Time needed to travel: 2-3 months
Europe is a good place to start for travelers who have never been outside of the United States. It is a very safe continent to travel through, and now that the European Union has been established, it makes it easier then ever to cross from one country to the next. You no longer have to have visa's for some countries to enter. In fact, you will not have to go through customs while traveling within 
the EU! There are now 27 countries that are apart of the European Union, and of those 27, 13 are now using the Euro as a form of currency. (Of course there are more countries than 27 in Europe, but the other countries are currently outside of the EU. ) This makes it easy for you not having to change currency from country to country like you would have in the 1990's.
One of the reasons Europe is so fun to travel through is that there are so many festivals through the year. The first one of the year is: St. Patrick's Day, when everybody has a little bit of Irish in them, from there it gets even better with the Running of the Bulls (Festival de San Fermin) in the beginning of July, then Tomato Festival right outside of Valencia in August, and last but certainly not least is 
the biggest party in the world Oktoberfest! For a full list of festivals in Europe visit www.visiteurope.com.
Traveling through Europe has become very expensive for US citizens since the dollar has decreased in value. During the peak season, May through August, it can 
become even a little bit more expensive, because of the increase of prices due to tourism. Summer time is a blast in Europe, because the weather is so much better for traveling! But if you are a budget traveler you will realize that there will be traveling deals to be had during this period and still plenty of things to do! More and more tourist are starting to travel through Eastern Europe which in the past was impossible due to communism. Most Eastern European countries are not using the Euro so it also makes it a lot cheaper to travel. Some new hots spots include Prague, Czech Republic, the beach towns of Croatia, and Budapest, Hungary just to name a few.
Once you start to travel Europe you will soon realize there are so many different cultures in such a small amount of space. Europe is about the size of the United States Southeast region. It 
is not uncommon to meet people in Europe who know 5 or 6 languages. It is amazing to think that it is possible to be able to do that, but the fact is is that it is more common in Europe than any other place in the world! English is the universal language of travelers so you will have no problems getting around, but knowing another language will always be beneficial during your trip through Europe!
Best way to travel through Europe:
Train
The most popular way to travel through Europe as a back packer is by train! All of Europe is connected by the railway so it makes it very easy and convenient for your trip. I traveled Europe for 8 weeks, and used the train for almost all of my trip. Before I left the States I bought a EU Pass, and had it sent to my house as paper tickets. You are able to buy single train tickets or a package deal. During my travel in Europe, I found it cheaper to buy a train ticket at the train station if you are traveling a short distance compared to the price of one ticket on my Pass. It really just depends on the distance of your trip.
Once you have your tickets that does not mean that you have a seat on the train. You will still need to book a seat each train you are going to take on your trip. You will need to go to the train station and talk to the reservations booth. Then all you do is give them a copy of your Pass and they will give you a seat on the train you wish to get on. So I would recommend that when you arrive in a new city that you go straight to the train station and book your next leg of your trip. The trains will get very busy during the summer travel period, and sometimes you will not be able to leave a city for a couple of days due to the high demand of the train.
Plane
Believe it or not that traveling by Plane can actually end up being cheaper than driving or taking the train. There are a couple of budget airlines that have taken Europe by storm. Sometimes you can fly for as low as $50 US Dollars round trip from London, England to Barcelona, Spain! The two main budget airlines are Ryanair and Easy Jet. You do not have to book a reservation 3-4 weeks ahead of time like in the States even those this that is a good idea. You will be able to book flights the same week and not pay too much extra for a ticket. Check their promotions for the latest deals.
Bus
The bus is a very easy and budget friendly way to travel through Europe. It might not be the fastest or most comfortable way to travel, but you will find that it is not that bad if you are taking a 1-3 hour trip to the next big city. The bus is a good option when you are traveling within a country. If you are traveling from one country to the next country then this is not going to be your best option.
Most travelers use the buses for transportation within a given city. Outside of the United States, most locals of a country use the buses because of the convince and the low cost of the buses. All buses are numbered in the front. These numbers tell you what route they are going throughout the city. There will be information in the bus stations or the bus driver can tell you what bus to take to get to your desired location.
Car
There is nothing like getting behind the wheel of a car and going on a road trip! Buying or renting a car might be the best way to explore Europe. You will have the flexibility to travel at your own speed! Europe's interstates are a lot like the United States. They are very well kept, and easy to drive from one destination to the next. You will be able to navigate your way through Europe by using a map that you can buy or that will be given to you when you rent your car.
When you rent a car you might be required to have an international drivers license depending on what country you rent the car from. They are not hard to obtain. For all the required documents and information you can check out Triple A's website. Renting a car can become expensive and for a budget traveler is not the best option!
Boat
Sometimes the best way to travel from one spot to the next in Europe will be by a boat or ferry. For example, if you are traveling from Barcelona/Valencia, Spain to Ibiza. The cheapest way to get there is to travel by a boat. Some boat rides will very in time and length. You will meet a lot of travelers while using boats, because most of they will be heading to the same destination as you.
Ferry's or speed boats are very popular for short destinations in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Croatia. For example, you can take these speed boats from Brendezi, Italy to Corfu, Greece or from Naples to Capri, Italy. These boats basically taxi's that take you from destination to destination. In order to get a ticket on a ferry or boat you will just need to show up in the port town you desire to leave from and buy your ticket upon arrival. It is as simple as that. Sometimes the boats only leave one or twice a day so be aware of this when traveling during peak travel season.
Popular destinations in Europe (Just to name a few):
Dublin, Ireland; London, England; Amsterdam, Holland; Munich and Berlin, Germany; Prague, Czech Republic; Vienna, Austria; Athens and the islands of Greece; Venice, Rome, Naples in Italy; Barcelona and Madrid, Spain; Paris, France
