1st time solo traveler (2-3 week trip SEPT 2015) need help with itinerary
 

I am a first time Europe traveler (late 20s) with an open ended ticket to London ( haven't booked return flight yet end of September 2015) and am thinking of spending 2-3 weeks out in Europe. I'm thinking London, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich (for Oktoberfest). I've never travelled alone before and everyone doesn't think I can do it so I really want to prove everyone wrong! It is a bit last minute, but any advice on # of days in each city or if I should add/drop a city for those 2-3 weeks and where I should fly out from (was going to book based on itinerary) would be appreciated!

No reason not to travel alone -- many of us think it the best way to travel! For inspiration, see:
http://www.fodors.com/community/trav...collection.cfm

To actually plan your trip, I recommend that you consult a good guidebook or two (always a worthy investment, IME, but you can also check your local library). For inspiration and high quality photographs, you might want to start with Eyewitness or Insight or National Geographic Traveller. Then check Fodor's or Frommer's or the Michelin Green Guide for prioritizing your options. And then check the Rough Guide or Lonely Planet to get nitty gritty details.

As a VERY rough rule-of-thumb, plan on NO MORE than 2 cities a week -- fewer if they offer a lot or are more than a few hours apart.

Once you get a sense of the places that are your highest priorites, identify the things you most want to see in each location, note their opening/closing times, and mark them on a calendar. Then pencil in your transportation, add some time on either side (for getting to/from your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting oriented, etc.). Then see how things fit together.

Oh, and FWIW, don't let this be a trip dictated by what anyone else thinks, or what you can prove. Step outside of whatever box that puts around you, and simply make it about what you would enjoy. Seriously! :-)

Good luck! You'll see some wonderful things no matter what you choose.

Traveling alone is not a problem -- my only caveat is it is really late to be planning for Oktoberfest this year. London/Paris/Amsterdam would be a great first trip

as janisj says Munich too late, but the world's largest wine festival is still open for booking http://gogermany.about.com/od/foodan...wurstmarkt.htm and not too far from a bunch of airports for flying back.

Hi!

I am also trying to plan a solo trip to Europe, starting in Ireland and traveling to London, Amsterdam, Paris. I would be leaving the end of September; 2 - 3 weeks. I have been having a tough time trying to plan this trip with all the of the terrorist activity, I think I have been doing too much research in that department. Is this a concern of yours at all?

I have never traveled alone either, and everyone thinks I should not be traveling alone with the current affairs.

>>I have been having a tough time trying to plan this trip with all the of the terrorist activity, I think I have been doing too much research in that department. Is this a concern of yours at all? <<

>>I have never traveled alone either, and everyone thinks I should not be traveling alone with the current affairs.<<

First of all what difference does solo or not have to do w/ possible terrorism?

second -- There is actually not much more 'terrorism' now than in generations past. There have always been groups trying to disrupt things from the IRA to Basque separatists, to you name it.

"I have been having a tough time trying to plan this trip with all the of the terrorist activity, I think I have been doing too much research in that department. Is this a concern of yours at all?"

No.

Brits have been slighlty inconvenienced by terrorists bombing for the last 150 years or so (before that it was gun powder), just the next in a series of numpties. The streets are safe, the trains run on time, there is very little corruption and few murders.

See also Ireland, Germany, Netherlands and France in a similar vein. Now if you were asking about Damascus or Ferguson I'd understand.