Big Brother Backpacking offers a kind of "choose your own adventure" story. Instead of a bus tour, a specific itinerary, or a vacation being dragged from one postcard to the next, what we offer is a backpacking tour decided by you.

We cater to students and teens who don't want to be told where to go and what to see. What we offer is freedom in a safe environment. Independence with a helpful guide. A vacation that changes every minute, based on your preference. At Big Brother Backpacking, we don't feel you need us to tell you what you like. We want you to tell us.

The city our tours start in is decided by what each group is looking for out of their vacation. Our guides meet each student at the airport (with sign in hand) and spend a single day orienting everyone to their surroundings. We then hand the reigns over to the group. Our guides step back, and instead of deciding where everyone wants to go, we listen to the opinion of the group and make it a reality. If there is a beautiful town passing by outside the train and there is a consensus to stop and spend the night -- we're there. If Interlaken is just too nice to leave, we'll stay. The point is that this is your vacation, not ours. You tell us what is important to you and let us turn your dreams to reality.

We offer two week and full month trips based around your desires. Our tours travel by train (meaning each trip is restricted to the countries participating in the Eurail program) and accommodation is split between hotel, hostels and campgrounds, depending on availability and desire.

If you have any questions or requests, be sure to drop us a line. We are always happy to hear from someone looking to do something more with their life. Let us help you make an experience you'll never forget.

Big Brother Backpacking does not plan out itineraries before each trip. Instead, we use real time information such as weather, customer desire, and daily train schedules to determine exactly what are the best options to allow you the most out of your trip.

Our trips are not decided beforehand, except in the minds and internet search histories of our students. Instead, we rely on the knowledge of our guides, the ingenuity and desires of our students, and the feeling of the day to decide exactly what we see and what we don't see. In that sense, every single trip taken with Big Brother Backpacking will be completely different than the last.

The possibilities are almost endless. Some trips will cover a few cities for multiple days, staying in hostels and seeing the old part of town. Others will reach to the top of the Alps and camp overlooking Swiss villages. Some will weave through nine countries in two weeks, while others will stay put and get to know one area. The point is that with Big Brother Backpacking, we don't pretend to know what you want to see. We want you to tell us where exactly you want to go, and then we are going to take you there. If you get stuck and don't know what to do -- no problem. Our guides are always ready with a backup plan and an interesting place to see.

Our full month package departs on July 2nd, and our two week packages depart on June 17th and August 4th.

No Hidden Fees!

At Big Brother Backpacking, we don't believe in hidden fees. Traveling is an expensive activity as is, and we have no desire to lure customers in based on false promises, invisible costs or hidden incidentals. When we say all expenses are included, we mean it!

The cost of your trip includes but is not limited to:

- One Eurail Global pass valid for the entirety of your European trip.
- All food, snacks and drinks.
- All accommodation in a variety of hotels, hostels and camp sites.
- All inner-city bus, subway and other transportation fares.
- All museum, national park, UNESCO world heritage site admission costs and other related fees.
- All other unforeseen incidentals.
- One professionally photographed and edited album of your trip.
- One experienced guide per (maximum) five travelers. We keep our guide to student ratio so low to make sure that individual desires can be fulfilled.
- Tents will be provided by Big Brother Backpacking unless otherwise requested. This is not only to save you expense, but also to keep us from having to carry the extras.

The cost of your trip does not include:

- Airfare from home to Europe. We would be happy to book and add the price of airfare for you (if you desire), but as flight costs change with regularity, and many people choose to use frequent flyer miles,  it is better to leave it as a decision for the customer without imposing.
- Your ISIC application fees. You will be required to bring an International Student Identification Card for your trip.
- Traveler's insurance. We require that all of our students come equipped with ample traveler's insurance.
- Medical insurance. Although most of our students will probably already have medical insurance in some way or another, it is a requirement that our students' insurance adequately covers them for trips abroad.
- Souvenirs for Mom and Dad.
- The lederhosen you are going to want after trekking the Alps.

Big Brother Backpacking offers tours specifically designed for youths looking to do something life changing with their summer in a close knit group environment. Considered leaders in the art of teen adventure travel, Big Brother Backpacking offers small, five person group tours aimed at teaching teens the art of travel leadership while providing them with the opportunity to see what life is like beyond their home town.

As a tour company specifically aimed towards students, Big Brother Backpacking provides a coming of age European travel adventure without the worry and hassle of planning and executing your own tour, traveling alone, or missing out on major sites. Since the company allows the travelers themselves to determine where the trip will go in real-time, students are taught how to plan and execute a trip in a small group, make close friends from a variety of backgrounds, and experience Europe in a hands-on way.

Instead of being forced into a learning environment they will attempt to ignore, our travelers are given a firsthand opportunity to see what personal success through determination really means (not to mention getting a bit of much needed exercise away from the computer and a solid geography lesson). Big Brother Backpacking provides their students with a backpacking experience unlike any other, and we are proud to stand out as leaders in independence travel.

Web:  www.bigbrotherbackpacking.com