Best way to travel Europe?

Next year, on July 5th, I will be backpacking Europe for 3 months starting in Copenhagen and traveling to about 20 countries/stops. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to travel around. I have a general idea on where I'm going but it's not a set schedule, so I won't be able to buy months in advance flights. If I go with budget flights I would be purchasing the ticket in less than a weeks advance. Would it be smart to buy a 3 month Eurail pass or just stick with budget airlines? Are there any other means of transportation that are easier/cheaper? Also any other tips for backpacking for an 18 y/o male would be greatly appreciated.

Trains, hands down Enjoy! And don't forget the Med islands!

Yes i would air but pay attention to money and if you if want to come back

Budget airline tickets brought last minute are no cheaper than other airlines, if you can plan in advance where you intend to visit, you could combine air travel with trains, euro rail probably being the most economical option.

There are several options. You will probably use a mix of them, instead of relying on only one way of transportation.

1. Low cost airlines such as Ryanair, Easyjet, Vueling, Hop! And many more. Since you are traveling in the summer peak season (high airfares) and you are not ready to book your flights several weeks in advance (expensive lastminute booking), this option is likely not for you. Furthermore, budget airlines charge you for additional services such as checked luggage. Due to security measures, you have to be at the airport 2 or 3 hours before departure. So, as for prices and time planning, other ways of transport are better for most of your journeys.

Nevertheless, for "long" journeys, budget flights remain the best option for you in many cases (e.g. From Barcelona to Copenhagen or from Barcelona to London). As far as possible, you should try to fix the planning of these journeys so that you may book them in advance.

2. For most of your other journeys in Western Europe, train is basically the best option for you: comfort, easy, cheap, a dense network, departure and arrival in city centers. Cross-border journeys may take several hours if you do not opt for high speed trains.

High speed trains such as Eurostar (from Brussels or Paris to London), Thalys (from Brussels to Paris or Amsterdam or the German city of Dortmund), and TGV (France) are very popular. Be however aware that ticket prices of these high speed trains go up also when travel date approaches.

3. A very cheap alternative to trains are international or intercity buses with carriers such as Flixbus, Megabus, Stagecoach, Eurolines, Ouibus, Isilines, Deinbus, and more. These buses become very popular to backpackers since comfort has improved quite a lot and prices go down due to competition. If you book your journey at the last minute, this option may help you.

4. Another useful option is long distance carpooling through platforms such as Blablacar Also available at lastminute

5. As a matter of fact, there are many other cheap options available on some itineraries. For instance, Ouigo is a cheap high speed train ticket within France and can be a good alternative to the more expensive TGV. Similarly, Izy is a cheap alternative to Thalys between Brussels and Paris. Youth card ("carte jeune" in French) is available for cheap flights with the French airline Hop! Since I do not know your itinerary, I can't give more details in this matter.

6. As for accommodation, hostels / auberges de jeunesse (French) / Jugendherberge (German) are a popular option for backpackers.

The world travel directory
http://www.willgoto.com
.

Train info - https://www.seat61.com/
Buses - http://budgettraveller.org/the-cheapest-way-to-travel-across-europe/

If most of the places you're going are on the actual continent of Europe (in other words, not England, Scotland, Ireland, or Iceland), it would be better to use the excellent train system to travel around. You can even save money on hotels if you do a lot of your traveling from city to city at night and sleep on the train! Do be aware that July and August are when most Europeans are on vacation as well, so in big cities you may be seeing a lot of tourists and locals who are grumpy because they HAVEN'T been on vacation yet themselves or just got back! On the other hand, there are a lot of special events that happen ONLY in the summer. If you do go to Ireland or the UK and want to go to smaller villages away from the big tourist spots, there's a way to hitch a ride with the mail trucks, making even villages without a rail station accessible!

3 months and 20 countries would be a fairly hectic schedule