Do you have any plans during this winter vacation? You may have various plans such as travel, getting certified, and studying TOEIC. Why don’t you go backpacking through Europe? Backpacking through Europe is one of the things that university students want to do during vacation. Many university students want to travel through Europe because they admire the leisurely life of Europeans. However, the preparations are complicated, and a European trip costs a lot. If you are burdened about going backpacking, prepare for traveling through the following steps. It is much simpler than you think, and you will learn lots of things from the process.

① Decide on your travel dates, arrival city, and departure city

You should decide on your travel dates to buy an airplane ticket. Backpacking in Europe is usually for about a month. However, it depends on personal choice. It is efficient to choose your arrival city and departure city in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. Decide what countries you want to go to depending on the duration of the journey and mark those countries on a map. Finally, make the most efficient route by drawing a line on the map. In my case, I traveled through 6 countries in Europe for a month. I went to the UK, France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Italy. I traveled in a clockwise direction after deciding that London would be my arrival city and Rome my departure city.


② Purchase an airline ticket and make a route

It is better to purchase an airline ticket early. I recommend purchasing an airline ticket at least four months before traveling. The earlier you purchase an airline ticket, the lower the fare is. If you plan to travel during the vacation period, there may not be an airline ticket. Therefore, you should hurry to purchase it. There are a direct flight ticket and a stopover flight ticket. A direct flight ticket is expensive, but it can save time. A stopover flight ticket takes a long time. For example, if you buy a stopover ticket for London, you have to stop in Japan or another country and then take another flight to London. However, it is less expensive. When you purchase a flight ticket, you need to make a travel route, for example, the countries and cities that you want to go to. You should decide on the countries you want to go to and whether to stay for some time in each country. After that, you need to determine the cities to go to in each country. It is a good idea to choose cities from which it is easy to move to adjacent countries.


③ Find the transportation that you need and buy tickets according to your route

If you have created an approximate route, you should buy transportation tickets to go to other countries. You can buy them whenever you need them on a journey, but it is expensive. If you purchase transportation tickets in advance in Korea, you don’t need to waste time purchasing them. The biggest advantage is the low price. Eurail, Eurostar, the TGV, and Trenitalia are representative railways.

The Eurail Global Pass is the most widely used of the Eurail passes. The Eurail Global Pass is very advantageous for traveling through various countries and cities in Europe because you can use the Eurail Global Pass unlimited times within a specified time period. University students can purchase the Eurail Pass more cheaply because they are young. Youth tickets are for young travelers under the age of 26, but they must use second class seats. The Eurail Global Pass is divided into 15 days, 21 days, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months. Pick one according to your own schedule. In addition, there are Eurail Flexi Pass and Eurail Select Pass.

Eurostar is a high-speed train connecting the UK, France, and Belgium. Travelers mainly use the London-Paris section. The TGV is France’s high-speed train which is used to go to cities in France or to neighboring countries. Trenitalia is the Italian railway. If you are planning to travel in Italy, book train tickets in advance. Trenitalia provides tickets for less than 10 euro, super economy. They must be purchased during a pre-determined period. It is not easy to purchase tickets, but you can reduce expenses if you buy them.


④ Book accommodations

There are several types of accommodations, for example, hotels, Korean B&B, and hostels. Most backpackers use hostels or Korean B&B because they lack travel expenses. The advantages of the Korean B&B are that you can eat Korean food and breakfast or dinner is included in the price. The advantages of the hostel are that you can meet foreigners and it is cheaper than the Korean B&B. However, the most important point is the location. You should make sure that accommodation is close to main attractions and the train station. If you choose accommodation which is away from the center of the city because it is a little bit cheaper, you will spend money and time going to the center. Also, you should reserve accommodations during the peak season.

⑤ Make a detailed schedule

Your detailed schedule is up to you. You can make a schedule on the journey or you can plan ahead. However, if you search for information about cities and countries in advance, for example, popular places, you can spend time more efficiently. First, write down all the places where you want to go in each city. Then, classify them according to how close they are to other places. Also, listening to the experiences of other travelers, searching for information on popular backpacking sites, and visiting tourism boards and cultural centers (for example, http://www.institutfrancais-seoul.com; http://kr.rendezvousenfrance.com/) will be very helpful.


⑥ Other Tips

1. Determine a theme
A lot of people just go backpacking. However, I recommend you decide on a theme and travel focusing on the theme in order to make your own story. Most backpackers in Europe have the same story. They go to the same countries and the same places. If you determine a theme, for example, food or architecture, you can have your own story. This can be a different travel experience.

2. Write a daily diary
A record is not simply taking pictures. Keep a daily diary on your journey and note what you feel. The record of the trip will be more vivid when you look at it after the end of the trip.


Backpacking in Europe is certainly a good opportunity to broaden your perspective. You can learn about the history, art, and culture of Europe. However, it is not easy to prepare everything for backpacking in Europe by yourself. You should decide on the dates, buy airline and transportation tickets, book accommodation, and make a schedule. If you want to feel the romance and charm of backpacking in Europe, don’t hesitate. Just go.