One Summer in Europe – the backpacking Europe podcast

From the makers of the One Summer in Europe podcast now comes EUROTOOT,  a simple yet one-of-a-kind application designed to mimic the basic experience of multi-city European travel.

During such a trip, you normally face time, money, and energy constraints that challenge your trip planning skills and force you to make many choices from alternative options and then to manage the later consequences of those choices.

Game mode is free and challenges you to build and complete a fun European journey against real-world time, money, and energy limitations. Planner mode can be unlocked for $1.99 and allows you more freedom to design and save a customized Eurotrip without many of the limitations present in Game mode.

Version 1.0 of EUROTOOT features London, Paris, and Amsterdam. Additional cities will be released at no additional cost over time so that both Game and Planner modes enable you to build trips with more European city combinations.

Request your free promo code here (while supplies last):

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We’re fired up the podcast again as we leave Rome and cross the legendary Adriatic Sea to amazing Croatia.

Croatia is deservedly a hot spot on European travel itineraries, with its endless stretch of beautiful, rugged coastline, charming seaside towns, and old-world way of life.

We recommend the focus of a Croatia trip to be the Dalmatian Coast of southern Croatia with a special emphasis on unforgettable Dubrovnik, the “pearl of the Adriatic”.

Five or six days along the coast allows one to get a sample of the best of Croatia, with a stop in the capital of Zagreb as the gateway deeper into Central Europe.

On this show, Dean and I talk about:

• why to add nontraditional Croatia to a general backpacking Europe itinerary
• how to get from Rome to Croatia on a ferry across the Adriatic
• the fascinating history of Dubrovnik, formerly the wealthy independent republic of Ragusa, a rival to Venice and a diplomatic powerhouse
• taking the Jadrolinija coastal ferry and stopping for a day or two on the great islands of Korcula and/or Hvar
• spending a night in the vibrant city of Split
• ending the week in Croatia with a stop in the Austria-Hungarian influenced capital of Zagreb
• some hidden gems of Croatia, such as Istria and its national parks

TRANSPORT IN
Trenitalia (Italian train system)
Jadrolinija (Croatian ferry company)

ACCOMMODATION
One Summer in Europe (Dubrovnik hostel and budget hotel search)

SIGHTSEEING
Dubrovnik (official tourist site)
Visit Dubrovnik (information about Dubrovnik and the region)
Republic of Ragusa (history)
Dubrovnik Walks (high-quality, affordable guided walking tours of Dubrovnik)
Korcula (information site)
Hvar (official tourist site)
Split (official tourist site)
Diocletian’s Palace
Zagreb (information site)
Plitvice Lakes (beautiful national park)
One Summer in Europe (miscellaneous sightseeing activities in Rome)

TRANSPORT OUT
Jadrolinija (Croatian ferry company)
AK Split (Split bus station – bus to Zagreb)
HZ (Croatian train system)

Now we head back inland to the grand capital city of Budapest, on the Danube river, and the cultural and economic center of the Hungarian people.

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We took a winter break after our last episode in Rome, but now we are geared up for summer 2010 and new podcast episodes will be available soon. Tentative schedule for the next few shows:

#10 – Croatia
#11 – Budapest
#12 – Krakow
#13 – Prague
#14 – Vienna

Please join us soon for the next episode of the One Summer in Europe podcast, featuring the amazing Adriatic Coast of Croatia.

If you would like to ask a question about backpacking Europe that might be read on a future show, don’t be shy.

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