Image by James Barker.
If you are coming out of full-time education or taking a career break, you may be considering the idea of going travelling. It may be that you just want to take a holiday but fancy doing things a bit differently. The idea of backpacking is very appealing to some people, particularly if they want to explore several places on their trip. Heading to Greece gives you the chance to visit a huge number of different places but still keeps you relatively close to home.
Prepare
Long-stay backpacker insurance will need to be a top priority for those wishing to explore the world, as will a valid passport with plenty of time left on it. It’s worth arranging any visas you may need well in advance so that you are as prepared as possible for your trip. Invest in a good quality backpack to store all your things and take the time to pack wisely.
You can book flights but these are often expensive and will involve you making several of them if you want to visit other places on your trip. Trains are a very useful method for travelling across Europe, as there is a complex interlinked rail transport system through Europe – Eurostar being the main provider of inter connected train journeys throughout Europe.
Choose your stops
With Greece as your final stop, the places you can visit on the way include Brussels, Vienna, Budapest, Turin, Dijon, Milan and Venice. There are a number of different routes that will take you to Greece, depending on where you want to visit so if you want to see all of the above you may find yourself doubling back a few times.
You may decide to hire a car and drive across Europe on your way to Greece. Or alternatively, you can combine the two to have a unique experience. Some destinations will involve you catching a ferry so bear this in mind as well. You may decide to book some more ferry trips and visit some of the islands you pass along the way. Sicily, Rhodes and Crete can all easily be reached by boat and will give you a chance to visit some places you might not have even considered on a standard package holiday.
Money problems
You will need to ensure you have enough money to last through your trip so it can be helpful to plan ahead and book your journeys in advance. If you book far enough in advance, you can often get discounts as the prices have a tendency to rise as the date draws closer.
If you are travelling to countries that are not part of the EU, you will need to ensure you have the right currency as well. To ensure you have enough money to last you through each section of your trip, it may help to create an itinerary beforehand. This will allow you to decide where you want to go, how long you plan on staying and how much each section of the journey will cost you.
