Laura, What a great way to enjoy marvelous vacations! Don't even waste your breath explaining to those who don't have enough time to share a wonderful experience, but obviously have enough time to critize yours!

teresa: I suspect your post is aimed at my so-called criticism. Pls review the posts. Karen sought suggestions, many were given. Laura's is a valid budgeting tip, but I don't agree with its affect on one's total "budget," nor do I think it is a good idea to carry that kind of cash. Read any travel guide, watch any travel show, or talk to most experienced travelers, and they will likely agree with my comments. This doesn't make Laura's opinion and experience any less valid, but I felt compelled to share another opinion, lest only the one view be shared. By the way, where is your contribution to this thread?

Re making sure breakfasts are included. At the mid-range hotels I tend to stay in, the amount the hotel charges for breakfast is ALWAYS more than I would spend going to a cafe for coffee and a croissant (my standard breakfast). So, depending on how much you eat for breakfast, it may well be cheaper to skip that hotel breakfast and eat at a cafe. Also, even if a hotel says breakfast is included, you can usually say you don't want breakfast, and they won't charge you (unless you eat there, of course).

If you have a car, please ask for a diesel car. Very cheap.I did 25 kms/l. <BR>With a car go to small cities and go to the tourist office. There ask for a privatzimmer, I mean a family home. It is cheap, confortable. In Austria it is a must. Do not park in big cities, it is complicate. If you need some informations e-mail me. <BR>Regards, <BR>Alfredo.

Save up for the cost of your trip in advance. Put that money in an interest bearing account. Open a credit card account associated with the same airline you are using for your transatlantic flight. Make sure you will get compatible airline miles for the flight and the credit card. Use the credit card to buy your plane ticket and as much as possible (hotels, museums, car rental, meals, etc) on the trip for the best exchange rate. Carry minimal cash. Use ATMS rather than travelers checks for daily cash needs while traveling. Pay off the credit card balances immediately with the money from your savings account. This may not help with this trip's budget but if it puts you close to or at a free frequent flyer ticket for the next one, that's money saved as far as I'm concerned! (Note: don't sacrifice a lousy airfare for FF miles...but you can often achieve both even through consolidators...

The suggestion about flying to the first leg of multileg flight and staying a few days (e.g. fly NYC to London to Rome and stop in London for a few days) - if you are thinking about it check with the airline. Most will NOT allow this. In fact, I know more than one person who got a better rate flying to a destination they were not interested in and therefore planned to just get off at the first leg (e.g. they really wanted to go to London, not Paris but found a "deal" on a flight to Paris so took it and just got off in London and never took the second leg - and the airline charged them (their credit card) some huge fee. I also know someone who had a flight from LA to Boston via San Francisco. This person wanted to drive to San Francisco for a few days so she just planned to get on her flight (the second leg only) and they wouldn't let her on since she hadn't boarded in the original city. Makes no sense but it seems to happen all the time, and on many different airlines.

Ann <BR> <BR>You have the wrong end of the stick - I'm not suggesting buying a ticket to a different destination and abandoning the remainder of the flight at a layover - I'm talking about a pre-arranged booked stopover - which all airlines allow - two totally diferent things. <BR>

Interesting thread. <BR> <BR>I guess for me I always consider how much my trip is costing me per waking hour. Depending on the travel category of hotel and dining that one has chosen (2, 3, or 4 star) and how many hours one considers as being 'useable' per day the cost per hour varies from $30 to $??? <BR> <BR>If one considers the cost of one's time, then what one will conclude as good value will vary tremendously. There's no way I'm spending $200 more per night to save a 15 minute bus ride, but I might consider spending $50 more a night to save a 1 hour commute. This is a highly individual decision with respect to specifics, but the general principle applies. <BR> <BR>One thing that I find frustrating is that hotel seasons and airfare seasons don't seem to match. Hotel prices seem to be lower in July and August, but airfares seem to be higher. Am I alone in this impression? In any case, I'd have to come up with a total hotel plus airfare price in order to determine which season was cheaper, spring or summer.

Well, Karen, I'm just so jealous of a month in Europe, I can hardly write. The only contributions I can make have already been spun, but I'll mention them anyway: Tourist office help with private rooms, staying in small towns -- never in a city, staying three or more nights in one place to get a better room rate, breakfast included (and take advantage of that pleasure so you can skip lunch or picnic and splurge -- within reason-- at supper). Have a wonderful, wonderful 20th.

Thanks so much for all your suggestions! They are well received and will most certainly be taken into consideration. Just one more question. How about laundry facilities? Other trips have been shorter (1-2 weeks), and have not been concerned with laundry. Are there do-it-yourself laundry facilities in major cities? We'd probably only need one laundry stop. Otherwise, the ole sink in the hotel will do. And we could always just pay the price for the hotel doing it. I want to pack for only 2 weeks, so that will be just one carry-on each, plus a day-pack. As always, thanks in advance.

This won't necessarily help to avoid during laundry if you limit your luggage to a carryone, but can help those with checkin luggage. Take older or inexpensive clothing and just throw them away when soiled. As you travel around you'll have less to pack and unpack, along with space in your luggage for stuff you buy.

The guides address the laundry issue--I found that some inns have facilities and towns the size of Siena (had one just off the square)Vernazza had one on the main street-- Just ask- You will meet other tourists--We were three people and we did laundry every three or four days but did not waste precious time with it. Try not to do it in the big cities