I backpacked across Europe for the first time, and 10 things surprised me about the 2-week adventure

Four shirts, three pairs of pants, and one pair of sneakers for a two-week train trip through four European countries — I didn’t think I could manage it, until I did.

In October 2022, I flew to Berlin and traveled by train to Austria, Italy, and Switzerland with nothing but a backpack. It was my first time visiting each country and backpacking in Europe.

Why? I was looking for an exciting adventure. But a lot of surprises along the way made me realize backpacking is about more than that.

From hardships to hidden gems, my trip was full of wonders and realizations.

For one thing, I was surprised that I could pack lighter than I ever had for the longest trip I’d ever taken.

To accomplish this, I picked the largest bag I own — a 32-liter backpack — for my two weeks in Europe.

Then I practiced packing as lightly as possible — twice — before I left to ensure I could fit everything.

I started with my work gear, which included a laptop, cameras, lenses, and a notebook. Then I packed other essentials like chargers, toiletries, and snacks.

Next, I stuffed a packing cube with two polos, one T-shirt, one long-sleeve T-shirt, three pairs of pants, a sweater, a blazer, a dress, and two light jackets.

While I longed for more outfit variety on my trip, I was surprised I had everything I needed despite packing lighter than ever.

I didn’t consider how exhausting traveling to my destinations would be, especially on overnight train and plane rides.

When visiting multiple locations in one trip, I found the travel exhausting.

I started my journey with a red-eye flight to Berlin from my home in NYC. Then, I took overnight trains to Vienna and Venice, Italy, in shared sleeper cabins.

I began my trip with a red-eye flight to Berlin and arrived too exhausted to get the most out of my first day in Europe.

I initially thought overnight transportation would be the best way to travel through Europe to maximize my time exploring during the day.

But for me, sleeping on board flights and trains among strangers was challenging. I didn’t consider how little I’d be able to sleep during these overnight rides, and I arrived at my destinations feeling more exhausted than I had hoped.

One sleepless night on a train even left me frantically searching for a last-minute hotel booking in Vienna at 7 a.m.

When I arrived in Vienna on an overnight train from Berlin, I planned to spend my morning seeing the sights until I could check in to my hotel at 3 p.m.

But as I stepped off the train, it was apparent that my body needed rest, so I had to figure out where to get it.

I didn’t expect to problem-solve as much as I did on my trip, but it improved my split-second decision-making skills.

Before going to Europe, I planned everything, from booking accommodations and train rides to mapping out the locations I wanted to visit to avoid problems.

But plans don’t always work out, and I had to make quick decisions, like when I arrived in Vienna. When I got off the train, I started going to random hotels to book a room. By the third hotel, I got one, and I felt relieved.

My trip was full of problems like this, and solving them made me feel more confident in my travel abilities.

I also thought I’d be out exploring all day and night, but I realized that downtime was just as important.

When visiting a new country for just a couple of days, it’s easy to pack exploration into every hour without planning for rest. But without downtime, I found travel wasn’t as enjoyable.

During the parts of my trip when I felt well-rested, I could appreciate where I was and take in the unique architecture and bustling atmosphere.

Getting sleep also made me feel more in touch with what my body needed, from staying hydrated to eating enough food.

On travel days, I was surprised to find myself questioning whether a backpack is really more convenient than a carry-on suitcase.

Wearing my backpack while walking for extended periods made my muscles feel sore. I wasn’t used to its weight and size. In crowded spaces, I kept forgetting that the backpack made me about a third larger than I typically am.

In these moments, I wondered if a carry-on suitcase would have been a better choice. Sure, the luggage is larger, but after lugging around my backpack all day, I felt like it could be easier to roll a suitcase.

I also didn’t expect to use my iPad every day, but it surprisingly brought me a lot of comfort.

While on my way to each destination, I read about the sights that awaited me in guidebooks I downloaded onto my iPad. These books helped me decide how to spend time in each location and built up my excitement for my coming adventures.

I also downloaded a few episodes of my favorite TV shows to comfort me, which I usually watched around bedtime.

I thought traveling in October — the end of shoulder season — would help me avoid crowds, but I was wrong.

In the summer of 2022, it felt like everyone I followed on Instagram was in Europe. So, I booked my trip for October to avoid peak tourism season.

But throughout my trip, I stood on my tippy toes to see popular historic sites above rows of heads obscuring my view.

From Rome to Zurich, I trudged through places I didn’t expect to be overrun with tourists.

Europe is less crowded with tourists in September and October than in summer. But in the fall of 2022, traveling during shoulder season seemed to be trending.

Luckily, and surprisingly, some of the highlights of my trip came from quiet towns outside cities where I booked Airbnbs to save money.

During my visits to Berlin and Zurich, I stayed in small towns about an hour outside the city center by train.

I expected nothing more than a place to sleep in these towns, so I was pleasantly surprised that they felt like hidden gems.

My tiny home hotel in Germany was in a peaceful town with charming cobblestone streets.

When I visited Berlin, I stayed in a tiny home hotel in Neustrelitz, Germany.

My hotel was a 20-minute walk from the train station, and I enjoyed starting and ending each day with a relaxing walk through town, where I spotted the occasional backpacker among mostly locals.

At the end of my trip, I spent two nights in a village among the rolling hills of Switzerland, where I saw a gorgeous sunset during an unplanned hike. This small village was the best part of my trip.

I liked Roggwil, a small village near Zurich, more than almost any other part of Europe I saw.

I couldn’t help but think I would have never seen it if I hadn’t booked this specific Airbnb, which was a two-minute walk from the town’s train station.

With so many crowds in the cities, I enjoyed experiencing the quiet, slower pace of suburban life while photographing landscapes in less-visited areas of Europe.

I also thought seeing so many new places in a short time would make them blend together in my mind, but each city left me with distinct memories.

I visited six cities and two small towns in just 14 days, so I thought my memories of my European adventure would start to meld together after my trip concluded.

But I’ll never forget how alive Berlin felt, with its lush pockets of greenery, dramatic murals, and street performers, or how Vienna’s garden mazes and fairy-tale architecture made me feel like royalty.

The canals in Venice made me feel like I was in a storybook, while Zurich had charming streets with jaw-dropping mountain backdrops.

Ultimately, I was surprised by how much I grew during this journey as an individual and travel companion.

I spent my first week traveling solo, and when a friend joined me for the second week in Italy and Switzerland, I found I had a new appreciation for traveling with someone else.

While on my own, I endured more uncomfortable situations than on any previous trip. I also learned more about myself during my solo travels than I anticipated.

So when my travel companion arrived, having someone to share new experiences with helped me explore and problem-solve in a new way — as a team.

While it wasn’t a picture-perfect adventure, backpacking through Europe made me realize that you can’t plan out every second, and maybe that’s a good thing.

Next time, I’ll let go of my expectations and plan to be surprised.

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