Hey guys! So if you're a new subscriber, my name is Alyssa and it's really nice to meet you.
So if you guys have been following me on anything, or if you saw my last video
you would know that I backpacked around Europe.
I just wanted to make a video with all my frequently asked questions about my trip and traveling.
The most common question I got asked, was the cost of my trip.
I had round trip flights from Toronto to London, London back to Toronto
and my flight was around $1200 Canadian.
I also went to Tomorrowland and my cost for that was $1300 Canadian.
It was the ticket, a train from London to Belgium then Belgium back to London
We also had an easy tent, so we went there, didn't have to bring a tent it was already set up for us.
And it came with an air mattress, it came with sleeping bags, it came with a light, a mirror.
Yeah, so it seems like it was a lot of money but it was the best three days of my entire life
so I don't regret it at all.
Hostels, depending on the city it ranged from 11 euros to around 30-35 euros.
You know it does add up, but it's way way cheaper than hotels.
And of course food add on to that
And I had a EuRail pass, it was an unlimited train pass for two months and it was around $1200 Canadian.
Question: What backpack did you use?
I used....a backpack...and there's still money jingling around in it.
And the brand is Osprey.
So as you see...my backpack...
Opens... can open laying down, it can open the entire thing.
So you can find your clothes a lot easier.
A lot of backpacks just open from the top and you have to go digging for your stuff or take everything out.
This also came with a small backpack.
So I wore this on my back...
and I wore the small backpack on my front
and my small backpack had my laptop, my camera, my important documents in it.
You have to make sure that you get the right sized backpack
not in litres
but in the aspect that it fits your torso and your body ok.
I know someone that had a medium/large backpack and it wouldn't fit me as good as the small backpack
because it clips in exactly where it's supposed to clip and it lays exactly where it's supposed to lay.
Question: Best cities and worst cities?
My least favourite city was definitely Berlin.
I didn't feel comfortable with a lot of the men there.
I found it to be just another dirty city.
I loved the history of it obviously
I don't know, I had really bad luck in that city. We had a horrible horrible room-mate
the hostel was so hot, there was no air conditioning
I dropped my camera, my expensive dslr with my nice lens on concrete, after I got catcalled by some guy.
I just wanted to get out of there, I did not like it at all.
Oh, I also didn't really like Nice in France.
Again, I felt really uncomfortable with the men there.
The men there really liked to stare and they really iked to come right up to your in your personal space
right in your face as they walk past you and say things to you.
I don't know what you're saying because it's not in English, but I turn around and they're still staring at me
all the way down the street, and it just made me feel uncomfortable.
My favourite stops on my trip were definitely...
Tomorrowland...
I loved Interlaken. I stayed a little bit outside of Interlaken, in a little town called Gimmelwald
and I was actually in a hostel in the mountains, I literally had to take a gondola up to my hostel.
The hiking was incredible, and it was just...
You literally woke up and your view was mountains surrounding you.
I also went canyoning there in Interlaken and there is so much you can do in Interlaken.
You can skydive, paraglide, hanglide.
I also really liked Ibiza.
I met some awesome people there, and I got caked by Steve Aoki.
I went to Ibiza by myself, and that seems like a weird thing because Ibiza is such a party town
but I loved loved loved going by myself.
Santorini was also stunning, and it was the most picturesque place I have ever been to.
And I did not want to leave.
But it was really really hot, like almost too hot.
I also really liked Prague.
The part of old town Prague was stunning, it was beautiful, the food was great.
We did a pub crawl and it was one of the most fun nights of my entire trip.
Uhm...
And it's just very chill there.
I felt safe walking back to my hostel when it was still dark, by myself, I didn't have to worry.
Athens was covered in graffiti, normally that turns me off of a city
but because the locals were so nice and I had great food there, I just loved the vibe.
Question: Best hostels and worst hostels?
So I used the app "Hostelworld"
They also have a website but you can download it on your smartphone
and I booked all my hostels through that.
They all have ratings and reviews.
Sometimes I would pay more even though there were cheaper ones. Just because of the reviews and ratings.
You have to look at what facilities they have.
My favourite hostel, I loved Mountain Hostel in Gimmelwald.
Just outside of Interlaken, Switzerland. That was the one in the mountains.
I loved "The Yellow" in Rome.
That was a great party hostel. I was there twice. I was there for my 21st birthday
and it was the best birthday that I have ever had.
They have a bar. The staff are so nice. It's impossible not to meet people in that hostel.
I made a lot of friends at that hostel.
I liked my hostel in Prague. It was called "Hostel Santini"
The rooms I think had 12 people in them. But the rooms were so big that it didn't feel crowded.
That one, because it was so open it was so easy to just go to different parts of the room and talk to people and not feel crowded.
And it was in a great location. Location is key.
I also really liked my hostel in Oia, on Santorini because
there was a rooftop patio where you could watch the sunset because Santorini is known for the sunset.
and I would literally lay under the stars for hours, listening to my music, just kind of thinking and reflecting
on my trip, and my day and I really really liked doing that.
Worst hostels....oooh...k
I didn't like the big hotel like hostels
Sometimes they were a lot cleaner, and better for your money, the showers were great, whatever...
but it was a lot harder to meet people. If a hostel doesn't have a good lounge it is really hard to meet people.
Question: Tips to save money?
I really only have one tip to save money...
If your hostel has a kitchen, and you're going to be there for a few days buy food
buy sandwich meats, or bread, buy cereal...pasta, pasta's so cheap and cook in your hostel
instead of eating out because it is a lot cheaper.
A big question is what to pack...
The key word is "comfort" ...pack comfy clothes.
and try not to pack to be cute or fashionable.
When packing, I recommend to roll the clothes up instead of folding them and instead of just
shoving them in there. Rolling them up and placing them neatly in your bag, definitely helps.
I had to repack my bag, SO many times.
Also make sure you bring a lock because hostels have lockers.
Now you're wondering what kind of apps are useful.
Definitely hostelworld. There is an app called trip planner or rail planner, one of the two.
And that's what I used to find which train I was taking. You can enter which city you're leaving
and which city you're going to. It gives you all the available trains and says where each stop is.
You also do not need internet for that which is beautiful.
There's a currency app you can download.
Google Maps, you do not need data or wifi, if you open it somewhere it will show you where you are and it will follow you.
My trip was 64 days, 21 cities I think and 11 or 12 countries.
I started my trip with my friend Hannah, some of you may know her because she is also a YouTuber.
I got a lot of questions about this, no hard feelings...
We split up because we wanted to go to different places. It was kind of a blessing in disguise because
I feel like traveling by myself really got me out of my shell and out of my comfort zone
and I was forced to talk to people because I was by myself.
When you're traveling things like that will happen, and it will be unexpected and it may be difficult at first
but it will actually all work out in the end, I promise you.
If you want to travel and don't have someone to travel with, go by yourself, you will be okay.
It's scary, but after you will feel so accomplished.
If you have any more questions, please ask them in the comments below, I will definitely help you out.
I would love to help you out.
If you want to travel, you can make it happen.
It will be the best experience of your life, I promise you.
So thanks for watching and keep your eyes open for upcoming videos from me.
Bye guys!