Travelling

I was planning on travelling to Europe this coming summer but I never got the job I needed to afford it. So it's been pushed to next summer. This is potentially good though, it gives me  the time at university to meet people I could stand to travel with for that long, and my summer holiday will be four months instead of two.

For Christmas my parents bought me a Lonely Planet book called Europe on a Shoestring. So I'm 'planning' a trip as if I was going this summer, it will give me a rough price estimate and more time to look for things I might like to do while there.

For the most part I've been planning on taking this trip on my own, but my mum hates the idea and tries to think of people I could go on this trip with. There are huge flaws to going with any of them, not even ones that can be put up with, but ones that would drive me insane!!
My riding buddy, I can only stand for a few hours at a time. I want to have fun on this trip not be bossed around and only do what she wants.
My best friend, is not the kind of person up for 'roughing it'. Backpacking, staying in tents and hostiles, long cramped flights with bad food, layovers, etc. Are NOT her style and she's flat out said that if she would go she would being staying in a hotel, which is way to expensive. Not to mention, she doesn't have any interest in going to Europe.
My other best friend, I like her, I do, but just no. I can stand for long amounts of time because we don't really annoy each other, but sometimes she just gives me a headache. Then she says things that I flat out disagree with so I don't think that she would be interested in visiting many of the same places and doing the same things if she is at all interested in going to Europe.

I'm 'planning' my trip for this summer as if I'm just going to Ireland for two months, giving me more time in the UK and rest of Europe the summer after, thought that will be adjusted for real life of course.

So far my round trip ticket from Toronto to Belfast costs ~$827.00 and my EuroRail pass $190. Just need to find the price of a ticket from my city to Toronto and back from Toronto to home.

As you may have noticed, I have a lot of time on my hands.