Possible European Summer Excursion

[Bleak Eyes]

My girlfriend and I are thinking of going to a country this summer for a few months possibly. We thought about finding a little apartment or something and even trying to find jobs for the summer so that we can still sight see and such. We are both still college students and I am heavily relying on the excess money I asked for on the student loan specifically to travel at some point this year.

Has anyone ever pulled this off and how successful was it? I am having my doubts, but I would really like to give it a try.

 

[°scarlet°]

as far as I know, non EU citizens/regular residents can’t stay in EU countries for more than 3 months in a row unless they study or work in the country they live in.
conditions for longer stays vary from country to country - I recommend you check carefully these policies before planning the rest

 

[Swany]

non EU citizens/regular residents can’t stay in EU countries for more than 3 months in a row

That's true and applies to basically any other region (or country) in the world as well
But as I understood it, they're only planning to come for the summer months (= not more than 3 months anyway), just like many EU-students go on trips during their semester breaks.

@Bleak Eyes: I can tell you that I know students who came to Europe to (successfully) do exactly the same and I know even more students from Europe who went to Asia / Australia for that. So in general it's possible and a great idea, however, "just getting a part-time job" is easier said than done as many EU-countries require a work permit.
I'd recommend you to look for "work and travel" programmes as they are mostly designed to fit University or College students who are tight on money but still wish to travel and get to know different cultures. Not only do they offer little jobs you can choose from, they also know cheap places to stay.
Try to google for "work and travel in Europe (or specific country)" and see if there is something for you. It might also help to ask your college if they know of any "summer school" or "summer exchange" programmes you could join...

 

[Bleak Eyes]

Yeah, it would likely be two months or so because I am aware of the three month restriction. I also did think about getting a work visa in case it was required. This information was very helpful and even encouraging, so thanks for that! I will look into this a lot more.

 

[kkfootee]

For a 2 month stay, I think I'd look into a summer university course, or just focus on the enjoyment of travelling Europe.
There are cheap ways to do it, like getting an Eurorail pass and sleeping in the trains or in Youth Hostels.

Travel and work programs are ok, but they charge money for their services and, for a 2 month stay, you might end up paying them more than you'd get back... though it would save you the hassle of looking for a place to stay.

So many options!

Good luck

 

[Bleak Eyes]

We had thought of Italy as the country we would stay in. I think I still want to go there, but flights over there at the end of May are fucking mental on the wallet. I might have to fly to a nearby country and take a train over there. Just for the sake of looking, I searched flights to Sweden at the same time and I found a flight that was $1,000 less than a flight to Rome or Venice. Like I said, I am in the very preliminary stages of planning this, so I still have much more to look into.

 

[Anthony3]

Have you checked flying into Dublin, London, or Paris and then seeing what it would cost to fly from one of those cities to Italy or Sweden?

 

[Bleak Eyes]

I did check out Paris, which was still kind of expensive, but not the other cities. I will be checking every possible place to fly soon though.