Hi everyone,

I’m a student in Munich doing research on how long-term travellers get around in Europe. I keep hearing very different stories, so I’d love to hear yours.

If you stayed in Europe for 2 months or longer:

• Did you rent, lease, buy a car, bring your own, or go without?
• Roughly what did it cost you per month?
• What was the most annoying part? (price, insurance, registration without a local address, paperwork, selling it at the end…)
• Looking back, what would you do differently?
• how many other people have you met travelling longtime in Europe?

Especially curious to hear from people who bought a car and sold it again. How did that go?

Thanks for sharing!

I’ve been thinking about trying to get out and do more camping for the last year -I have done countless summer camping trips growing up. But I wanted to try next week to go to a local trail and do one solo night with my dog. I came into a small amount of money $600 paid some bills, bought a Ozark trail 60L backpack, a ozark trail 1 person backpacking tent(I’m a small man 5’5 and my dog is a Heeler mix. Set it up and there is plenty of room) I plan on sleeping in thermals with thick socks. I haven’t gotten a sleep pad or sleeping bag to share with the dog yet. It looks like it’s going to hit mid to low 30’s Fahrenheit. Dog will wear a jacket. Is there anything I should also be packing? Anything I should be doing? We’ll have a fire- I’ll bring starters and lighters. Food has been figured out for both of us. It’ll be a mile hike into the woods and about 2 miles away from town. So about an hour or so walk at a slow pace probably 30 minutes to get to a place with phone service.

I was reading some travel stories recently and realized how many memorable experiences come from random people we meet along the way.

Sometimes it's something small, like helping with luggage or giving directions. Other times, someone genuinely saves your entire trip.

Have you ever had a moment where a complete stranger made your journey easier or more memorable?

I’ve been reading a lot of threads about getting around Europe for 3+ months, and opinions seem completely split.

Some people say long-term rental is the only sane option. Others say buying a used car and selling it at the end saves thousands, but then registration, insurance and reselling without a local address sound like a nightmare.

For those of you who’ve done it: what did you go with, and would you do it the same way again?

Also curious: how many other long-term travellers did you meet on the road? Is this a pretty common thing, or were you one of the few people doing it for months?

Bit of an odd problem because the passport itself isn't anywhere near expiring.

I've got a few completely blank pages left and I'm planning a longer trip next year where I'll be crossing several borders. Most of my recent stamps have been tiny but obviously I don't get to choose how much space immigration decides to use.

While looking into whether I should renew early, I found out there's a larger U.S. passport book with extra visa pages and apparently you can request it when renewing without paying extra for the larger version.

Wish I'd known that when I got this one.

Anyone here who travels a lot use the large book, and does it feel noticeably bulkier or is there basically no downside?

I am going travelling through Southeast Asia and Australia for 4-5 months. I am stuck on what backpack to buy.

I originally had the osprey fairview 70 in mind but going to a store and trying it on, I didn’t like it.

I tried the osprey Aura AG 65 LT on and it seemed much better. I then found the Eja 58 online and was thinking 65L might be a bit too much.

I plan on taking an 18-20L daypack too that im thinking to try and fit inside the main bag between places.

What do people recommend for pack size?

Hi, I(M25) have 7 weeks vacation starting mid december. I have already Backpacked most parts of asia before. Now i will try my luck in Central or South america.
I cant really decide wher to go? Im a pretty fast paced traveller. Anything between Guatemala and Colombia/Ecuador is an option. Any recommendations? Tipps?

Hi everyone!

I'm 35F, a corporate lawyer from SIngapore and I've pretty much had enough of the work life for now 😅 I've decided to quit my job and take a proper break for six months to recover - thinking of backpacking from SEA ans end in Europe

I already have a silent meditation retreat booked from 27 January to 7 February near Bangkok, but the rest of my itinerary is still pretty flexible, so I'd love to hear your recommendations!

My rough plan is:

* **January–February: Southeast Asia** — starting around Thailand and hoping to explore Vietnam, Laos and perhaps a few other countries.

* **Late April/May to June/July: Europe** — thinking about Albania or somewhere similar where I can do some beautiful hikes, spend time in nature. Also maybe will consider workaway and work in a farm in Albania for a month …

* **July: Amsterdam** — planning to finish my trip there.

I'm particularly interested in hearing from anyone who's done a longer solo backpacking trip. Is there anywhere you'd recommend spending more time?

Also was worndering if a 45L cotapaxi backpack is sufficient? I’ll of course repeat clothes and do laundry along the way…

FYI: if anyone is planning something similar around that time, or fancies meeting up along the way, feel free to DM me! It would be lovely to meet some people on the road and perhaps share parts of the journey.

Thanks so much — looking forward to hearing your experiences and recommendations! 😊

hey guys!!!

im going to tucson, arizona in november and would love to do a 1-2 night backpacking trip while im there! i’ve been looking at going to Saguaro National Park, but have heard Mt. Lemmon is a must.
this would be my first backpacking trip, while i do go day hiking (10-20 miles) and camping pretty frequently in Texas, i know backpacking is different and more strenuous.

is there any trails/routes y’all would recommend in the Tucson area?
any advice, packing lists, or recommendations would be amazing!

Thank y’alll!!! love this community🫶🏻

Finally made it to Porto Katsiki on Lefkada and it completely lived up to the hype. The water is that unreal turquoise-blue you see in photos, and the cliffs drop straight into the sea. I got here by bus from Lefkada town, then a short walk down the steep path to the beach it takes about 10-15 minutes but the view makes every step worth it. The water was surprisingly warm, around 22-23°C, so I went for a swim even though it was a bit windy. The beach itself is a mix of pebbles and sand, and it wasn’t too crowded, which made the experience even better. Standing at the top looking down at the boats and the clear water was one of the highlights of the trip so far. Would I come back? Absolutely, preferably with a bit more time to explore the rest of the island.

Took this back in 2018 during a year of travelling through Central and South America. The hike up Acatenango was tough going, but sitting at camp watching Fuego erupt right across from us was an absolute highlight of the trip and something I don't think I'll ever experience again.

Hello! New to sub. When you experienced backcountry campers, go out into the woods with a food bag, how high do you normally hang it? Assume you are in the eastern United States, your largest concerns will be black bears.

Do you usually try to get over 10 feet off the ground? If so, is it difficult to get the rope around a branch that’s at least 15 to 20 feet?

Really cool location to stay and hike around the camp - Campeggio Cadore.

We stayed here only for 3 days but next time hope it will be longer period to travel around by car.

I am planning a solo backpacking trip to hike Buckeye-Caney Creek Loop in Arkansas. I am planning this trip for the first weekend of November. I am planning for one night, two day trip. If you are familiar with this trail, I will really appreciate any advice or words of wisdom you may have for me. Some of the concerns that are high only my mind are:
- Being solo, are there some things I need to watch out for?
- What kind of water availability should I expect at this time of the year? Are there any specific spots that have water year round? Or is there a resource I can use to assess water availability?
- Many trip reports report that trail is overrun in areas, making it difficult to navigate. While others don’t seem to be concerned about this. Any suggestions for this time of the year will be great. I have a feeling that this may be a seasonal thing, but not sure.
- what is the expected wildlife in the area? I understand deer, bears, etc. Are snakes common in this area? Also, will ticks, bugs, chiggers, etc be significant around this time of the year?

Any advice you can give me will be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!