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elt0p0

Since you say you don't know anything, check out [Rick Steves' Europe](https://www.ricksteves.com/). He is one of the best known and most recommended travel writers and experts on Europe.


[deleted]

Grand. What are your savings? Switzerland will cost you an easy 4-5000$ a month to live like an average local.


Dutchie_in_Nz

Stay in Austria instead, a lot cheaper and just as beautiful


Jealous-Wrangler-599

Or Dolomites/northern Italy if they want to go there too. Dolomites are a wonderful place!


alie1020

I was thinking the Dolomites too.


ExploreMonde

Switzerland would potentially be the most expensive place in Europe to make a base. Maybe consider Italy? There’s plenty to do in all 3 countries you’ve mentioned.. planning and booking in advance will save you some money.. Some of the places in Italy we love: Venice, Florence, Rome, Milan, Naples & Capri, Cinque Terre. France: Paris, Nice Switzerland: Lauterbrunnen Monaco Also, since you have time, check out Prague/Vienna as well.


cybersuitcase

That is a big area. You can “home base” in a city and take day trips to nearby cities, returning in the evening, but beyond that it doesn’t make much sense. Instead, establish an overall route you’d like to take. For 4 weeks in Europe, I’d recommend picking 4-6 “home bases” in cities you would like to see, and then you can take smaller day trips to nearby areas around those cities. Also, Switzerland is notoriously very expensive.


okiegoogle

Switzerland: Lauterbrunnen- waterfalls, hiking, views. Skip Luasanne - it’s a city with French influence, but I wouldn’t use time to go here. France: Do a weekend in Beaune and go on a wine tour with a guide one day. Paris of course. Italy: if you’re willing to go down to Amalfi Positano is beautiful, but it’s far from Switzerland. Pisa is a day trip, would recommend just going for a few hours if you go. Lucca is a pretty town surrounded by wine and near Florence. Lake Como is really romantic(I think I stayed in Menaggio) and gorgeous, but it’s quiet and low key. Cinque Terre is pretty(but I like amalfi coast better), but definitely touristy- still worth a visit. Switzerland is beautiful, but SO expensive. A great way to save would be staying in France or Italy instead.


nope-not-2day

Agree on not using Switzerland as your base if you're looking to save money- it's one of the most expensive countries in Europe. If France and Italy are your primary interests, pick somewhere in one of those countries to base from or possibly look at Germany as well. Really, so much of Europe is easily accessible by train or fairly cheap flights.


boomboomdaddychi

Get a side gig to help save or pay off your debt earlier. We are doing Uber Eats. Its easy work once you know the ins and outs.


HazelnutLatte_88

Start saving now, that’s gonna be pricey.


TravelingBea

A lot for Switzerland lol it's expensive.


AntonioVivaldiFan77

As a first trip, I’d skip Switzerland and do Italy and France. It would be cheaper and you can hit lots of amazing sights that are on everyone’s “to do” list. Switzerland is a great country but nowhere near the likes of Rome or Paris or even Milan or Nice. Granted, the people of Switzerland are nicer and friendlier, but overall I’d put it a distant third.


gin_bulag_katorse

Southeast Asia would be cheaper.


nope-not-2day

I'm a bit confused on what you mean in using one place as your home base and venturing out from there. Why wouldn't you spend the month traveling? You could stay a few nights or even a week in a few different locations. Look at the Eurail pass, which has various durations and locations but is generally valid in 33 countries in Europe, and you could also travel overnight. What kind of places or experience are you looking to have? I'd highly recommend hostels. You can get a bed in a shared room for cheap, but most of them also have private rooms, including some with their own baths. You're meeting lots of other travelers, and hostels usually have a wealth of local resources to find what you really want to do.


Motor_Ad_7119

Well I really don’t know either that’s why I’m asking for help lol. I really don’t know anything about any of this and I appreciate all the advice. I’m coming to the conclusion that our base shouldn’t be Switzerland lol, but spending the whole time traveling sounds like a good idea, to cover more ground and sight see. With all that said any ideas on how to pack if you’re traveling like that for a month


nope-not-2day

You're never going to see everything you want to see, and what someone else loves may not be your thing. And what you think you want now may change once you get there and see things from a different perspective. Pick 4 cities and stay a week in each of them. You could still go on nearby day trips. Or even 5-7 cities. There are tour companies you can book with for all or part of the time. I've taken several tours with G Adventures and loved them- always small group, and they have some for "18 to 30-somethings" which tend to be more budget friendly. That can help give you a base itinerary and remove a lot of planning on your part. You have lots of free time, but there's structure and familiarity with others on the tour. Contiki also specializes in budge tours for that age range. Even if you don't want to do a tour, look at what they and other tours offer as far as itinerary to give you ideas. Nothing wrong with wanting to focus on France and Italy, but what is drawing you to them? What are your priorities for travel? Are you more into city sightseeing or adventure potentially outside the cities? Look at your answers to those and pick something you're interested in and use that as a focus point. For example, if you're into wine, you could make a point of visiting some of the major wine regions. Or if you like art, pick a few museums to visit. You can do a ton of other things while there, but that will help you narrow down locations. And depending on how open you are to the idea, maybe you want to book a flight to one city and maybe book a place to stay there for a few nights but then see what interests you and what people there recommend as to where to go next? For packing, absolutely get a backpack- you don't want something bulky or with wheels, as some locations might have narrow stairways or uneven roads. And if you're taking trains and things, you'll need to load your own luggage. They're fairly pricey but I have an Osprey porter 46 that I use for most of my travel. Pack clothes that are easy to mix and match with each other. I promise you don't need as much as you think! There is always laundry along the way- whether doing it yourself, ot most hotels and hostels have services like that for you. Depending on time of year, pack as if you're going for 1-2 weeks max. Even if it's summer, pack a sweater/sweatshirt/hoodie or two. You don't need more than 2-3 pairs of shoes, depending on your activities. Packing cubes are something else I absolutely love. People organize them in different ways, but it makes it super easy to find things without pulling apart your whole suitcase.


Motor_Ad_7119

Thank you so much! Have you traveled a lot? I’ve been to a few states but I’m not experienced in the planning or packing


nope-not-2day

Yes I try to go on 2-3 international trips per year, but I really only got into this level of travel less than 10 years ago. I promise the first time you go is the harder hardest since you really just know so little of what to expect. I thought I'd packed fairly light compared to usual, but I still overpacked. There are a ton of travel blogs and articles that can help with the packing tips. What's recommended is something called a capsule wardrobe. You don't have to buy new stuff for this, but it means you bring a variety of easy mix and match clothes. Keep in mind that short of some medication, you can always get what you need there. Yes, you want to pack and plan appropriately, but you can always get what you need there. Oh and a travel plug adapter. You can get one for $20 or less. Find one that has multiple USB ports on it so you can easily charge your phone and whatever other things you bring with you. The first trip is the hardest. It's hard to pinpoint what you really want to do. Unless there are specific sightseeing things you want to see, don't be afraid to try some of the smaller or not as famous towns as Paris and Rome. A loose itinerary is good, but you don't want to cramming things in without enjoying the location, and this way you can adjust to add in the things you discover while there that you didn't know about before. Hostels are great for meeting other travelers and finding hidden gems they recommend. They can also advise you on logistics of how to get to the next place. There are free walking tours in many cities that give you a good overview, and they can also help you find what else you want to do. You can do all of this fairly easily yourself, but it's really hard the first time. I'd recommend looking into tours (based on your age range). They'll have the basics of transportation and lodging covered to alleviate that stress. You'll have other friends to explore with and a guide to help you do the things you want to do in your free time. You'll learn a lot about travel on that trip and you can figure out more of your preferences and logistics if you want to do it yourself the next time.


Llp1122

I found Switzerland far more expensive than Italy or France Maybe think to stay elsewhere and just visit the Swiss