If you really must to fix to a strict budget you should buy all your food in supermarkets. If you can spend a little more money we suggest a plan that could be recommendable for most days.

The midday food is better lighter for several reasons. First, that would allow you to go on quickly with your visit and you won´t waste valuable time waiting to be served. Second, if you eat much, you feel lazy in the afternoon to do anything. Besides, you may stay in a place where finding a restaurant is difficult. The solution is to eat a little in a fast food restaurant in the center (there are more worlds than McDonalds: pizzas, kebabs and others) or to carry your food previously bought in a supermarket. This last option can be really healthy, but it depends on you. A sandwich, meat, bread, cheese, some fresh fruit and a yoghurt eaten anywhere will give you the energy to go on, and offer the possibility to eat in front of a great monument or sightsee.
If during the day you are still hungry you can eat some snacks like chips, cookies, chocolate, energetic bars, etc.

When night arrives you will thank a seat to dinner a hot plate, to taste slowly and without being in a hurry, to try the local gastronomy perhaps in a terrace. It doesn´t have to be very expensive.
The weakest point of this diet are the vegetables. Try to eat some at dinners or by buying some prepared canned salads.

This is a tip for those who stay the whole day in a city until night. If you have to go to the hostel soon before being closed or you prefer to have a break and relax at the hostel in the middle of the day you should buy your own food and enjoy it at hostel.

On the other side you can save much money if you avoid restaurants. If you have to chose between a dinner or visiting that great monument don´t hesitate and forget the restaurant. Besides you don´t have to visit a restaurant always. How often you do that depends on your budget and preferences. There are some days that you simply enjoy a hamburger or pizza at night laid on your pension bed while you relax your exhausted body.

If you stay in a hostel you can cook the most easy things like pasta, soup, or omelettes. Many hostels also offer meals at good prices.

In other section we gave the advice of taking some food from your country. You will have some food available for the beginning of your travel, especially if you go to an expensive country.

To have a breakfast the cheapest option is the supermarket again. Another option if you find yourself in a hurry or whatever is to have it in a MacDonalds, because it is cheaper than in a local place. Coffee and a muffin or cookie, or even some juice cost little.

If you are willing to go out during your trip, be aware that the daily visits leave you really tired. If you still have some energies you could find the problem of the hostel timetable.

You can enjoy the nightlife by having a drink in a local bar or pub, going to a movie or attending a performance. Anything beyond that will be probably pretty expensive and you have to be sure that it is worth. Perhaps to go out in a concrete point of the itinerary to know its nightlife, because someone recommended it, because it is the city festivals or because the city is famous for that, is nice, but if you plan to go out most nights perhaps a trip across Europe is not the best choice and you may prefer to spend your holidays in one of the many places ideal for that kind of activities.

If you sleep in a hostel, nights are a good moment to know other travelers. You can stay in the communal area reading, playing, writing a journal, watching a movie or talking to other fellows.

You have to overcome your shyness because you will meet many interesting and nice people, you will know many different stories and you will get helpful advices. Share information and experiences. Even you can find new friends or make travel companions.
If you don´t feel comfortable introducing to others be sure that some people will introduce to you or you will be asked something..

If someone that you don´t like very much starts going with you all time tell him smoothly that you don´t want to stay together or select a different route to avoid coinciding. If the problem persists try to disappear without telling anything, nobody should spoil your holidays.

Be nice and show respect when you are abroad. Take into consideration the activities, customs, and the predominant language in the countries that you plan visiting. Don't assume that every one speaks (or should speak) English. You can learn some basic phrases and words, be sure that locals will appreciate that.
In many occasions you will have to dress appropriately. Many destinations forbid the very casual wear, like flip-flops or shorts.

One of the best things that traveling offers is to know deeply a country and its culture. If you go open minded and willing to know local customs you will return really enriched and with new points of view.

One common barrier that avoids enjoying your trip could be thoughts like this: "yes, this monument is nice, but I know another much more beautiful" or "I prefer much more the food from my country". Try to enjoy everything, because you will not see always a Marvel of the World.

When you arrive to an important city, it is easy to find a tourist office in the train station and in the airport (or near them). Take a map and ask them to search accommodation for you if you haven´t found yet.
A visit to the tourist office is recommendable, not only to take a map, but to have also some information about the city and the possible performances and spectacles.
Apart from tourist offices the front desk staff of hotels and especially hostels can provide any number of services, from free maps to help with travel arrangements. Talking to other travelers can provide the best travel advice.
Other interesting way to learn something about a place is to enter a bookshop and read what the guidebook tells us.

When you stay in any place you should have a minimum information, from a guidebook to a little brochure. There is a huge difference between wandering through a place only looking to things that we find beautiful or curious but without understanding anything, or knowing history, customs, architecture, arts, archaeology, etc. at the same time. If not, you will finish finding similar every church or cathedral, every castle, every arts museum, every landscape and especially every ruins. Don´t enter some ruins without information because you will be boring in a moment.

Probably, in some occasions, you will find yourself going to visit a city with your luggage. Avoid that, the last thing you wish to do is bring your bags around all day. You could try to stash your bags in a storage locker at a bus station, train depot or airport. If you have slept in a hostel, hotel, pension, etc., it is the check out hour, and you leave some hours later the city, you can ask the staff to keep your luggage until you return. It is the same situation if you arrive very early in the morning to your accommodation, which is not ready yet.
Finally there are some hotels that offer the service of storing your luggage in their luggage room although you are not client.

Some clothes can be worn more than one time if they are clean and the weather and your activity are not sweat inducing. Despite of this if the travel is long and you want to carry a normal bag you will have to do your laundry.

Some tips to reduce the laundry frequency are taking a shower everyday, wearing underarm deodorant, airing out your clothes at night and keeping an odour absorber in the backpack.

The laundry can be done on your own or you can pay others to get it.
If you are lazy or you don´t have much time to wash you can take your clothes to a local self-service wash. It is better to store many used clothes and then go to the local wash, because otherwise the washing could result expensive.
You can also ask your hotel or hostel for washing your clothes, you may have to pay a small fee, although this option is more acceptable and comfortable than the previous one.
However, the own laundering is an easy event that will avoid us to spend money or waste time in the local wash. Besides you won´t find always this service in your hotel, hostel, or in the city near them.

So one of your often evening task is to wash. If you have partners you can coordinate your laundries to avoid doing it at the same time. Wash and rinse underwear, socks and t-shirts in a sink. Trying to wash anything larger isn't very practical. Many sinks don´t have drain stoppers, so if you don´t bring your own you can stuff one of your socks in the whole while washing everything. The best option for a quick drying is to roll the wet clothes in a towel, and wringing the towel tightly with clothes inside. Then hang the clothes on your travel clothesline or wherever possible and go to bed.

You can bring your own detergent, although your soap or shampoo is going to work pretty well when you do your laundry. If other wash your clothes, you need a detergent that many times will be included in the price or can be purchased for a nominal fee. If there is no detergent available, you should have yours or buy it at other place.

There are a number of different ways to keep in touch with your people. Never, if you can avoid it, use pay phones with cash or credit cards.

The best option is a pre-paid phone card. If you are going to be in a country for a while, there are local international phone cards available. The only problem is that you can only use them in the country where you bought it. Otherwise there are a number of global international calling cards that you can buy.
The email is the cheapest way to keep in contact with friends, family and to arrange to meet people again that you met on your trip. Most cities in Europe have internet cafes.

Finally postcards and letters are another interesting choice when you have long journeys and long train rides to write them. However it is not a good choice if you don´t want to spend much money, especially if you are one of those who send tons of postcards. And be careful because the stamps only can be used in the country where they are bought.

It is possible to receive mail during the travel. Ask in your city post office how to do that. Your family or friends can send their letters to any city and then you can pick it up in the post office.