em810

Hi,

Just as a warning, the actual question(s) starts 1/3 of the way in.

I am going to be a sophomore in college next year (double major in English and Anthropology) and have the lucky opportunity to study abroad in England for the entirety of my spring semester. I will probably travel within the United Kingdom (yes - England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) as well as Ireland during the semester. I am going to be near Norwich. Any advice on what to do or how I might plan this? I believe I have a two to three week break in the spring as well as time on the weekends to mini-trip. However, I definitely want to experience the city I will be living in, so most weekends will be spent nearby the university.

The main question of this post starts here, now that you've got a bit of background information. My mother will be flying in to Europe (probably an airport in London) and will spending most of the month of June with me while we travel to a few countries in mainland Europe. I am hoping to get at least six weeks worth of traveling outside of the UK but my mother will only be there for around three weeks due to work restraints. I wanted advice on what countries and cities I should check out and how long I should stay in each city/town.

My mother will most likely want to see the entire UK and Ireland as well as Germany, Italy and France. I'd like to see many more countries but I know I'm limited with time. Do you think I should stick to this as a loose itinerary as I start to build it or do you think I could add a country? Should I only visit one main city per country?

Sorry that this is so long and quite vague. I would really like to get some advice from experienced travelers. This will be my first time out of the US.

suze

<Should I only visit one main city per country?>

There is no right or wrong answer to this kind of question, or rule that everyone follows

I would do some reading in guidebooks in advance, and go wherever interests you and your mom the most.

I've been to Venice, Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva area of Switzerland and loved each of them for different reasons. If I were pulling cities out of the air I'm interested in Barcelona and Florence. I plan my trips so I can do it all by train, I don't want to rent a car.

<how long I should stay in each city/town>

I like to take my time, so 4-5 days is my minimum, but again, completely personal choice. You can see the highlights and overview of most places in just a couple days.

dwdvagamundo

In three weeks, your mother is not going to have time to see four different countries, so for her I'd suggest either just the UK or the UK and France. But as Suze says, have her read some guidebooks and flag what she wants to see.

Then you do the same for your additional three weeks. I'd take the entire time and see more of Italy (Florence, Rome, Napoli, maybe some of the smaller cities in the north like Verona and Padua) if it were my trip, but it's not.

I think I travel a bit faster than Suze, but two full days (three nites) is my minimum in most places for a first trip but some (e.g. London, Rome) deserve four. Look at the Fodor's Guides (including the Destination guides on this website). They suggest itineraries depending on how much time you have and I find that feature very helpful in doing preliminary planning.

adrienne

<< My mother will most likely want to see the entire UK and Ireland as well as Germany, Italy and France >>

I'm sorry to tell you that this is not at all possible. Your mother won't even be able to see the entire UK in 3 weeks.

You should base her 3 weeks on her interests and plan from there.

I'm sure she will want to recover from jet lag and visit the town you've been staying in so give that 2 days (arrival day and the next day).

From there you can set off. If I were designing a special 3 weeks trip this is what I would do.

- London for 3-4 days.
- Take the Eurostar to Brussels and then transfer to Bruges (Belgium). This is a special town with canals and tall, narrow brick buildings. Bruges is small and you can see everything in 2 days. The best days are during the week rather than weekends. This will be restful as the sights are small and each one takes a short time. Visit lots of chocolate shops.
- Take the train to Paris for 4 or 5 days
- From Paris, either visit Strasbourg/Colmar for a flavor of Alsace with its German influence or Munich and surrounding area, or Annecy in the French alps. 3 or 4 days in one of these locations.
- End in Venice which is such a beautiful city. It's a pleasure to just wander around looking at the architecture and small squares. Visit a couple of the Lagoon islands; take the vaporetto on the Grand Canal between St. Mark's and Rialto to see the palazzi, especially at night when they are all magnificently lit up. Definitely do a gondola ride (only on the small canals).

LR220

What happens is that during the semester, the group of exchange students will be planning a trip for the mid-semester break as well as a lot of mini-trips that won't be restricted to the UK. These usually depend on the group, structure of school, etc so they can be anywhere from 2-5, but they will be the ones that go to London, Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam, Edinburgh etc, so if you want to see the other places in the UK and Ireland, you can go with a small group of friends you meet on the exchange in addition to that. Post-semester each of them set out with their own travel plans and usually travel to main cities all over, so you can use those 3/6 weeks to join up with them on various segments around and the last 3 with your mother covering other points of interest. The majority of the other students' itinerary post-semester are most likely to include Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Rome, Venice, Florence and Barcelona, though others might be more interested in something other than main cities. Not everyone travels after the exchange. You'd make plans while during the semester to travel with new friends after it, so I would leave your trip planning pretty open, but ask your mother if she can join you on the last 3 weeks instead.

PalenQ

I assume you are taking trains - here are some sweet sites to check out for helping planning and getting a fix on the European rail system: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - download the latter;s free online European Planning & Rail Guide for a wealth of suggested rail itineraries for each country, rail maps, travel times, etc.

If you are under 26 you can get a Eurail Youthpass, a bargain if taking trains for six weeks IMO. I would assume you would be taking quite a few trains in six weeks and in most countries a pass still lets you just hop on any train anytime and such fully flexible tickets would cost a fortune.

If you buy a Eurail Youthpass you could then get I think 50% off a BritRail Pass or BritEngland Pass and make that a great deal too if traveling around the U.K. very much.

em810

@suze Thank you for the helpful reply. I was thinking at least four days for most cities also. Thanks for the advice - I hope to be getting a guidebook for my birthday in the next coming weeks but I may have to pick up one myself.

Should I buy the Fodor's guidebook for Europe?

@dwdvagamundo Thank you for the advice! As I look into it, I realize how much nicer it would be to take more time to see certain places rather than rushing like crazy. I will definitely look into the Fodor's guides and destination guides to put something together!

@adrienne Depending on the timing of things, my mom will probably want to see the town I was living in, so thank you for mentioning that! I didn't even think of that. I used your itinerary idea as a starting point, so thank you so much for putting that together! Your enthusiasm for Venice makes me want to stop there for sure!

@LR220 I hadn't even thought of traveling with friends after the semester, thank you for mentioning that! I think that is a great idea - to have my mom come a little later - as I have a friend who will be studying abroad in the Netherlands as well. I could meet up with her even if none of the exchange students are traveling after the semester (doubtful). I'm hoping to make some friends that I can travel with during the semester for sure!

@PalenQ Thank you so much for linking those websites. I had no idea that there was a youthpass for the Eurail. Planning on buying one now - such a great deal! Plus the 50% off for the BritRail Pass would be absolutely awesome so I will have to buy them in advance.

Thank you all so much for your help! It's hard to stay realistic when you want to travel everywhere, but I think I'm starting to get a better idea of what I need to do versus what I want to do.

If anyone else has any advice, or experience to mention, or general comments, please post them! I would love to hear stories or tips on traveling! As an additional question to throw out there, where would you study abroad next? I may have the opportunity to go again during my junior year - which is crazy and unbelievable to me - but hey, if I can go again, I'm not passing up the opportunity. Even if I have to pay for it later!

IMDonehere

Mom, will need at least two more children abroad to accomplish her end.

Tell Mom, that I said so, that she should pick what she truly wants to see.

Rule of thumb-every time you move from city to city you lose at least 1/2 day packing, unpacking, checking in, checking out, getting to the bus, train, or airport, taking the bus, train, or plane, and then getting to the hotel from the bus, train, or airport.

If neither of you has driven on the wrong side of the road, the you can quickly eliminate driving in the UK.

For one month you should limit your visit to a maximum of two countries and realize that Paris, London, and Rome are each worth at least a week.

CGS

When I traveled after study abroad many years ago I was able to get an InterRail pass because I had been living in the country for 6 months and was considered a European student. It was about half the price of a Eurail pass. You should look into that before you buy your Eurail pass. But you would have to buy it near the end of your semester and then couldn't get the discount PalenQ mentioned on the BritRail pass. I didn't get a BritRail pass, even though i was studying in Scotland. I don't remember whether it didn't exist at that time, or was just too expensive. You should compare prices. Have a great time!

em810

@IMDonehere The Rule of thumb definitely helps put the trip in perspective. Perhaps I could do one week in Paris, London, and Rome each. I know that it would be ideal to limit the visit to a max of two countries for a month but I don't think my mom will ever make it back to Europe so I guess I was trying to fit in as much as possible. And yes, we have eliminated driving in the UK because that would be disastrous.

@CGS Thanks for the tip! I will definitely compare prices and see what will be best - I'm sure that the InterRail pass is another option that might be the best one. Thank you - I can't wait!

PalenQ

Should I buy the Fodor's guidebook for Europe?>

Fodor's is a wonderful guide for an older and more well-heeled tourist but for you I'd strongly reoommend Let's Go Europe - a wealth of info geared at folks your age - written by college students for other similar aged folks - a wealth of info on budget accommodations sets it apart from guides like Fodor's whose hotels are much more upscale with scant mention of hostels, youth hotels, B&Bs, etc like Let's Go Europe provides. amazon.com.

CGS

Absolutely agree with PalenQ about Let's Go for you. But will need another guide also for the time with Mom. You and your Mom should go to your local library and check out some different guidebooks to get a sense of which ones you like and want to buy for the time she is there. I like Lonely Planet for anything off the beaten path and Rick Steves' for city guides.

IMDonehere

The best guide for sights are Michelin Green. There are no restaurants or hotels.

For someone your age, take a look at Time Out both on line and in paper. Once again limited to major cities.

PalenQ

I sometimes take several guidebooks out of the library and photo copy relevant pages from each so I have several different takes on places and I don't have to lug around bulky guidebooks with lots of coverage of places I am not going to.

adrienne

I download sightseeing information from Fodors, Frommers, Let's Go, and Lonely Planet into a Word document. I sometimes add pictures so I can identify the building(s). It's really helpful when I return to a place (such as Paris) as I've already done most of the work. I only need to update opening times or admission prices.

Print it out and take that with me rather than carrying guide books. Along the way, I dump the papers I no longer need. I've been doing this for years and it works for me.

I also have the file on my netbook to reference at any time but I like the paper to take with me each day.

bilboburgler

1) Norwich, famous for its turkeys and its limited genetic makeup,
2) I'd advise the rough guide to europe as a good starter for ten. Chose three countries tops for you time with mum.
3) Decide what languages you speak and assume that in most tourist areas you will find speakers of English.
4) Decide from the book what you want to do. Don't assume that you just hire a car, Europe is full of trains for a reason, travel by them is just better especially city to city.
5) Kindle versions of rough guides are fantastic on the trip but for research the book is better.
6) do visit www.seat61.com to understand European trains.

KTtravel

When my daughter studied abroad in London she had some long weekends and flew to different cities on the continent with new friends from her program. She found Easyjet and Ryan Air often had inexpensive flights and stayed in local hostels. You may find you have a chance to experience, at least briefly, some other places of interest.

PalenQ

www.whichbudget.com and www.skyscanner.net are two sites showing which airlines, including the budget ones mentioned above, link any two cities in Europe. Be prepared for additional fees for luggage and maybe even seat reservations - ask for the bottom line price. And some airlines use remote airports like Ryanair to Beauvais in France rather than right to Paris - add on the time and cost of getting to Beauvais if taking that route.

bilboburgler

You need to take a breath with Ryanair, terrible customer service. Focus on the alternatives and you will find cheepo airlines at East Midland airport, Luton and Stanstead, which are close to you

dwdvagamundo

em810--

Writing as a former college professor and former Humanities major (who is married to someone with an MA in the Humanties), I'd say you should try to find a good college abroad where you could get a cram course in finance or some other business-related subject. Find one that teaches in English, of course. I'd say study accounting but that would take more time than what you have available.

Or take a immersion semester abroad in another language. That way you could go somewhere that would be more enjoyable.

I know that this will come a wet blanket, but unless your family is wealthy, you're going to have to earn a living, and English and anthropology are not any more marketable than philosophy, classics or art history.