Europe for Teens

When I was 15 I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a summer in Europe. It was a great learning experience. Most people think that traveling to Europe is out of reach financially and wait until they are older to finally experience it but I suggest it is easier to do it early in life. If a teen works very hard during the year and saves their money it is possible to make the trip on a very tight budget. Before college, work, adult life in general is quite possibly the best time to make it happen. I suggest doing some serious planning first including but not limited to... interviewing people who have lived in Europe, checking on pricing for Eurail passes (get the 1st class one... it is well worth it in the long run), start writing letters to youth groups at parishes in the countries you would like to visit, get your passport and lastly get in shape. I stayed with youth groups in Ireland and Begium and it didn't cost me a penny. I bought a heavy duty backpack with an aluminum frame. I hiked a lot. Stayed with families in England, Ireland, Belgium, Austria and in a kibbutz in Israel. There are also youth hostels which I recommend only as a last resort. With the proper planning you should not have any trouble finding places to stay in "Covenant Christian Carismatic Communities"or church youth groups. Also, if you time it right, you may even be invited to join them as they usually have trips and camps during the summer months. I had the great pleasure of hiking across the Ardennes from France back to Brussels. We spent a week together, sleeping under the stars and trying to communicate with 4 different languages represented. It was awesome. One trick to remember... Travel at night on the train. This will save you from having to pay for a hotel room as you can sleep on the train. Plus, you have all day to check out the local area in the light! Europeans are very hospitable people. Be careful because you may come back fat. They will feed you and feed you and then feed you some more. You will have a great time and usually after a couple of months, you will be ready to return home with a newfound appreciation for the good ole' US of A. Rollerblades can be helpful in some cities, imposible in others. Rome is the 2nd most hilly city in the world after Mexico City (or so I've heard) and unless you are a great skater I'd suggest walking or taking the bus when there. I skated. It was great. The younger locals loved it. The older ones hated it. The hills nearly killed me but it sure was faster than walking.
My Favorite Cities:
1) Innsbruck Austria (Ski Stubai, even if you don't ski... You will never forget it)
2) Rome Italy (Hang out on the spanish steps by trevi fountain)
3) Capri Italy (take the tour of the "Blue Grotto")
4) Geneva Sui (take a bus to Bern "The Most Beautiful Place on Earth" tough to argue with)
5) Dubrovnik Croatia (Yugoslavia when I was there. What a beach!!!)