Have a browse of Nomadic Matt’s blog to get tips and places to stay for low cost travel. Western Europe is expensive, especially so with the Aussie exchange rate. Euro and pound is roughly double the Aussie dollar, so $10 sandwich feels like $20 to us for example.

Make sure you are aware of the rules very carefully for work away, house sitting and similar schemes. They generally count as work and hence you can't do them unless you are a dual citizen or get a visa.

As an Australian there are certainly options for working holiday visas that could be open to you. But they are not easy to get and only let you work from that country.

It generally counts as "work" as soon as you get any sort of benefit. Even if that benefit is something like discounted accommodation rather than money.

In terms of keeping costs done you have picked arguably some of the lost expensive European countries there are. One of the easiest ways to keep costs low would be to spend at least part of your trip elsewhere. But whenever you go check official websites from accommodation providers for the lowest prices.

Safety when hiking depends a lot on your experience and the local conditions. But if you are not confident in your abilities there are guides you can go with - check the local tourist offices - if you join as a group prices are usually reasonable and in a few circumstances they are free.

Apart from what the others have said, keep in mind that days will be getting noticably shorter in October and you will definitely feel it in November. You may be lucky with the weather but October and November can also be a neverending, grey, cold, drizzle-rain-pouring-drizzle type experience.

I´d start out with the countries that are colder and end with the more southern ones, so Italy, south of France and Monaco last.

For starters, if you're on a tight budget, you can cross off England, Ireland, Switzerland, and Monaco. (Really, Monaco is on your bucket list?!)

I try to give some advise from an European perspective:

Generally I’d recommend travelling from north to south. Temperatures will be still quite warm in southern Europe while early november can be already quite cold in the north.

Only bring a small backpack and a week worth of clothing if you don‘t plan to bring camping stuff. If you‘re gonna take flights within Europe you will save quite a lot only travelling with a personal item (although this is already r/Ultralight territory)

If you want to save money on transportation, always check prices on the national rail websites, never use a third party vendor. For mid distances, busses are often the cheapest option. Flixbus is the biggest company in Europe but it‘s also worth to look out for local companies as well. For longer distances budget airlines are often the cheapest mode of transportation but they charge a lot for luggage (hence it‘s better to travel with a personal item only)

Not insisting to see the supposedly „must sees“ is a great decision. Personally I‘d alway prefer staying in mid level or quaint small towns where local culture is way more apparent than in big capital cities or tourist hellholes. Eg while I enjoyed visiting Rome or Venice (it‘s easy to get away from the crowds) - cities like Ferrara or Brescia were my favourites in Italy because of the nice and honest interactions I had with locals there. And often it‘s way cheaper (not guaranteed though)

I would cross off Switzerland off the list on a budget. It‘s just way too expensive. Consider visiting Slovenia instead. It‘s def cheaper than Austria or Switzerland but also has that alpine feel to it.

If you‘re too afraid of doing hikes alone as a female solo traveller I would start looking out for more popular hikes where you‘re not alone on the trail for a prolonged time. If you start in the UK first you might want to head to Scotland which is my favourite hiking destination in Europe. Check out the Bothys where you can stay for free. I wouldn‘t say it‘s unsafe to stay there on your own but you might look out for a hiking buddy if you‘re not comfortable doing it solo.

Having at least a few things on your "to see/do" list will be helpful. It'll give you a sense of your options and allow you make sure that you see what is most appealing to you. It can also serve as a kickstart in the morning - especially if you're nervous about your surroundings.

I like to have at least one or two things/day on a super-loose schedule. Those are my top priority sights/activities. The rest of the time, I fill in with wandering, cafes/restaurants, window shopping, and other things that sounded interesting but that I didn't want to commit to.

Be sure to base your priorities on what you want to do. This may be the well-known things, but could also be your "hidden gem." If something looks interesting, give it a go.

Here are some resources to get you started.

• Visit Rome website: https://www.turismoroma.it/en (for other places, search for the city/country's official tourism website).
• Freetour: https://www.freetour.com/ (note "free tours" are generally tip-based - you provide some payment based on what you can afford, and what you believe the tour was worth.
• Nomadic Mat: good blogger: https://www.nomadicmatt.com/
• Rick Steves - big authority on Europe. https://www.ricksteves.com/

My personal take is that not having (too many) plans is good. Too many people spend their holiday running from one sight to another, spending the entire time among tourists and never getting the real experience, with no space to just stroll around, breath in the atmosphere and explore.

When I travel myself, I like to plan a few things I definitely want to visit (obviously I don't want to miss out on the most interesting stuff) but keeping most of my schedule open so I can go to random places and do stuff I discover on spot. I usually have maybe one activity planned per day, and the rest is spontaneous. So from my perspective, you're doing it right :)

I have no idea on hostels, but I understand they're quite social spaces. Note that Europeans are far less extroverted than Americans, so perhaps try to tone it down a bit, but you should have no issues finding people to hang out and explore with. And you'll probably have many non-Europeans around you anyway :)

The extent to which people pre-book activities and accomodation on a trip is incredibly personal and doesn't have a simple right answer. There are pros and cons to both approaches.

Obviously it's nice to be flexible and not have to pre-book. Though yes there is no way of avoiding that if you don't do some organisation in advance you'll probably end up spending at least some time on the trip doing the bare minimum.

In my opinion not booking stuff in advance works best when you have more time and are taking things a bit more slowly. It means you've got the slack to say do an attraction the following day or for example take a slower train if you need to due to faster ones. Or if there is a line for non ticket holders it doesn't matter too much.

It does also cost more. And if you don't book attractions there is no way of avoiding that sometimes that is going to mean missing out. Particularly if you only have a short window. Though how likley that is depends wildly on the specific places and times of year. Specific to Rome I think:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ItalyTravel/comments/1j0e8ij/do_i_need_to_bookreserve_early/

https://www.reddit.com/r/ItalyTravel/comments/1fyebu3/do_i_really_need_to_book_tickets_for_attractions/

https://www.reddit.com/r/ItalyTravel/comments/1kdfx11/what_so_i_need_to_book_and_plan_ahead_for_rome/

https://www.reddit.com/r/rome/comments/13p6bbo/what_tickets_to_book_in_advance/

https://www.reddit.com/r/ItalyTravel/comments/1gqp776/leaving_for_rome_should_i_get_event_tickets_ahead/

Among countless other threads all provide better information then I could give. If you have any attractions you you know in advance you want to see at the absolutely minimum I would encourage you to do some research about if you should pre-book or not.

It's really hard to generalise about hostels. Some are and some aren't. And it isn't always about the hostel - sometimes it just happens that you get on well with the people you are staying with and sometimes not. It's hard to say in advance. Sometimes you can get a vibe in the reviews/description/photos. Though back to what I was saying before if you don't book you'll have less options. Absolutely there are often people in social areas looking to meet up. Sometimes it works out and sometimes not! Just depends on who is around that day. I wouldn't force it and don't worry about it if it doesn't seem to be working. You can always leave it till next time. Or joining group tours can also be a good option to meet up with other travellers. I'd encourage you to read: https://www.reddit.com/r/solotravel/wiki/meetingpeople

Absolutely the best resource for clueless (I mean that kindly) American travelers are the Rick Steves guides. They not only suggest itineraries for cities but are especially good at the little stressors like how to navigate different metro systems, whether to order at the bar or table, etc. They're pitched at an older demographic than the hostel traveller but really, they're the best source for the kind of information you're looking for.

And take it from a 70+ year old: this is not a once in a lifetime opportunity, it's just the beginning.

Personally, I'd advise following your interests (history, food, art, beer, etc.) to guide your choices. But go to things you don't think you'll enjoy, too; a visit to an Italian art museum over 20 years ago ignited a life-long interest in art for me, for example, so be open to new things.

Have a great trip!

You still have enough time to hit the library and get some guidebooks. There are all the answers you need.

Do NOT drive slowly in the left lane.

Be aware of no-traffic zones like Italy's ZTLs. I went through one for literally 30 seconds without realizing it to pick up family in Sardinia and got a ticket in the mail months later.

Get the good insurance. Your peace of mind is worth it.

If ur anywhere fairly southern ur gonna need somewhere to swim, this summer is gonna be insanely hot over there… it was 34 degrees (C obvs) in southern France last weekend

Consider smaller roads. The expressways are great, but like a US Interstate, you’d see nothing of the real life there.

Speed traps! Camera traps,especially on side roads in France, speed seem to change every mile, or less!

We enjoyed the towns and smaller cities; include those in your itinerary! Also lots of businesses in Germany are closed on Sunday; likely the same in Italy.

I hope you saved some money, with the current COP exchange rate everything will seem very expensive, especially food and stays. You can adapt depending on how comfortable you want to be (youth hostels, airbnbs, etc) and balance cheap super market food with actual restaurants. Some airlines have very cheap tickets (Ryanair, Easyjet) that could be even cheaper than train tickets but I personally prefer travelling by train. It also depends what’s your main objective: meeting new people, visit historic places or have more scenic views of each country.

How long will you be abroad? What are you most interested in seeing? That will help determine where to go. Say you’re there for two weeks. I’d spend the time exploring one or maybe two countries. If you have a month+ obviously it’s easier to explore more. Factor in travel time as well. You can play around on this site to find travel times. The app Omio is also a great resource. Happy travels!

Are you traveling into the past or future?

Hey AngerfirstCol,

My friend and I developed a free route optimization software that works through google maps for this exact purpose of route planning. I believe it can help you save a lot of time and gas money. Let me know if your interested in testing it out. All I ask for in return is your helpful feedback.

good luck and enjoy!

Instead of going to places far away from Rome/Vienna like Amsterdam and Strasbourg, why not stop in more Italian cities on the way? 

Places like Bologna, Padua etc are great stops, and have a lot to offer.

Take out Luxembourg - city is tiny and expensive, Vienna, Rome and Florence are way more artsy; I would add Paris if at all, instead of Strasbourg - but maybe you have chosen those because they are "on the way"?

Do you have a specific reason to go to Frankfurt ? You have much more interesting places around Germany.

When in Luxembourg, you gotta visit the brewery museum in Wiltz. I haven’t seen anything like it, even in the Czech Republic. They’ve got this old-school brewery vibe, it felt like I'm in a movie.

There’s also a microbrewery on-site, so you can join a workshop, make your own beer and then taste it. They also make limited batches for private orders, and the labels look like pieces of art. After the tour, they hooked me up with a bottle of their latest brew, which was a nice touch. Total must-visit for beer nerds.

If your musts are Vienna & Rome, I would most definitely stay only on the route between those 2 cities.

There is a pleanty to see, and real beauty is going beyond capital cities!

I would suggest you to go from Vienna towards Salzburg or Munchen, and include a famous castle Neuschwanstein. After that, go south to Italy and visit Verona, Lake Garda, Venice. In the next section, explore Bologna, Florence, Pisa, San Gimigniano, see if you can also squeeze in Cinque Terre. Then go to Rome & Vatican. If you have any days left you can also go further to Napoli, Pompei, Amalfi coast, and volcano Vesuvio.

Be careful about the dates of the Olympics in Paris. Everything will be extremely expensive and places will be crowded. I recommend avoiding Paris during the Olympics.

If you don't want to avoid (I think if I visited another continent for the first time I would not avoid a place that I really want to see because I might never come back), do a lot of research, and perhaps consider going to Paris before the rest of your trip (before the Olympics).

• Give yourself some layover time if you have to switch trains. They may not run on time and you don’t want to miss your connection.

• Trains in some countries will close doors and leave with no warning (think of it as being as fast as a subway stop). Don’t waste time, get on and off as quickly as possible.

• Find out if you have to validate your ticket before riding. You may be fined if you don’t.

Always have lots of Euro coins for public toilets. Or if in Italy, pay 1 Euro for a coffee and use the cafe’s toilet.

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Inevitably you will mess up at some point and it will cost money or time. My rule is if it’s less than 2 hours or $100 I have to let it go immediately. Enjoy the time you have traveling!

Post up what you’ve learned already so we don’t waste our time suggesting things you already know.

Lean into the blogs to start your route and as you learn more, make your own adaptations. I have traveled a lot, and I still find tons of value in travel blogs/sites. So, don't feel like they are cliche or touristy!

Stay in the weird ones- on a boat, in a barn, castle gate houses, above a pub, old prisons.
Stay in locations close to city centers- easier to walk or for public transport.

Learn the basics of local languages, not everyone will speak English. In big cities, many will, but it helps to know your basic hello, thank you, goodbye, numbers, etc.

Not a lot of hotels supply dental kits 😂, learned my lesson the hard way. Better to bring your own. Also utilize google maps! If you want to make friends, try joining facebook groups for tourists/expats that want to hangout with other tourists as well

If you use a facecloth, take one with you. They don't supply them in British hotels.

Enjoy your shock :) this is part of an experience.

It is hard to predict what will surprise you.

Traffic comes from the "wrong" side when crossing the street.

Try not to be anxious - everyone speaks English, you can read the signs, and people will be polite in both places. You can always just ask a local if you're confused about something.

Jetlag is more of an issue, IMO.