Backpacking Europe: Bus, Plane, or Train?

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Without a doubt, I choose train. Below is a summary break down.

Train view from Naples to Rome.

Train view from Naples to Rome.

Bus / Car Service

  • This is without a doubt the cheapest option
  • It is also typically the slowest option
  • If you’re only in a city for a day or two, it will cut into your sightseeing time
  • Luggage storage can be tight depending on your load of people
  • A lot of European buses are plush as fuck if you care about that
  • You get views of the country side, road trip style

Conclusion: Buses and ride share type vans are cheap and usually fun. You can meet a lot of other people this way who are also traveling/backpacking/hitchhiking. Decide if travel time or phobia of buses is an issue for you and you’ve got your answer.

Plane

  • A 1 hour flight clocks in at a typical 5 hours when you include transport and check in
  • Regulations for carry on and checked bags are a hassle
  • Security is a hassle
  • You always land outside the city center and end up having to pay for transport
  • You get to look at the world from the sky
  • Food and beverages are offered on board most planes
  • You can’t take a snow globe on a plane
  • You can’t take wine on a plane

Conclusion: As much as I love airports and planes, I don’t prefer planes for backpacking Europe. They can be very inexpensive if you have a home-base and want to get away for a weekend at a time. For country hopping, however, they feel a bit clunky in my flow from city to city and I’d only recommend them for long distance relocations.

Train

  • Trains always begin and end in the city center
  • They typically connect easily to local public transportation lines
  • They’re the fastest in terms of total transport time
  • No real luggage size restrictions (most let you have 2 suitcases and a personal item)
  • No real luggage weight restrictions
  • Food and beverages are offered on board most trains
  • Trains also tend to be lush as fuck
  • You get to look out the window at mostly uncharted train territory
  • You can bring wine on a train
  • You can bring champagne on a train
  • You can bring a large ass bottle of shampoo on a train

Conclusion: Trains are the shit. They combine ease with efficiency and enjoyableness. That is all.

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Malibu couldn't be more of a dream come true. Thank you for all you've given me so far: inspiration, love, hope, spark, motivation, and stillness. Thank you for everything that is yet to come. My heart belongs to you. #malibu #california #malibumorni
As soon as I land here, my body drinks up the moisture and my skin and heart are revived. My body knows it was born and bred here. Traveling the world has made me so grateful for my home. Shout out to my Dad's '90s truck that still runs like new and
En route to Denver ⛰ #southernbelle #nomad #roadtrip
Nothing like day drinking in a tiny town. Helllllo, Durango 🦌
Dandelion wishes 💫

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The Schengen Zone: The Key to Bumming Around Europe for as Long as You Want

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Disclaimer: This post is meant to be as informative as possible, but I am only human. Correctly dealing with border patrol is pretty important, so please check local embassies' websites for the most up-to-date information. 

 

The Basics: Your American Visa in Europe

With a valid American passport, you are allowed to enter the Schengen Zone for a total of 90 days within a 180 day period. In laymen’s terms, you are allowed to spend a total of 3 months in the Schengen Zone every 6 months. Your visa does not “reset” if you go outside the Schengen Zone, it resets 6 months after you first enter the Schengen Zone.

 

The Schengen Zone vs the European Union

What is the Schengen Zone, you ask? Correct question. I didn’t know what it was until half-way through my first month of backpacking—please don’t be terribly naïve like me. Or do. It can be fun sometimes.

The Schengen Zone refers to those European countries who have agreed to abolish passport and/or border patrol, meaning you can move between these countries freely once you enter the Schengen Zone. If the world were simple, the Schengen Zone would be the same as the European Union. It, my friend, is not. 

Some countries are considered part of the European Union, but not the Schengen Zone. England, until recently (RIP Brexit), was one, along with Ireland, Croatia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Other countries are in the Schengen Zone, but not the European Union. These include Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

Long story short, if you want to travel for more than 3 months in Europe, you must split your time up between the Schengen Zone and non-Schengen Zone unless you want an illegal immigrant passport stamp. I recommend playing, but not with border patrol.

For all its confusion, the Schengen Zone is actually awesome because it allows you to hop around European countries for longer than 3 months if you like. It's always my goal to stay here as long as I can because I love to travel, but also because flights back to the USA are so expensive. You go, Schengen Zone!

I’ve created the most basic map to give you a general idea of how all this looks visually.

If you're interested in an EU vs Schengen Zone vs Non-Schengen zone map, you can find tons of these venn diagram types all over the web.

If you're interested in an EU vs Schengen Zone vs Non-Schengen zone map, you can find tons of these venn diagram types all over the web.

Think of the big blue Schengen Zone as its own giant country with the same exact border protection laws. 

Every country outside the Schengen Zone (like the UK, Ireland, or anywhere else for that matter) has its own border protection protocol. Luckily, most of these countries work the same way as the Schengen Zone: you don't need to apply for a tourist visa; you only need your passport.

 

An Example

You could spend 3 weeks in France, 2 weeks in Germany, 1 week in Belgium, one 1 in the Netherlands, 2 weeks in Italy, 2 weeks in Spain and 1 week in Portugal. This would total 3 months in the Schengen Zone.

You could then spend 4 weeks in the UK, 1 week in Ireland, 2 weeks in Croatia, 2 weeks in Bosnia, 1 week in Serbia, 1 week in Bulgaria, and 1 week in Macedonia. This would total 3 months outside the Schengen Zone. You've now hit 6 months.

At this point, you could legally return to the Schengen Zone for another three months. 

This is a very simple example and these locations don't have to be in order. You can hop in and out any time you like; just be sure to keep track of your days.

 

Pro Tips

If you do travel in and out of the Schengen Zone frequently (like I do), keep notes of your days in a calendar. 

Any day you've spent inside the Schengen Zone counts as an entire day starting at hour 00:00. So, if you leave Germany at 6:00 AM on a Tuesday to go to Croatia, that Tuesday still counts as a day within the Schengen Zone. 

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Malibu couldn't be more of a dream come true. Thank you for all you've given me so far: inspiration, love, hope, spark, motivation, and stillness. Thank you for everything that is yet to come. My heart belongs to you. #malibu #california #malibumorni
As soon as I land here, my body drinks up the moisture and my skin and heart are revived. My body knows it was born and bred here. Traveling the world has made me so grateful for my home. Shout out to my Dad's '90s truck that still runs like new and
En route to Denver ⛰ #southernbelle #nomad #roadtrip
Nothing like day drinking in a tiny town. Helllllo, Durango 🦌
Dandelion wishes 💫

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Three Things I Fucking Have to Travel With

Paris, Current Home Base
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A Solid Fucking Scarf

This is not just any scarf. I did not even choose the particular one I have. It chose me right out of my sister’s closet like a Harry Potter wand. I don’t get attached to much, but damn I got feelings for this scarf.

It is an off-pink/beige/champagne-y color. Unidentifiable to say the least. The brilliance of its color is that is goes with anything, but it is neither boring nor extremely vulnerable to stains like true white or beige. The thing about stains: sometimes you need them. You need to wipe the sweat off your face because Barcelona in summer is beautiful but goddamn hot. You need to wipe wine off your chin in Italy. You need to wipe someone’s sneeze off your shoulder on the tube.

Get you a scarf you can fucking live in.

It is very light and gauzy with little tendrils at the end, a very blah and non-fluid shape. The light and gauzy part comes in handy for a myriad of reasons. It will not make you hot. If you accidentally snag it, you will never even be able to find the hole. When you wash it, it will dry super quickly.

Get you a scarf that can do it all.

 

Longchamp Large Nylon Tote

I went to a private school growing up and, needless to say, it was not my cup of champagne. During this experience, I remember seeing girls walking around with Longchamp bags with their pink little monogram on them and rolling my eyes. I’m still rolling my eyes because these girls with these bags didn’t even know the full capacity of their mother fucking brilliance. (Love and light to all of them though, for real.)

First and foremost, THEY ARE WATERPROOF. Completely waterproof. Find yourself standing in the middle of the Roman forum in the pouring down rain? I did. And that shit is fun, but not if your phone, camera, and collection of 20s era erotica are all soaking wet.

With great pride at making a second Harry Potter reference in one sitting (I am, at the moment, headed to London), I will have you know that these bags have an undetectable extension charm. When you think you’ve taken up all the space you can, you find more space.

Backpacking but don’t want to go full hiking boots and cargo pants? (Not that there’s one thing wrong with that.) This bag is an all-in-one. It can carry a shit-ton of stuff, is a great addition to a backpack, can be folded up to nothing if you don’t want to carry it, and can function as an actual stylish purse.

The purse part is so important to me because, as a purse, I only need to throw in my wallet and phone and whatever else when I go trek around for the day. Which means there’s so much extra room for activities! Groceries? Shopping bag. Pharmacy run? Shopping bag. Miniature Eiffel Tower from a street seller because they're so cliché and you don't even cur? Shopping bag. Taking home food even though Americans are the only ones who do? Shopping bag. Accumulating different bags throughout a day of trying to see a new city is the worst and this bag solves that problem.

Last but not least, it has a full zipper and a leather snap cover. I always keep the bag zipped up with the zipper to the front. If I’m walking around with headphones attached to my phone, I throw my phone in the bag and zip it up around the cord. Pickpockets be real, y’all.

Pro note: If you're traveling to Europe, wait to buy one. It will cost around $140 on sale in the US, but it will be around €90 regular price in any European country. 

 

Antibacterial Spray

You will be fine, she said. Your sister is the clumsy one, she said. Ye (me) of little faith in cobble stones, sewage drains, and curbs. I don’t care how careful you are, you WILL cut yourself. I have gashed my toe open multiple times (specifically my right big toe, thank you for all you do BB).

Always carry antibacterial spray. Throw in some band-aids if you like to party. For yourself and for others. I was on a boat with a friend who scratched his back up pretty bad and there ain’t no pharmacy in the middle of the sea.

 

Addendum: Honorable Mentions

Harry Potter and my sister both get 2 mentions in this. Love y’all, thanks for your contributions.

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Backdrops 🙌🏼
Malibu couldn't be more of a dream come true. Thank you for all you've given me so far: inspiration, love, hope, spark, motivation, and stillness. Thank you for everything that is yet to come. My heart belongs to you. #malibu #california #malibumorni
As soon as I land here, my body drinks up the moisture and my skin and heart are revived. My body knows it was born and bred here. Traveling the world has made me so grateful for my home. Shout out to my Dad's '90s truck that still runs like new and
En route to Denver ⛰ #southernbelle #nomad #roadtrip
Nothing like day drinking in a tiny town. Helllllo, Durango 🦌
Dandelion wishes 💫

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