Things You Didn’t even think about for Backpacking Europe

Myself and Holly, Backpacked Europe for 2 months saw some amazing places, experienced different cultures and just had an amazing time.

But this article was written for you to have a better time than us. These are all the things we didn’t know until we explored Europe. If you read this article before you head off on your life-changing adventure then your whole experience will be better.

Europe Is Bigger Than You Think

When people look at the size of Europe and compare it to countries such as Australia and America. It can be easy to think, “It’s not that big, how hard can seeing all of Europe be?”

But Europe is full of cities with history, towns with culture and mountains with incredible lookouts. If you had a lifetime you wouldn’t be able to see all that Europe has to offer.

But here are some great travel tips if you plan to backpack Europe like Myself and Holly have done.

Try to avoid travelling on Sundays

This isn’t every country, but it’s a good rule of thumb to use. Especially if you’re thinking about crossing a border. Or getting a ferry.

Let me explain why. A lot of places are shut or close early on a Sunday. This doesn’t only apply to supermarkets, you might also not be able to get something to eat from a restaurant. This includes public transport, you may be able to get a coach from one country to another, but getting from the bus station to your accommodation might be where the problems arise.

Let me give you an example of what happened to us. We travelled from Ioannina to Corfu on a Sunday. Which was fine, the coach was good, Ferry ran well. But once we arrived on the island of Corfu, there were no supermarkets open, one bus running for the whole day and getting up the island to Kassiopi was going to be a nightmare. Luckily we had planned ahead for this and hired a car.

Always carry snacks

Snacks are always the answer …

Hungry, Snacks

Stressed, Snacks

Bored, Snacks…

Having Snacks in your bag can turn a terrible bus ride into an ok one. It can turn a tough hike up a mountain into a picnic with a view.

Sometimes snacks are your only meal until your next meal, that sounds obvious but here is the reason we always carry a snack bar of some sort.

There have been times when a snack could have come in handy. Those short walks turn into hikes or the time you need to get up early, and shops aren’t open yet. Or when you need to quickly catch a connecting bus or train and haven’t got time to get anything in between.

Having a cereal bar at the bottom of your bag is perfect. Just remember to replace it when used.

Play around with dates when booking accommodation.

When we were planning on going to Budapest it was coming up extremely expensive (well it was for our budget). The prices were showing around £70 when we were used to paying no more than £30 for accommodation. This was a shock because I always thought hostels were cheap in Budapest.

But after playing around I managed to get 3 nights in Budapest for 2 people for £71.

You can play around with dates by extending or shorting your stay. Shorting your stay will show more rooms that are available, more choice equals cheaper. Extending your stay opens you to discounts on certain places.

You can change dates, this might mean avoiding holidays or weekends. Which could be a reason why things are more expensive.

My advice for playing around with dates…

• Avoid touristy places at weekends
• If you want to stay for 4 days look at staying at a place for 2 nights and then another place for 2 nights. Look at prices for 4 and 3 too.
• Want to stay somewhere for 5 nights, see how much a week is.
• Avoid touristy places during holidays
• Think about going to expensive places out of season.
• Still, try to avoid long travelling on a Sunday

Have a water bottle

This might be a little bit of simple advice but carrying a water bottle is a great way to travel

Certain places in Europe have safe drinking water, but other places do not so much. A quick Google search will tell you.

On top of this some places in Europe, I’m talking places like Paris and Scotland have places to fill up bottles in the streets. On top of this, it’s some of the best water in the world and it’s totally free.

In other places, you might have to get plastic water bottles. Having a decent-sized water bottle (1l) means you can get large plastic water bottles and decant them saving you a lot of money. Instead of buying lots of little plastic 500ml bottles. Which in turn cost a lot more.

Even airports now have places to fill up water bottles when you get through security which alone will save you so much money.

We got ourselves this bottle when we travelled, it’s one of the best in the world. No leaks and has a lifetime guarantee. Check it out here

Washing clothes sinks saves time and money

Two of my best money-saving purchases cost me under £10 each and saved me around £10 every time I used them.

These are universal plugs for sinks. This is the one I have, it works great.

And the second is a travel clothes wash.  Again this is the one I use, it does the job.

Depending on how you plan on travelling around Europe depends on how much you will need to use these. But as a rule of thumb, it’s brilliant for everyone.

As much as you probably won’t want to wash all your clothes by hand, there are times when you need to get yourself out of a pinch. Been a while since you have had a chance to use a free washing machine. Wash a couple of pairs of pants in the sink.

We had planned to travel only in hostels or Airbnb but there are times when a washing machine isn’t available.  I’ve gotten my money’s worth from these items and haven’t worn two-day-old boxers, even carrying only 8 pairs for a 2-month trip.

Never walk past a free toilet (men)

Toilets are the place where you can spend a penny but they will cost you a pound. On your trip, you will find toilets at nearly all tourist locations, beaches, parks and even in city centres. Some toilets cost!

A rule of thumb is, if you pay for the toilet it’s going to be clean if you don’t pay good luck.

Ladies and gents for the time you need to sit It might be worth paying for the toilet or holding it till you get back to your accommodation. The free toilets are best for standing back and going. In some locations don’t even expect toilet paper, it can be rough.

Men use these toilets, ladies enter with caution. There is a reason why the tip is never past a free toilet. As much as there are paid toilets in places they can be pretty rare still. So can free toilets. When you see a toilet imagine it as the fact this could be the last one you see for 3 hours. Are you ok?

But here is some advice for where to find that are normally free (or cheap) toilets.

• Petrol stations
• Bus and train stations
• McDonald’s
• Shopping malls
• Your accommodation

These you are safe bets.

Google Lens is a great app

This app has saved us, helped us and allowed us to embrace new foods. 9 out of 10 times we use this app for food.

The basis of the app is it translates text. You take a picture or scan the words you don’t understand and Google will translate it (or try to translate it)

It’s not perfect but it’s better than nothing.

Two of the main reasons we have used this is at Bakeries to find out what things are and the second one is to see if it has milk in it.

Using this for allergies isn’t perfect. Ie looking for milk, when scanning the word might translate to milk, lactose, whey or something else.  So if you do plan to use this to check for intolerance and allergies be careful.

Pay extra for somewhere with a place to cook, it will save you money

The money-saving tip you need to hear. Cooking for yourself is the best way of keeping money in your pocket.

With something as simple as a stovetop and a single pot, you can make a banging pasta dish.

• Half an onion
• Half a pepper
• 300mls Tomato passata
• Tablespoon of Garlic Granules
• Some dried meat
• 150g of pasta.

Boil pasta, till cooked, and sieve out water using a spoon. Throw everything in the pot till hot.

You got a meal that took around 15 mins to make and cost around a euro.

You can buy that same dish anywhere from 7 euros to 25 euros. Having a kitchen saves you money.

I didn’t even mention the fact if you brought a beer at a supermarket it’s about a third of the price!

Google is wrong a lot more than it should be.

In some parts of Europe Google can be great other times not so much.

Here is a list of things you shouldn’t trust Google 100% on  And how to get around it.

Not all Public transport links are shown. To get around this you can look on Flixbus or even better just go to the bus or train terminal.

Opening times are not up to date. The best way to find out is to check yourself or check their websites. Be extra careful with Sundays and out-of-season times

Walking is stressful using Google Maps. Use the all trails app before going for a “walk” This also shows you how steep hills are.

Noodles are great to have in your bag.

A bit like always having Snacks in your bag. Always having noodles in your bag is under the same premise. All you need is a kettle for a meal.

Yes, it would very watery noodles but at least you have something in your belly when the shops are closed!

Religion changes country by country.

This is a quick point and something to look out for. If you plan to backpack Europe then knowing that each country may have different main regions does help.

Certain religions have Certain food requirements ie not pork or alcohol. So you might find it harder to get certain items.

Religious holidays might change so be aware of this as shops might be closed.

It’s easy to stay closer to the transport links than the city

Something we found out later than we should have, staying In the city centre might be a bad option.

As a lot of the bus stations are just outside the city and transport into the city can be difficult when carrying bags on busy buses, or other transport.

The best idea is to look for places near your public transport exit is great as you can drop heavy bags off as soon as possible and then make your way into the city without being crushed by your bags.

Buy noise-cancelling headphones

Noise-cancelling headphones are brilliant for a lot of reasons. Currently, as I write this on a bus across Europe I have my noise-cancelling headphones on, but not playing any music. Killing most of the noise of the bus.

It makes busy places seem peaceful.

Want to relax in the hostel? Tiktok and headphones.

Want to catch up on your podcast? Take a forest walk with headphones

Can’t sleep as someone is snoring? headphones and white noise.

I have over-the-headphones which are much more comfy for wearing for long periods but they take up more room.

Good headphones will be a game changer.

These are mine. They work perfectly!

Help out in a hostel to stay longer

Want to stay in a place longer? Or Just want to save a little bit of money?

Well, working in a hostel is perfect! I’m not talking about paid positions, literally working for your board.

Take this from someone who has worked in hostels around the world. The best way to go about this so you aren’t wasting your or the hostel’s time is to, ask whilst you’re staying there if they are looking for staff and express an interest in staying a little longer to help out in exchange for a room.

The reason I say you should already be staying there is;

One: you know the area, if it’s worth staying.

Two: you know the hostel, you know if it’s a nice one.

Three: They know you’re a person, not an empty email and you can start right away.

Four: they know if you are a problem.

The way to get a job

Simply go to the reception and ask if they have a job going that pays for the board. They might have a list of different jobs. Here are some of the jobs that have been offered.

• Painting the hostel
• Decorating the hostel with artwork
• General maintenance
• Housekeeping
• Setting up breakfast
• Cooking the evening meal
• Being the event organiser
• Helping reception
• Social media

My rule of thumb would be no more than 5 hours of work a day for just rent, and no more than 8 for free food and rent.

The workload should be pretty easy, some offer private rooms others offer dorms or workers’ accommodation. It’s very varied. Some food and some even offer events. Just remember you don’t want to work all day and get no reward for travel.

Another thing to note is if you are not taking any money, in nearly all countries in the world, no work visa is needed. Just make sure you have enough time on your visa to stay.

Go to the toilet before you travel

Back on the toilets. Travel around Europe is great by bus and train. Even in the more remote countries, it’s still not too hard to get a bus from country to country. But one thing that is hard to know is if you get to use a toilet whilst travelling on these journeys.

Buses may or may not have a working toilet. But the rule of thumb in Europe is around 3 hours of travel equals a toilet break for those that don’t have access to toilets on board.

Here is some advice, if you get on the bus, check if the toilet is functioning. If so, drink and be merry. If not don’t drink anything or eat anything that might be problematic.

Go to the toilet before every long ride, even if your booking says toilet on board, they lie.

Thanks for Reading

If you enjoyed this article you will love this article, Everything You Need To Pack For Backpacking Europe
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