Birdie1962

Have already started thinking about my family trip for next summer. Would like to experience Europe, but have to say I'm a little intimidated about going. However, I've always wanted to see England, Sweden, Denmark, Amsterdam and Germany. Can anyone offer advice about which country would be a good place to first experience Europe? Had looked into going this summer, but the airfares alone were monstrous. Are there ways to get to Europe without going broke?

MonicaRichards

I am a southern European fan (Italy, France, Spain) so I can't help you there. But for a host of reasons (the cost of fuel, consolidation of carriers) flying is crazy expensive and I don't see that changing any time soon.

Birdie1962

My husband was in Berlin a few months ago and loved it. Looked into going there this summer. From where we live, it would have been about $6,000 for my family to fly there.

sparkchaser

<i>Can anyone offer advice about which country would be a good place to first experience Europe?</i>

Europe might not be as big as the U.S. but there are big differences from country to country.



<i>Had looked into going this summer, but the airfares alone were monstrous. Are there ways to get to Europe without going broke? </i>

Plane tickets are higher in the high season (summer). Fuel isn't getting any cheaper so it's safe to say that next year tickets will be as expensive if not more. Of course, you can buy your tickets earlier since they are normally cheaper but that is not a 100% guarantee that you will get the cheapest price by booking 300 days beforehand.


As for keeping it "affordable", I guess you want to go where the cost of living is lower. That would mean skipping the UK and Germany. But again that depends on your travel style. If you are planning on running around from city to city and country to country then it will be significantly more expensive than if you stay in two cities and just see the surrounding area.

We really need more information to give helpful answers beyond the general truisms.

WWK

Unfortunately I just saw a news segment about how flying is going to cost MORE next year, not less. Summer fares and holiday fares ( Xmas, New Year's) are the most expensive of the year.

sparkchaser

Sweden is crazy expensive.

SCW

My family went to Brussels in April and enjoyed it - Mini-Europe is a fun way to see the highlights of Europe without trekking all over! You can also take quick day-trips to Bruges and Ghent from there. Munich is a personal favorite as well.

Mimar

How old are your children? What kind of things are you interested in seeing?

In England they speak more or less the same language so that makes things easier for a first trip. OTOH if you're driving, the English drive on the other side of the street.

When our son was school-age, we went on our summer vacations right after school was out in June. It's not necessarily cheaper, but the crowds are less and the weather's cooler (not a problem at your projected destinations).

Airfares are not cheap. Look into flying open-jaws, flying into one airport and out of another. For instance, into Amsterdam and out of Berlin. This is the multi-city option on airline web sites and should cost about the same as round-trip. As well as same you the time and money to backtrack.

Not that I want to encourage you to go to multiple countries. I think it's very sensible of you, especially traveling with kids, to stick to one country.

adrienne

<< Are there ways to get to Europe without going broke? >>

A couple of thoughts. I have a Visa card which I use for almost every purchase. The frequent flyer miles add up and I've been able to get "free" tickets for every independent trip in the last 7 years. I do not spend a lot of money at home and pay cash for big tickets items but somehow daily living (gas, food, car maint, cable) adds up. I pay off the credit card every month so do not incur finance charges. I only need 1 ticket and you need for a family but if you didn't need to buy even 1 ticket the air expense would be reduced. You do pay the taxes on the ticket (for my upcoming flight the taxes are $178).

Don't only focus on the price for flights but the price you will pay once you get to Europe. Some countries are less expensive than others. Recently I visited the Czech Republic and Poland where the cost of living is so much cheaper than in the US. I know lots of Americans who would never think of visiting these countries (other than Prague) but I saw some amazing sights and it cost much less than going to the UK, France, or Italy.

My next trip is Germany. Even in Berlin I found a nice hotel for $100 per night. In Dresden and Potsdam the hotels are $60 per night. None of them are out in the "boonies" but relatively central. There were less expensive hotels if I wanted to be a bit farther from the center. If you book hotels a bit farther out you could afford to take a taxi to and from your hotel. Lots of people stay in Berlin and see Potsdam as a day trip. Why not do the reverse (as an example)?

What I am trying to explain is that airfare is only one part of your trip. Once you get there, there are many ways to economize and still have a great trip. Stay in smaller cities/towns; limit your stays in larger cities. Book apartments to keep some food/snacks so you're not always paying to get something to eat and drink at cafes. Don't drink soft drinks - there is nothing wrong with drinking tap water and having an occasional coke as a splurge.

Lots of countries/cities are much cheaper than in the US and young children usually get into sights free.

Of the countries you've listed, Germany is probably the least expensive. Scandinavia is quite expensive.

BigRuss

How many kids? If you have 3 kids, then $6k for the family to cross the Atlantic is not unreasonable.

What ages?

What's your nightly lodging budget?

Out of your list, the UK and Germany are two of the LESS expensive options. Check her list, Sparky, there are two Scandinavian countries on it and the price of two MODEST restaurant meals per day at Chili's type chains will run more than $250 for a family of four (the hamburgers in Sweden at Chili's are about $18-22 or more, double the US price and the US has better beef).

London is catnip for the hobbits. And you can "do" London inexpensively for a city of its size - a week at the Marina flats at St. Katharine's Dock is less than 1000 quid (check for janisj's recent posting on those flats), the cheap eats options are numerous (Indian takeaway, Asian restos on Charing X road, chains with good ready to eat meals like EAT, Pret-a-Manger, M&S Simply Food). Plus, in the UK the residents speak some form of English as a first language (all Western European countries that do not border the Mediterranean speak English as either a first or second language [except Switzerland, it's third after French and German] - the Scandinavian tongues are simply coded speech for the locals, they all learn English at a young age).

Your best option for 2015 is to save. Your best option for 2016 is to get some manner of reward card that will kick back some benefit such as money, airline miles, general use points, etc., and use those to get across the pond.

sparkchaser

Now I want a burger.

Gretchen

Air fare is going to be big no matter what. No bargains there any more.
As has been suggested, there are expensive countries--UK, Switzerland, Sweden and probably parts of Germany. I find France to still be a bargain (so to speak) and there are others. Don't plan to see "everything", but give your kids a taste so they can go later in their lives. have a great family trip and enjoy it.
You don't say how old your children are. You will need to educate them not to expect to have a Coke every time they want it. To keep it "affordable" you need to decide on your budget, and then research the places, and the ways to eat and stay at those places to fit your budget.

annhig

adding to what BigRuss said about the UK being cheap, most museums are free and you can get family tickets for National Trust and English heritage properties. Beaches are also free and if you rent an apartment you can eat reasonably cheaply and well by shopping at M&S or Waitrose.

another place where food is good and not too expensive is Spain especially out of the main tourist centres.

traveller1959

Due to low inflation, Germany is by far the cheapest country in your bucket list when it comes to hotels and meals.

Scandinavia is extremely expensive - believe me, I am just back from Copenhagen and my son has just arrived in Stockholm.

Also, you should not include too many destinations in your itinerary to avoid a "it's Thursday, it must be Belgium"-style trip with large portions of your precious time spent in airports.

So, what I would recommend is
- England: a few days in London, one day in Oxford and maybe in Bath.
- Amsterdam: yes, for two or three days
- Germany: Berlin, of course, and at least one of the picturesque historical towns, e.g. Wernigerode and Quedlinburg at the Harz or Monschau (near Aachen) or Rothenburg o.d.T. (in Bavaria); but there is much more to see in every part of Germany, e.g. Cologne and Aachen in Western Germany (close to Amsterdam), or München and upper Bavaria

It depends on the total time you will spend and of course on your interests.

sparkchaser

I have never heard the words "cheap" and "UK" in the same sentence unless the sentence also included the word "not". I guess compared to Scandinavia, the UK is cheap but compared to the rest of Europe, it isn't.

That being said, for a first foray into Europe, the UK or Ireland would be good choices.

Start saving!

bilboburgler

Basically there are ways of playing the countries you are interested in to keep the costs down. Lots of good ideas above but my thoughts include
1) London can be expensive (the biggest European city and bursting with money) so chose another city to base your self. That could be Glasgow, Manchester or if you want a smaller one York.
2) Amsterdam can do the same, but Haarlam is close and pretty cheap
3) Berlin is cheap

Staying in appartments is a good deal, especially if you have good wifi access to internet.

4) Do what the locals do, not what you normally do. So generally don't drink lots of sugary fizzy drinks, they are very expmensive in comparison to alcohol
5) Eat when the locals do, you will find fixed menus or buffets in the UK which are very cheap compared to the full menu, though if you are appartmenting then you can cook at home.
6) Don't get fooled into what the locals get fooled by. So don't buy vegtables in Waitrose (a UK supermarket) but go to the local market and chat to the staff to find out what is good and in season.
7) do research local deals, always something going down

trvlgirlmq

I've traveled with 3 kids to Europe 5 times so here is just a bit of what we have done to be more cost efficient:

Pick your dates and stick to them
Set up fare alerts on sites like Kayak so you can track airfare (do some research on what fares from your city should be)
Don't move around a lot, moving equals $$$$$
Look for hotel with kitchen or stay in apartments or houses
Prepare at least 2 meals a day at "home" to save on restaurant costs

Airfare is going to be your biggest expense. We went to France this year and paid $1297 RT from Nashville to Paris. There were 5 of us and we traveled mid-June to end of June. Our very first trip to Europe was 2007 to London when we paid $870. You can see how much airfare has gone up. We are going back in 2016 and I have upped my budget to $1500 (hoping for less of course).

janisj

So many (and I'm not accusing anyone who has posted above) assume the UK is very expensive mostly due to the exchange rates. I certainly couldn't afford to visit a couple of times a year if that was the case. Are London hotels expensive -- absolutely. But per day I usually spend less in London than in Paris. Many museums in London are free - virtually none in Paris are. I do find flats of comparable quality to be cheaper in London than in Paris.

Plus London is not 'England'. B&Bs in rural areas of England and Scotland can be amazing bargains.

I'm planning a trip to Venice and London at the end of Sept - and my hotels choices (3 and 4 star-ish) are quite a bit cheaper in London.

Airfares into the UK can be cheaper than to other major gateways due to the massive competition.

Some look at the $/€ and $/£ exchange rates and figure the the UK is more expensive - doesn't work that way. Now - some € countries are definitely cheaper places to visit . But IME France/Italy/Germany aren't in that group.

Not saying anyone <i>must</i> go to the UK - but for convenience/ease it is often a great place for a first foray overseas. London, a bit of England or Scotland and one other destination like Paris or Munich or Amsterdam would be a great 2 or 3 week trip.

Birdie1962

My kids are 15 and 10. As far as an expensive trip, my fear is what the remainder of the trip will cost if I have to shell out over $6,000 just to fly. I do have a card that provides some rewards for your purchases but at times, their rewards are better than others. The impression I'm getting is that if one wants to go to Europe, no matter the country, one will have to spend and spend. Hey, I'm flexible. If it pays to fly into one city and fly out of another, I'll do it if it pays. I don't have to stay at The Ritz, but want a clean, safe place. Love eating in out of the way places and food carts, but might also like a nicer alternative at times.

Christina

The only way to get cheap airfare is to go in the off-season. Sure, you can save a little if you are willing to endure a lot of stops and long layovers, but tickets to Europe are not going to be cheap, so don't expect it.

I think for beginners who are nervous about international travel, starting in a country where language isn't a big problem really helps a lot. IN your list, you could do England and the Netherlands and not have to worry about that. I'm sure Sweden and Denmark also since they both speak English so well, but those countries are extremely expensive and you can't do all that anyway on one trip.

There isn't any way most of us can get RT tickets to Europe using credit cards in any short period of time. I just don't spend that kind of money ever on expenses that could go on credit cards, and the miles required are huge (I belong to Delta FF for example, and they routinely want about 100K-125K miles for economy seats RT to Europe in summer). It takes me years and years literally to ever save those kind of miles.