1

How much money? or time?

If its money there are many variants..how you travel,how fast,what kind of food,accommodation......how many organised activities you do.,if you want to go drinking/clubbing etc.

You want a standard 'low budget' per day in Europe?..Something like 70 euros a day..of course you can spend less and you can sure spend a lot more ;-)

2

So 6 months is more or less 13000 euros.That is travelling around,seeing and doing things...staying in different hostels,eating well,going out sometimes....

Then you need to add flights to and from Oz,insurance,visa (if you need them.depends where else you are going)

3

Hi aussietraveller_93!

Welcome to TT!

What passport do you hold?
Be aware if you only have an Australian passport, you can't be more than 90 days in each 180 calendar days period in the Schengen Area (as a tourist, visa free). Take a look here for more info. If you plan to work, you'll need a visa for the country(ies) where you plan to work.

4

ok so I'll be turning 20 over there so i do want to do the whole party scene, but not all the time. I'm thinking of doing a bit of WWOOFing just to see that side of Europe as well. anillos_de_saturno I did read a bit about the Schengen Area and the rules so i will be getting my visas for the countries that I will be spending a fair bit of time in. Is there anything i need to be careful about while im over there?

5

Like what?

Every danger that exists in Europe also exists in Australia.....

6

i mean places to avoid or things to avoid doing?

7

Not really...apart from common sense.

Like..don't get drunk and walk around on your own at night,with a load of cash and a camera around your neck.

Doesn't that apply in almost any populated place in the world?

8

You can spend three months in the schengen area countries and then move on to the eastern European countries. This way you can stay 6 months in Europe . Also eastern Europe is much cheaper so that wil bring down your average spending. 70 euros daily is a very safe amount. If you skip clubbing , dining and drinking out and take care of your cooking or take fast food it gets a bit cheaper, camping if weather allows can be a good alternative to the dorms. It all depends on how much you want to rough it.
Don't ask a work visa if you don't have a job yet. You probably don't find a job in the current economical climate.just depart with enough money in your account, a travel ensurance and keep your family informed about your whereabouts. For 3 months stay as tourist you don't need any kind of visa if you hold a Australian passport .

Britain ,specially London is the most expensive of the places you name. Berlin will be cheaper than munchen France depends on the area , but Paris and the cote d'azur will be more expensive than the other areas. Croatia is full in July and august and the other months less. Winter is empty. And so on. What I want to say is that there are many differences in the time of the year and in the regions of one country.

Try airbnb.com a short term rental site where people rent out a room in their home per day or even a whole house. Or have a look at couch surfing.com. You might like to start your travel this way.

9

haha yeah i guess thats true lucapal, thanks. ok this is good, so ill be able to spread my time across western and eastern europe without visas. ok i think ill be staying in hostels and at friends places when possible. ok so its not worth getting a work visa unless i already have work lined up. i guess if im looking for work on the dive boats in Croatia then july and august will be the best time to go there then. ok so ill be able to work out my trip around the on off seasons of certain areas

10

i will be getting my visas for the countries that I will be spending a fair bit of time in.

Be aware you won't get a visa if your only purpose is tourism. You can get a visa to stay longer in a specific country (and only in that country) if you plan to work, study...

I'm thinking of doing a bit of WWOOFing

Be aware some countries require a visa for WWOOFing legally.

so ill be able to spread my time across western and eastern europe without visas.

If you don't stay more than 90 days in the Schengen area, if you stay only as a tourist (in the case of WWOOFing verify the requirements of each country as some of them require a visa) and you don't go to a country in Eastern Europe than require a visa for Australian, yes.

11

Aussietraveller, slow down. Obviously, you are naive as to the realities of travel and work. You can't just talk about work permits and work on dive boats as if it were a given that you will be able to get either one. The reality is you will probably not be able to get either one.

Separate the two subjects of travel and work in your mind. Then talk about one or the other. Travel means you have to have the money to do so. You also have to consider the Schengen rule as noted.

Work requires that you have a work permit in ANY country where you might consider it. Unless you have a skill that is not available locally, it is not likely you will get one. Having a dive master certification is quite honestly not much better than having a driving license when it comes to getting a job on a dive boat. Dive Masters are a dime a dozen.

The point is you cannot count on finding work. If you get lucky that's fine but planning based on it happening is not a good idea. You need to think through the practicalities of work. For example, do you think that if there were a job available on a dive boat that the owner would want someone for the whole season or just a few weeks or few months?

Take the time to browse through this forum. You will find all kinds of information of use to you in determining just how feasible your plans are or are not. Start here for example: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2058856

If you want to travel for 6 months you need to know how to legally do so (re Schengen and working) and have enough money to do so.

12

You make some good point travelinstyle46, I guess I am assuming that Europe will be a bit like Australia when it's obviously not. If I was lucky enough to get dive work, and by the sounds of it that's a big if then I would extend my trip so I could stay for the season. I am doing as much reading as I can at the moment and there is a lot to take in haha. I'll check out the link you posted. Thanks

13

People do find work Aussietraveller. I had a bar in Greece for some years and every year a couple of hundred travellers found work in bars, restaurants and hotels. Most of them were working 'under the table' illegally and that is the accepted norm in some places. There are risks to that of course but if someone is willing to take the risk then some will find jobs.

However, for every person who says they found work in a bar there are another half dozen who don't bother to come and say they didn't find work. Workers are a dime a dozen.

So there is nothing wrong with hoping to find some work and looking for it. What is a big mistake is planning on finding it. As a way to supplement funds and just extend your time in a given place it can be fine. Planning on it to fund further travel is foolish.

14

alright i understand now, yeah i was hoping that if i found somewhere i really liked and wanted to stay for a while longer there then i would be able to find work. i had heard great things about diving in croatia and as a diver i thought it would be awsome to get to dive in croatia and get paid for it haha. have you spent anytime in croatia?