One of my dream vacations is to get my wife and kid Eurail Global Passes for a few weeks or a month, and just backpack everywhere constantly staying in hostels and seeing everything. It'd probably be kind of stressful and tiring, but memorable.

[–] OhmsLawn@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

I've never done that, exactly, but I've done several trips of that length around Europe and South America.

My (general) sanity rules have become these: never stop for less than two nights, always spend four nights in the same place after 2-3 shorter stops, and spend a full week somewhere during the trip.

While this may feel limiting, I've found that anything more strenuous has always overwhelmed someone in the group.

Edit: minor schedule adjustments

[–] SigmarStern@discuss.tchncs.de 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'd say: do the opposite! Don't plan anything, stay no more than two nights at the same place, jump on a train and see where you end up. Then, if you don't like, just take the next train somewhere else.

I did this twice in my early twenties and it was amazing. I mean, it was absolutely horrible. I slept on bark benches, in Cafés, in train stations, before train stations (until they turned on the sprinklers)... I was picked up by the police because we got lost in a field and more than once I was convinced I'd die. But it was absolutely worth it and both trips became core memories / PTSD trigger.

But seriously, don't follow this advice if you have a kid and are not an immortal twenty-something.

[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

My kid would enter a possibly permanent fugue state and run away from home, but it'd certainly be memorable

[–] OhmsLawn@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

That's basically how I developed my current planning guidelines lol.

It was fun/terrifying but I'd rather not sleep in hotels that charge by the hour these days.

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