European Road Trip....Are we crazy?!

Old Mar 15th, 2017, 10:04 AM
  #21  
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Thanks again for all the information, everyone.
I am thinking we will most likely return to our original plan of flying between 2-3 cities and exploring from there. I think we want to do/see too much, too quickly, without adequate planning time. I will research flights and spend more time with our maps and guidebooks, as many of you recommended! Thanks again for putting so much time into your responses. I greatly appreciate it!
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Old Mar 15th, 2017, 10:33 AM
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The only point I'd make is that the speed limits in Europe are generally higher, but the density of traffic means the average speeds are lower.

Only on the motorways, and even then it is questionable when compared to Montana which is what the OP wrote as an example of his driving.
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Old Mar 15th, 2017, 12:49 PM
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Wdenham, you wrote, "We just don't get to travel often and want to make the best of our time there! (But I definitely understand what you are all saying about quality over quantity).
Maybe we'll go back to the drawing boards...."

I suggest you do just that. Best use of your time there is spent in places, not moving between places.

In the south of France, my preferred place to stay is Antibes. Take a look at a few videos starting from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9jOROUqCy8

On that video they talk about staying in Nice, the opposite of what I prefer but then I never want to stay where the majority of the herd does. I've stayed in Antibes for up to 2 months. There is no such thing as too much time for me.

I'd also suggest you fly into Nice. Cheaper flights to a destination that you then have to go to somewhere else from are false economy. Whether you chose to stay in Nice or Antibes, both are 15 minutes or so from the airport.

And for that perfect place to stay on a honeymoon, not many places can beat La Jabotte in Antibes. Breakfast enjoyed at a leisurely pace in the courtyard outside your room, is how everyone should start every day.
http://www.jabotte.com/en/

Learn to slow down. Are you going to enjoy yourselves or is it a race to see how much you can tire yourself out in 18 days? Learn from Francoise Sagan who wrote, "My favorite pastime is to let time go by, to have time, to take my time, to waste my time, to live out of time"

Spend a week in a place or even your entire time (rent an apartment and actually live there as a local would), you will be surprised by just how much you learn when you stay somewhere long enough. I'm always more impressed by someone who can tell me where to get the best baguette, rotiserrie chicken and a bottle of wine for a picnic lunch or even where to find the best pizza restaurant, than I am by someone who can list 10 cities but can't tell me anything about them worth knowing.

Reading your comments above, it is clear you are all over the place in your head. What about this idea, what about this place, should we do this, etc. etc. What you should do is slow down, take a deep breath and realize that no one sees Europe in 18 days. But what you can do is see one little bit in Europe well. Guess which of the two, the savvy traveller learns to do.
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Old Mar 15th, 2017, 01:15 PM
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As others have stated, Toulouse doesn't say "south of France" to me. Look at Provence and Cote d'Azur. Get ahold of a guide book to Provence. Some of towns and cities are Arles, Avignon, Les Baux, Saint Remy, Bonnieux, Nimes, Uzes, Orange.

The Cannes Film Festival and the Gran Prix in Monaco both affect Nice, it's restaurants, hotel and small, charming side streets.Nice is mobbed during both events as it is used for lodging and transportation.
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Old Mar 15th, 2017, 01:32 PM
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Look at this Fodors Forum link, in particular poster StuDudley's offer of his own helpful guide to Provence.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nce-9-days.cfm
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Old Mar 15th, 2017, 02:18 PM
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FourforTravel and kja,
Thank you for your kind words and all of your opinions and recommendations. Your posts gave me a lot to consider and I greatly appreciate your input!

Michael,
Thank you so much for your input throughout this forum and for all the links you have provided!

Mimar,
Thank you for the tips on Switzerland! I hadn't thought about many of the points you brought up. It definitely changed our plans! I appreciate your input

Dogeared,
Thanks again for all the recommendations. I am definitely all over in my head and I think I probably acted too quickly by posting this question without looking into all the logistics myself. Also-I agree with you on the importance of slowing down--I'm (obviously) not great at it but am working on it!
I have spent much of the day looking at tickets to France and Nice seems to be nearly as affordable as flying in to Paris and will be a thousand times more convenient. I don't remember where I found the deal on the ticket for Toulouse but am glad I didn't purchase it, as Toulouse does not seem to be a good choice for our trip. Like you, I prefer to stay in places that are a little off the beaten path and thus really appreciate your recommendations. Thank you also for the links you provided!

HappyTrvlr,
That forum link looks like many of the posts will be helpful, thank you for that! I have looked at many of the towns you mentioned and they all look wonderful. Also--good to know about the effects of the Film Festival and the Gran Prix, I know they both occur in May and was surprised to hear others on this post say that they don't affect the surrounding areas. I will definitely keep this in mind! Thank you!
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Old Mar 15th, 2017, 02:56 PM
  #27  
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I think going back to the drawing board makes a LOT of sense!

One other thing to keep in mind if you decide to rent a car for part of your trip: Since you are coming from the US, I would strongly encourage you to take public transportation for at least your first night or two. Although many people are not aware of it, there is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourself and others -- as driving drunk, and nothing you can do will prevent the microsleeps (which you might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit. You shouldn't have any difficulty finding a wonderful city in which to start your journey!
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Old Mar 16th, 2017, 09:14 AM
  #28  
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You've got to think smaller. I'm from Texas. France is as big as Texas, but you can't get from point to point in France nearly as quickly as you can in Texas. If you are thinking about places like the Dordogne, Provence, and the Riviera (which is exactly what I did in 2011), those are three separate areas requiring three separate bases, and only one of those is on the coast. That's just an example.

Don't think you have to cover a lot of ground to have a great European trip. For an 18 day trip, pick two to four areas that you really want to see, and preferably which make sense to link together.
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