Hitchhiking and camping in Eastern Europe

[timthemountain]

Hello I’m Tim from Germany,

I am planning on doing a trip through Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia and Italy next year. (At least those are the countries I’m aiming at).
The duration will be around 3 months.
My initial plan was using the interrail ticket and sleeping in hostels. But then I spoke to a guy who said he did a Europe trip a few years ago and saved money by hitchhiking and sleeping in a tent.
So my question is: do you think it is possible to do this route while hitchhiking and especially is it a good idea to set up a tent in those countries?

Greetings from Germany!
Tim

 

[Pauline]

Hi Tim, welcome to the forums. When I was 18 (a long time ago) I spent a few months traveling in Europe with a female friend. We hitchhiked and stayed in hostels. I’ve always regretted the hitchhiking. We should have got a eurail pass. We got into a few unpleasant situations hitchhiking.

Years later when I was 32 (still a long time ago) my husband and I spent 6 months traveling around Europe. We had a train pass and stayed in cheap hotels. It was great!

I think the combination of train pass and hostels would be great for you, especially since you are traveling alone. You will get the chance to meet lots of people.

 

[Tina]

Welcome Tim, it's a good idea to start with a 3-month trip. I agree with Pauline. I don't know about Eastern European countries but in Italy it's not so easy to find somewhere to pitch a tent unless you go to a campsite. Considering all the extra stuff you'd have to carry as well, train + hostels sounds better. Also because you certainly won't find anywhere for a tent in the big cities.

 

[georgemiller]

Hello, Tim. Wild camping with a tent in the Czech Republic is not allowed by law. But you can bivouac in the backcountry, if you follow the no fire and no trace rules, and move to a different spot after one night. You can find more information on this topic here https://discoveringprague.com/is-wi...ild camping in a tent,night at the same place
Some of the Czech national parks, like Šumava National Park, have some areas where you can camp overnight. To learn more about Czechia, you can visit https://gowithguide.com/blog/tourism-in-czech-republic-statistics-2023-the-ultimate-guide-5565

 

[timthemountain]

Hello happy new year and thank you for your constructive answers!
Like you suggested, I will probably not take a tent.
Now I checked the interrail tickets. They are not exactly cheap. I think for it to be worth it, I would have to do more than 15 trips. Also I have heard that in the Balkan region, there are more buses than trains. Do you think it would be better to rely on buses and single train tickets or is the interrail more of an advantage?

Greetings
Tim