You’ve set a date, picked a route, and gotten you’re tickets. What next? I hope you gave yourself a little time to relax, because now we’re going to start the real work. The greatest thing about backpacking anywhere is having the flexibility to do and see whatever you want at your own pace. You’re not on a guided and scheduled tour, you’re not with a large group of people who all want different things, and you’re probably not going to be staying in only one place. But, just because you’re a free spirit at heart doesn’t mean you should land in the country totally unprepared. Therefore, one must master the art of planning a flexible schedule. But trust me, once you get the hang of it, everything will come naturally. The main thing is to be smart and meticulous about the details you do want to sort out, like housing options and inland transportation, while allowing yourself the freedom to loosely explore the country and your options when you’re there. I’ll walk you through a couple of things you should do about one month in advance.

Let’s say you’re like me where you want to be [1] adventurous and [2] efficient. You want to see and do all there is, but you still want to just go with the flow of things. Well, planning a backpacking trip could then be quite difficult and confusing. There’s definitely a couple of things we absolutely had to consider.

How are we going to get from city to city on a budget?

Most people think Eurail when they think backpacking through Europe, but there are definitely more options you should explore if you want to stay within a certain budget. For example, there are budget airlines like Ryanair, Wizz Air, and Easy Jet that can cost you as little as $20 and save you from hours on a long train ride. In fact, getting from Barcelona to Spain would’ve been an almost 10 hour train ride, so we’re opting to take a plane that’ll only be about an hour and a half for ~$40. If you want to see everything and be efficient with your time, you should really consider flying instead of taking a train. Another great non-train mean of transportation are busses. There are many great bus lines that travel from country to country for cheap and some that even travel through the night, so that you can wake up at your destination. While it may not be the most comfortable means, it’s definitely going to save you the $$. Also, be aware whether or not you’re backpacking during peak season. It’s hard to be flexible with a tight schedule during peak season because lines could be long and long train/bus/plane tickets could be sold out. If you can, purchase the tickets that require reservation before you arrive.

Where should we stay in each city?

Paying for a place to stay for 3 weeks could really add up. If you’re traveling through major cities, like Barcelona and Amsterdam, the price for a bed in a hostel could average at $20. So, if you’re up for it, I suggest you look into other accommodations. For example, perhaps you know someone who knows someone who lives in the area. Or, you can try couchsurfing using the website. In smaller cities and even certain locations, like Eastern Europe or South-East Asia, the price for a bed is much cheaper and thus certainly affordable. So, I suggest you find out what you want the most in your housing, small things you want to splurge on, and you take a look into completely free options, like crashing at someones place. Once again, if you’re traveling through peak season it’s very possible that the hostels in the best locations are going to be sold out by the time you get there. If you absolutely want to stay in a certain part of town, then reserve a bed early.

How long should we stay in each city?

This one also depends on what you want to do in the city and how long you plan backpacking for. I can’t imagine seeing nearly as much as you should within 2 short days, but alas, sometimes that’s all you got. For major cities, I think 2 full days at the minimum would suffice, though you’ll have to know exactly what you want to see before hand. If you’re going somewhere just to see one thing specifically, then give yourself enough time to see it and to relax for a bit. So, for larger cities in a short amount of time I would do at least a 3 night stay and for some small towns I’d make it a day trip (possibly on the way to another location) or I’d stay there for 1 night.

How can we be cheap, but smart?

This one is always pretty difficult as it depends on the cities that you go to. Easy ways to stay on budget (besides finding cheap accommodation and transportation) are to set daily limits on your spending. Do as the locals do, since they’re probably not blowing money like the average tourist in their city will. Buy food from grocery stores, engage in the free dinners some hostels provide, get around by foot if you can or take the local transport, and ask the locals where the best places are to go. You can probably find much better food and shopping off the touristy sites for a fraction of the cost. Be street-savvy, haggle whenever possible, and only purchase what you’re willing to carry on your back for the next couple of weeks. If you’re a student, see if you can get some discounts. Using my ISIC card saved me a couple of bucks in Australia and Peru, and though it’s expired I’m still going to bring it around just in case. Many museums set certain days aside for free admission, so definitely check to see when those days are.

The goal is to have at least the basics down. If you’re semi-pressed for time, you don’t want to show up in a foreign country totally unprepared. You want the luxury of not having to scramble looking for a bed at the very last-minute. Transportation and accommodation are probably going to be the most important things you will purchase during your trip, so by roughly planning how you want to get from place to place and where you want to stay, you could save big bucks knowing you got the best deal.