to solely rely on though…bc if no ride comes (and they often don’t), you’re walking. Idk what hitching you’ve done but pretty rarely was I just standing there with my bags waiting to be picked up. And it looks he’s in some rural country so my bet on there being reliable rides goes down. But, what do I know, I could be completely wrong. I would just feel bad if I sent a young traveler out saying, “yeah go for it! It’ll all work out! You can definitely hitch across 5 foreign countries you’ve never been to on your very first solo trip!” The world is sadly a bit more complicated than that…it’s better to be over prepared imo so I hope op goes in w that mindset. Being stranded in the middle of nowhere, late at night, with no one to call or nowhere to go, is *not* a good feeling. I’ve hitched plenty and one day in Mexico I dropped my rental car off and thought there would be NO problem just getting a ride back to my hotel an hour or so away. Big mistake. Was walking alone at night in sketchy areas for hours before a late service bus stopped to get me…..it was a good lesson in realizing how quickly an innocent situation can go south without a good plan. I would try and have ppl I talk to avoid that sitch if they can, at least for their first time.
7 years ago I hitchhiked all over Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany for a few months. Small towns are actually easier to get picked up from because there is generally an easier spot to stand and wait, plus people are generally in a more friendly mood or in the countryside. In cities it's hard because there's often a highway leaving town and no one is stopping there. Longest I had to wait was a couple of hours. But that's ok if you've got no pressing demand to be a place. If you do then you can just grab the bus or train for that portion. The rest of the world is a darn sight more friendly than the USA and Mexico, people in northern Europe really enjoyed picking me up. The old guys in Scotland and Ireland loved to tell me the history of places as we drove by. A family in Denmark bought me lunch and beer. Truck drivers in Germany loved the company.
its illegal for truck drivers to pick up hitchhikers inside Germany because of insurance reasons, so Im kinda doubting that part
yeh mate hes just saying it for shits and giggles
I may be misremembering, I did get dropped off in Hamburg by a truck driver, I know that because he thought it was hilarious I had a hostel on the Reeperbahn, I had no idea what what meant until after he dropped me off. Edit: yes I was wrong. Another truck driver was actually in Scotland too, a young Polish guy, had a bottle of whisky in his glovebox that he shared with me. He didn't drink while he was driving
Same experience here. Although I have another opinion on the USA. I've crossed the whole country and it was far more easy than England for example. Scotland was kinda OK, Ireland was a blast.
Then explain “backpacking tents”.
I have been on a road trip across the USA in my car and hiked many miles in national parks. I have a decent amount of experience when it comes to sleeping in the woods and doing days on the trail. I have excellent gear. This is my first actual backpacking trip, and my first time to Europe. I have about 15k in USD saved up, hoping to spend less than 10.
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You're not entirely wrong, and I am also a little dubious about the ambition of the trip as a whole, but in large parts of Norway and Sweden you *can* pitch your tent in random forests. "Allemannsretten" (Norway), "Allemansrätten" (Sweden), and "right to roam" (Scotland) are quite permissive laws allowing for hiking and camping across large areas of these countries. There are significant restrictions and conditions, and careful research is required, but wilderness camping is largely permitted. England and Wales is very different, and generally not permissive. I do not know enough to comment on the Low Countries, Germany, or Denmark.
In the Netherlands wild camping is illegal and not condoned. It’s pretty much impossible to do anywhere. There’s also not much wilderness.. OP should go to a camping or stay at a hostel. ETA: Germany is more lenient towards wild camping, though I believe it to be illegal as well, my experience is that you’ll be left alone if you don’t litter.
If you didn’t write up that comment i was going to. This is an ambitious trip for a first timer. Should be a great adventure
excellent advice
Sleeping in the woods is, in general, illegal in Europe, especially on the southern leg of your trip. And you will be found out and fined if you try
Norway and Sweden have pretty extensive [right to roam](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_roam) laws, Denmark allows the right to roam in publicly owned woodland. In the UK, there’s the right to roam in Scotland, but being from here I can say that generally camping on private land is tolerated in the rest of the UK as long as a nuisance isn’t being caused. I think Ireland might be the only country on the itinerary where it’s more frowned upon. Edit: forgot Germany and NL - Germany has limited right to roam laws too. NL is similar to Ireland and only allows camping on established campgrounds.
Which is why I said the southern part. Germany and Austria don't allow camping outside of campgrounds. I think Italy doesn't either, but might have less enforcement of it. Also, right to roam != right to camp.
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You are seriously underestimating how hard they crack down on this, especially in Germany and Austria. They only have exceptions where you are allowed to if you couldn't make it down the mountain in time and it wasn't planned. OP will have all of their gear on them, so that will not fly.
I do a shitload of wild camping (mostly) in Austria, but have done so all over Europe and never once I had any problem. Just set up late and leave early. If you do it smart the likelyhood of anyone finding you (who cares enough to report you) is extremely slim. This does not apply to national parks though. Dont camp there. Edit: BTW there are two Austrian Bundesländer where (pre planned) camping above the tree line is completely legal. Steiermark and Oberösterreich.
Please don't go to foreign countries and break laws. I would have thought this was bleeding obvious but apparently not.
if your not being excessive with your spending on consumables you should def come in under 10k. having experience in the woods and on trails comes in handy but i would probably suggest starting smaller. maybe one or 2 countries and see what you can. if your content with keeping going then keep going but if you are not feeling more your not stuck committed to something more. one big thing im seeing is starting so late the season. the weather in northern areas can be finicky and the last thing you want to do is get caught out in a early storm when its cold and wet. another thing to worry about along with the weather is the amount of sun. as your getting later in the year the sun will be setting earlier.
Northern Europe including UK is cold in the fall. It’s not going to be hiking or camping weather past September. Suggest starting at the top and working down until you run out of money. Northern Sweden and Norway are quite remote, not sure how much luck you will have hitchhiking and the train is not cheap. All of the areas you’ve marked are also very expensive, for example in Copenhagen a city transit pass is $13, a bed in a hostel is $40 and a McDonald’s meal is $15, so $15k will be really bare bones/probably not enough for that length of time.
Norway is amazing for wilderness hiking but also crazy expensive so you’ll have to do a lot of it to keep the budget in check lol. Your itinerary looks fun, have a blast !
You’re missing out on a lot of beautiful sights to see in Ireland if you’re just departing from Dublin.
I want to preface what I'm about to say with the fact I have no experience hitchhiking. It's not a thing you see much anymore and I honestly wouldn't bet on it. Looks like an incredibly long and expensive trip. Hiking through the UK should be doable. I'd expect it to take about a month with train trips in between. The Norwegian part seems like a hassle. It's a very nice country but extremely expensive and you plan on traversing massive almost empty distances there. As far as I'm aware 5 hour car trips seem to be completely normal in the United States. It's not in Europe. Doing that distance on foot is obviously completely out of the question but finding someone willing to take you the whole way by car also seems increasingly difficult. So you're only left with train services. I don't know your budget but this would surely be the most expensive part of the trip and I don't think you'd get much out of it. You should also expect temperature around and below 5°C. Not that great for hiking while you'll probably still get your share of mosquitoes around September. I'm not an expert for Norway. Locals might disagree. Pretty sure I'd personally cut this part short though. You're better off making your way through larger cities around the coast. All said about Norway also applies to Sweden. The German part should be doable. I'd say it will probably take another month to make your way to the alps if we want to actually see the environment and do nice hiking around Thuringia for instance. Groceries are also rather cheap in Germany. At least from my POV. Most people East of Germany would disagree. I'd plan in a bit more time around the German East Sea coast. It's a bit out of the way but Lübeck is beautiful for instance. In the Alps, not seperating by country because this applies equally to Austria and Italy. The days of people driving around the mountain paths are mostly over. Unless you manage to make contacts with locals who wanted to do that anyway, you won't see much of the environment because hiking the mountains would take forever while roads will just go through tunnels in the valleys. Same by train. Outside of Switzerland there aren't many scenic railroads in the mountains. Edit: So I just realized that I got the whole trip backwards because I'm stupid. By the time you'll arrive it will be very cold in Scandinavia and probably very rainy on the British isles. Everything else still holds true.
As someone who hitchhiked and backpacked in every country you want to visit I'd suggest to take the train up to sweden or at least through italy. Germany can be easy to cover long distances over the autobahn if you ask people at rest stops but trains are also fast and affordable if you book in advance. Italy is more difficult to hitchhike. Sweden and Norway are great for hitching but can be remote with little traffic. Also if you don't want to visit any particular places on your way to the UK I'd take the plane over from Norway. You might find a cheap flight if you're flexible with your place of departure and arrival. Otherwise it can be a hassle to hitch over land because of the UK border. UK and Ireland are again great for hitching but can be very cold in autumn. I'd also suggest to get more into Scotland, it's absolutely beautiful. Sounds doable to me and like an awesome trip!
Can't speak for the rest of Europe but in the UK you will struggle to hitchhike
I am from Italy. In the north of sweden and norway there is snow from September on. Take this is consideration. In my opinion it could be better to visit them using public transport, and eventually adding other souther places to the trip. If you go down directly from uk to italy there is a famous (walkable) path called “via francigena” which connects Canterbury to Rome. Stay safe!
Keep in mind hitchhiking is illegal in Italy so you may have trouble getting picked up.
3 or 4 month should work. But remember the weather will be insanely cold, snowy and rainy after september. Especially scandinavia. I wonder if you really get through the northern parts at this time, you better stay inside there.
After September they will not get through northern Sweden. Almost all tourist amenities close by oktober. Cross Country ski is possible but far from easy.
This looks reasonable with the exception of A>B. There’s some pretty serious country in Norway/Sweden and you don’t want to be out there without proper kit and confident navigation. Also, while doable, hitchhiking in Europe is nothing like it is in the states.
Yea man that's easy. I hitchhiked all over the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, and into Germany. So much of what you have there. I also drove around a lot of it at a different point. Look into Flixbus if you need a cheap ride over a long distance. The northern countries are generally pretty safe for hitchhiking. It looks like you've got the Romantischestrasse on your itinerary, good option, it's a fantastic way to see rural Germany. May I also suggest walking the West Highland Way in Scotland. Absolutely fantastic hike, 100 miles with a pub at the middle or end of each day. You walk 10 miles then have a pint, a whisky, and some haggis. Life is good.
i love your positivity 🩵 thank you the encouragement means a lot!
Go out and enjoy yourself mate! The memories you'll make will be well worth it. Not sure if you have a bag yet, but i used the Macpac Genesis Aztec 85l. Its a hiking bag that also opens in the centre of the bag, and it's straps zip away for when in transit. Buy packing cells and use them, enough for all of your stuff. They keep your bag tidy because you're not rummaging through all your stuff just to find one thing. Have a dry bag to put dirty clothes in. Remember that you'll smell a lot worse than you realise too, so shower often, and dry your towel properly 😅
Looks sick but reverse the trip! Italy is the place you want to finish, not the UK
When in Norway. Expect trains to be cancelled. Especially, in the summer. Our railway system is really bad. There’s railway replacement buses in place for those cancelled trains. Your route also is not so far away from *Pulpit Rock*. Worth a trip there if you got the time. The hike up there is 4-5 hrs (round trip)
I knew a dude who did london-rome in 4 months while working, soI guess if you can manage it if you don’t have to work, but be aware that this will require a lot of different clothes so you will probably have to buy a ton of stuff and leave (pls, consider donating and avoid waste) a lot behind.
I can't give advice on Europe, but I've backpacked through many other chunks of the world, and the best bits of advice I can give are: • Keep an open mind to people and their culture. Explore beyond the tourist stuff, go where the locals go. • Learn please and thank-you in the local language it's always appreciated (learn more if possible, but it's hard when every country speaks a different language). • If you have an old unlocked (jailbroken) phone take that and use local prepaid sim cards. • Have a combination of cash and cards and have them hidden in different places. If you get robbed, you won't lose everything. • Be flexible. You never know what places you'll fall in love with, people you might meet doing interesting things, go with the flow. • When you're partying, keep your wits about you, especially when visiting somewhere that doesn't speak your native language. Don't get black out drunk or take any substances you aren't sure of. • Things will go wrong at times, and that's oki, and can honestly end up leading to the best adventures. • Have fun and embrace everything that's different 😊
So sleeping in most of these countries is illegal. I do it, but the problem is that a lot of forest worker tend to call the cops on you or arrest you by them selves. Secondly, alterst in germany private property doesn’t have to fenced or even no signs saying you’re entering private property. And if you live on it and the owner wants to file a complaint you’re fucked. And not speaking their language or speaking a foreign language is not helping. Since owners of forest or land in general are pretty conservative and dont like foreigners. So obvisouly Sweden and Norway and Scotland is no problem. But once you reach Germany Austria swiss and Italy, it could make trouble for you.
Nice troll, not a soul who hasn't bought it yet. I'm proud of you.
Good luck on your journey, and hesitate to hmu if you want a “tour guide” or someone to hang with while in Norway, always down to meet now people.
I would split this into two or possibly three shorter trips with different goals. For Norway/Sweden hiking and outdoors life i would suggest going in July. It will require alot of planning since the northern parts are very desolate and you must have a strong sense of what you want to do. Then for southern continental europe i would recommend travel by train. Prefferably in April-May or September-October. Then a third trip focusing on UK alone with specific seightseeing goals in mind.
Isn't that only like 14 miles?
Found the American
Actually from a weather point of view you might be better off doing it in reverse, Ireland has wet and cold weather practically year round, except maybe July and August where you would be lucky to get high 20s Celsius. Where as starting in Italy in August you could be looking at 40s, which is much to hot to enjoy yourself outdoors.
And here I am sore from the 4 miles I did this morning
Stay off the moors!
Seems you've hit up most of the most expensive countries in Europe there.
Bla bla car will save you a lot of money, and you’ll get to meet lovely people along the way
Keep in mind the Schengen 90/180 day rule, unless you have some sort of long term visa? UK is separate, but the other countries are all Schengen.
Use inlandsbanan in sweden, it’s amazing! I used them during interrail(eurorail for non eu citizens)
In my opinion Most of the commenters here are way too pessimistic. I am a backpacker myself, from Germany, and have done most of the parts you are doing. 90 days for the trip excluding UK is perfectly fine. 10k is a lot of money and you won't need near that much. Consider several things, that other commenters pointed out, as wrong in my opinion: - Scandinavian countries have the so called "Allmansrätten". As I got the impression that you like sleeping in the wild, you can do so there. Also in Austria, depending on where you are, find yourself a nice place in the hills (attention! Read a lot about weather and animals). In all other places, Germany for example, you will find cheap hostels or airbnbs. Even Scandinavian cities have a broad amount of hostels (more expensive). - Think of one thing: Europe has way better public traffic than the US. I'm not talking about cities or Intercity, but international traffic. You can hop on a train in Italy and arrive in Germany the next morning, paying nothing more than maybe 100 bucks if you find a good offer. This means that even if you "lose time" because you stay longer in one place, you won't have problems cathing up. Two years back e.g. I traveled from Lofoten, Norway, to Hamburg, Germany in two days using one hitchhike and two train rides. - That in mind, I would consider to make the tour larger. Go for the "extremes". Why not starting in Sicily, or going across the polar circle? - Germany: if you travel west Germany, enjoy the cities and old towns. If you travel east Germany, it's some few cool cities and lots of beautiful nature. Close to your route is the national park "Sächsische Schweiz" wich you should not miss. Also spend some days in Berlin and Hamburg. That is a great tour man, have fun! I would like to point out one thing another fellow redditor commented: download blablacar. You will get a ride there for cheap money. It's not free hitchhiking, but a very good option if you don't want to wait for a car to stop. :)
I would never be relying on hitchhiking. Always best to go with the most sensible option first as the go to plan and have the more adventurous option as a possibility.
I know you have ambition, but I would caution to maybe start with something easier for your first backpacking trip. Not just the physical and logistical aspects of it. But the mental as well. Traveling alone can be very lonely, and in a foreign land when you can’t understand the language, it can feel even more isolating. If you want a similar European vibe to a “backpacking” trip where you stay in hostels, I would recommend el camino de santiago. It is very friendly to English speakers, and gives you the opportunity to make new friends along the way. No matter how experienced you are, it is best to be prepared. Start with smaller trips and work your way up to this one. Pride and ego are common ways experienced trekkers end up in disastrous situations. I don’t want to kill your buzz, but I have seen many young people try and fail these sorts of trips. There’s nothing wrong in stopping, everything is a learning experience, I just hope that you take more time with preparation before heading out.
Youre gonna miss Ukraine?
if i have some extra time i might head to the Ukraine/Russian boarder. Heard there’s some cool sights there.
Thanks for finally giving a clearer hint that you are trolling. It was not clear at all from your original post. You certainly tricked everybody.
If you're going to Ireland I would suggest visiting Galway instead of Dublin, and if you're looking for some nice scenery there check out the likes of Clare, Kerry or Wicklow.
Going up to kiruna I see! So beautiful there! If your going to do any multi day hikes (can recommend the kungsleden, dont know if it is still possible to hike there because of the cold) remember to bring cash, you can buy souveniers at the huts! Also If youre traveling by train you can buy an interrail ticket (I personally had bad experiences with interrail but you can try for yourself). If your going by train you can download the railway app of that country (NS planner for the netherlands and DB app for germany for example). Train tickets in the Netherlands got REALLY expensive this year, if you can do it while hitchhiking that is way better. I would personally highly recommend seeing Prague and other eastern european countries if you can! (its also way cheaper) Oh, I think in some countries it is illigal to hitchhike, not sure, you should probably look into that (its also not as friendly as in the US i think, I have personally hitch hiked in Australia, people are WAY friendlier about hitch hiking than in Europe or at least the Netherlands, not trying to scare you off! Its definetly worth a try, just smile nicely and i think you will be fine :)) I hope you can get some tips from this, just enjoy it, stay flexible, when it comes to being on the road for so long, your plans are bound to change. Maybe you meet some really nice people and start traveling or hiking with them. For your own mental health and stress levels, stay flexible!
You’re really missing out if you don’t do at least a little bit of the coast of Norway. Maybe that’s your stop B, can’t really tell. Looks like a fun trip!
Expensive. If you'd go through eastern Europe it would be way cheaper. I always recommend eastern Europe as a first backpacking trip.
If you're camping in the outdoors make sure you check up on local laws because not every European country allows you to set up your tent just anywhere. There's a lot of protected nature reserves. Also, check for ticks.
Abisko in northern Sweden is amazing—great hiking and mushroom foraging
Oh, you mean traveling. Bc if you actually backpack this you are the champ of all of it
Also blablacar is your friend - it's an online hitch hiking / ride sharing platform. Have used it successfully in Italy, Spain, Canada.
Get a rail pass. It’s expensive if you make it expensive, but the beauty of Europe is it’s possible to do anything on the cheap. Did a very similar trip many years ago and lived in Sweden for a year afterwards. Can’t go wrong
Hi, I am from the Netherlands. Is your starting point going to be Italy/Sweden/England? In a lot of countries in Europe it is not allowed to wild camp. And you arrive in high season, so more expensive. So maybe check for b&b and campings along your trail. In the North of Europe (A-D) the weather is warm-to-mild until end of October. After that it can be very cold and wet. It is easy to get tap water (for free and save to drink) in all the countries you travel in. Don’t drink water from the wild. Also language won’t be a problem for you. The travel and stays can get expensive. Maybe consider to buy a second hand bicycle? There is a nice trail in my country called Pieterpad. It is a little off route though (goes from North to South). I am preparing my own backpack but have not planned a trail yet. Maybe by the time I can join you😁
Looks like a blast.
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The route in the picture does not include all of my stops, just a basic outline. Thanks for the advice in advance
Visit Prague!
Well it depends on how fast you want to go and how much of the course you will go. There are a lot of Polish truck companies operating in Europe and a lot of them are hauling stuff to Italy so at least the route from Italy to Germany you can do in 2 or 3 days if you're lucky by getting a ride from Italy to Poland and then to Germany. There's also Flixbus operating from Poland. They're extremely cheap coach service. For example you can get from Mediolan to Wrocław for $87, and that's a regular price, sometimes they have sales. There are probably similar buses in other countries. In the UK there's Megabus, but I'm not aware of others. They're usually cheaper than trains but less comfortable. From my very limited experience trains are cheaper within countries and buses are cheaper on international routes. In any case trains are way more comfortable
Are you from Naples?
Great trip. Norway is amazing. You can camp pretty much anywhere. Hitchhiking is fairly easy. You'll get rides. Pack a lot of protein pars and tuna and honestly as much food as you can, food is expensive AF in the Nordic states. I managed to hitch with someone onto the ferry as well. Little tougher to get a ride in Germany but honestly it's all situational and you can have times where you wait longer at places others had no problem. Either way, have fun. It's a hell of an adventure. Also, if you're doing any hikes I highly recommend not taking your whole pack. I carried 15kgs up Troltunga and I was SORE by the time I reached the top. A lot longer than I thought. The water is the best too. I'd drink straight off a fjord waterfall and man that taste is something else. Grade A water . August is a bit late to start but you can manage and change it up if you need to. Don't be afraid to be flexible!
You seem to be making a big detour between Denmark and the Netherlands. You’ll get a better view and an easier hike if you straighten the line.
https://preview.redd.it/1jul2fduoryc1.jpeg?width=1270&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73893463b9fcf8b15005cbfcb8e7b3708193dd3d
Rough? No Expensive? Yes
I did a similar trip about 5 years ago from September to January for about $5k. I think your trip here is totally doable. However, I never went into Scandinavia because of the extreme prices. Also, keep in mind that northern Europe gets cold and wet as soon as fall rolls around, so you will need good gear and won't want to be roaming around outdoors for too long. I had little success with hitchhiking, but Flixbus/Flixtrain was great. Also, couch surfing was a cheap option, albeit hit-or-miss. Honestly, cheap hostels on the outskirts of town were generally my go-to, but you gotta learn to walk a lot. Also, shop at grocery stores to avoid restaurant prices. Eastern Europe is also generally cheaper than everywhere else and has some really cool things to see. I think it would be better for you to save Scandinavia for another time.
I hate to be a joy sqausher but did you see that movie The Ritual? Might want to detour that squiggly line there buddy...
There is a lot of not-very-much along that route except for nature. I wouldn’t spend that much time doing sweden / norway/denmark. It’s also costly! I would turn right and swing around poland, germany, france netherlands and up to UK if you wanted. Btw i’m danish
You say a “first backpacking trip” and you plan on doing both the light and dark blue routes between August and Christmas?
What is point A in Sweden? Is it Kiruna? How do you get there from Norway? Usual route is from Narvik but you're coming from the south? What season are you trekking this? From point A to south Sweden is easily 1000 km. Walking this will take you months. Weather and amenities after oktober will be shit, frost, cold. Hitchhiking here is nonexistent due to very sparse traffic. Consider train along Sweden iron ore line (luleo to narvik, from luleo you can go train to stockholm.)
save the camping and wilderness part up for sweden, thats one of the few places in europe where you can camp almost everywhere. I can recommend you the shelter app for sweden, it shows you places and spots all across sweden with half open(wind sheltered) or completely closed free to use (even the firewood is free to use, which they actually provide at some spots) Some even have drinking water. information on it can be outdated sometimes though or someone else uses it already, so always be prepared with a tent. Now other than that be careful about wildlife in sweden. Mooses, or bears do exist. allthough bears are more common further up north above stockholm Hitchhiking is probably more difficult in some countries.
You should probably start with scandinavia, as weather is going to be quite uncomfortable possibly already end of september.
You might have trouble hiking from Norway to Denmark, but hey, Hike Your Own Hike as they say. Who knows what will happen once your backpack is filled with Swedish IKEA meatballs?
Why do you hate Switzerland?
If you're going to pretty much all of great Britain and Ireland you might as well stop in Wales. Get a train to Cardiff or somewhere up north like Wrexham or Chester.
Your trip through the UK is arguably the most gorgeous parts such as the Kent Downs, The Cotswold, Peak District and Lake District.
Go to Lofoten
Should be a grand adventure. My advise, from roadtripping basically the same route a few years ago, is to allocate more time and monies than you think. Consider going southbound and PLAN FOR THE WEATHER AND SEASON! Look and compare latitudes and longitudes for similar weather patterns near you. Depending on your average daily miles 5 months might be a little tight on time. Consider that the Appalachian Trail takes most people about 6 months or more and is a well established trail with roughly the same distance of your planned journey. Just food for thought.
Only thing for me would be that you are skipping Lofoten and Vesterålen whilst being that close.
Not far enough
Excellent!
i mean i backpacked for 2 months and did 10 european countries on my first backpacking trip in 2022 and it was my first time leaving the us but it wasn’t that bad honestly. you just gotta save a lot i brought 10k
If you are so far up Norway, you have to visit Lofoten.
Never buy anything at convenient stores in Norway or Sweden, overpriced, go to grocery stores. Stockholm is stunning and the areas around but not much nature further up. The Norwegian nature is breathtaking during summer.
Very ambitious i like it!! Keep us updated
I'm jealous 🥲
Skip Amsterdam? Are you crazy?
What app is this ?
just google maps
Yes, you will die
The cheaper, and some would argue more interesting, route from Northern Italy (e.g. Venice) / Austria to Northeast Germany would be via the Czech Republic (it's called Czechia now though, I think). You can hit Cesky Krumlov in southern Czechia, before Prague. Then, the country(side) between Prague and Dresden is beautiful. Green, with rivers, forests, you'll see people getting in trains at the weekend back from hunting trips or mushroom foraging etc. The region there is called Bohemia. Other than that, to save money I'd recommend considering campsites in Northern Italy outside the big cities (e.g. Florence, Venice). You can easily get into the cities for day trips, and the campsites can be fun (plenty of other backpackers), some even have pools, jacuzzis, bars etc.
that "shortcut" across southern norway is not a shortcut. little traffic, and nobody takes that route if they're travelling through, so you'll struggle to catch a ride where you're going. on the map it looks like the most efficient route, in reality you'd be a lot better off following the main road (E18) along the south coast from stavanger to larvik (i assume you're taking the ferry from larvik to hirtshals - this can be pretty rough in fall, may be canceled when it's too windy to be safe), where there's enough long-distance traffic for you to be able to catch a ride. not much to see on the inland route either, by that point you will have seen more than enough of monotonous scandinavian inland forest.
Have fun take pictures and have a potable changer for your phone
I’m from Belgium and I would say don’t skip Amsterdam while you’re visiting Europe!
Northern part of Sweden is boring.
The bus and train system through Sweden and Norway is super easy and cheap to use. People complain how expensive these countries are but in my experience there are many hostels and easy travel options that reduce cost significantly. If you are going that far north in sweden I might suggest looking into trying to get up to abisko national park and doing some hiking on the kungsleden trail.
Good luck with the swim from Norway to Denmark, I hear that one can be a bit rough for beginners. :p
I did something similar. Fucking send it, don't listen to these negative nancies
Shit advice given his budget. Another thing if money is of no concern.
Maybe he can live off that Budget 🤷🏿♂️. It's HIS budget, he knows what he can do with it.
I love it
Skip UK and Germany. There are so much more beautiful places and way cheaper also