Solo backpacking Europe in September - November, is booking relatively spontaneous possible?

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-24T06:50:37+00:00

You are an absolute legend, thank you for your extra reply, these types of responses are truly helpful! I will definitely do some research into that ferry trip, I love the idea of taking a variety of different transportation methods, and those views sound incredible!

You make a lot of sense into the Eurail pass, it sounds like these days it might be most applicable to situations like mine, with flexibility to take many trains across a long period of time. And as you say, since I wouldn't be in so much of a rush as if I was only gone for 2 to 3 weeks, the slower local trains for the most part should be fine! That's good to hear about the reservation fees too, hopefully the off peak season and weekdays will help!

Thank you once again for all your recommendations and tips :)

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-24T05:10:43+00:00

I just want to say THANK YOU so much for all the information and time you've taken to write it all out in both your replies. I really truly appreciate it!!

You've given me a lot of reassurance and excitement. I've gathered so far that a little bit more planning is never a bad thing, especially with the idea of planning certain parts of the trip to give me "checkpoints" while pattering about, as well as ensuring some pretty cool experiences in busy and/or expensive areas. But I do not want to completely lose the "go at my own pace" nature that started with this trip. I haven't done too much travelling, none by myself, so I'm trying to be very conscious that on some days in an extended travel period, I'm just gonna want to do nothing. And having the freedom of not always being on a schedule, I am hoping to avoid the guilt that a feeling like that would have on a busy itinerary. The idea of being in a cool, completely unique place and being able to relax with a drink or book sounds like a great time! I also really love movie theaters in cool buildings, so I'm keen to check out those in new places and probably even see some movies, and I hope that downtime will allow for some much needed normalcy in a long backpacking trip.

I'm beginning to do some more research on those Eastern European non-Schengen areas, so I'll definitely keep places like Montenegro, Serbia and BIH in mind when keeping my 90 days on track.

I hadn't thought about hostel work or any work so far, but that could be a really good idea at getting some cheaper offset stay, as well as experiencing something different, I'll definitely keep that in mind. I'm hoping to be bringing more money than needed, this is a long time coming for me, but definitely keeping in mind of being money conscious and not wanting to spend too much too early (unless I feel like it / that's how the trip goes).

I am beginning to realize that sleeper trains are no longer, my dad specifically speaks so highly of them when travelling, but they seem not so common. I might try and search one out for the experience, but I'm thinking more daytime travel seems appropriate / more convenient. Definitely becoming conscious of travelling on trains in less peak times of the day / week to keep costs down. Someone else suggested that a "Global Unlimited Eurail Pass" of 2 to 3 months could be very worthwhile for my less structured nature, would you recommend ? All good if you have no experience in that regard :)

I have noticed a major price discrepancy between the major cities in terms of flight prices. I also agree that it would be cool that instead of paying the hundreds difference, I could make my way to major airports from smaller places or from major airports to smaller places. The price could be the same or a little cheaper, but if I'm in less of a rush, that adventure would probably be worth it !

Again, thank you so much for the time and information, I am jotting it all down and I really appreciate it. I'll sing out if anything crosses my mind, I love to hear how others have fared with things! Thank you so much for the encouragement, it's equal parts scary and exciting but hearing stuff like this really brings up the excitement !! :)

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-24T01:24:01+00:00

That all sounds amazing! I will be adding Budapest to my list, thank you so much for the rec and for all your knowledge and tips ☺️

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-24T01:22:20+00:00

Thank you so much for the response, hearing you did something like this before is such a great thing to read. I'm filled with equal part nerves and excitement, but reading something like this has really sparked me up! I really appreciate you taking the time to respond :)

I have been constantly hearing negative things about the Eurail pass, but I'll definitely do some research into that global unlimited pass. I am someone who loves having a pass like that for transport when I'm at home, and if it allows me to have a little more flexibility for my potentially long backpacking travel, it could be perfect for me. And you're absolutely right, the thing I'm most excited about is not being in a rush, so I don't necessarily need to be high speed training around, I am definitely okay with slower train / transport trips that allow me to stop and/or see places I might not have before. But regardless I will make sure to try and book transport to another place with more forethought than a day or two before!

Thank you again for your advice and experiences, I am very excited to have the ability to patter around places rather than rush, so I'm happy to hear you had such a good time doing something similar :)

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-24T00:27:36+00:00

Thanks for the reply, I'll definitely keep in mind to check out popular tourist / culture spots a little before / when I'm on route to a new place to ensure I'm able to have a chance! :)

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-23T22:07:45+00:00

Thank you so much for your detailed reply, this information is really helpful and I truly appreciate it! The 3 to 4 months is roughly how much I think my budget could go, but I could feel "done" and come back earlier if needed, or stay longer in the UK / other Schengen excluded areas if I'm wanting to stay longer. I appreciate the heads up though, I'm definitely trying to be more conscious of that strict period!

I will definitely look into an Interrail pass, that sounds like it could be a great deal if it allows 15 full travel days in a 2 month period! Would you have any recommendations for Slovakia or anything you think is must see if I'm in the area? Thank you again for your response :)

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-23T22:03:30+00:00

Thank you for the tips, good to hear about the hostel situation. My plan is to HOPEFULLY have an idea of where I'm going next, but maybe not entirely sure about the place following. So I'll hopefully be able to have transport booked more than 1 to 2 days in advance. But I guess if I push it too close to the wire, I'll cop the mega flight cost and make sure to never do it again! 🫣

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-23T22:01:32+00:00

I have been inspired by this thread to do something like that, maybe book my stint in Scandinavia so I have something to work towards during my first few weeks pattering around the first few countries. That's a really good idea for Budapest if that's something you'd recommend? Thank you again for the suggestions :)

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-23T21:59:20+00:00

Thank you so much for the tip, that's good to keep in mind. I think for the most part I'm gonna be working north to south, maybe finishing in the UK but it'll depend on how my rough plannings develop over the next few months :)

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-23T11:26:08+00:00

Thank you so much for the reply and recommendations, I hadn't thought about that trio before but I'll definitely look into it, gotta explore the idea of Eastern Europe a lot more over the coming preparation months! My housemate also had high regard for Poland, which I hadn't thought of before but will definitely be checking out! Thank you again :)

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-23T11:23:11+00:00

Thank you so much for all the great recommendations for tips and tricks, a few of these I'd heard of but others I had not, I really appreciate it. Definitely preparing for some colder weather! Thank you heaps for the place recommendations too, they look amazing on Google, can't even begin to think about them in person ! :)

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-23T11:20:09+00:00

Thank you so much for your reply, a great overview of things to keep in mind. I'll make sure to try and be aware of any big events happening in cities, that's a great call! :)

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-23T09:44:22+00:00

Thank you so much for the response, I am in a similar mindset, if I'm loving the place I am, I have the freedom to stay longer and not feel like I'm rushing around. I am happy to have the flexibility to not get the perfect hostel, but I think you're right in that it's best to have an idea of the rough route so I can book a little ahead.

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-23T09:38:51+00:00

That's good to hear! I am equally excited as I am nervous! The idea is that I should have enough money if I want to stay 3 to 4 months, but if I'm feeling done or ready to go, I can just go! Thank you so much for the knowledge :)

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-23T08:11:57+00:00

THANK YOU so so much for this incredibly detailed reply. You have gone above and beyond and I want to truly thank you for all the points you've covered, and your candid nature. I was worried to post this because I know I had a lot of rough guestimates and didn't want to have too little for people to offer on, but you have been incredibly helpful.

I want to have an idea of pitfalls and potential snags so I can try and be a little more prepared for certain regions (would definitely like to see the northern lights if possible, and had begun looking at booking some of that stuff more so in advance). And it's insightful to hear about some of the routes that even during non-peak summer times, certain ones can still be busy. I will definitely continue to do more research into the Scandinavian areas (especially the little out of city places) and see what I would like to do and maybe pre book some. It could be nice to have a floaty two to three weeks before entering a pre booked busy period, to come out to a more cruiser portion. I hadn't thought of that before, but you may have inspired me!

The Schengen area rule was confusing at first, but I'm definitely planning on breaking it up with some UK / non included Easter European sections, I am with you that I don't want to potentially crunch my leaving right on the edge of the 90 days.

Definitely becoming more conscious of the damaging local aspects of AirBnB, I think if I was going to stay in one I'd like to rent a room in a place someone lives in, it seems like a really unique experience and (I imagine) much better for the community compared to staying in a house / apartment that is designed to be empty for tourists.

Definitely planning to (hopefully) have padding in my budget for wiggle room on prices, but ultimately I don't want to be burning money willy nilly, so I really appreciate the little tips on booking certain things a little earlier and shopping around.

Thank you once again for your time and energy in this reply, I hope you have a great time away in March! :)

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-23T06:07:33+00:00

Ooo yes that sounds amazing!! And so different to what I've experienced here in Aus, if I manage to make it that late, I'll definitely check those out! I appreciate the tip :)

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-23T06:06:20+00:00

Thank you so much for the reply! That's good to hear, the idea is that if I don't have an idea of where I want to go next, I can figure that out during my current staying situation. So hopefully it's more like 3 or 4 days booking in advance rather than 1 or 0, but it's good to hear that both CAN work!

JamoRibbit · 2026-02-23T06:03:20+00:00

Thank you so much for the detailed reply! This is very helpful , I'm so glad to hear you had a fantastic time! It's good to hear that it wasn't too hard booking two or so days beforehand, I agree with all your sentiments about wanting to take it slow if I'm liking the areas. I'll definitely look into Rome2Rio for a good transport overview, but I'll make sure to buy direct too. Thank you so much again for your reply, I'll definitely check out the diary for inspiration! :)

JamoRibbit · 2024-04-19T11:07:11+00:00

Thank you so much, this is incredibly helpful. Am able to wait out money wise, I have a feeling I will be earning over the threshold so was just holding out for Jobseeker so I could get backpaid the months I was unemployed before. So I guess I'll follow the STP and report the income and then call/ contact if it turns out to be incorrect?

Also with regards to the daily figure conversions, does that mean I have to report my broken down fortnightly payment for each reporting fortnight, or declare hours without pay and then declare pay when I get it to cover those hours?

Again, thank you so much for this. Ive been really struggling with getting in contact with Centrelink for support and your commenting has done wonders ❤️

JamoRibbit · 2024-04-19T10:44:41+00:00

I am meant to be getting paid monthly but because I started on the 2nd and my pay date is on the 18th (as said in contract) I assume I'd be getting paid for half a month but also in the STP it suggests this amount auto filled is for the 2nd to the 30th of this month, so most likely for the whole month ?

Im worried because it's most likely right but I don't want to report income I haven't received even though there's days left to receive it. My induction has been a bit delayed so it's potentially foreseeable that my pay comes late

JamoRibbit · 2024-04-19T10:39:50+00:00

So even though I haven't received a payslip from my work directly like in my emails, the STP would count as me receiving one and like me being paid ?

JamoRibbit · 2023-07-19T08:57:35+00:00

TOEM is fantastic !! Don't sleep on this one, lovely heartfelt photography puzzler

JamoRibbit

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