A few months ago, I went on a hiking trip to Europe with my four children. First of all ... my hats for single mothers! You're wonderful! It was hard to be alone for 3 months! And probably even more difficult when traveling abroad. I had about a million questions about why we did it and how we did it. So I thought I would answer everyone here for information.

Why go on a hiking trip to Europe with your family?

There are many reasons to go on a hiking trip to Europe with your family. I mean, it's Europe! So much to see, do, learn and eat! But these are the main reasons why I decided to do it.

1. To save money

I want my children to see as many people as possible, but I have 4 children and they are expensive. Believe me, I have 3 in brackets right now, they are expensive and only charge my bank account as they get older! Why didn't anyone tell me before having children ?! Thanks, Mom!

So we have found that travel is expensive, but one of the biggest expenses for travel is airfare. Buying 5 flights to Europe is much cheaper than buying 20! Mathematics! I decided it would be cheaper to buy flights to Europe and stay for several months to see as many as possible instead of going back and forth between the United States and Europe all over the place. year.

So I found cheap tickets to Europe, planned a three-month backpacking trip (why not) and left! For those interested, I have listed our hiking costs in Europe below.

Costs of hiking in Europe

How much does it cost to transport a backpack to Europe for three months? I have recorded all our expenses and collected them for you in this practical table! I think you will be surprised by how little we have spent.

We wanted to stay around $ 3,000 / month because we rent our house on Airbnb for around $ 4,000 / month. Technically, we saved money by traveling across Europe, like the last time when we were traveling slowly across Europe for a year. You can find out how much we spent here.

Our trekking trip through Europe was probably as expensive as a week's European family trip. However, we have made some sacrifices so as not to exceed our budget.

2. Resilience and education


As many of you know, the main goal for us when we travel with our children is education. And by that, I'm not just talking about the history of a castle we visit, but about general education about the world and how to be a good person. We call this world school and you can find out more about why we do it here and how we do it here.

If you learn one through long-term travel, it's resilience. I wanted to teach my children how to persevere and how to make sacrifices while still enjoying exploring the world. I also wanted my children to discover all of the amazing places we have been to. We studied history and geography before we started our hiking trip in Europe.

My children certainly learned a lot during this trip. They learned to carry their own things, to live on less, not to ask for memories, to run when they had to run, to be friendly with strangers, to accept the kindness of strangers, to be on guard and much more again!

We entered many difficult situations and they learned to unite and support each other. You have also learned that I am only human and that I cannot do much. This means that they have learned to help themselves.

Where should you go on a hiking trip in Europe with your family?

Now that you know why we left, I will tell you how we are going to travel across Europe. Honestly, you can go anywhere in Europe, this is where we chose this trip.

Backpacking Europe itinerary:

Week 1: Iceland
Week 2: Edinburgh, Scotland
Week 3: Outer Hebrides, Scotland
Week 4: Greece
Week 5: Florence
Week 6: Cinque Terre
Week 7-9: Sardinia
Week 10-11: Paris
Week 12: London

The equipment you need for backpacking across Europe

Before you even start planning your hiking trip through Europe, you need to make sure you have the right equipment. Otherwise, there may be significant problems. The master key should not be overloaded.

Europe is a First World country and everything you need can most likely be bought there! So don't worry if you bring your own diapers or tampons. In what follows, I have described the things we have brought to Europe without which we could not have lived.

The best travel backpack for a hiking trip in Europe
Choosing the right backpacks for our trip was crucial! We carried these backpacks several times a week, several hours at a time and over long distances. They should be stored on trains, planes, taxis, buses, and cars. They had to be light when empty because we wanted to pack them full of all our necessities for the next 3 months! I did a lot of research until I found the best backpack for hiking in Europe.

Backpacks for children

I'm generally not a brand loyalist, but when it comes to ospreys, I really think these are the best hiking backpacks in Europe! They're light, durable, have lots of pockets and agglomeration and expansion options, and most importantly, practical! Osprey has travelers and outdoor enthusiasts in mind when designing them.

I loved the Osprey Jet 18 backpacks for my kids. I spend a lot of time looking for the best backpack for Europe and for children. Osprey does a great job of making backpacks really comfortable! Who would have thought that ?! The waist and chest straps they provide are essential to keep children comfortable when carrying all their gear across Europe for months.

These are not backpacks for children, but backpacks, because I think the backpacks are too much for my children. These Jet 18 adapt surprisingly well.

I have recommended this backpack to several families traveling with children and they all loved it! It is an excellent backpack for children from 5 to 18 years old because it is so small or can stretch out more. It is also an excellent backpack for adults. I used to take one of these Osprey Jet 18s as a backpack when traveling. You can buy the Osprey Jet 18 here.

Discover the best options for children's backpacks for all ages.

Backpack for adults

Obviously, you need a larger backpack when hiking through Europe. You will most likely have additional equipment, such as laptops, cameras, and toiletries, that children will not use. This is my personal backpack for Europe. I used this Osprey Ace 75 and it did me good. It's actually a kid's backpack, but I'm small with narrow shoulders, so it's fine with me. Like the Jet 18, this backpack offers many options for expansion and shrinking, but is much larger. I would say it is the size of a suitcase. At full load, it was quite difficult! You can buy the Osprey Ace 75 here.

I often wanted the backpack to have hidden wheels. It wasn't until after the backpacking trip that I realized that Osprey was making a wheeled backpack. Backpackers are happy! If I do this trip again, I think it is the best hiking backpack in Europe! It's called the Sojourn series and can be worn on wheels like a suitcase or backpack with hip and chest straps! The Sojourn is available in sizes 80L, 65L, and 45L. I think 65 would have been what I would have chosen. You can buy the Osprey stay here.

If you are not the size of a child, I have kept an eye on this Osprey Renn 65, which seems to have roughly the same specifications as the Ace 75 (the stroke is a few inches shorter), but is made for women, which means the straps are curved to make more room for your breasts! To win! You can buy the Osprey Renn 65 here.

Pack of cubes

The packaging tubes are crucial for your packaging and your mind! They will help you keep everything organized and compressed so that the clothes fit in the backpacks. My two young children each had a medium-sized packing cube. My 10-year-old had a medium cube and a small pack, and my oldest child had a large cube pack. There was really no rhyme or reason, that's how it happened when I split our dice.

We used packing cubes that I bought from Target, but they were quite poor. After this trip, I invested in a set of these new packaging cubes, which turned out to be much more robust! Here you can buy packing cubes.

Europe clothing hike

What a European backpacking trip for children


  • 4 shirts/dresses
  • 3 pants/shorts (depending on the season)
  • 4 socks
  • 4 underwear
  • 1 pajamas
  • 1 swimsuit
  • Water shoes/sandals
  • Walking shoes/sneakers


heavy or light jacket depending on where and when you go
warm hat or ball hat depending on the weather
Here is a breakdown of what we packed for our hiking trip in Europe:

This is what each of the children packing cubes, giving or taking a few things and what they wore on the plane (dress/shirt, pants, underwear, socks, jacket, etc.)