Hello!
I just turned 21 and I don't want to waste my life, lol. I want to get away from my family and have been dying to experience Europe for a while. I had this idea that I would backpack Europe for a year. But having no permanent / semi-permanent residence for a whole year seems like a lot of things could go wrong, I would likely be out of Wi-Fi for unexpectedly long amounts of time (which would be critical to continue working in the US), and be an overall stressful experience for me. I overthink everything so I am worried I am just talking myself out of something that would end up being so rewarding.
I want to explore basically all of Europe. I feel that bouncing from hostel to hostel with a tiny backpack, 3 outfits, and my laptop would be too unstable and stressful for me to truly enjoy my time? I was looking into monthly Airbnbs and thinking about doing for example: a month in France and day trips around the country for the time I stayed there, then a month in Italy, month in Hungary, etc. But day trips would get expensive.
I have been researching for a long time but feel I am still naive on the subject. Not really sure what to do and super open to advice! What is the best way to backpack Europe over a long period of time? Thanks so much!!
First step is just saving as much money as possible, getting a remote job that you can hold consistently as a 21 is extremely difficult. This my strategy, I work my butt off while I still live with my parents so I save most of my paychecks and then I use that money for travel around the US and Europe. Also make sure you are used to traveling around where you live so you can get a feel for being in the road for long stretches of time.
I have been a traveler my whole life (nationally) and absolutely love it. Took a 12 hour road trip by myself and have flown alone a bunch!
If you don't mind me asking, how much would you recommend saving to feel comfortable. Thanks so much!