- For the ultra-, ultra-budgeters, hitching rides from campground to campground with Europeans on vacations is sometimes possible, especially if you assure your ride that you won’t ask for another one at the next campground.

- One very important piece of advice: expect and plan for rain. For backwoods types, even though you’re not in the Rockies or the Sierras, don’t underestimate British, and especially Scottish, weather. A change of a few hundred feet in altitude, or a very few minutes, can bring a total change in weather, from sun to blowing, chilly rain. Triple this warning in Scandinavia and in the former Soviet Union.

- Bring a good stove, as very few organized campgrounds allow fires. As mentioned in Chapter 3, “What to take,” “Gaz” stoves are the standard unit all over Europe.

- Norway and Sweden allow “free camping,” a great institution. Under the law, you have the right to camp anywhere on public or private land as long as you stay no longer than two days, clean up after yourself, and are not within 150m of any buildings. This can be a low-cost lifesaver in these expensive countries. In other countries, a polite inquiry to the local landowner may get you a low-impact, no-fire campsite.