Backpacking is hard work with a huge reward. Here are some tips for how much you should budget, ways to save Money, and how to stay safe.

Flights - In order to be more flexible and save money on plane tickets, you should purchase a one-way ticket, travel throughout Europe on trains and other public transport, and then purchase another one-way ticket back home from the last country you visit. This will avoid backtracking and allow you to see a greater amount of countries in less time and a more cost-efficient way. Check out airports that may not be in your state for better deals. For example, if I fly from MSP (minneapolis) to JFK (New York) and then to my destination it is often cheaper than flying directly from MSP to my destinations. You can also find very cheap flights within Europe instead of using trains, but beware of hidden fees! Unfortunately, as far as transportation goes, backpacking Europe is best planned during travel instead of before. This can be kind of scary, but allows you to extend your stay in certain regions if you'd like and may give you a sense of freedom.

Accommodations - Hostels in smaller cities are cheap, but you have to decide if you want to forfeit your time for extra day travel to sight seeing spots to save $10 a night on accommodation. If you can find adventures in smaller, road-less traveled locations you may have better luck saving your money. You can even find free activities most of the time including museums, hiking, and city-by-foot tours provided by hostels. Europe is filled with opportunities. Some regions are cheaper than others, such as Bulgaria which I talk about in my post Cheap Destinations. Other cheap locations are Serbia and Romania. Russian currency, called Rubles, are currently about 1 USD : 66 Rubles, which means your money will go a long way there. Hostels can be less than $10 a night!

Safety - Learn about possible scams in the regions you plan to visit. Jessica Plautz posted this really helpful infographic for tourist scams. Keep copies of important documents in every bag you have just in case one your bags gets lost or stolen. Do the same with money, underwear, and important medications. Don't keep important stuff like money in the small, outer pocket of your bag. That is the first place a pickpocket will check. Act like you know what you're doing and stay alert. Seriously, people can spot tourists and will try to take advantage of you. If you go to a country where the main language is not your own, know important phrases in that language, such as "help", "bathroom", and "airport". Learn local laws and how not to offend the locals before you get there. You don't want to make anyone mad, especially if there is a language barrier, and you definitely don't want to end up in a foreign jail. For more information check out my post Travel Safety.

Thanks for listening!