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* Stay in youth hostels and backpacker lodges, you will save much more money than staying in a hotel, and you meet plenty of like-minded people.
* Get a good guide book such as Rough Guides or Lonely Planet. These are very informative and interesting to read. Know about your destinations beforehand, and you will get that sense of wonderment when you come across them.
* Use a good phrasebook (I recommend Lonely Planet ones) because local people appreciate effort.
* Email a list of important numbers etc to yourself and somebody else, then if any documentation goes missing, you will have a back-up copy all in one place.
* Try going off the beaten track for a day or so. You will get away from the tourist rush, see the 'real' areas of your destination, and you can also come across hidden treasures.
* Be aware of local customs, such as covering limbs when touring round religious or conservative areas.
* Eat in a different restaurant/eatery each night. You will spread the wealth to different places, and the local economy might be in a country which really needs it.
* Beware of pickpockets. Violent crime is rare, but pickpockets can be a problem. Take off your backpack and carry it whilst on public transport. Wear a money belt and attach it to you with a large paperclip. Always know where your valuables are. Beware of certain 'pickpocket demographics' (gypsies, North Africans, Asians, and South Americans). Stay alert in pickpocket locations (burger bars, internet cafes, metro trains, ticket machines in metro stations, wherever large groups of people are gathered).
* Be a bit wary of anyone who asks you if you speak English. They could be pickpockets, professional beggars, or they could be lost tourists. If suspicious, pretend that you don't speak English. It usually works.
* For all of the major tourist cities in Europe you can get a Pop-Out map, which gives you about 5 maps on one map which you can fit into your pocket. These are very detailed (they also usually include a map of the metro system) and look out for the 'binocular' symbol on their city maps: these indicate places which have great viewpoints and/or photo opportunities.
* Get a good heavy-duty padlock for lockers.
* PARIS (Sacre Coeur/Montmartre on Sunday morning, Bastille on Saturday afternoon, Louvre Pyramid at night). BARCELONA (Tibidabo views, Sagrada Famillia and seafront walk on a Sunday morning). LISBON (Belem). AMSTERDAM (Jordaan). BERLIN (Tiergarten on a sunny afternoon, outer areas to see the last existing stretches of the Berlin Wall).
* If in Rome, don't go to the Sistine Chapel early on or late in the day; go between 1 and 2pm when everybody is at lunch and you will still avoid the crowds. Start at the top and work your way down.
* There is nothing better than sitting in a cafe and people watching.
* ATHENS (Piraeus is better than people say, walk round the base of the Acropolis at night). ISTANBUL (Beyoglu nightlife, land walls). RHODES TOWN (four different architectural styles in the Old Town). BUDAPEST (House of Terror Museum).
* Eating local food and drink is very rewarding.
* Go to the occasional city which isn't necessarily on the tourist or the backpacker trail (Oporto, Zaragoza, Valencia, Marseille, Thessaloniki, Rotterdam, Ankara).
* Travelling overland by rail can be rewarding, interesting, and cheaper.
* Make a list of authentic things that you see or experience, in each destination.
* Beware of touts for things such as taxis or rooms. If you get 'jumped' on by taxi touts at airports, bypass them because they are usually more expensive and the tout will ask for a tip. Go to the information desk, and ask which companies to use.
* STA Travel are fantastic for the backpacker market. With them you can book flights, accommodation, insurance, visas, guided tours and even airport transfer, all for really good prices. I have booked many trips with them and keep on wanting to go back. Their staff are also really knowledgeable.
* See about getting to a good high up viewpoint in any city you visit - tall buildings with observation decks (Eiffel Tower, Berlin TV Tower etc) or hills with good vistas (Primrose Hill in London, Sacre Coeur in Paris, Tibidabo in Barcelona). You will be greatly rewarded.
* Good times to visit are in the shoulder seasons: late May-early June for central Europe, late June for northern Europe, and September for southern Europe. At these times, it is a little bit cooler and less humid (but still very good) and cheaper.
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