16 Countries in 30 days
 

Three of us are doing 16 European countries in 30 days. Yes, that is a padded number. We are counting Iceland that will be little more than an airport wait. We also are spending only a couple hours in Sweden and Germany. And, we are counting the little countries of Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City, the last two, of course, contained within the boundaries of Italy.

We have been to Europe many times and have done similar marathon trips, but we also have taken longer stays in such places as hill towns in Tuscany where we lived like locals for a week or more at a time. Some of our most memorable trips have included many planes, trains and automobiles.

A whirlwind trip to Europe is not for everyone. But, sometimes it can be an excellent way to get a good mental picture of many areas in a short period of time. The European Union is less than half the size of the US, so, in some ways, this is like visiting a bunch of East coast states in a month. Not as daunting as it may sound.

Our trip is well organized and will include miles of daily walking. It will be relatively affordable, yet comfortable, since we are mostly staying at airbnb apartments.

You can see a blog we have created for this trip that will cover the month of October 2015.

https://16countriesin30days.wordpress.com

You could do more if you buy a rail pass and just sleep on the train, not venturing into any of the cities?

So what is your point? Are you just bragging about your last trip or what?

Many posters try to discourage multi-country visits for travelers considering Europe. We personally have followed many travel blogs and trip reports and learned a lot from others' experience and didn't see them as "bragging". This is only one travel perspective that we thought worth sharing. Hopefully, it will encourage, or deter, someone from trying what we call a whirlwind visit. We have been to many of these cities and countries before, so this is helpful in making the most for the "novice traveler" who is joining us. We plan to meet up with people we know in Denmark and Hungary. We plan to stay, for the second time, at the Von Trapp house in Salzburg, Austria. We will spend 3 nights in Tuscany, 4 in Rome and 3 in Nice. We even hope to go to a Papal audience. So, this is more than a train ride.

When does it become a trip report?

must be crazy! working on a 30 day trip to spain and portugal and already have to skip so much.

>>Many posters try to discourage multi-country visits for travelers considering Europe.<<

Hardly ever actually. Multi-country itineraries are great. It is the trying to 'visit' waaaaay too many in waaaaay too little time that is discouraged. 16 countries in 30 days means on average less than a full day in each country free to see/do 'stuff'. Knock yourselves out.

Sounds to me as attractive as the guy who visits every new Starbucks that opens anywhere in the world.

I don't see the point, but if you like it, that's ok for me.

Ticking boxes is good for some, but don't pretend you'll 'visit' countries and that you'll get to know Europe and Europeans.

Appreciate the comments. There are many websites that provide suggestions on things to see and do in places like Vienna in two days or even in Prague in one day. We are not claiming that this trip will somehow make us Europeans, anymore than a month long trip on the east coast will make a visitor to the USA an American. We have done European cruises, where you visit ports for a few hours and then eat, party and sleep on the cruise ship. Even then, we considered those excellent introductions to Europe. The trip we have planned will be more extensive than that and is intended to be an introduction to Europe for a sister who has never been anywhere. Again, not for everyone. But, for anyone interested, we will plan a trip report when we return and we will try to share the good, the bad and the ugly.

I don´t see this thread as anything other than a blatant attempt to boost traffic to a blog. It will be just a temporary surge I am sure.

The problem is, you had labeled this as a trip report. So, it seemed you were going to tell us how you had done it already.

We apologize for any confusion. We attempted to edit and even delete the blog link for the time being. We had been away from Fodors for a while and didn't recall that we could not change or delete anything.

So, when do you start the trip? Some people do a trip report as they go along and it can be fun to read. Will you have time to do that?

Trip starts tonight although we are currently on a 4-hour delay getting from Boston to Iceland. Thanks for asking.

Well, you are now condemned to make this a trip report and tell us about your adventures every day. Or else.

Our blog is doing just that. And, we will admit our mistakes along the way. So far, Copenhagen was just right. Our car tour of Prague confirms that 24 hours wasn't enough, but we will manage.

Looking forward to reading about your adventure. This forum can be a little tough but after saying that its not the trip I would want (unless maybe I was on the Amazing Race!).

I glanced at your itinerary and just a couple quick comments -- maybe drop Zagreb, there's a direct train from Budapest to Ljubljana which would give you a little more time there. I love Slovenia and hate to see you cut it so short -- maybe you'd even have time then for a quick look at Lake Bled. I would also drop Bratislava and spend a bit more time some where else. I was there in 2004 it was nice but very small.

Anyway, just my two cents. Can't wait to read all about it...

Fun blog!
Thanks for doing it.
I am enjoying reading it.
It seems you are having a grand time and getting a lot out of your trip.

Collk,

Your thoughts are appreciated. We had such a full day yesterday in Prague that we considered dropping at least one of those destinations to get one more day in here. But we have reservations along the way and feel a need to follow through with the current plan. So far, good weather has allowed us to get the most of each day. Although we are all baby boomers, part of our sharing this is to show that lots can be seen and done in a short period and still enjoy. So far, so good. Thanks for reading and sharing.

Sassafrass, your comments are much appreciated.