assuming you have to fly over, you should expect to spend anywhere from $800-2000 on the plane ticket alone (this depends on departure, arrival airport, and whether you can book roundtrip that far in advance). you should have at least $40 for food each week - so that's roughly another $1000 over 6 months. at times you will need transportation, but that cost is impossible to estimate without knowing the countries you are traveling in and your mode of transport. i'd say, if you are not doing a ton of walking, you should plan for $100 at least in bus, taxi, or train costs per week. so another... quite a lot... that number is a bit depressing, but it will probably be less. finally, acommodations. there are youth hostels all over europe, which are really inexpensive to stay in. you may have the opportunity to camp out for several nights a week, or meet up with friends and crash with them. another hard one to estimate, but you should plan another $100-200 a week so you are not "homeless." so i'd say the total cost of the trip (including clothes washing, souvenirs, etc) would be at the very least $4000 (low estimate) to perhaps $8000. by no means do i want to discourage you on the price, you just have to be prepared for emergencies. there are lots of options, however. you can backpack to one country and get a temporary job. they'd pay you to do a few weeks work, then you move on. sometimes you might find a non-paying job, but that's the way it goes. it's definitely an experience that you should try your hardest for. remember - expenses can be cut up to 1/3 if you travel with a buddy (shared food, hotel, etc.)