koreansteve

I'll be travelling to Europe next summer (2007) with my bro for a summer vacation around Europe. There are certainly a few sights that i want to see along the way (especially in France and Italy, and i really want to make it to Istanbul if possible) but i'm trying to figure out how to plan my trip and even begin formulating a general itinerary for our trip.

I just got back from 12 weeks volunteering/traveling (9weeks/3weeks) in E. Africa and from my adventures there and talking with other volunteers that had already traveled to Europe, it seems like a wise decision to keep my itinerary flexible to accomodate friends' recommendations and personal desires to stay somewhere a few extra days. I would rather soak up a country than see 2 or 3 super fast. So far, in my early attempts at arriving at a schedule, if simply listed the number of weeks alloted for each country i want to visit. After laying out my itinerary, i've realized that i probably won't be able to include much of E. Europe like i had hoped.

So, for those of you who have come up with 2-3 month schedules for your trip(s) to Europe, where and how should i start.

your help is greatly appreciated.

murphy89

Hi koreansteve,

You need to determine what countaries you want to see, then get a guide book on each and start doing some research.

Personally, I prefer to pick 2 countries and really see alot within the two. As opposed those who want to whirlwind it through many countries, basically just hitting major cities.

3 months SOUNDS like alot of time, but its not as long as you might think. For example you could easily divide your time between France and Italy alone.

The more you move around the more expensive your trip will be. Flights especailly will eat into your budget in a big way. Personally, I think visiting neighbouring countaries makes good planning sense.

Your budget will likely determine the course and shape of your travels so you will need to plan accordingly.

I am in the middle of planning my next 3 month trip. I picked 2 countries, bought the guides. I make a table on the computer that outlines

1. Town/city of interest
2. Things to do and See
3. Transportation to/from and during stay
4. Number of days you think you'll need to see things of interest
5. Hostel? Yes/no or other budget accomodation
5. Approximate cost - I add up the cost of the sites, transport, accomodation. Then add in Food and "other" expenses.

I do a lot of planning and that allows me to get a good grasp on what I want to do and how much it will cost. That doesn't mean I cant be flexible once on the ground.

Ask lots of questions when your further into your planning phase.

Cheers,

Murphy

koreansteve

thanks murphy, some very good pts there. I think what i had been planning was a bit of a whirlwind tour of europe (i had been thinking 1 week each for portugal, istanbul/greece, and switzerland...2 weeks each for Spain and France and Germany...3 weeks for italy). However, i'm starting to think that traveling to only 2-5 countries may be the way to do it (to really enjoy the experience and feel a part of the culture).

However, i'm torn between desperately wanting to see as much as possible and yet not going on a whirlwind trip in which i see everything and NOTHING because i went to fast.

any other personal anecdotes that might help me form an itinerary? thanks.

murphy89

Well, my first trip to Europe I wanted to see France, Italy and Greece in just shy of 3 months. So I bought the guide books for these 3 places. I started with Greece....every page I turned there was something amazing to see - from mountains to sea, islands, mainland, little villages, big cities...endless. My trip to just Greece grew and grew until I finally let Italy go. Then it was on to France - France is huge! I mean my guide book for France was twice the size of my book to Greece for crying out loud - how is one to trim it all down?

I ended up seeing just one REGION of France and spent 2 full months in Greece and STILL didn't accomplish nearly everything I wanted to. The style of long travel gives you the unique ability to really get a feel for a country. Remember - each time I moved within Greece it felt like I'd changed countries - because the regions are so different. Same goes for any country you choose.

This upcoming 3 month trip I am planning is to Italy and Croatia. In just those two places I need to trim about 2 weeks off of Italy and over a week off of Croatia because there just isn't time to see everything I want to.
(not by a long shot).

My friend who do the whirlwind thing tend to not be planners. They didn't do any research so they don't know what they are missing...that is fine too. They enjoy that style of travel. I have a friend who went to Cambodia and didn't see Angkor Watt for crying out loud! But then she didn't know it was there so didn't miss seeing it (until she came home and we all filled her in).

It all depends on your personal style and preference. That is whats great about travel - its your trip!

Good Travels,

Murphy

murphy89

Oh also, on the practical side of things - look for "base" cities and towns from which you can do day-trips. This will cut down how much you need to pack and re-pack.

For example:

When reading about Tuscany I jotted down about 15 different towns/cities I wanted to see. I picked just one or two good central ones that had good public transportation connections then day-trip to the surrounding countryside. Understanding the practicality of this method will really help you start carving out an itinerary that makes sense.

examples:

<font color="blue">Bologna</font>: 5 nights (day trip to Ferrara, Modena, Parma, Ravenna)

<font color="blue">Turin</font>: 4 nights (day trip to Avigliana, Susa and Alba)

Cheers,

Murph

Christina

It depends on your goals, but I wouldn't say spending two weeks in Spain, France, 3 in Italy and one in Portugal was a whirlwind tour. I think it sounds fine if you want to see a lot of places. It's not like you said 1-2 days in each (and I have seen some itineraries like that on here).

I think the best way is to decide where you want to go, get a map in front of you and get realistic about the general logistics and direction of travel that makes sense based on proximities to each other. Usually, it's going from one direction to another, although often you can start in each direction, and the place you start may decide on some special event in that place that you want to see or avoid.

If you really think you need to spend an entire month in a country to enjoy it, then you should do it, however, and only wee two. I personally don't feel that way and would only feel that way about a country that I had a real special desire to see, perhaps spoke the language, had a special fondness or interest in the history or literature or art, or something like that. Other places I may be interested in seeing to some extent, but don't want to invest that much time and money in, especially at the expense of other places I want to see.

murphy89

Christina is right on the money - it all depends on you. There is not wrong way to travel.

Let me put this thought out there though.

I guess I feel like with a bit of planning I will have many opprotunities to go to Europe for 1 or 2 weeks. Where I can see the main attractions and a bit of countryside.

A 3 month trip is something truly special that most people never get a chance to experience - becomes pretty tough with kids, a mortgage and a full-time job. To me it is a unique opprotunity for in-depth travel, where you have the time to &quot;sink in&quot; to a place see the nooks and crannies and off the beaten track places that many just don't have the time to see.

This type of travel would absolutly not suit everyone.

Its just food for thought

Murph

PalQ

for novice european travelers i always recommend Let's Go Europe - at any bookstore - invaluable info especially on budget/youth accommodation; www.ricksteves.com web site for train info and the free European Planning &amp; Rail Guide, a superb planning tool, especially for rail - has lots of sample itineraries, etc. and rail maps, listings of dozens of railpasses, how to use trains, etc. (free at www.budgeteuropetravel.com).
I'm a big booster of train travel as a way to both see the countryside and meet locals - a railpass of some type, if going by rail is probably a good choice for you. If over 25 look at the Saverpasses - for two or more folks traveling together - if under 26 look at the bargain EurailYouthpasses.

Michael

Type TylerTraveler in the search box. He just spent 100 days in Europe. He might have some good suggestions.

koreansteve

thank you guys, and thanks michael for the heads-up on tylertraveler's trip.

Michael

Try this link too:

http://tinyurl.com/guro2