What Is the Backpacking Through Europe Story in Friends?

By Alice Nichols

Backpacking Through Europe Story in Friends

The show Friends featured a memorable story arc in its seventh season. It involved the six main characters – Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey – taking a backpacking trip through Europe. The story arc lasts for three episodes and follows the gang as they visit different cities and have various adventures.

The episode starts off with Rachel and Ross getting back together after several years of being apart. They decide to make the most of it by going on a European vacation with their friends.

They plan to travel light and take only what they can carry in their backpacks. The group sets out for London first, where they immediately get into trouble after Chandler is mistaken for a British secret agent by an undercover police officer. After narrowly escaping arrest, they continue their journey to Amsterdam, where Joey gets into some legal trouble after he accidentally buys marijuana brownies from a street vendor.

In Venice, Ross meets an old flame who is married to an Italian man. This causes tension between him and Rachel until she eventually realizes how much she loves him and decides to let him go. In Paris, Rachel gets her dream job when she lands an interview with the head designer at Gucci but ultimately decides not to take it so that she can stay with her friends.

The group continues on to Greece where Monica becomes ill and has to be hospitalized for a few days before being released in time for them to make it home. Back in New York City, the gang reflects on their journey during one last dinner at Central Perk before returning home from their trip of a lifetime.

What Is the Backpacking Through Europe Story in Friends?

The Backpacking Through Europe story arc of Friends is a memorable 3-episode journey that sees Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey travelling through London, Amsterdam, Venice, Paris and Greece while having various adventures along the way. It ends with them reflecting on their journey during one last dinner at Central Perk before returning home from their trip of a lifetime.