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The first time I landed in Europe, all alone, I was quite overwhelmed. As someone who had lived most of her life in India and only ever travelled within Asia, Europe felt like an entirely different beast. When I landed in Warsaw, the air felt cold and humid, it smelled different and I couldn’t figure out something as simple as how to get a cab to the university dorm I was headed to.
I didn’t even know if I could trust the first cab driver I met, from years of conditioning that I should ‘bargain’ for the best offer. I cursed myself for not learning the basics of Polish before I arrived.
As the next four months of my European student exchange unfolded, I made some great travel decisions and some really dumb ones. As a solo 21-year-old female traveller, I was terrified when I was stuck in Cologne overnight with no hotel in the vicinity of one kilometre that was available. In a waiting room whose only other occupants were ready-to-pass-out homeless folks.
There was not one other traveller that I could talk to or ask for help. I was myself incredibly hungover (blame it on the vodka in Poland), and had a gigantic backpack to drag around.
I remember that night alone at the train station like it was yesterday. Waiting for a train connection that didn’t seem to come, protecting myself and my oversized backpack. That night, led to a very important travel lesson. It was to make sure that I researched and planned important elements of a trip before I jumped on a train or flight that was heading somewhere. I mean spontaneous decisions are all great in theory, but you have to know when to take such decisions in real life.
This is how I came up with the idea of writing this book. I wanted to create a Europe trip planner tool that would help people plan a perfect Europe trip by THEMSELVES.
Announcing Indian Girling’s Europe Trip Planner Guide (ebook)!
Convinced already? Buy the book here:Many of this blog’s readers had written to me for help to plan a Europe trip or itinerary and some of the most popular articles on my blog include travel tips to Europe. A large section of solo female travellers, especially from Asia, would love to plan and travel to Europe alone, but for many reasons are overwhelmed and simply don’t know where to start.
I have been there, and I know exactly how helpless one can feel.
The book is organized in a way in which I conduct my own travel research and planning. This book is different from conventional travel guides in the sense that my aim is for you to have all the information you need for planning a perfect trip, by yourself. The focus of this book is on trip planning and I hope you will find it helpful in planning your next adventure in Europe.
I have also kept in mind an audience that is based in developing countries, that often require visas to travel to Europe. This is why I have added a section only on visa applications and how to ensure you get the Schengen visa the first time around. In this book, you will not find detailed destination or sightseeing guides, as every traveller has a very different taste in travel and even if I wrote 15,000 pages on this topic, it would not be enough for a continent the size of Europe.
Based on the last six years of living and travelling in Europe, I have stumbled upon techniques, tricks and insider tips that help me simplify the monumental task of planning a trip to Europe.
What’s inside the book?
I have planned each section carefully as I plan my own trips, but you can of course easily skip back and forth based on your own preferences.
Section 1: Introduction
A quick look into why I wrote this guide, what to expect, how it differs from other existing guides in the market and what you can expect to take away once you’re done.
Section 2: Budgeting
No trip planning can start or expect to end without a concrete budget. Except, if you don’t have a budget, in which case you can just skip this section entirely.
In this section, I explain the average costs for flights, food, hotels, local (within Europe) transport, sightseeing costs and other costs to help you estimate what it would cost you to travel across Europe.
I have also compiled the average costs of travelling 56 cities across Europe for two people, so you can make a concrete budget based on your itinerary.
Section 3: Planning
Once you’ve established a broad or rough budget for your Europe trip, you will then move to the planning section. In this section, I take you through three major travel seasons in Europe, what are the individual advantages and tips for each season. I also lay out a step by step framework for you to create a rough itinerary.
Section 4: Itineraries
In this section, I have shared 10 custom itineraries along with the highlights and the number of days in each city. You can find here itineraries from 1 week to over 1 month with many flexible options to add or delete. I have also added maps so you can visualise the trip.
Section 5: Top Highlights
My favourite section of the book and one which took the longest time to create. I have added here the top 20 most visited cities in Europe, especially useful for first time travellers. You can find for each city:
- Top things to do in each city so you can avoid the noise and get to the good stuff
- Top hotels and hostels to book along with direct links so you needn’t google search + Average booking costs
- Top local food to try
Section 6: Booking
Another critical section and one that will be most useful for you once you’re done budgeting and creating a list of places you would like to visit. Here you will find the top platforms(with direct links) to:
- Book flights in and out of Europe
- Book flights within Europe
- Trains along with a section on Eurail passes, whether or not it is right for you?
- Buses
- Rental Cars
- Hotels
- Hostels
- Other accommodation providers
- Insurance
+ Tips for every section to help you save money on each step of your booking process.
Section 7: Visas
Another critical section, which you can skip if you don’t need a visa to visit Europe. You, lucky person, you!
All others will find this section extremely useful, not only because I have outlined the major documents you need to apply for a Schengen visa but also the exclusive tips to make sure you don’t get rejected.
It sounds ridiculous that you can get rejected for a short-term tourist visa, but it does happen, More often than not due to small oversights or mistakes which you can avoid in the first place.
Section 8: Packing
As a first-time traveller or even an amateur traveller, there are so many tiny things that cost you time and money, if not done right. I have made sure you can avoid this as much as possible by outlining exactly what you need to pack and what you need to leave behind.
Read Next: Ultimate Packing List For Europe
Section 9: Practical Information
Well, a Europe Trip Planner guide wouldn’t really be complete without providing you an overview of the practical information you need to travel to Europe. Here you can find information on:
- Timezone
- Money Matters
- Custom Regulations
- Alcohol and Drug Laws
- Telecom Providers
- Electricity
- Local Tourism Board Contacts
- Emergency Numbers
- Safety tips
- Additional Safety tips for women
What makes me an expert?
For those of you who know me from my website or social media know that I have been an active Europe lover and explorer since 2013.
I landed here by chance and hadn’t planned to travel alone for my exchange to Poland. That one six month long trip changed my life.
Three years later, I moved to take a break to Germany and I have been here ever since.
I have travelled solo, as a couple, in a group and with my family, usually maximising experiences on a limited budget. Perks of having a nomadic soul, I guess. 😉
On this website, I share my travel tips and hacks with a focus on Europe and by the means of this ebook I wanted to create a simple, easy to read, step by step guide that even the most inexperienced traveller can benefit from.
I wanted you to not make the same mistakes I did on my first few trips to this lovely continent.
This is exactly why I have also included bonuses worth $60 towards booking flights and stay in the Europe Trip Planner, so that you can get so much more value out of this book than you spend on it in the first place.
As a budget traveler, I know what it feels like to realise later where and how exactly you could have saved money while planning a trip.
What do others think about this?
You probably want to see what others have to say about this book right. Enough of tooting my own horn, here’s what some early readers are saying:
FAQ’s
Who is this ebook for?
- You are a first-time, solo or budget traveler who is looking for a trip-planning guide.
- You want to plan and book a trip yourself and not spend hundreds of dollars on booking through a travel agent.
- You want the freedom and flexibility that a step by step guide provides, without binding you to a fixed itinerary or schedule.
- You want to know local insider tips that would help you save money both before and after you are in Europe.
- You don’t want to waste time reading 104570 pages on blogs and magazines.
- You want the $60 bonus. From one cheapskate to another, I see you and you’re not far from getting your hands on this! 😛
Who is this ebook not for?
- You just want a sightseeing guide with detailed recommendations on what to see and do. You’re probably better off with a good old Lonely Planet Guide.
- You are an expert traveler who has already been on various self planned trips to Europe and needs no further guidance.
- You prefer to book an entire tour via a travel consultant or agency.
- You have no budget, therefore saving money or knowing insider tips is not a priority. (wow, lucky you!)
How is this different from other guidebooks?
As I said, this is not JUST a sightseeing guide, but rather a PLANNING guide. Last, I checked, that doesn’t really exist. You have to do all the heavy-lifting spending a shit ton of time and money finding where to go, what to do, how to book, which visa to apply for, etc etc.
This is why I created an actionable and information-packed guide that provides you guidance in a very simple to follow manner. You don’t need to swipe through 1000 pages just to realize you still have to google the answer to the question, “How do I activate my eurail pass?”.
With this 90+ page ebook, you can get to your ideal state of planning, preparing and booking for your trip in the most cost-effective and time-saving manner possible.
Can I still have a good Europe trip without this book?
Hell yeah. I did, and so can you. I am by no means saying that you NEED this Europe Trip Planner guide book.
You never really NEED anything in life. It all comes down to how much time you want to spend surfing the web, and how much money you are willing to waste not knowing the tips I know from the last six years?
There, you have your answer.
Where can you get it?
Now the interesting part. The book is available here. You can also purchase it from the Apple Books Store by clicking here.
The Europe Trip Planner guidebook is also available at the Amazon Kindle store!
Gumroad is 100% secure and I am using this platform as it makes it easy for creatives to self-publish a book. The book is not available for sale at any other platform, and I have done this to maintain maximum control and authority on the book’s distribution.
Once you have purchased the book, you will receive an email with the link to download the book. For those of you living in Europe, you will see an additional VAT at checkout. For anywhere else, you will receive the book for the stated price.
Lastly, I hope this Europe Trip Planner guide will be as helpful and fun for you to read as it has been for me to create. For any feedback, please leave a comment or connect to me directly on my Facebook, Instagram or Linkedin page.
You may also find these posts interesting:
- Top 10 Cheapest Countries To Visit in Europe (and around) in 2019
- The Ultimate Europe Backpacking Route
- How To Create A Europe Trip Itinerary + Sample 1 Week Itineraries
- 3 Sample Two Week Europe Itineraries That Will Delight You
- 5 Must-Have Items On Your Packing List for Europe
- The Ultimate Travel Europe For Cheap Guide
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Hello/Namaste! I’m Shruti, the founder of Indian Girling & Digital Empires. Two years ago, I left my post-MBA life in India to chase a new adventure. After living in four different countries, I now call Germany home.
I believe in creating a life you love, one that you do not need a vacation from. On this website, you will find tips on how to travel Europe on a budget, travel hacks and how to grow an online business. You can connect with me on Facebook, Instagram or subscribe to get the latest updates.
When I’m on the road, I trust and use:
- Student Universe to keep my flights cheap.
- Omio to find the best train and bus connections.
- Hostelworld to stay safe when traveling solo.
- Tour Radar to find the cheapest deals on tours.
- World Nomads to make sure my accidents don’t bankrupt me.
cool blog found it to be so attractive and fun to read the lifestyle of both countries cheers
thanks a loT!
Great information! Thanks for the tips!
very nice blog loved it
thanks a lot!