Lost in Europe 2005

So the army gave me two weeks off back in August, and I figured what better time to stop by Europe? The only other time I'd been to Europe was back in 2001 - I spent a month in Germany for an immersion class, and it was one of the best trips I'd ever been on. The highlight of that 2001 trip was, I think, my first week there - I hadn't been in touch with my host family yet, all the German I knew I had learned in the United States, and none of my friends were showing up for another week. So I took off on my own, wandered around Bavaria, and got thoroughly lost repeatedly.

2005, I'm glad to say, was a little better organized (except for the first night - unless you're made of money, never stay at an airport Sheraton. It's nice....but not that nice....not at my pay grade). Most of my wandering involved staying at youth hostels - cheap, nice, and you always meet interesting people. If you ever have some extra cash and are looking for a fun trip, skip those luxury cruises - I'm telling you, you see all kinds of cool things out in Europe and, if you know where to go, you can still make your dollar stretch a bit. (Granted, I've never been on a cruise, and I hear they're fun, but I just don't know how much I would enjoy spending half my time on the same half-acre of cruise ship deck).

Traveling Europe on a budget