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Travel Tips
This page has all kinds of random information. Be warned.
This is me with all of the stuff that I had for the next three months. Here's a hint: consider putting your hair in braids. That way, you don't have to wash it. Hence, you don't have to carry shampoo, condintioner, combs, a hair dryer or a curling iron, which will make your pack much lighter. I was very glad that I had my hair in braids, but because I traveled for two months, they started growing into dreadlocks.
The best kind of pack is a sturdy, big back pack that also has a smaller day pack that unzips from the main pack. It's best to carry things on your back. Luggage is not a good idea. Wait till you have to pull it over cobblestones, up thousands of stairs and dealing with it on trains. Backpacks have the added bonus of leaving your hands free. Make sure you put weight in it and walk around the store before you buy one. I have the disadvantage of being small, so I had to settle for the smallest pack in the store (which was still a bit too big for me.) The shoulder straps should be wide and padded, and there should also be a waist belt. Any sports or outdoor store should have packs.
Pack half of what you think you'll need. I mean it.
You can always buy it if you really need it. Otherwise, it's just
weight and you'll throw it away later. Leave room for souveniors.
My pack weighed 41 k by the time I got to Berlin. Mail stuff home
-- it's not very expensive and you don't want to haul it around. 
This photo is from a hostel in Berlin. I conducted a random item contest -- the question was "what is the most useless thing in your pack?" I had one wooden shoe from Amsterdam (I'd mailed the other shoe home, but this one wouldn't fit in the box) and a heavy metal spike collar from a rave in Barcelona, one guy had a kids' sleeping bag (small and great for a sleep sheet), and the guy with a full beard had a razor and shaving cream. This stuff takes up space!!
Here's a packing checklist for hostel hoppers. Get a bike lock and lock your pack to your bed if you're not at the hostel. I always did this, yet my day pack got stolen from behind the desk of a hotel in Paris. I was smart enough not to have left anything valuable, such as credit cards or my passport, in it, but my journal was in it, which was much more devastating. I thought it would be safe because it was behind the desk and I thought the hotel would be responsible for it. I'm still trying to get some money for it, but they seem to think that because it hadn't ever happened before it isn't their fault. I filed a police report and everything, but it hasn't done any good yet. I'd advise if something like that happens to you, make the hotel call the police immediately and make them come to file the report. Perhaps if the police are actually there, they may take you more seriously. I was so upset that I didn't know what to do at the time.
Keep a journal. Rereading it is like reliving your trip. You will forget places you've been or people's names. Write it all down. Write how you feel each day. It's really hard to catch up if you get behind. Trains are a great place to write -- you have plently of time.
When you first get into a town, find the tourist information office. Many times there's one in the train station. You can get free maps and information. If you don't have a place to stay yet, they'll have a list of all of the hostels (including ones that may not be in your guidebook) and be able to tell you how to get there.
Internet is the best way to keep in touch with friends and family. EasyEverything is a huge internet cafe, and is really cheap. Even now, the smallest towns have internet cafes. Don't spend too much time here though -- you came to experiecne the country, not the inside of an internet cafe.
If you want to call home, the best thing to do is buy a phone card in each country. It's a pain to figure out all of the codes though! The USA code is 001, then the area code and number. In England, the cheapest phone cards were at the post office. You can usually buy phone cards at tourist information or currency exchange places also.
Your
guidebook is your bible!
Try to plan for unexpected things. This is how Stonehenge looks when it's closed. We couldn't go in because we arrived too late, due to the car accident.
A couple of travel service providers for students are STA Travel and Council Travel. Check out their websites for a lot of information.
The internet is a vast source of information. For information
on anything, try Google, Yahoo
or Excite. Try to search for
very specific key words, using several search terms.
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