Places visited: Lisbon, Porto, Madrid, Barcelona, Geneva, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Brasov, Bucharest, Sofia, and Istanbul

Highlights:

• 62 days
• 14 countries
• 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
• 20 museums and memorials
• 10 walking tours
• 10 forms of transport (plane, foot, car, train, bus, ferry, metro, tram, electric scooter, and cable car)
• ~40 new food/drinks
• Countless new friends made :)

Hi all! I just returned from two months traveling across Europe. While trip planning, I read through countless threads on Reddit and got a ton of useful info, so I’m hoping to pay it forward here. This is a pretty long post, but I’ve divided it into sections. Feel free to ask me anything in the comments (or PM me)!

Post sections:

• Background info (including budget/costs)
• Destinations
• Transportation
• Accommodation
• Other notes
• Final verdict

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Background info:

Trip length: 62 days (August to October)

Me: 20F from the U.S. No solo travel experience before this, limited international travel experience in general.

*all numbers are in Euros! I paid in a bunch of different currencies, wrote the cost down, and converted it to Euros every few days using the then-current exchange rate. I have no idea how this could affect anything but I’m sure it’s probably relevant*

Budget: 6,180 (not counting flights, which were a gift)

Total costs:

Accommodation (a mix of hostel dorms, private rooms, etc.): 2,184.55

Transportation (trains, buses, metro, etc.): 985.51

Food/drinks: 816.28

Attractions (museum tickets, guided tours, etc.): 1,173.85

Miscellaneous (souvenirs, visas, ATM fees, etc.): 322.89

Insurance: 205.75

Donations: 1066.72 (I matched the cost of my flights with a donation to a climate change-focused nonprofit donated to the Man in Seat 61 UNICEF UK fundraiser)

So yeah, I was way over budget. I definitely could have cut down on costs by only staying in (larger) dorms and not booking as many tours, but you only live once, right? :)

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Destinations (these are brief summaries and are in no way comprehensive):

Lisbon (4 days):

I loved Lisbon! I wish I had seen more of the city while I was here, but I was still getting used the whole concept of solo travel. But I highly recommend the Lisboa Story Centre, the National Tile Museum, and Livraria Bertrand (the world’s oldest bookstore). Also Divalo (delicious and affordable Indian food with an incredible view). In general, Lisbon was incredibly affordable and easy to get around.

Favorite memory: Having nightly dinners and playing drunken Never Have I Ever and drunken Jenga at my hostel.

Porto (1.5 days):

Porto might be the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen. I repeatedly look at the photos I took of the Douro river in awe (and I’m not even that great of a photographer). I highly recommend walking along the river and seeing the Atlantic Ocean. There’s also a really cool photography museum housed in a former prison (Centro Português de Fotografia). In general, I think this is really great city for relaxing and just experiencing the city atmosphere, but it looked like there were also lots of nightlife options for those so inclined.

Favorite memory: Walking along the Duoro river for nearly two hours.

Madrid (2.5 days):

Madrid was a lot of fun! In hindsight I wish I had spent another day or two here, but I tried to make the most out of my limited time. Highlights included visiting Temple of Debod (a really cool Egyptian temple that was gifted to the Spanish government), hanging out at El Retiro Park, gawking at the guards’ uniforms and horses outside the Royal Palace, and seeing a flamenco show/drinking sangria at La Cueva de Lola. I also really enjoyed walking around and people watching at the main city squares.

Favorite memory: Seeing a flamenco show with someone I met at my hostel.

Barcelona (4 days):

Admittedly, my experience was Barcelona was tarnished by the fact that I was terrified of pickpockets. I refused to take the metro and walked everywhere with a single credit card and my hostel card tucked in my bra. But I didn’t get anything stolen, and I did get to see Sagrada Familía and Parc Güell (both highly recommended). I also went down La Rambla but I’m not really a shopping person, so I didn’t get much value out of it. The chocolate museum is probably worth a visit, depending on your interests (it’s only 6 euro and comes with a free chocolate bar and English-language exhibits). But I think I would recommend Madrid if you were to visit a single Spanish city.

Favorite memory: Seeing Parc Güell! It’s so beautiful and charming.

Geneva (5 days):

So Geneva is very expensive. I was lucky enough to stay in a friend’s apartment for free and cooked most of my meals in her kitchen, but I still racked up significant expenses. If you’re visiting the city, I recommend a visit to the International Red Cross museum and walking around the lake and seeing Jet d’Eau. Cafe du Soleil has pretty good fondue and English-speaking servers. However, you probably only need for a couple of days to fully experience Geneva (to the extent that any tourist can experience a city). I mostly used my time here to relax and catch up on work.

Favorite memory: First time grocery shopping in a foreign country!

Paris (5 days):

I loved Paris! Highlights included doing a wine and cheese tasting, eating tons of Nutella crepes, visiting the catacombs, spending a day at Disneyland Paris, taking a Seine river cruise, and attending an English-language comedy show about Paris. I highly recommend getting the Navigo pass for a week of unlimited metro rides. I also read through a bunch of articles summarizing the different Paris arrondissements and tried to visit as many as I could — I was able to explore the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 13th, 14th, and 18th, and I really enjoyed seeing a wide range of the city. Contrary to the stereotype, all of the Parisians I talked to were very kind and helpful.

Favorite memory: Taking the metro late at night all across Paris.

Brussels (3 days):

I was pleasantly surprised by Brussels, having been given the impression by the Internet that the city sucks and is boring. It’s not boring! It’s adorable and charming (case in point: the numerous comic murals all across the city). I really wish I had planned my time here better, because I didn’t get to do half the things I wanted to. But I really enjoyed eating frites and chocolate, doing a waffle-making workshop, walking around Grand-Place, and stumbling across a random air show at Mont Des Arts (where you can get a wonderful view of the entire city). I also booked a day trip to Bruges and Ghent, which was a lot of fun. (Although if you were to go to just one, I would recommend Ghent — the former seems a little artificial while the latter seems like a real city where people actually live.)

Favorite memory: Making homemade waffles and decadently topping them with powdered sugar, Nutella, whipped cream, and even more sugar.

Amsterdam (3 days):

I should disclose upfront that I was feeling off during my time in Amsterdam (although I don’t think I was actually sick), so that probably dampened my enthusiasm for the city (as did the fact that everything seemed expensive). To be honest, the touristy things I liked could have been done in a single day or two. But one thing I did appreciate was the abundance of vegan and vegetarian options. I ate extremely well in Amsterdam, ranging from the free hostel breakfast (yay!) to meals at Lokol, an incredible vegan restaurant (order the Korean fried mushrooms, corn on the cob, and the cookie sandwich). I also appreciated that just about everyone speaks English :)

Favorite memory: Spending five hours at Lokol, ordering more and more food.

Berlin (5 days):

Berlin is the city of museums and memorials! (At least for me.) I’d planned my stay in Germany’s capital to be history-focused, and I booked walking tours focused on the Third Reich and communist Berlin (which included visits to many major attractions) and independently visited Museum Island and Checkpoint Charlie. I also went to a really cool nightclub. All in all, I really enjoyed it. The public transit is Berlin is really good, even if I had to spend a ridiculous amount of money on it because I unfortunately lost my 4-day pass, which is itself ridiculously expensive at when compared to Paris. (But other than that, Berlin is fairly affordable.)

Favorite memory: Listening to a tour guide who grew up in the city tell stories of daily life before the wall came down.

Prague (4 days):

Prague is a wonderfully artistic and literary city. I loved the numerous references to Franz Kafka, one of my favorite authors. (The Kafka museum is now one of my favorite museums.) I also highly recommend a walking tour of the Old Town and Jewish quarter and a visit to the Prague castle complex (10€ gets you access to multiple attractions, including Golden Lane, which has exhibits on everyday life centuries ago includes Kafka’s former house-turned-bookstore). Walk up to the Vyšehrad cemetery for a beautiful view of the city. I also spent a few hours at the Terezin concentration camp, which was really haunting, especially because there were barely any tourists. Finally, I took a day trip to Česky Krumlov, which was lovely and something I would recommend as a stopover when traveling to Vienna (see the “what went wrong” section for more info).

Favorite memory: Wandering around in awe at the Prague Castle complex, especially Golden Lane.

Vienna (4 days):

Vienna is HEAVEN for vegans (and anyone who appreciates delicious plant-based food). I ate at a fully vegan Burger King (really) and enjoyed vegan waffles and a pay-as-you-wish vegan dinner each night at my hostel. Go window browsing at Hundertwasser Village — super kitschy, super fun. I also liked the Imperial Apartments at the Sisi Museum and the Museum of Contraception and Abortion. If you’re going to Schönbrunn and aren’t vegan, check out the Strudel show at Café Residenz (so much fun, and they give you the recipe and the number for a “strudel hotline” — how adorable is that?). You can also get a beautiful view of the city from Wiener Riesenrad (formerly the world’s tallest Ferris wheel — the capsules have illustrations labeling the skyline’s landmarks so you know what you’re looking at).

Favorite memory: Eating Sachertorte at the bar at Hundertwasser Village.

Bratislava (1 day):

Bratislava is really charming and a lovely place for a brief visit (but no more than a couple of days at most, honestly). I took an incredible walking tour with Free Tour Bratislava (they have multiple ones, but I did the city castle tour) and enjoyed wandering around the Old Town. But I did really want to take a river cruise to Devin Castle but forgot to book in advance, so I might come back someday just to do that.

Favorite memory: Learning about Slovakian food from my wonderful walking tour guide.

Budapest (4 days):

If you do only thing in this city, it must be the House of Terror, which blew me away and might be the best museum I’ve ever visited. I also really enjoyed browsing at the Central Market Hall and exploring the Buda Castle District. I took a tour of the Buda caves, which was a lot of fun, and I got a glimpse of Hospital in the Rock which made me regret not booking a tour of the latter. But I also regret going to the Szechenyi baths; it might have been the first place in my trip where I was acutely aware that I was alone, and it was so crowded that I couldn’t relax. I want to try Ruda baths instead next time I visit. Oh, and I did a great walking tour of the Pest side. Also, I noticed an abundance of English-language use in the city (sometimes even among store employees speaking to each other) — not sure what’s up with that, but it was convenient.

If you visit Budapest, make sure to try lángos (Retro Lángos has an array of options, including a vegan one), and know that Bite is a regional coffee shop chain with magical cinnamon rolls. Karavan has great street food, including Hungarian specialties.

Favorite memory: Taking the elevator ride/exhibit at the House of Terror.

Brasov (2 days):

Brasov is beautiful! I want to go back and spend more time in the Carpathian Mountains. But I really enjoyed hanging out at the Central Square and hiking through the forest to the Black Tower, and I also walked through Rope Street (this one felt overrated). I spent half a day at Bran, which was probably not worth it; I was aware of the castle’s tendency to disappoint even before I went, but I wanted to visit a Romanian castle and Bran was the easiest to travel to. But next time I’ll go to Peles Castle or just stay in Brasov and enjoy the nature; it’s especially gorgeous this time of year.

Favorite memory: Hiking in the Carpathian Mountains, where it felt like it was me and the autumn colors and nothing else for miles.

Bucharest (1.5 days):

Bucharest was more enjoyable than I thought. I really wanted to go to Palace of Parliament but it was closed during my entire Europe trip (from mid-August to two days after my flight home). So instead I walked around the Old Town and Herastrau Park, strolled down Calea Victorei, browsed books at Cărturești Carusel, ate at Manuc’s Inn, and visited the National Village Museum. I wish I had seen more but I was just exhausted by this point. That said, this is probably a city you can cover in 2-3 days at the most. Also, I expected more of a language barrier, but everyone in Bucharest seems to speak near-native English. And everything was super affordable!

Favorite memory: Hanging out by the campfire at my hostel and talking to a mix of travelers and locals.

Sofia (2.5 days):

Sofia was similarly lovely but small. A must-do is the Balkan Bites Free Food Tour (which includes wine!) — our guide was enthusiastic and even catered to specific dietary restrictions, and the portions were far more generous than your standard free samples. We tried 8 food/drink items from 6 places and then learned how to dance the hora :) Other than that, I can recommend the Red Flat (a recreated 80s-style Sofia apartment where you can learn about a fictional but realistic family) and Boyana Church (the illustrations inside are awe-inspiring, even to an atheist like me). I took a day trip to the Rila Monastery, which was similarly beautiful.

Favorite memory: Cheerfully — albeit not skillfully — dancing the hora after the food tour.

Istanbul (4 days):

Story time: I arrived in Istanbul at around midnight (after taking a ten-hour bus) and my hotel was cash-only, so I wandered around for another hour looking for an ATM, which sounds miserable, but everywhere I went I saw shops still open and cats hanging out and I immediately realized I was going to love this city.

Day 1 included lunch with people from my hostel at The Must (an overpriced but really cute and cozy restaurant) and an incredible walking tour found on Get Your Guide (message me for the link!) This was probably the best walking tour I’ve ever taken; it was just me (the guide said it’s usually just 1-3 people) so it was basically a private tour that involved taking the ferry and visiting Kadiköy (super fun, and the guide taught me a bit of Turkish and helped me buy an Instanbulkart!) Day 2 included all the touristy spots — Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, etc. — and a wonderful ceramics workshop with Les Arts Turcs (the staff were so nice and there was a cat!). Day 3 focused on wandering through the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar and overpaying for some towels and a beautiful serving tray, and stumbling across the book bazaar. Day 4 involved visiting The Museum of Innocence, taking the cable car up Pierre Loti Hill, and using the metro and bus to get around (I love Istanbulkart and wanted to take as many forms of public transit as possible).

Favorite memory: Being trapped in the book bazaar after a baby cat climbed up onto my lap and fell asleep.

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I also took a two-day tour of Cappadocia, which wasn’t solo, but I’m happy to go into it if anyone has questions the mods are fine with it.

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Transportation:

Book inter-country train tickets weeks (or months) in advance. Seriously. I purchased my Porto -> Madrid tickets just nine days in advance, and they were sold out for the day I wanted. I ended up paying $130 for a train that arrived in Madrid the next day at 10pm (I hate arriving in foreign cities late at night, but thankfully Madrid is very safe), and I had to stay an additional night in Porto (which I’m actually glad about) and cancel the first night of my Madrid hostel reservation (thankfully I’d gotten the refundable rate). It all worked out in the end, but I know the Porto -> Madrid fare is just $40 if you book months in advance.

I booked nearly everything on thetrainline.com, which I highly recommend. I did have to pay a small booking fee for many of my reservations, but it was so worth it to have most of my tickets in one app and not have to deal with a million different websites. Seat 61 has all the info you need; it’s the online Bible of rail travel, with useful info on trains all across the world. It has timetables, prices, how to buy tickets, how to navigate specific train stations with recommendations for nearby hotels/places to eat, recommendations for which side of the train to sit for the best view, and more.

Other than that, I took buses for Lisbon -> Porto and Sofia -> Istanbul (both booked through Omio, which was super easy to use). I mostly used the metro in Lisbon, Paris, Berlin, and Vienna; Ubers in Porto, Brasov, and Bucharest; and walked everywhere in Madrid, Barcelona, Geneva, Brussels, Amsterdam, Prague, Bratislava, and Budapest.

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Accommodation:

1. Goodmorning Lisbon Hostel: super social and friendly! It’s also clean and not too big, and it’s marketed towards solo travelers. I very highly recommend it, and make sure you get the all-inclusive option. I met so many people during dinner and unlimited bar/sangria time each night. I stayed in a 4-person mixed dorm and really liked it. This is probably my favorite hostel in the whole world.
2. Urban Garden Porto Central Hostel: Also recommended, with the caveat that they don’t have 24/7 reception (despite what’s stated on their website). I loved hanging out in the courtyard (they have hammocks!) and trying to befriend their cat. I know a lot of people here like party hostels so I should emphasize that this is not one, but you should stay here anyway. I splurged on a private apartment here and enjoyed it.
3. CATS Madrid Sol: This was ok, I guess. It’s cheap and the building is gorgeous, but keep in mind that it is almost always loud, regardless of the hour of day (or night). Also, the beds (at least in the 5-person mixed dorms) are kinda uncomfortable and crowded. I probably wouldn’t stay here again myself, but I would recommend it for someone looking for a party and a place to sleep off a hangover.
4. Sant Jordi Hostels Gracia (Barcelona): Pros: super cozy and adorable, useful selection of travel guides available for browsing, fun neighborhood (check out the cat cafe next door and the zero waste ice cream shop down the street). Cons: loud at times, and for some reason you can’t adjust the lights or the window in your dorm room — the staff does it according to their schedule. I stayed in a 4-person mixed dorm.
5. Generator Paris: So I went into this with super low expectations, and was actually (mildly) pleasantly surprised. There was less of a corporate-y vibe than I thought there would be, and the 8-person women’s dorm was surprisingly quiet and spacious (I lucked out with a room on the 7th floor). And I really appreciated that it was so close to the metro! The lack of kitchen annoyed me, but ultimately I would probably stay here again — I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that there are better hostels in Paris, but sometimes it’s better to take the known mediocre option than risk the unknown.
6. Latroupe Grand Place (Brussels): This is a pretty good hostel with a fantastic location. It’s kinda small (or just isn’t very lively), but I didn’t have any issues making friends to explore the city with. The dorm room beds have curtains and shelves (yay!) and the shower in the 4-person dorm room is incredibly spacious. Would definitely stay here again.
7. Flying Pig Downtown Hostel (Amsterdam): This was ok? It’s not a bad hostel, but I don’t think it’s worthy of the critical acclaim it seems to garner on Reddit (and it was ridiculously expensive). It was hard for me to make friends here because everyone seemed obsessed with drugs. Also, it irked me that the dorm beds (at least the ones in the six-person women’s dorm) don’t have curtains or shelves. I might check out the uptown location next time, or just stay somewhere else. (Although I did really appreciate the free breakfast you get when booking directly.)
8. Sunflower Hostel (Berlin): This looks like it was built by hippies in the 70s and never updated. Which is sort of charming in its own way, but I was honestly shocked to discover that the hostel opened in 2002. It’s delightfully old-fashioned, which comes with inconvenience at times (instead of an electronic access card, there is a key-sharing system that often involves alerting reception when you leave — and there is always a crowd of people waiting at reception). I probably wouldn’t stay here again but I can see why people like it. I stayed in a mixed 5-person dorm.
9. EastSeven Berlin Hostel: Affordable, great location, free breakfast, friendly staff, beautiful garden, and unusually late check-out time (12pm). Unfortunately the lockers are ridiculously small! I locked up everything that I would be devastated to lose, but nevertheless was never fully comfortable with having to leave my backpack in my room (even if potential thieves would only be able to make off with unwashed clothes and used train tickets). Besides, the lockers are only on the ground floor and not in the rooms (at least not the 4-person mixed dorm), and I almost left my passport there overnight because I’m not tall enough to be able to clearly see into them (and I’m taller than the average woman). The hostel has such great potential if it weren’t for this! (That said, I have a soft spot for them because they gave me a fair trade chocolate bar and friendly goodbye note when I checked out.)
10. MeetMe23 Hostel (Prague): This is ridiculously high-tech and upscale. I booked a double room for only 71€ and was initially convinced they’d given me the wrong room by mistake; it was incredibly spacious with a beautiful view of the train station. It was a panacea after 17 days of crowded dorm rooms — and it came with free breakfast. That said, the hostel had no social atmosphere whatsoever and there were literal schoolchildren staying here when I visited.
11. Roadhouse Hostel (Prague): This was like staying in a college dorm. There are <30 guests staying at any given time, so you actually see the same people over and over again and they become quasi-roommates. I have fond memories of playing board games and Mario Kart in the common area. There are also delicious vegetarian dinners every night, ranging from mushroom stew to Thai curry, for just ~4€, and a bunch of free breakfast supplies (cereal, hot chocolate mix, etc.) The nightly pub crawls are also pretty inexpensive. I stayed in an 8-person dorm here and it was spacious and clean. My only issue was that the hostel WiFi seemed to hate my phone, so hopefully that’s fixed next time I visit.
12. Hostel Ruthensteiner (Vienna): This was pretty nice! The 6-person deluxe women’s dorm was mediocre (very spacious, but didn’t have curtains or shelves for the beds), but the common areas are really great. They have a vegan pay-as-you-wish dinner every night, and there are cozy tables with lots of pillows and outlets. There’s also a beautiful garden and a clothing swap area, and a well-stocked area with lots of brochures and activity suggestions.
13. Urban Elephants Hostel (Bratislava): I was only here for a single night, so I can’t comment on it too much. But the people are pretty nice and I stayed in a spacious — if sterile-like — twin private room for less than 50€. (Note: I went to a party at the Wild Elephants Hostel and that place looked like a giant mess, although I only saw it at night.)
14. Carpe Noctem OG (Budapest): This is definitely a party hostel. (I once woke up to the sound of the woman next to me vomiting.) I felt like there was a lot of pressure to go out drinking every night, so I experienced a bit of a paradox: I felt a little like an outsider on the nights I stayed in, but when I went out everyone treated me like we were best friends. So keep that in mind! I stayed in an 8-person mixed dorm here, and the lockers were way too small. (It’s like a 50/50 chance whether I’d stay here again; I can definitely recognize its specific charms.)
15. JugendStube Hostel (Brasov): This is a charming, incredibly small hostel that appears to be a one-woman operation. It feels sort of like staying in someone’s home; I had a spare bed and lent it to a stranded traveler, and the owner insisted on speaking to both of us separately (not sure what she asked him, but she wanted to double-check that I knew what I was doing). My triple room en-suite was only 44€ per night and was gorgeous and felt luxurious.
16. T5 Social (Bucharest): This hostel doubles as a community space and actually has locals come to their daily events, which is cool. Other than that, I didn’t get a super welcoming vibe here, but I can’t exactly pinpoint why — I’d like to give it another chance. And there are cats living here (but they’re not allowed in the dorm rooms), so that’s a plus in my book. I stayed in the deluxe 6-person women’s dorm and it was super cheap.
17. Hostel Mostel (Sofia): I was really excited for this! Unfortunately I was mainly let down because of an array of factors: I wasn’t in the main building, the info was super inconsistent (online it states that reception is 24/7, I received an email day of check-in stating it was 9-5, and was told by a staff member once I arrived that it was until midnight), and my private room was mediocre (there was a cobweb in the bathroom, which doesn’t have any artificial light — not a great thing to discover when you arrive at 10pm). But I have heard amazing things about this place from Reddit and various travel blogs (especially regarding the not-currently-available free breakfast and dinners), so I’ll give it another chance if I ever return to Bulgaria.
18. Cheers Hostel (Istanbul): This is a really great hostel — affordable, clean, the perfect size, friendly staff, cool fellow travelers, great bar with an incredible view, etc. Free breakfast, too! Definitely one of my favorites from this trip. I stayed in a 6-person women’s dorm here and enjoyed it (would have been nice to have curtains and shelves for the bunks though!).

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What went wrong:

• The customs official at the Lisbon airport stamped my passport with what is possibly the world’s worst ink. Within six weeks, it was virtually impossible to read what date I had entered the Schengen area. There were multiple incidents on inter-country trains where officials had to consult each other to make sure I wasn't actually a secret fugitive overstaying my welcome.
• I didn’t book hostels enough in advance! I really wanted to stay at the 3 ducks hostel in Paris, but it was fully booked. I also ended up having to stay in multiple hostels in Berlin and Prague, since my preferred hostels were only available for some of the days.
• For the first few weeks, I didn’t plan very much in advance, which meant that I often spent days drifting around aimlessly and didn’t get to see everything I wanted. On one hand, I’m glad I got to relax but at the same time, I would have liked to see more in Portugal and Spain.
• Sometimes I didn’t get enough to eat and/or was seriously dehydrated. I actually collapsed in exhaustion at my walking tour in Barcelona and the tour guide escorted me to a local restaurant, where thankfully it turns out tapas and water is the cure. Lesson learned: don’t overexert yourself.
• Also, if you’re leaving early the next morning (either for a day trip or to your next city), just pack the evening before. It’s rude to possibly wake people up at 5am. And if you’re leaving at a reasonable time, like 8am, you might oversleep and have to pack in a hurry and forget things (RIP my travel towel).
• I took a day trip from Prague to Cesky Krumlov, which in hindsight, makes no sense since I was going to Vienna the next day. I should have taken a bus from Prague to CK and spent a few hours there, and then taken another bus to Vienna. The lesson here is look at a map before you sign up for a random day trip tour because it sounds cool.

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What went right:

• I got a bunch of useful info about local laws from the State Department’s pages for each country, including info about things I would have never realized (I had to keep ID on me at all times in several countries on this trip).
• I wanted to keep accommodation affordable, but I was willing to pay extra for what I thought was the right hostel. I didn’t always get it right, but I’m glad I tried, because the best hostels have a social atmosphere that can really improve your travel.
• Expanding on above: I met a lot of cool people! There is definitely a “backpackers’ route” through Europe, so chances are most people you meet will be traveling to the same places and you get to make plans to see them again later on your trip.
• I booked a bunch of workshops and walking tours (mostly through Get Your Guide) and had a lot of fun! I listed my favorites within the city descriptions. I also took a couple of day trips that were organized by a third-party tour provider, which at first seemed overly bourgeois, but was honestly so worth it to not have to deal with transportation/logistics myself.
• The weather was pretty good — a little bit colder than I would have liked (especially in Central Europe), but I didn’t mind that too much. And it barely rained!
• I’m so glad I went in the fall instead of the summer — the Sagrada Familía was one of the few places I went to that was absolutely packed, and I came away from it with a huge appreciation for peace and quiet and non-crowded lines.
• Whenever possible, I tried to diversify the type of activities I did in each city. After all, there are only so many castles and cathedrals you can visit. But I found a bunch of lesser-known gems on Atlas Obscura.
• I had a lot of fun! I had some stressful moments and occasionally got homesick, but there wasn’t a single instance when I’d regretted my choice to travel. I can’t wait for my next solo trip.

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Other notes:

Racism: I was a little worried about racism in Europe just because I physically resemble the Roma people, and the way that Europeans sometimes talk about them is barbaric. But I didn’t have any issues, and anyway I think people knew I was South Asian of origin.

I’d also heard from a lot of South Asian-Americans that they were treated very differently once people realized they were from the U.S. or another Western country. I didn’t experience that (but that obviously doesn’t mean their experiences aren’t valid), so maybe people could just tell I was American?

Mental health: For reference, I have a background in both depression and anxiety. That anxiety popped up when I was forced to make important decisions, like booking hostels and train tickets. But in my day-to-day travels, I was mostly fine. And now that I’m back, I feel way more confident about pretty much everything.

Things I didn’t listen to my parents about: It’s perfectly safe to drink tap water in most European capital cities. And no, you don’t have to stick to a self-imposed 9pm curfew :) My own guideline (that I heard somewhere on this subreddit) was that it was safe to be out at night if the local women were doing the same.

Literature: During this trip, I read at least one book set in each country I visited and really enjoyed it. My favorites were Pereira Maintains (Portugal), The Red Notebook (France), and East of the West (Bulgaria).

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Final verdict: GO TO AS MUCH OF EUROPE AS YOU CAN (and don't be afraid to solo travel)! It's amazing and you are going to love it and want to go on even more adventures. Also, pictures: https://imgur.com/a/B2jIVPq