I am not a stereotypical backpacker - in my experience, backpackers are tanned, thin, blonde and beautiful; whereas I am short, Persil white and slightly podgy. However, last summer I spent a month backpacking across Europe with only a train ticket, a heavy backpack, and my best mate for company. Our route took us from Amsterdam to Poland , with many places in between. I hoped to come back looking like a proper backpacker. I did not. However, it was an amazing experience and I would recommend it to anyone – even people who, like me, are completely unsuitable.

For the first week of our trip we camped for five nights, despite my protests. Our first stop-off was in Amsterdam , where Brits wanting to get stoned have pushed up the prices of hostels to expensive rather than budget, so we camped to save money – backpacking can be a surprisingly expensive venture. The campsite was fine, but the torrential rain wasn't. And neither was finding out our tent wasn't fully waterproof. However, no-one can go to Amsterdam and not have a good time – it is such a fun place, full of weird people and bars. Luxembourg , our next stop, was full of weird people and bars too, but not in a good way. We only stopped in Luxembourg overnight on the way to the Alps , but rather than finding a hugely-overlooked gem of a European city, we found a dirty, tiny, scary city that we were more than glad to leave.

Our next stop, a town called Chamonix at the foot of Mont Blanc, quickly dispersed the bad feeling of Luxembourg . Everything about it was picturesque, from the little train that took us there to the views from the cable cars. However, with beauty comes tourists, which means high prices, which means we once again had to get out our tent. We didn't even consider the fact that it snows in the mountains, even in August. That first night was the coldest I have ever been – I had all my clothes on and was tucked in a sleeping bag, but I was still shivering and convinced I was going to die. The next night we bought tinfoil sheets to keep us warm, which worked, but meant we couldn't sleep because of the rustling. All the other campers found this hilarious. Bloody mountaineers with their thermal sleeping bags.

We then took a long train ride to Rome , the hottest destination on our trip. I had been warned about going to Italy in August, and as it turns out, the warnings were justified. It was so hot. I felt like I was baking in my own skin like a jacket potato and I managed to get painfully sunburnt through my sun cream too. However, I would do it all again because Rome is such an amazing place – who cares if you are too hot if you are gazing upon the grandness of the Coloseum or the opulence of the Vatican, with some of the world's best ice cream in your mouth?

After Rome , we did the Famous City Checklist – Vienna , Prague and Berlin in quick succession. Vienna was lovely, Prague was breathtakingly beautiful, but Berlin was disappointing. Maybe it was the rain. Maybe it was the fact I nearly got arrested by the traffic police because I couldn't find my underground ticket. Whatever it was, I was happy to leave for a more off-the-beaten-track destination – Poland .

Poland may not be a usual holiday destination, but it should be. Poland is, as I hoped Luxembourg would have been, a hidden gem. We stayed at first in the northern city of Sopot – a lovely seaside resort that puts British seaside resorts to shame – before travelling south to our final destination of Krakow , where we had some of the best food on our trip. Italy may be famous for food, but we preferred Poland with their stews and dumplings – cheap and delicious.

I returned to Britain with a milky-tea tan, a host of new friends and a couple of injuries, including a bite on my leg which had turned so nasty I was convinced that whatever had bitten me had laid eggs in there too. However, the main thing I bought back with me was an amazing collection of experiences. And to anyone thinking of backpacking, I say do it. Just remember – deciphering train timetables is like trying to read Russian, backpacks are never light, and the person you travel with has to be someone you actually like. As long as you remember these things, and remember that I – a person totally unsuited to the whole backpacking lifestyle – did it and enjoyed it, you will have a wonderful time.