Unchaperoned: Tips For Young Women Traveling Alone

Hello there! This isn’t an unnecessary question at all, but rather a question that’s good for all of us to think about before traveling, especially when traveling alone. Most likely nothing will happen to you that you don’t want - but you’ll feel better and more comfortable traveling if you’ve already thought about how you’ll handle a bad situation if it arises. (The same goes for other travel disasters like passport loss, injury, illness, lost luggage, etc.)

I have some posts already under the self defense section here: http://unchaperoned.tumblr.com/tagged/self-defense

However, to address your specific situation, I would say the best things for you to do are to (1) stay alert and (2) stay comfortable.

By stay alert, I mean staying aware of your surroundings. When we travel, it can be easy to get distracted while enjoying the sights, having fun, and just generally having a fantastic time. Of course, enjoying your trip is kind of the whole point of going on the trip in the first place - so I don’t mean to suggest you need to be constantly worrying about unseen attackers or villains hiding in the shadows. Instead, I suggest the following three simple approaches to awareness while traveling alone.

1. Know exactly where you are - how far are you from your hotel? do you know how to get back there on your own? it’s fun spending a night out with these cool people you just met, but where are you all going?)

2. Know what kind of people are around you (is anyone giving you a bad vibe? how much do you actually know about the person you’re talking to and how much should you trust them? if you suddenly started feeling unsafe, who would you be able to ask for help?)

3. Know how you’re feeling (if you’re drinking, how many drinks should be your max so that you can still stay in control of what’s happening around you? do you feel like you still have a say in what’s happening?)

And by stay comfortable, I mean that all of those pieces of information I just told you to keep track of should always be adding up to you feeling confident and untroubled. If somebody is making you feel uncomfortable, get out of that situation. If you’re realizing that you don’t really know where you are after a group of fun people you met have led you zigzagging across town, make it your first priority to figure out where you are and how you can get home if you need to. If you’re starting to feel a little fuzzy mentally after a couple of drinks, switch over to water and don’t worry about keeping up with everyone else’s alcohol consumption.

The toughest part about staying comfortable is that sometimes other people will then try to make you feel like you’re rude, standoffish, a killjoy, whatever. For instance, if someone is giving you bad vibes, they might not be super nice when you make it clear you don’t want to spend anymore time with them; or if the group you’ve teamed up with is big on drinking and you’d rather not, they might try to pressure you to join in. Any situation like this is tough, and it can be hard to stand your ground - especially when you’re on your own, a long way from home, and wanting to have a good time that doesn’t involve arguing with people or being criticized. However, you staying comfortable always means you staying safe - and if you don’t feel comfortable with what’s going on, then you also won’t feel safe, and ultimately you might not be safe either.

So, know your own mind, know what feels safe and comfortable for you, and don’t hesitate to leave a party, refuse a drink, or yell at someone to leave you alone before you call the police - and then if they don’t leave you alone, dial 911 and tell them what’s happening! (But remember - police can’t help you if you can’t tell them where you are, which is why keeping track of your location is important!)

It can seem daunting to feel safe in a place that is foreign to you - especially if you’re young and petite. After many years of traveling alone, though, I’ve learned from my own mistakes, and making it immediately clear that you are not comfortable with what’s happening is always justified. Two years ago I visited Prague for the second time, and while I was on my walking tour, a very drunk 6′4″ Irishman decided to name me his “queen bee” and attempt to embrace me. Fortunately, by then I’d learned from past experiences when I tried to be nice and avoid making a scene, and instead just ended up getting even more entangled in a situation with which I was not at all comfortable.

So this time, I loudly and repeatedly said, “DON’T TOUCH ME,” each time he reached for my arm, until the hint finally made it through the alcoholic haze and he wandered back over to his group of similarly intoxicated friends. Even though I was with a large group of people, for that moment I was effectively on my own, as no one else moved to help me. Sometimes we are lucky enough to have kind and caring people step up and protect us in these situations - but more often we are on our own, even as dozens of people around us can see what’s happening. Your words and the volume and confidence with which you speak them are your first line of defense, so do not ever hesitate to use them.

The number one question I seem to get on this site is how to save money while traveling. Although I try to keep budgets in mind with everything I write here, I figured I should finally make a full post on the topic! Here are my best recommendations for conserving your cash, applicable to any trip.

1. Go in the off-season. If you have the time available, pushing your trip to September/October or April/May can save you a lot in airfare and accommodation costs. If you have a long winter vacation from school, you might consider a trip during that time to somewhere you can enjoy even in cold weather - which includes most big city destinations. Just remember to pack a warm coat!

2. Strongly consider flying with budget airlines if possible. Also, invest the time in searching around to make sure you get the best deal possible on your flights. I recommend Kayak and Skyscanner, but there are many other flight search engines out there.

3. Take buses (especially from budget bus lines), as they are often cheaper than trains. Look for deals on train fare to get from one place to another and book in advance if possible. Look into ridesharing through BlaBlaCar, Kangaride, or another reliable-looking website.

4. Within cities, try to walk as much as you can instead of spending money on subway or bus tickets. If you are planning on using public transportation, then look into single-day or multi-day passes that could save you some expense.

5. Eat cheaply. You can spend so much of your money on food! Saving as much as you can on every meal will really help relieve pressure on your budget.

6. Stay in hostels or AirBNBs, sign up for WWOOFing, check out Camp In My Garden if you’ll have a tent, or see what’s available on Couchsurfing or BeWelcome (although couchsurfing may be difficult for larger groups when you aren’t a solo traveler). If you’re driving, consider car camping if there are campgrounds in the area you’re visiting.

7. Come up with cheap or cost-free activities, like city walks, day hikes, bike rides, and picnics in the park. Enjoying the place you’re visiting doesn’t always have to cost money!

8. Keep an eye out for free tours, student deals, and other discounts. Look at attraction websites ahead of time to find out deals or discounted times/days. Research city passes for tourist hotspot cities, as they can often be a surprisingly good deal.

Wow, that sounds like quite a trip! Good thing you’ve got a while to do your research and figure out all your preparation requirements –and if you’re asking for tips this far in advance, it sounds like you’re beingsmart and planning ahead, which is important for such a long trip.

Most generally, the first thing you can do is look at my preparationchecklist. Some of those items may not apply to you, but it’s a good placeto start thinking about all the things you’ll need to do before you leave. Isuggest making your own preparation checklist now to make sure you don’t missanything – or put anything off until it’s too late!

I’m assuming the volunteer trip is being coordinated bysomeone, so no doubt they will send you plenty of information as to what you shouldbe packing or doing in preparation, which means I’m going to focus on thesecond part of your trip instead. Peru to Canada is quite the distance, so thefirst questions you should be thinking about are what route you’re taking, howyou’ll be getting from place to place, and how long it’s going to take you. Doyou have a deadline for when you need to get back home? What sights do youreally want to see? What sights do you want to see but don’t have to? How long will your route takeyou via bus? Via train? Do you need to throw in a plane ride or two to get youthrough the more difficult sections of the trip? Which of these modes oftransportation can you afford?

When considering how you’ll be making your way northward, Isuggest you read my thoughtson hitchhiking. You may find yourself in desperate straits at some point onyour trip when hitchhiking is all you can do, at which point I would neversideeye you for utilizing it. However, I would never recommend planning on hitchhiking somewhere, as itis a very dangerous way to get around. Some alternatives you could look intoare rideshares or budget bus lines if you’re worried about your transportationcosts.

Besides transportation, you also need to know where you’llbe sleeping at night – something that can get a little dicey without a set tripplan, with everything booked in advance. Again, if you’re trying to conserveyour money, you might look into Couchsurfingor WWOOFing, or you can try andfind a place to stay with HostelWorldor AirBNB. During vacation seasons, youdo need to worry about places booking up, which means you might have to planyour trip out rather than playing it by ear, just to make sure you won’t haveto spend a night on a park bench or in a bus depot. If you’ll have access to aphone or a wi-fi capable device, you can maybe plan on booking youraccommodations just a few days in advance while you’re on the move – but youneed to be sure you’ll be able to get in touch with them somehow! Otherwise,you can try going door to door at different hostels once you’re in town, butthat might get tiresome after a while.

Budgeting is the last major factor you need to consider whensketching out your trip. How often will you need to buy food or other supplies?How much money do you have available for your supplies, your transportation,and your accommodation? How long can your trip last without going over yourbudget? Make sure you always ere on the generous side in your estimates, as youwill definitely value the extra padding when something unexpected goes wrongand ends up costing you.

Once you’ve planned out your actual trip, start looking atwhat you’ll need to pull it off successfully. What kind of vaccinations, borderfees, or other requirements come with the countries you’ll be travelingthrough? And of course, what will your packing list look like? Make sure youconsider the weather for the areas you’ll be in, as there’s no reason to lugextra layers across the equator or to find yourself shivering unnecessarily.You might just plan on buying a warmer coat as you head further north, ratherthan having to cart it with you all the way from South America. Focus on packingwith layers in mind, and take a look at my samplepacking lists and hikinggear suggestions (if that’s where your interests lie). Choosing your bag isalso important, so check out mypost about luggage and make the best choice for the trip you’ll be taking.To me, it sounds like you’ll want something very durable and very portable, so areal backpacking pack from an outdoors store might be the best choice – but youneed to make your own decision there.

This sounds like it should be quite a trip, especially ifyou get to visit a friend along with all your traveling! I’ll start byaddressing places you might visit on Australia’s east coast – namely becausethe one time I’ve been to Australia I was traveling with a large group for achoir tour, so my advice for independent traveler destinations is limited atbest. Here is our general itinerary, all of which I enjoyed doing.

Dandenong Ranges: Flooded Forest Aviary (I think?), Puffing Billy Steam Train (silly but fun)

Melbourne: Phillip Island’s Little Penguin Parade

Canberra: Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, Parliament Tour, War Memorial

Sydney: Sydney Opera House Tour (a little pricey when you’re not with a group), Taronga Zoo, Bondi to Coogee Cliff Walk

Brisbane

I’m not sure how many of these places are easy to access bypublic transport, but (in my brief internet skimming) it looked like most ofthem should be doable. At any rate, they might spark some ideas!

What you really want to do, of course, is check out someguidebooks from your local library and start flipping through them. Keep an eyeout for anything that sounds interesting or cool – don’t be worried abouttransportation or accommodation right at the start! Just try and finddestinations that sound like a blast. I would also recommend reading BillBryson’s InA Sunburned Country or other similar travel books, as they will give you asense of the country, as well as snag your interest with sights you might nothave considered.

Once you (and your friend!) have a list of possibledestinations, sit down with Google Maps and try to figure out what’s actuallydoable. Keep in mind that Australia is enormous,and it takes a hell of a long time to get from one place to another. Also, think about the weather and check out past temperatures for the locations you’re considering. Look atbus and train schedules and consider renting bikes to get around naturereserves or parks. And make sure the places you’re staying overnight actuallyhave places available at which to stay!

As for how to keep safe, Australia (like most of the world!)is a pretty safe country. Staying safe while traveling there really just meansusing common sense and not taking unnecessary risks – in other words, being attentiveand responsible. You can also take steps to make sure you aren’t a targetfor pickpockets or similar by protectingyour space, and thispost has some things to keep in mind if you find yourself being harassed. Sinceyou’ll have a friend with you, make sure each of you is always looking out forthe other. This ability to depend on someone else to have your interests atheart is something the solo traveler doesn’t usually enjoy, so treat it likethe valuable luxury it is!

I’ve covered money saving tips previously here– although people keep asking the question, so obviously I should make a moreprominent post about it!

Oh man, that sounds like a great summer trip! And this question isn’t time-wasting at all - anything that’s stressing you out is important to address, and hopefully I can help you out a bit!

Getting from place to place can often be the most stressful part of traveling on your own, so you’re definitely not the first person ever to be nervous about it. There are a few things you can do to make sure your trip is as minimally stressful as possible, however!

Give yourself extra time.

Don’t hesitate to build in as much extra time in your schedule as you need to feel comfortable. Sitting in the airport for an extra hour can be pretty boring, but it’s way better than sprinting down the concourse as the doors to your flight are closing. If you’ve done traveling in a group before, you should have a good sense of how much extra time to allow. Personally, I allow 15-20 extra minutes for train/bus trips, and I show up 1.5 hours before domestic flights and 2 hours before international flights. However, you need to do whatever makes you feel comfortable - within the realm of reason, of course.

Travel compactly.

A lot of feeling flustered while traveling can also come from having too many things to keep track of. If you keep your luggage streamlined, with just a couple bags to carry and all items (jacket, iPod, water bottle, etc.) neatly tucked away before you need to start walking somewhere, you’ll feel much more in control.

Plan ahead.

Being as prepared as you can ahead of time, rather than racing around at the last minute, really helps keep you calm. Here’s a preparation checklist you can refer to as you’re getting ready for your trip, and here are some pointers on keeping things smooth once you reach the airport.

Know what you’ll do if something goes wrong.

What an awesome trip! Traveling with friends is always a great opportunity - one I wish I had more often! Unfortunately I’ve only been to Dublin twice, and not really much of anywhere else in Ireland. Dublin is kind of a must-see, so presumably that’s already on your list. However, here are my best suggestions for day trips out of Dublin that you might want to consider:

Powerscourt Estate Gardens

Dalkey and Killiney Hills (a scenic walk)

Howth Cliff Walk

Brú na Bóinne

Glendalough

As for everywhere else in Ireland, I found some informative “top ten” lists for you at these websites:

Lonely Planet

Huffington Post

Irish Central

Trip Advisor

Smarter Travel

To really start planning your trip, though, I suggest checking out a couple different guidebooks from your library and paging through them. It can also be helpful to get any full-color picture books about Ireland your library might have, as getting the visual can assist in getting a sense of where you want to go.

With multiple people going multiple places, I am going to strongly recommend that you all travel with some form of backpack, rather than a roller suitcase. You’ll want to be as flexible as possible, so that means having luggage that you can easily pick up and put down, as well as haul for long distances. Here are some further suggestions on what bag to bring and what to pack.

Money saving tips are a frequent question, so I’m going to just direct you to the last section of my response for another ask I answered.

As for how I’ve managed to do all my own traveling, my many adventures are largely due to my time spent as a student (a gap year and four years in undergrad), plus the overwhelming support of my parents who got me started on traveling from a very young age. Also, I am very lucky in that my economic situation has allowed me to save most of the money I made in my part-time jobs during college and put it largely towards traveling expenses.

I have always done most of my traveling during large chunks of time – doing a solid two months of travel through various countries or doing week-long trips during study abroad. A lot of the expense of travel comes from airfare, so personally I feel it’s hardly worth doing an international trip for anything less than three weeks – if you can get the time off, of course, and not everyone can. However, that was why my long summers as a student were so valuable to me, as they gave me the chance to make the most of my airfare costs.

Unfortunately, now that I am a Real Adult with a full time job, my available traveling time has shrunk to almost zero. There’s a reason why I haven’t been updating with descriptions of any new trips I’ve been taking! Hopefully this will change by next year, by which time I should be a fully certified 911 dispatcher and therefore allowed to take actual vacations again (which is not allowed while I am in training).

Mostly, I would advise you to take advantage of any large periods of time given to you. If you’re going to be quitting your job to go back to school, consider resigning a couple months early so you can spend that time backpacking through southeast Asia or somewhere else you’ve always dreamed of going. If you can, condense your available vacation days into larger chunks of time so that you don’t have to waste so much time or money on your big international flights. Treat weeks or months off from school like the grand opportunities that they are – and work as hard as you can the rest of the time to save the money you need for traveling.

I know I'm making all this sound way easier than it actually is, but that's really the best advice I can give you! I hope the Ireland suggestions were helpful, and don't hesitate to ask any other questions.

How exciting! Since your question was pretty general, however, I'm not sure what specifically you're interested in getting advice about. So, I'll go ahead and give you some more all-encompassing suggestions, and if you have any more specific questions, please send them my way!

To start, here are some specific posts of mine that you might want to read:

trip planning tips

choosing a guidebook

finding accommodation

preparation checklist

packing tips

what to do when you don't speak the language

keeping a travel journal

getting sick while traveling

I personally have never been to India (someday, I hope!), but I tried to find some good recommendations from people who have.

India-specific safety tips for women (though I might take some of what she says with a grain of salt as far as cultural awareness and respect goes)

general advice from the UK government website

tips for first-time India travelers from Rough Guides

lots of ideas on what to see and do (this website looks like a great starting point!)

(If I didn't get to this in time to be helpful, I am so sorry! I only just looked at your earlier post and saw you were traveling in January. Hopefully my more general post on luggage was useful to you! I am definitely changing my ask submission directions to include deadlines.)

There is a very simple answer to this question:

BACKPACK!

Given that you're going to three different countries, I'm assuming you're going to be doing some wandering, rather than rolling up to one hotel and then leaving everything there for a month. A backpack is way more flexible than a hard shell suitcase when it comes to hauling it all over, especially if you're running the risk of dragging your rolling suitcase across cobblestones or gravel roads. I use my Rick Steves bag for all my trips, which is really nice just because it fits perfectly into the overhead compartment for domestic flights (plus it's convertible and has very little extra bulk). But any similar style of luggage or backpacking pack would work, as long as you remain aware of any size restrictions that apply on your flights.

As I said before, I’m so sorry for the long wait, but hopefully this isn’t too late to be helpful! So, let’s start answering your question by considering what you’re usually hoping to accomplish when you do study abroad.

learn a new language or improve your existing language skills

explore a new culture and learn to think about the world in a different way from what you’re used to

develop relationships with host families and/or new friends

share your own culture with the people you meet

discover your own talents and limits by taking yourself out of your comfortable home culture

Now, with that in mind, ask yourself why you want to do study abroad in two different places rather than spending a full year one place or just one semester in one place. Your two countries are very different places with very different cultures and languages. Why are you thinking about doing both?

Of course, since I’m not you (and since I can’t ask you follow up questions!), here are my general thoughts on the matter without knowing your answer to the above.

I’ve done three different study abroads, and each one was different:

1 year in Italy (no prior language skills)

6 months in England (fluent)

6 weeks in Japan (some prior language skills)

I’m going to be very honest with you, and tell you that one year is a very long time. During my year in Italy, I was homesick a lot, my host mom and I had a couple big arguments while I was there, I found it very difficult to make friends with people who weren’t other exchange students, and I found the culture very difficult to stand after extended exposure. (Still do, in fact. The real Italy is well-removed from what you see on guidebook covers.) But also, I honestly do not regret it. My host family and I are still very close. I learned a hell of a lot about cooking from helping my host mom in the kitchen. I still know a passable amount of Italian, despite never speaking it in the six years since I left, except for when I go back to visit. Also, I learned a lot about myself and who I am and what I value, something which is more important than you’d think.

You’ll be homesick whether you’re gone for 6 weeks or 1 year - that’s just how it goes. I wouldn’t let that be what holds you back here.

Now, more generally, the benefits to a full year abroad in one place are:

more effective language learning (as you’ve only just learned the basics by the time you’re leaving on a semester program)

more time to develop relationships

The benefits to your proposed two-semester approach are:

exposure to two very different cultures, increasing your opportunities for learning

an interruption in the middle of your year when you’re at your most homesick, which might help you be not as homesick

I'm so sorry for the delay, but I will respond to you as soon as I can after December 26th! I've been working a bunch of 12 hour shifts (0200-1400) this week, plus trying to cram in all the last minute holiday crafts and visits and wrapping and basically I am exhausted and have no spare time at all ever. So many apologies! And until I can write a proper response:

Short answer for Anon #1: Think about why you want to do study abroad in two countries. Do you think you will get more out of a more focused and lengthy experience or out of a more diverse experience? I will have a lot more to say once I write up an actual post, but that is a good question for you to consider for now.

What a great opportunity! As someone who’s been on three student exchanges myself, I am absolutely on your side here. : ) Parents can definitely be a big hurdle sometimes, which is why I’ve compiled some more general tips in this post. In this case, however, it sounds like your age is probably the biggest factor in your parents’ hesitation, as you haven’t mentioned any other reasons for their reluctance. Personally, I feel that there’s no time like the middle teens to become more independent, but parents are often a little more reluctant to release their kids into the wild blue yonder – so here are some approaches you might consider to get them to say yes.

First, make sure they see that you are responsible and can take control of your own life without help from others. Do chores without being asked. Do homework or meet deadlines without being reminded. When faced with a problem, do you what you can to figure it out on your own rather than immediately asking your parents for help. Of course, you may do all these things already – but it’s still a great thing to keep in mind. The more responsible you are at home, the more your parents will trust you to be responsible abroad.

Second, sit down and come up with a list of all the possible things that could go wrong while you’re traveling on your own. What if your plane gets delayed? What if you miss a connection? What if your luggage gets lost? What if you can’t find your gate? What if no one’s there to meet you in Los Angeles? And so on. Next, come up with how you would solve each of these problems in a clear step-by-step fashion. And lastly, take this list of hypothetical problems with your own straightforward solutions and show it to your parents. This will prove to them that you are prepared to travel on your own, no matter what unexpected issue might come your way.

Third, point out to them that these days flying across the globe is only slightly more complicated than catching the bus to meet a friend downtown. Seriously, when you think about it, taking the bus requires you to:

get there on time

“check in” with your fare or bus pass

keep track of your belongings

make your connections

find your friend once you get there

Well, for January in northern Europe, my first recommendation is to pack a sweater, as you will definitely need one! All of those countries are wonderful places to visit, though, and I’m sure you will have a great time - so long as you don’t forget your warm clothing. : )

To address your more general concerns, my main advice is don’t be nervous! I know traveling on your own can sound intimidating when you’ve never done it before, but it’s actually really easy and has plenty of its own benefits that you won’t find when traveling with others. The main thing you need to keep in mind is to be attentive and responsible. Being attentive means keeping track of your stuff, means paying attention to what train stop is coming next, means thinking through choices even when you’re exhausted/confused/annoyed. Being responsible means knowing how you’re getting from Point A to Point B, means knowing where you’re going to spend the night, means knowing how you want to spend your time so that you get the most out of your trip. Otherwise… well, it’s just like any other trip!

More specific-but-still-general advice for solo travelers can be found in most of the posts on this blog – like trip planning resources, basic packing lists, and other random pieces of info. Visit the index if you’re looking for something in particular, or you can just scroll back and see what you find.

Unfortunately, I have never been to Belfast (all of my Ireland travel has been based out of Dublin), but it looks like there are plenty of well-rated hostels in Belfast on Hostelworld, so you should easily find something there! (If you need tips on picking your hostel, check out this post.)

How lovely! I imagine Prague and Vienna will be a beautiful place to spend the holiday season - and hopefully you’ll get lucky and have some picturesque snow to accompany your visit!

Both Prague and Vienna are very safe cities, so I would say there’s no need to worry about finding a good hostel. So long as you follow the tips in this post, you shouldn’t have any problems where accommodations are concerned.

Now, unfortunately, I’ve never been to Vienna, and I’ve only spent one night in Prague, so my recommendations for what to do run from the scant to the nonexistent. All I can really tell you for certain is that Prague has some truly excellent (and ridiculously cheap) beer, so I hope you have some interests in that area. Fortunately for you, much more knowledgeable information can be found at Wikitravel for both Prague and Vienna. You can also check out the official city pages for information on Christmas festivities - particularly in the case of Prague. Vienna’s website has some good (if less organized) info, but you might also want to read this article all about Christmas festivities in Vienna.

Unfortunately, no, I’ve never been to China! (I’m hoping to see more of Asia someday soon.) However, I asked my sister (who was in Beijing for a couple days) if she had any thoughts - so then she got in touch with a couple people she thought might be a little more informed!

A female friend who has traveled quite a bit in China said:

It might be stressful just due to language barrier, but not too much due to being a woman.

A girl she knows from Shanghai said:

I’ve been to the Zhangjiajie National Park. It was very nice, but I’m afraid it is not easy for your friend do a solo trip there, just bcz she can’t speak Chinese. It will be difficult to communicate. Most people don’t understand English in the national park. But if she goes to big cities like Shanghai and Beijing, it should be fine. I have asked a friend’s friend. He is Italian. He does travel consulting and can arrange a really cool trip for your friend… His company specializes in maximizing the China experience for foreigners. Here is his web page: www.awesomechinaexperience.com.

So it sounds like language is going to be your main concern, while being a solitary female traveler won’t, in and of itself, be something you need to worry about. I have some tips on dealing with language barriers here - hopefully you’ll find them useful! Writing out your destinations on notecards might be particularly handy for you.

Also, if you’re planning on doing hiking, I really recommend having a good guidebook with current trail maps and directions - especially if you might be coming up against a language barrier. If you’re concerned about the expense, try and find a good guidebook at your local library, then make copies of the relevant pages. I have further general hiking tips here.

Whether or not you check out the travel consultant in Shanghai is up to you, of course, and will no doubt have a lot to do with your budget and amount of available travel time. If you have the money and the time, however, it might be a good way to make sure your trip goes smoothly.

Holy crap, two whole months? You (and your friends) are so incredibly lucky! I’ll do what I can to give you my thoughts, but Europe is a big place and two months is a long time – so I’m going to be pretty open-ended here!

First of all, I want to make it clear that everyone has different interests when it comes to travel. I’m going to list off my own “top picks,” but what I would really recommend is getting together with your friends for a day exclusively devoted to planning your trip. Start by talking about what kind of activities you’re interested in, then move on to looking at actual locations. Read the country or city descriptions on Wikitravel to get an idea of what’s there to see. Factor in distances and travel costs while looking up bus, train, and plane fares. Try to get a good mix of “busy days” and “relaxation days” so that you won’t get burned out. Look at trip itineraries from tours like Rick Steves and see what sights they consider worth seeing. You don’t have to have every single activity planned out—but you should try and plan a trip that won’t feel crammed to overflowing. Then, once you have all your larger destinations staked out with all your plane tickets bought, you can move on to checking out guidebooks from the library and starting the more thorough stage of trip planning.

Now, that being said, here are the places in Europe I've loved visiting the most.

Croatia: There are so many amazing sights to see in Croatia - as well as so much history, some of it very recent. My favorite cities were Dubrovnik and Split, with nice experiences as well in Varaždin and Zadar. Krka National Park and Plitvice National Park are both exceptionally beautiful as well - if you have the chance to see them, take it! And if you can swing it, you should definitely do side trips to Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kotor in Montenegro.

Berlin, Germany: Berlin was definitely one of the coolest cities I’ve ever visited - and with so much to see! My sister has been living there for the past year and a half, and she still can’t seem to get enough of it. Although Berlin is quite an old city with all the respectability that comes with being a nation’s capitol, it has an exuberance that most old cities don’t have due to the previously Soviet areas now being taken over by primarily 20-somethings.

Southern Italy: Less touristy and less expensive than Northern Italy, Southern Italy is just starting to come into the public eye as a tourist destination. This is “real Italy” (I say as someone who lived there for a year) with more in-your-face culture and very little of the tourist veneer - and I would highly recommend it! Top destinations to aim for are Matera, Valle d’Itria, Paestum, the Amalfi Coast, and Sicily. Also, I’ll just mention that you can take an overnight ferry from Dubrovnik in Croatia to Bari in Southern Italy, so you might keep that in mind. If you want to visit Northern Italy as well, though, I would recommend checking out Cinque Terre and Valle d’Aosta.

Granada, Spain: I’m really just choosing this one because the Alhambra was one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been - so if you decide to go to Spain, make sure you try to give it a visit!

Prague, Czech Republic: Unfortunately I only got to spend one evening in Prague, but I would love to go back! The city is absolutely beautiful and there’s history everywhere you look. Also, Czech beer is both incredible and incredibly cheap.

Iceland: This is pretty far away from everything else I’ve recommended, but it was my favorite trip of all time, and I can’t wait to go back as soon as I can. So, if you’re a fan of the outdoors and can find some cheap flights, I cannot recommend Iceland enough. (I’m not sure if you meant northern or southern hemisphere summer in your message, though - so if it’s going to be winter up north while you’re traveling, you might want to give Iceland a pass.)

There are plenty of other amazing places to visit in Europe, though - it all depends on what you and your friends are most interested in! For that reason, I’ve tried to stick with places you wouldn’t typically think of. Destinations like Rome or Amsterdam are pretty obvious picks - but I suggest considering some deviation from the thoroughly well-beaten track, especially if you’ve got two whole months to plan out! Eastern Europe is just beginning to develop as a tourist destination, which means it’s still relatively cheap and won’t be packed with fellow travelers. It also has lots of interesting history to learn, and sights that you probably won't be immediately familiar with.

In regards to where you should stay, I’m not going to recommend anywhere specific as I don’t know where you’ll be going yet! However, my posts about specific locations almost all have recommendations for places to stay, so I suggest taking a look there once you know where you’re heading. I would also recommend giving my post on hostels a look when it comes to finding accommodation for any location.

As for money-saving tips, I try to keep budgets in mind for all my posts here, so if you skim through my blog you should be able to pick up some different ideas for ways you can conserve your currency of choice. Here’s a brief list of general advice, however!

Eat cheaply. You can spend so much money on food! Saving as much as you can on every meal will really help relieve pressure on your budget.

Stay in hostels or couchsurf (although couchsurfing may be more difficult with multiple people).

Take buses (especially from budget bus lines), as they are often cheaper than trains. Look for deals on train and air fare to get from one place to another.

Come up with cheap or cost-free activities, like city walks, day hikes or bike rides, and picnics in the park. Enjoying the place you’re visiting doesn’t always have to cost money!

Keep an eye-out for free tours, student deals, and other discounts. Look at attraction websites ahead of time to find out deals or discounted times/days. Research city passes for bigger tourist hotspots (such as Rome), as they can often be a surprisingly good deal.

First off, I'm sorry this is so incredibly late! My house was suddenly awash with visitors for the past few weeks, which meant very little time for putting together a well-constructed answer for the second part of your question. Hopefully you can still find this helpful!

London

Both times I was in London, I was on someone else's dollar (or should I say pound, har har), meaning I'm not sure how many thrifty tips I have to offer. So, here instead are my suggestions on where to find other people's (more experienced) thrifty tips!

Get a good guidebook. Seriously, I cannot recommend this enough. Since you're also travelling for a couple months afterward, I would suggest getting a guidebook for the whole of England or Great Britain, as such books usually also have a sizeable section on London. Make sure you flip through many different guidebooks, finding the best fit for you.

Check out TimeOut's list of cheap/free things to do in London, including museums, exhibitions, and music.

Take a free walking tour here or here or from basically any other group you find on Google, so long as it's free and doesn't look overwhelmingly shady.

Track down cheap show tickets through these methods suggested on TimeOut.

Do some of the walks on the Walk London website.

I do have just a couple general tips of my own, however, which are as follows.

The grocery store priceyness scale goes as follows (least to most): Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury, M&S, Waitrose.

If you're looking for a cheap and easy lunch place when you're out and about, Pret A Manger tastes great, has lots of options, and is everywhere in London.

If any kind of free tour is offered at an attraction, TAKE IT.

Read books set in London and England. This may sound odd, but reading books set in London while you're there not only gives you landmarks to look out for but also helps you get a better understanding of the city and culture you're now living in every day. You can also read books about London's history, or watch movies and TV shows set there. All of these will benefit you. (If you don't know where to start, message me and/or fire up Google.)

Great Britain

It sounds like you're going to be doing some traveling around Great Britain after your internship is over, so I thought I would also include some possible destinations to consider.

Note: For any travel in the UK, Megabus is your new best friend. The fares are ridiculously cheap, and the buses are very reliable. I used it to get back and forth from Oxford when I was living in Lancaster, which took about six hours each way and cost me £10 round-trip. You can also consider looking for rideshares, which would help you get to more out-of-the-way places.

The Great Outdoors:

Dartmoor (Southwest England): Absolutely wonderful walks across moorland with plenty of standing stones, fairy circles, and other prehistoric ruins.

Cotswolds (Southern England): A tiny part of England famous for its idyllic small towns and walking trails.

Avebury and Chalk Horses (Southern England): Avebury is the free version of Stonehenge, with the added bonus that you can still walk up and touch it. It's also smack in the middle of England's prime chalk horse territory, my favorite being the Uffington White Horse.

Lake District (Northwest England): Ridiculously beautiful and easy to access walking trails in a region made famous by the Romantic poets. If you're using public transportation, it's probably easiest to use Windermere as your starting point.

Snowdonia (Wales): Some of the most gorgeous hiking I've ever done. I would definitely recommend actual hiking boots for this one, though, whereas with the rest you might be able to get by with some good sneakers.

Cities:

Oxford (Southern England): A gorgeous college town. I do recommend actually paying for a tour if you can here, since the only free tour on offer when I visited was pretty terrible.

Bath (Southwest England): A bit of a must-see, especially if you're a Regency fan - although there's plenty of Roman history to check out too.

Edinburgh (Scotland): A wonderfully charming town if you can get yourself that far north. Also, you might be able to work in some day trips to other parts of Scotland with Edinburgh as your base, since it can be hard to get around Scotland without a car. In other words, keep an eye-out for cheap group excursions on offer.

York (Northern England): An extremely historical town in northern England. The free tour is about three hours long and absolutely incredible, so definitely make sure you take it.

Stratford-upon-Avon (Southern England): If you're a Shakespeare fan, this is a must. Again, the £5 walking tour was exceptional, so don't miss it.