151 Days Backpacking On The Road | What A Feeling!

What a journey that has been, and what a feeling!!

Backpacking on the road – This gives us goosebumps!

In this blog, we want to share our ups and downs during our backpacking adventure where we spent 151 days on the road. We’re also giving some great tips to anyone planning a similar adventure.

We still remember the day we planned our backpacking, on-the-road adventure some years ago! I remember we both got so excited at that very minute when Norbert came up with this fantastic idea of backpacking around Europe!

It was the best decision we ever took in our lives. Backpacking has always been one of our dreams. Plan A was to travel for three months, but eventually, we extended our adventure to 151 days!

Where did we go?

During our backpacking adventure, we visited 15 unique countries. We started in the Baltics, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. After, we visited Ukraine and Moldova and continued with the Balkans, Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, and the last two visited were Hungary and Slovakia.

Here’s a list of some good fun | Our best and worst moments

• Longest stay: Ukraine (19 days)
• Least stay: Moldova (4 days)
• Treasured Country: Macedonia for many reasons
• New Tattoos: Ukraine (3)
• Most amazing Sunset: Albania (Shkodër)
• Greatest Sunrise: Macedonia (Mavrovo)
• Breathtaking View: Transfăgărășan, Romania
• Favourite Beach: Bora Bora Beach, Albania (Ionian Sea)
• Best Hiking Trail: Montenegro (Ladder of Kotor)
• Finest Accommodation: Saaremaa Island, Estonia (with a local)
• Worst Accommodation: Bucharest, Romania (cleanness 0%)
• Top Hostel: Montenegro – Podgorica (Hostel Q)
• Lowest Hostel: Estonia
• Outstanding Outdoor Sleep: Romania (Mountain Camping)
• Most Excited Moment: Romania (Reaching the summit at Transfăgărășan)
• Coolest Vibes: Vilnius, Lithuania
• Easiest Hitchhike: Albania
• Hardest Hitchhike: Montenegro (3hours)
• Stretched Bus Ride: Moldova to Romania (10.5hrs)
• Quickest Border: Albania (less than 5mins on foot)
• Bad Day: Moldova (Train System has been suspended)
• Biggest Mistake: Bulgaria (Renting an Electric Car from Sofia to travel to the South of Bulgaria to nearly end up with no power when reaching the mountains)
• Scariest Moment: Tiraspol: (Arriving at a destination with no cash, food, drinks and Internet) Lack of Planning
• Most Frustrated Moment: Moldova (stuck 2 hours at the Border to find where Malta is)
• Adored Food: Macedonia (Kebabi)
• Popular Drink: Montenegro (Rakija)

Useful Tips:

• To avoid having the worst accommodations, always check the reviews before. We prefer to book at the last minute, and we’re not picky as long as the place is clean. However, if you do like us, there’s a time when you have to accept the only available accommodation it is as it is.
• When visiting Tiraspol, it’s crucially essential to TAKE CASH with you. They don’t accept cards outside their country.
• You can find Kebabi and Rakija in all the Balkan countries, not only Macedonia and Montenegro.

What transport did we use during these 151 days?

• Planes – 4
• Buses – 121
• Trams – 31
• Metros – 14
• Trains – 19
• Ferries – 4
• Taxis – 17
• Cable Cars – 2
• Car Rentals – 3 (CarHunt, Spark Electric & Rent a Car Champion)
• Bike Rental – 1 (Pegasus Bike Rentals)
• Hitchhiking – 270km

Where did we stay in these 15 countries?

• Couchsurfing – 11
• Hostels – 5
• Apartments – 17
• Guesthouses – 6
• Double Rooms – 4
• Treehouse – 1
• Camping – 1
• Mountain Cabin – 1

We booked all accommodations through Couchsurfing, Booking.com, Airbnb and HostelWorld.

The famous question! How much did it cost us?

We always travel on a budget, and our backpacking, on-the-road adventure wasn’t an exception. In total, including flights, ground transportation, accommodation, food and attractions, we spent €50 daily (€25 per person). There were days when we spent nothing, while some spent more. It all depends on what we had planned on doing.

Here are some photos of our good times

And these are more photos of our NOT so good times

Our worst moments were when we had no control over some situations, like when we got stuck at the borders between countries, the train was suspended and had to change plans, we got exhausted after long hours of travelling, one of us was sick and when we got stuck in rainstorms. After all, the bad moments always turned out into great memories with extraordinary stories to tell. We always try to turn an obstacle into an opportunity.

Our Advice to anyone thinking of doing a similar adventure is straightforward. Stop asking yourself, what if? Start asking, why not?

If you have a dream and keep finding excuses, you’ll never achieve your dream! Dreams can turn into realities only if you work on them. Don’t let what you can do today for tomorrow, as who knows what can happen tomorrow?

Backpacking is a great satisfaction. It teaches you the most significant life lessons. The moments you experience while backpacking are the only possessions nobody can take away from you!

Whatever your dream is, no matter how small or big, GO FOR IT! Don’t let life escape from you!

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links in our content are affiliate links. If you book your accommodation or buy anything through our links, we earn a small commission at NO extra cost to you. We only recommend links to services we truly trust. Thank you for your support!