Here you can find a resum of my travel around Europe in few numbers. This journey has been my first solo trip and I learn little by little. There is few mistakes I hope I won’t do again, like give in too much anticipation. In all the situation, what we need is patience.
Bilan transportation
I browsed 20 700 km around Europe. 7 700 km by plane, 2 055 km by bus, 80 km by boat, 1 370 km by train et 9 495 km by hitchhiking, with 82 different drivers
The journey start in Paris to finish in Amsterdam airport direction Bali for my Asian trip.
Bilan workaway
Amazing meetings with workaway. I also discovered new professions, new environnements, new lifestyles through 9 differents countries where I could exchange with locals using workaway. This experience helps to discover a country from the inside, meeting new people and expend our worldview.
Netherland: Andere Boeg boat, yoga center (2 weeks)
Poland : Wolimierz theater, Stacja Wolimierz (2 weeks)
Lituania : camping and permaculture farm of Pasvalys (10 days)
Estonia : Murese Talu sheet farm in Viljandi (2,5 weeks)
Finland : Husky Guesthouse in Ivalo (1 week)
Norway : Gargia Guesthouse in Alta (1 month)
Turkey : Straycat hostel in Istanbul (10 days)
Croatia : White Rabbit hostel in Hvar (1 week)
Greece : FixinArt theatre in Thessalonique (10 days)
Bilan accomodation
To sleep well is essential to a long journey. I’m not picky in terms of sleeping , ranging from my tent in my sleeping bag on the ground, mattresses on the floor and sometimes beds. The most important never has been on where but under what I was sleeping. And the shower in the morning. Having a good bed is a comfort, but a good shower puts away diseases and brings friends. 194 nights in total for this trip , only seven in hostels funded by my purse.
Via workaway : 118 nights ;14 in a bed on a boat, 62 in a true bed and 42 on a matress
Hostels : 7 nights
Under my tent : 10 night
Homestays : 3 nights (1 in Goteborg, Sueden, 1 in Billeca, Bosnia, 1 in Klaipeda, Lituania)
Via couchsurfing : 22 nights in 7 different couchsurfers around Europe
In a sailboat : 5 nights on the Roxana in Croatia during my best hitchhiking
In a truck : 1 night at the border between Bulgaria and Serbia during my marathon 36h of
hitchhiking with Milica
At the airport :1 night in Copenhague, 1 night in Athenes and 1 night in Amsterdam
Friends places : 4 nights in Berlin at Sylvain place and 21 nights in different places in France
Balance sheet
This is what I spent around Europe. I tried to stay in a 10€/day budget. My final budget is 2 000€ for 6 months and a half (194 days), or 10,31€ daily. I didn’t feel I deprived myself from anything, but I live with few. I fell once for a dress in Estonia and for few nights in hostels in Croatia.
The top three expenditure items when traveling are food, accommodation and transportation. So I tried to save money in these three sectors :
Transportation : I hitchhiked for most of my trip. Some mistakes at the beginning made me take last minute train tickets which cost me a third of my travel expenses. Generally hitchhiking in Europe is very efficient and saves up a lot while having very friendly meetings (my article about hitchhiking). Other purchases are mainly subway or bus tickets in big cities, some buses and airplanes. In general, the more we book in advance, less the cost of transport is high.
Accomodations : I used the Workaway system a lot (working against lodging and food) and couchsurfing (nights homestay) or my tent, which saved me a lot of expenses. I finally slept 7 nights paying for my hotel room. It happened after 5 months of travel, when I was getting tired of the tent.
Food : People who knows me wil tell I don’t have a big appetite. I’m also vegetarian. Therefore I’m not an example to follow for food expenses. To feed myself, I preferred the ” street food “, I was often invited by my couchsurfers or my hitchhiking drivers. I exchanged a few meals in restaurant against concerts and I was fed by my Workaway hosts. Sometimes gargantuan meal that I will not forget .
My other expenditure items relate visits (museums, cinemas, parks, …), clothing and hygiene products, even if I have done a lot of barter, medications for some inconvenience during the journey, gifts (purchased mainly in Istanbul) and postcards. The “other” brings together two very cheap yoga mats, a portable charger for loss, material for my camera and other small gadgets.
The balance by country is false because of the arrangements made without money with my different hosts. It’s here if you still want to have an idea.
Generally the passages in big cities are what cost me the most. I stay less time than elsewhere, and I want to visit more museums or other. Amsterdam was expensive and adds to the Netherlands budget, the Dusseldorf-Berlin train ticket at 112€ adds to the Germany budget, and the one from Helsinki to Rovaniemi (90€) adds to my Finns budget.
There is solutions for all the budgets. The difference is in the level of comfort . If it is possible to rich any place by hitchhiking, you always have to take your time. A free hosting is always possible if you have the courage to ask locals for help or to put your tent in the middle of a wasteland. The end of the street markets often offer competitive prices on food, even sometimes free for fruit and vegetable. There are two main ways of travelling : using money , or having time. A good mix always transform your trip into an unique adventure.