Very carefully plan each and everyday.  Figure out how to get to the sights you want to see by local transportation.  Figure out a budget for each day including the admission fees for each attraction.  Look up every attraction you want to visit on the web.  Write down all of this information in a day by day travelog and then throw it away. 

Pack your pack and walk with it for an hour each day over various types of sidewalks, up stairs, etc.  Break in your shoes.  Memorize all the functions on your new $10 waterproof watch so you can use it for an alarm clock.  Get used to wearing and using a money belt.  Get out your phrase book and memorize key phrases in several languages.

Just keep reading the forum ALL DAY LONG!!

If your bringing a digital camera, practice with it.  Learn to use white balance and adjust exposure, two things that will greatly improve your picture quality.
 
“test packing” is a VERY smart thing to do.  Pack your backpack just like you were leaving tomorrow, be frantic about it and all, then walk around with it for 30 minutes, ask yourself if you want to do this for several weeks, compensate. 
 
create a travelpod account to keep friends updated on where you are and what you’re doing, and upload picts too.
 
Write to a student penpal from a country your visitng

Sounds like you are all set.  Now go.  Thats surely next.

And the award for most dick comment of the day goes to….Tommo! What a surprise…

dsoshnik I’m in the same boat as you, I got my itinerary set, just waiting for a good price on plane tickets.
I ordered a Lonely Planet Europe, and am currently scouting for a good back pack and digital camera…haven’t decided between a good point and shoot or a Nikon D40 SLR. Might want to start checking out what hostels you would like to stay at.

Have a great trip dude!

This is surely an old topic, but regarding finding student penpals in Europe…

I actually stayed with a family for a few days I found on the internet, from Hospitality Club.

I don’t recommend Couchsurfing, some girls have been raped, no joke, there are scary members.

My new find is also JuJu Penpals which only allows verified members, I’m using them in Asia…

Cheers and hope your trip was well, post an update

I would have to disagree with this. In fact, take a listen to my podcast about couchsurfing — the members really make a huge effort to put in a lot of checks and balances to ensure that you are making an informed decision.

Have you made a list of all the sites you might want to see in the areas you will visit, what their hours are, when they are free and when they are closed. Nothing can upset a tight itinerary like showing up at a place on Monday and finding they are closed Monday. I also plot where all the sites are: I don’t want to go 5 km to a site, then five km to another site, then realize my third objective is right near the first. Also, be aware that some places close in August.

I know the original post is from 2007, but it’s a good topic.

I’m a planner myself, but over-planning can set you up for disappointments. Relax. Know your alternatives, and go with the flow. If you’re too high-strung while traveling, it’ll wear you out quickly. Kick back some and enjoy the fruits of your good planning!

I lean toward overplanning. My list of sites is always more than we can possibly see; that way when one turns out to be closed, I have somewhere else to go. I want to avoid finding myself in a strange city, not speaking the language, with a couple of empty days. Similarly, I want to avoid finding out after I get back that there was something there I would really have wanted to see, but didn’t know about.

For example, hidden away in Rome is Michelangelo’s Moses, which some consider his best work. But it doesn’t show up in a lot of guidebooks, so I imagine not many get to see it. We were the only ones there when we went to see it.

But we all have our own preferences; no problem with that.

I agree with this 100%. I would much rather be over-prepared than show up in some new place and not know what to do. I am always shocked when I am visiting some place and see kids show up at the hostel desk and ask the person “So…. what is there to do here?” It’s like… if you spent the money to come here… how do you have no idea? It is just a foreign concept to me.

Well I have gone for both the trips, a well planned one and an unplanned one. I had loads on fun in both the trips. The best thing as per me when you are traveling is making a good list of places that you are going to visit. When you reach at the place then ask at the hotel desk or some local about the places that you should visit. Then select the ones that are common as they will be the best places to visit and explore.