I need more time to think about this, but after Scotland and the UK, I'd fly Easy Jet to Athens. Do Greece, cross by train to Patria and take the ferry over to Bari, Italy as part of a Eurail Pass and work from Italy up to Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, all on Eurrail Pass. I'd then consider flying from Berlin to Spain (a number of cheap flights) and after Spain and France ending in Paris for your flight home. The other comment is, I think I'd actually leave out Spain and maybe even most of France for this trip. You have plenty without them. Save Spain and France (other than Paris) for the next "great trip" or if children and work prevent it. They would be great to do on one to two week trips in the future. Get those other countries "out of the way" on this trip. Thinking in terms of doing Ireland and the UK first, then Greece. A three month Eurrail pass will cover all the rest of your travels. And eliminating Spain, training to Paris for the finale as part of that pass.

Patrick,
Thanks for the input. Skipping Spain is not an option for us. My wife was born in Cadiz (father in military)and she has family friends we are going to visit in Sevilla and Madrid. With Spain covered on the Eurorail we could still make it part of a 3 month pass since we will be in Ireland,Scotland & England the first month. Is Southern Spain going to be miserable in July-August weather-wise?

Hi thenathans,
Looks like an interesting itinary to me, just one very serious ommission.

Wales.......

Muck

..lucky you!! I too did a 4 month wander..backpacked and "autostop"..a different era but resulted in me being a bit of a wanderer for most of my life..just a comment- because you have 4 months you can wing it..a day of getting lost or deciding to skip something completely because something else has caught your interest is the beauty of this sort of trip. I would only book a hotel for the arrival city and the departure city (if you have to have a fixed departure date). I would only book in between if there was a place I wasnt going to miss but would be busy (ex the Mozart festival in Salzburg)...that being said watch august..August is a real vacation month in Europe and seaside and vacation areas can be very busy so if you have a must do that fits that catagory do by mid July (school goes longer and doesnt go back til late Sept generally)..In addition most of the big cities have a tourist office, usually in the railroad station, which can usually help you find a room in your budget range..so enjoy and drop a note back when you return!

Wing it. Travel like a butterfly. The only trouble I've ever had in finding a room in Europe was in Paris in September and Munich at Oktoberfest, but both turned out very pleasant.

I had thought about commenting on your seasonal rout

oops, dang cornfuter took over before I was done.

If you are near the Mediterranean the summer months can be very warm and humid, and full of mean pesky critters. Bring your bug repellant. Reserve rooms in advance because the northern Europeans put the rush on the good southern beach spots as of November. I would be in the south for May and June, and head north for July and August. That's not just for comfort, but also for ease of finding an economical place to sleep, or any place at all to sleep.

If your transportation plans aren't set in stone, you might want to consider buying a car, using it to travel, then reselling it (or keeping it!) when you get back. Since the tourist delivery programs typically knock 7-9% off the US MSRP, you can bop around Europe more or less free (well - gas @ $6/gal).

Some manufacturers even offer free airfare and some room & board, so the bottom line is you can save multi-thousands of dollars on a trip that long. I've done it numerous times, and highly recommend it.

<i>p.s.</i> I do not recommend driving in cities. The traffic is lethal, and parking (if you can find any) is ruinously expensive.

In light of your comments about Spain. What about flying from the UK to Greece (I'm pushing for you to be there in June at the latest to avoid massive crowds and heat), take the ferry to explore Italy and then train across southern France and do Spain next. Then fly from Madrid maybe to Berlin and do the rest of your trip in the &quot;cooler countries&quot; ending up in Paris.

You don't have to book your hotels all at once. Just make sure that before leaving a city, you have a place to stay in the next.

When I went on my post-college backpacking trip we made the mistake of not booking a place in Barcelona when coming from France. Well, the french trains went on strike (apparently a common thing) and we came into Barcelona late and wasted time looking for a place. Because it was summer and high peak season, a lot of places were booked but we eventually found a not so great hostel.

I always stay in Europe 3-4 months at a time - from where I sit it would be a rash extravagance to do otherwise - and I've never heard of the Schengen Zone. What is it? Is it something that only Americans need worry about, or have I been an unwitting 'illegal'?

Sorry it took me a few days to respond...

Thanks again for all the advice. It has been extremely helpful.

Patrick, you really want us to be in Greece in June, huh? Actually, it makes perfect sense and i checked on some flights that look really good. Since we basically know the week we plan to be in London we can catch a middle of the week flight to Athens. Thanks again.

Any other advice on places to travel in the bigger countries (France, Germany, etc.) would be greatly appreciated. We are still having trouble choosing between car and train in certain areas. I'm sure it will become more clear as we get more into specific country planning.

Hello! I can only give you advice for Greece. If you don't come between 15July to 20 August, then you certainly don't need to book anything. You'll be able to find plenty of rooms. June is much cheaper than JUly-August. And you don't have to book ferry tickets too. (Except from Sundays return to Athens).

By all means, travel to Spain as early as possible, especially to Sevilla. When we were there the end of last September, the temp. was 95. The staff at our hotel told us it was 114 several days in the summer. Italy, especially in the south, can be extremely hot in July and August as well. Your trip sounds wonderful but advice to travel in the south early and the north later is good - I'm always cold in Scotland and Belgium.