A trip to Europe normally spans a leisurely month or so. But for working folk like me (with just a few vacation days at work), that leisurely month is not a possibility.
So I combined a birthday leave with my remaining work leaves to have a 10-day, 9 city ‘backpacker-style’ trip around Europe.
Such a compressed schedule is not really for everyone. It’s only for the hardy (or foolhardy?) budget-conscious people who can withstand daily hotel transfers, very long bus rides, convenience store food, very fast sightseeing and traveling with a huge group of strangers.
This is the itinerary for the 10-day trip with Discover Asia (a local travel agency):
Day 1 – Manila to Paris (connecting flight in Oman)
Day 2 – Paris to Lucerne, Switzerland
Day 3 – Lucerne to Milan (See Milan story here)
Day 4- Venice to Rome (see Venice story here)
Day 5 – Rome to Vatican City (see Rome story here)
Day 6 – Florence to Pisa (See Florence story here and Pisa story here)
Day 7- Monaco to Nice to Cannes (See story here)
Day 8 – return to Paris
Day 9 – Paris to Manila (connecting flight in Oman)
Day 10 – arrival in Manila
Coming from that experience, here are a few things to keep in mind for those who actually want to try it:
• Budget hotel adventures
Given that it was a budget trip, we stayed mostly in simple hotels. There are some pretty cool budget hotels (and some crappy ones) in the corners of Europe. But because they are budget hotels, be prepared for some that have very small or no elevators. There was a lot of carrying of heavy bags up the stairs or long lines at elevators.
Throughout the entire trip – there were no hotels with air conditioning (something we aren’t used to in the Philippines). You have to just open the window and let the cold breeze in. Also, be ready to arrive at these hotels in the dead of night each day (with very early wake up calls the next day). Best to not bring too many bags!
• No rice, mostly bread
As expected – be ready to eat a lot of bread, potatoes, and pasta (a challenge for most Filipinos who love to eat rice). The Filipinos in the group tour were always on the lookout for a Japanese, Thai or Chinese restaurant that offered rice. Throughout the entire trip, we only came across one hole-in-the-wall Filipino eatery in Vatican City near St. Peter’s Basilica. Also – while there are chances to eat at great places for lunch, be ready to eat sandwiches at convenience stores for dinner during the long bus trips.
• Not all cities in Europe are cold in winter
It was winter time in Europe (trip was in December) but there was no snow (mostly just a lot of wind and occasional rain) except in the Swiss mountains so no need to bring snow boots. It was very mild and even warm in places like Rome, Monaco and Pisa while very cold, windy and occasionally rainy in Milan and Paris.
• Be ready with a mix of currencies
Be ready with a few Swiss francs when in Switzerland (they don’t accept euros or dollars). Other than that, euros work everywhere else. Don’t forget to change your francs into euros (or just spend them) before leaving Switzerland.
- Pass-through mode
For those interested in the low cost tour from Discover Asia (P100,000) – just note that this kind of tour is supposed to be a “taster” where people go very quickly through the places and just give them enough of an experience to make them go back in the future and spend more time in the places they liked. A lot of it was just picture-taking outside the tourist spot structures with additional costs for comprehensive guided tours within.
- Be aware of current events
Aside from a quick late night visit to the Eiffel Tower, we were not able to roam around Paris at that time because of an impending protest activity over gas price hikes. Our drivers were in a bit of a panic to bring us to the airport earlier than planned since all the roads were about to be closed. It always helps to watch the local news and think about safety.
I spent a total of P100,000 (roughly USD1,910) for the tour package with Discover Asia (inclusive of flights, tours, accommodation and daily breakfast) and about P30,000 (roughly USD573) for other out-of-pocket expenses.
Despite the exhausting pace, it was a truly memorable birthday trip!