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5/20/2013 2:25:33 PM

going to Europe with my gf in a few weeks. going to Paris for a week, Tolouse for a few days (wedding), Barcelona for 4-5 days, Amsterdam for 3 days

going to Sonar music festival in Barcelona, but other than that have nothing planned. anyone have any recommendations? staying in a hostel in Barcelona, Airbnb apartments in France/Amsterdam.

5/20/2013 4:12:29 PM

Usually during the festivals they have subway running late but i would be sure to book early so you can stay near la rambla. I did not stay near la rambla and was stuck waiting in huge lines to get back after everything closed or taking a $texi.

I think it impacted my whole stay

5/21/2013 1:30:39 AM

^^ Ibiza or Majorca

It's a 30 min plane ride and it will be nuts. DO IT

5/21/2013 1:36:26 AM

not with his girlfriend no

5/21/2013 1:41:49 AM

Majorca would be a lot of fun with his GF. I'd probably stay away from Magaluf in that case, but Palma and the rest of the island would be great

5/21/2013 5:54:54 AM

Yeah, I'm not seeing why it wouldn't be any fun with his GF.

If they both like to dance/party/hang out on the beach, why not? There's plenty of hiking and nature on Majorca, with lots of amazing towns and villages to explore also...

I loved Barcelona, and as far as sightseeing and culture it was lightyears ahead of Palma, but you can see most of it in a couple of days. Nothing wrong with checking out the Balearics if you've got the time/money. I spent a week on Majorca and I still didn't feel like it was enough.

[Edited on May 21, 2013 at 1:19 PM. Reason : .]

5/21/2013 1:10:27 PM

Is it worth paying an extra 12 euros to stay in a single room at a hostel instead of a 5-person room?

I tend to be a finicky sleeper sometimes so I think it might be worth the extra cost. Looking at staying at the Alex30 hostel in Stuttgart. Going to Amstredam I don't think I'll have much of a choice but to have a few roommates.....

Cocomama has some reasonable priced 2 person rooms that someone above recommended.
A buddy of mine recommended Bob's youth hostel. He said it was a big party hostel, not sure if that might get annoying when i'm trying to crash.

5/21/2013 1:23:27 PM

Sometimes it is absolutely worth the extra few bucks to get a room to yourself. Hostels are great, but sometimes a night to relax and decompress by is just what the doctor ordered.

5/21/2013 3:26:57 PM

Quote :

"Yeah, I'm not seeing why it wouldn't be any fun with his GF. If they both like to dance/party/hang out on the beach, why not? "

Well yeah but this is just a more upscale version of what they would be doing in barca and I'm not sure if they would already be bored with barca since theres so much you can do in 5 days.

I also would worry about how the trip is already expensive and going there everything would be a number of times more expensive than the mainland. Getting into teh clubs is expensive and the drinks are expensive

Ibiza is filled with very rich, very aggressive british lads that will hit on his girl while hes in the restroom. There will also be tons of naked chicks wanting to hook up with him. Just seems like a nightmare scenario for a young couple unless he is rich or clearly not to be fucked with.

Quote :

"Is it worth paying an extra 12 euros to stay in a single room at a hostel instead of a 5-person room?"

best of both worlds. You are in a hostel, but you have a hotel room. Hell yeah its worth it.

[Edited on May 21, 2013 at 9:04 PM. Reason : 5 days is not long enough in barca to be going to ibiza. ]

5/21/2013 9:03:19 PM

we do both enjoy going out and drinking and dancing. I love house music/electronic music so I'm pretty excited about that aspect of the city. In no way am I rich but I've saved enough that money isn't really an issue on this trip. since our time is sort of limited I don't know if we'll have the time to fly to one of those islands but it is intriguing. probably will hit up clubs either way (any recommendations? probably gonna check out a place or two from this list http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/jun/08/top-10-clubs-barcelona-music)

we are staying at Hostel One Paralelo (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Hostel-One-Paralelo/Barcelona/51396).yeah, I am pretty fucking excited.

to clarify, we're getting into Barcelona Monday afternoon, leaving Friday morning for Amsterdam. but Thursday will be taken up by Sonar by Day (http://www.sonar.es/en/2013/prg/ar/list/?day=4&dn=0&type=#.UZxcco6hDzI). so really, it's only gonna be two and a half full days of nothing planned, so definitely not enough time to visit those islands. I would love to though. sort of regretting our decision to add the Amsterdam trip in...

[Edited on May 22, 2013 at 1:52 AM. Reason : ]

5/22/2013 1:41:27 AM

skip Amsterdam and have another Euro trip that's more dedicated towards it?

5/22/2013 10:47:17 AM

Quote :

"Is it worth paying an extra 12 euros to stay in a single room at a hostel instead of a 5-person room?"

I personally think it is worth it, but only because a dude once threatened me in a hostel room for snoring. It only takes one Russian dude standing over you in the middle of the night to influence a few changes.

5/22/2013 12:26:13 PM

tommy wiseau when are you going to be in Barcelona? I'll be there for a week this summer, in the same hostel as y'all.



[Edited on May 22, 2013 at 12:43 PM. Reason : ]

5/22/2013 12:42:28 PM

June 10-14

5/22/2013 3:43:53 PM

ahh, i'll be there June 28th-July4th.

Im pretty excited to stay in Hostel One Paralelo. It gets pretty amazing reviews...one of the highest rated on hostelworld.com in the world.

5/22/2013 4:19:34 PM

Quite intriguing. Caused me to look up the rankings

http://www.hostelworld.com/hoscars-2013#1

They actually hold the hoscars every year.

Heres the top 10. Apparently lisbon is a backpackers paradise.

Quote :

" 97% Rating1.Yes! Lisbon Hostel Lisbon, Portugal 98% Rating2.Home Hostel Lisbon, Portugal 98% Rating3.Travellers House Lisbon, Portugal 96% Rating4.Living Lounge Hostel Lisbon, Portugal 97% Rating5.Hostel One Paralelo Barcelona, Spain 93% Rating6.Vagabonds Belfast, Northern Ireland 93% Rating7.Cocomama Amsterdam, Netherlands 94% Rating8.Hostel Riad Marrakech Rouge Marrakech, Morocco 93% Rating9.The Garden Backpacker Seville, Spain 96% Rating10.Ostello Bello Milan, Italy"

I've stayed at cocomama and vegabonds. It was great but I did not think vegabonds was that great. I also stayed at USA Hostels LA and SF which is the best chain in the world. They were nice hostels but not as good as the smaller ones. In my experience, the smalers ones are a lot more fun than the large ones.

5/22/2013 6:06:04 PM

I'd like to go with my girlfriend on a Eurotrip but we have different ideas about travel and budgeting. I'd like to stay in a hostel... basically everywhere. She's not a fan of hostels, or was burnt out on them the first time she went to Europe and basically decided they weren't for her. Trying to negotiate her towards the single-rooms IN hostels... good way to still save some money from a hotel, and get a hostel experience. Might have to mix in some non-hostel venues I guess.

5/22/2013 6:38:08 PM

I wonder if she stayed in nice hostels like these or regular hostels. The hostel experience is not distinct. Its even more diverse than hotels really. Its like staying at the red roof inn on new bern avenue and saying "nah, i once stayed at a hotel and it was awful" when someone invites you to stay at the downtown Marriott.

I've literally stayed in boutigque hostels that were small and like having your own room in a luxurious mansion with a team of butlers cooking, cleaning, organizing events and ready to do whatever you want at any hour.

I've also sstayed at the sterotypical hostel that was basically set in an orphanage with bums, prostitutes and drunken people living in each others' filth. If that was the first hostel I stayed at, I may have been out of the game from the start.

5/22/2013 6:43:29 PM

She went on a club chartered trip in high school that went through hostels, I believe; so probably her experience was misinformed by 1) you were in fucking high school, 2) some teacher in the sticks with an old Macintosh probably didn't research hostels, exactly, 3) you were in fucking high school, but I still need to be careful that it's not just "rowdy, nasty drunks" hostel. Like you mentioned, I too have been to both good and bad hostels (though none as fancy as you described), so I trust myself to be discerning, I just don't want to compromise how much she will enjoy the trip just so I can be in a hostel.

She's more of a solitary traveler than I am. I will meet people at the hostel and do things with them--she's not as into that. So we'll have to strike a balance between somewhat nicer hostels I think.

5/22/2013 9:30:28 PM

Barcelona rules so hard. I already want to go back. Hostel One Paralelo is great, close to the metro and a short walk to La Rambla. being in that city during Sonar was just unbelievable. so much to do and perfect weather. A+ city.

6/18/2013 7:41:33 PM

I'll be in Barcelona in the fall. Anything besides the guidebook recommended stuff to do? Best bar/club? Best food that you had, etc.

6/19/2013 4:51:52 PM

So only about 39 hours until I leave for my trip! First solo trip to Europle. Im slightly nervous, but excited. Valencia, Madrid, Barcelona, Tampere, and Helsinki, here I come!

If your bored you should follow my travel blog. http://www.cheapdavid.com


On a side note I have everything figured out except what im doing while in Barcelona. I'll be there 6/28-7/4, and staying in Hostel One Paralelo. I did buy Rick Stevens Barcelona guide book, but figured i'd get the opinion of fellow tww'ers too.

[Edited on June 19, 2013 at 7:23 PM. Reason : ]

6/19/2013 7:20:56 PM

Does anyone have hotel recommendations for Paris?

7/1/2013 2:10:29 PM

^using points or $?

What are you looking for as far as location, etc?

Starwood - I like the Le Meridien Etoile - next to the Porte Maillot station. If you get a renovated room, it's more of a W theme vs. traditional Le Meridien. Le Relais de Venise is a great restaurant nearby - everyone essentially gets the same thing - salad, steak with this awesome green sauce, and fries. Another solid SPG option is the Westin Vendome, depends on what you're looking to be close to.

IHG - Holiday Inn Opera Grands Boulevards - a bunch of my fam stayed there and liked it. Good proximity to restaurants, train, etc.

7/1/2013 4:21:35 PM

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look into them. I will be paying cash this trip, not rewards

7/2/2013 5:24:27 AM

Two part question:

1.) What should I wear in Germany/Amsterdam to not look like a silly American tourist?

2.) I'll be there 10 days. Should bring enough clothes for 5 days and plan on doing laundry at some point? My suitcase will be getting tight with 10 days of clothes!

7/8/2013 9:55:54 PM

A nice pair of Levi's and a warm jacket. And some other shirts..

Because Germans love Levi's for some reason and Germany is cold.

I am pretty sure you will be able to find a place to do laundry..

[Edited on July 8, 2013 at 10:09 PM. Reason : .]

7/8/2013 10:07:44 PM

I checked the forecast and the temperature is like 70's during day and 50's at night. Could probably survive without the jacket.

7/8/2013 10:22:46 PM

Wear what you would normally wear in the US. If you go out of your way NOT to look like a tourist...you're probably going to look more like a tourist.

Just make sure you're not wearing a fannypack and a beret with your name stitched on it and you're gold. Worry more about all the fun shit you're going to do and see over there and less about what people think about you. You'll NEVER see these people again in your life.

7/9/2013 8:47:54 AM

REALLY looking like I'm going to Europe for a few weeks with one other person at the beginning of May.

Only time I've ever been out of the country was a short trip to Canada.

Going to backpack it.

Should be interesting.

1/28/2014 7:32:55 AM

I'd really like to do this again. Easily the best experience of my life.

1/28/2014 7:54:38 AM

I have no idea what to expect. I hope I'm not miserable. lol.

1/28/2014 7:57:43 AM

if you are miserable then you are doing it wrong. maybe this is just what you need to get out of this depression you seem to be in.

1/28/2014 8:22:25 AM

^ eh, I know I shouldn't expect a miracle, but I'm hoping so

1/28/2014 8:28:37 AM

Jesus Christ dude...just chill the fuck out and travel around. The more pressure you put on a trip like this, the higher probability that it will be a letdown.

1/28/2014 8:35:10 AM

lol. I'm just looking forward to it.

1/28/2014 8:56:06 AM

Cell phone

Any advice on picking up a throw away phone that'll work in multiple countries? Won't be able to carry my phone.

1/28/2014 12:26:51 PM

Waste of money, use skype or at worst just get a phone card. If you have one, an iPod touch is money as unlocked wifi is as easy as walking down a city street. Enjoy the solidarity for once.

1/29/2014 8:09:15 AM

In Germany I paid $50 for a SIM card to work on my droid. Shit lasted me all week including several calls back to the states and using the data to GPS around the city.

1/29/2014 8:17:25 AM

Nice, I didn't realize open wifi would be so abundant.

[Edited on January 29, 2014 at 9:06 AM. Reason : ]

1/29/2014 9:06:21 AM

I really can't wait to get back to Europe. I just spent 3 weeks in Latin America, and while I really enjoyed my time there, it can definitely be a bit 3rd world compared to Western Europe or the US. It's so much easier to use a credit card and not have to haggle or deal with cash and trade currencies all the time to get the best rate (hello Argentina). That and wifi is practically everywhere.

1/29/2014 9:37:13 AM

For phones: If you're looking for something to make calls within the country that you're traveling, pick up a cheapo unlocked GSM from amazon and get a new sim card each time you cross a border (you can get them in nearly any grocery store, convenient store, or kiosk on the street). If you're in the Benelux region, I highly recommend Mobile Vikings. Super cheap and tons of data (downside is you will have to pre-order the sim and have it mailed to you.

For call back to the US: Pick up a magic jack. It seems shitty and gimmicky on the infomercials but it has worked well for me and many others when traveling around the world. Since you get a year of service with the cost of the jack, it is much cheaper than skype if you are making lots of calls or long calls back to cell/landlines in the US.

1/29/2014 9:57:36 AM

or just call Skype to Skype?

1/29/2014 12:58:26 PM

i use google voice to call/text US numbers from europe

1/29/2014 1:15:33 PM

WhatsApp is free too

1/29/2014 1:28:04 PM

^^ That's what I'll be doing if I need to even use a "phone"

Here's a dumb question, hostels. Extra blankets if it's cold as balls. Better off just packing one or will they actually hook you up with one if needed?

[Edited on January 29, 2014 at 10:32 PM. Reason : ]

1/29/2014 10:32:36 PM

....or just wear more clothing when you sleep?? Seriously?? Don't waste space packing an extra blanket...holy shit.

1/29/2014 11:37:55 PM

I was made to ask that question

1/29/2014 11:42:17 PM

They also have these contrivances called heaters. You might have to finagle and on/off switch, but they are intended to convey warmth.

Please tell your parents and loved ones where you are going.

1/30/2014 3:39:08 AM