Lightweight touring in Europe - low money

[StuAff]

[QUOTE 4820806, member: 21629"]Things have changed - I sold my Brompton (which I haven't been using for months) so I'm few hundred quids richer.

In that case I'm looking at late June/early July to start the trip.

Woohoo !!! [/QUOTE]
If, by any chance, you're going July 1, you might have some Fridays for company on the ferry....

 

[Salty seadog]

If you're not using hotels have you considered CouchSurfing?

 

[StuAff]

[QUOTE 4820976, member: 21629"]My experience says it's better to start on weekday, preferably on Monday. Weekends have a bad reputation of closed shops, rarely going public transport and too many distracted tourists.[/QUOTE]
Mondays in France and Belgium can see a lot of shops closed or on limited hours- particularly public holidays. Trains are usually OK though.

 

[psmiffy]

I like Wednesdays

 

[Ridgeways]

Sounds as though you have the experience necessary. I have travelled on my Bickerton for 3 months in mid-winter from December, through France, Spain and Morocco on nil expenditure other than what I earned through selling blood and plasma, and a half day orange picking in the Valencia region. Those funds I reserved for emergencies rather than daily expenses.

A goretex bivvy bag with 3 season sleeping bag sufficed for shelter, scavenging from local village dumps for food to supplement that scrounged from roadside toss-outs from car drivers. Cooking in the evenings was done over campfires with collected firewood. I was rather cross with myself for one of the months when I was too lazy to face building a fire for cooking, and spent 30 pesetas on bread for two nights instead.

However subsequent trips I always packed an MSR petrol stove that fitted within a titanium mug/billy. Petrol is always available in any country without having to rely on specialist camping stores, and frees one from the hours necessary keeping alert for firewood in barren territory.

 

[classic33]

I like Wednesdays

Often better for the ferries, as they'll be quieter.

 

[DanZac]

. I have travelled on my Bickerton for 3 months in mid-winter from December, through France, Spain and Morocco on nil expenditure other than what I earned through selling blood and plasma, and a half day orange picking in the Valencia region.

Big kudos to you there thats pretty extreme.
I was so impressed with your exploits that I had to tell my mrs, who in her normal underhand manner just said "he should have flogged a kidney, he could have had a few nights in a hotel then".
No spirit of adventure some people!

 

[Ridgeways]

Your mrs is the one who sounds extreme! Besides, who wants to stay in hotels and be bound by fixed destinations and arrival/departure times?

Plus - when selling blood or plasma you got a bun and a beer afterwards as well, to help replenish the supply. I doubt that selling kidneys would have the same return.

 

[uphillstruggler]

Best of luck for your tour

 

[briantrumpet]

[QUOTE 4845829, member: 21629"]Maybe will start a new thread trying to update it as much as possible (don't forget my photo skills, hehehe) but this will depend on free wifi spots.[/QUOTE]
Most cafés in France seem to have wifi, if you ask, as long as you remember the pronunciation is "weefee"! It's a good excuse to stop for a coffee anyway.

I had one humorous exchange in one when I asked for the "mot de passe", and the waitress said "password". Thinking that she was just confirming that I wanted the "password", I asked what it was... and she said "Le password est 'password' ". Aha. The centime dropped.