There is absolutely no reason to go a tour.

If you are an event planner think of yourself as a client who is all over the place and think of this board as yourself trying to get them to focus amd make good decisions. Take a deep breath.

You won't find much support on this forum for packaged travel, so know that as you read responses. What you want to do is perfectly realistic in the length of time you're planning, and realistic to do on your own. I'll throw this out there to get started, but those with more experience will hopefully correct/refine:

Fly LAX to Dublin
Fly Dublin to Paris
Train to Switzerland
Train to Venice
Train to Vienna (overnight train?)
Train to Krakow (overnight train? Is it ok to have Poland as second to last stop?)
Train to Germany

Some of these are long train trips, which I personally love. I'd rather enjoy some down time on the train than deal with rushing to and through airports. Also, some of these might be good overnight train trips. There are several different options and price ranges for accommodations ranging from sitting in a regular seat all night to a private cabin. Keep in mind that the price of the overnight train will substitute for a night of hotel costs.

I'd suggest you get a Europe guide book (Fodor's, Lonely Planet, Rick Steves, etc.), and spend some time learning about the basics of travel and highlights of each country, which will help you figure out where in each of these countries you want to visit. Reading one of these books will really help all the basics gel in your mind. Enjoy the process!

For 2 weeks or for 5 weeks I would bring exactly the same. one 21-22 inch bag and a tote. You'll be able to do your laundry.

There's some excellent advice on packing on this board so I'll just write basics here.

A couple of bottoms pants/skirts in a neutral color
Add a sweater and a few tops. Don't over pack. During the Autumn you can just bring long sleeve tees.
Think in layers but wear a coat on the plane.
3 shoes
New comfy socks

Forget the tour package. And for now, forget trying to figure out which website to go to to help you plan. What you need is half a day in a bookstore or library looking at guidebooks. And get a good old-fashioned paper map of Europe and figure out where everything is in relation to everything else. Pin it up on a wall and chart a route. Use pins.

And yes, you do need to figure out what it is you want to see in each country. Saying you just want to see the countries is, well,lazy. WHAT do you want to see there? Cities? Countryside? Local festivals? Shops? Outdoor activities? Historical sights? Museums? Surely you must have some preconceived, even if inaccurate, idea of what awaits and attracts you in each place. Otherwise, why go?

Once you have the skeleton of a route mapped out you can then start working on transportation between places. Might be by plane (but as mentioned you have to adhere to strict rules), or train. A rail pass might be a good idea, or not - you have to price it out to know. Then you focus on lodging. Then you make a list of what you're going to to, in some rough order, in each place, and go to the web and figure out what it's going to cost you. It's not rocket science, it's just methodical.

And at the end of the day, once you're there, you deviate from your plan as circumstances arise and you encounter opportunities you hadn't anticipated. It's far easier to have a plan and change it than not to have one at all.

If taking the train check out these IMO superb sites that are fonts of great info on planning a European rail trip - and also with such a wide-ranging itinerary investigate various railpasses such as the Eurail Select Pass - www.ricksteves.com; www.seat61.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - check out the latter's free online and superb IMO European Planning & Rail Guide that provides suggested rail itineraries in each country (http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/si...s/rg011210.pdf). European trains are fantastic and if going mainly to larger cities the way to go - driving can be hectic in cities and many cities restrict city centres from car traffic.

When I am planning a major trip I do a budget spreadsheet so I know how much I need to save.

You can look up the costs of things now, and they should be pretty close to what they will be in 18 months. Add a bit to the bottom line for wiggle room.

Planning this trip is going to be so much fun for you. I enjoy the planning process as much as the trip itself.

GReat advice from St.Cirq.

Think about your vision of Europe. Do you think sidewalk cafes? castles? Fiddle playing Irish pubs? etc.

When you get that and libraries and bookstores are a great place to start, tell us that.

BTW, not because I'm nosey but the collective travel experience on this board is amazing and we could really help you cobble together a wonderful trip.

It's a pleasure to help you because you have already done a fair amount of research.

Also for specific things use the "search" button up at the top.

I think using tour brochures is a good way to get an idea of what can be done. The problem with tours is they only hit the highlights, which is okay but you seem to crave something more.

You have plenty of time, so invest a little of it in researching your proposed destinations. Even if you take a tour, if you know what there is to see and why you should see it, you'll get a lot more out of your trip. And, if you go on your own, you'll get a personalized trip, one where you see the things you want to see for as long as you want to spend there.

I like the DK travel books for their many photographs, but they're too heavy to bring along. The green Michelin guides rate the different sights. And Rick Steves also prioritizes sights. Travel videos are another good source of information. You can borrow travel books and videos from your local public library. Or watch the travel shows on TV.

Sounds like loads of planning to me. If I were you, I'd hire RoninRome. He has a coaching service . I think it was $150 for 7 days of emails answering ANY questions. He's been all over Europe so he could help with all your choices. It was the best money we spent for our trip and it went amazing well.

There are enough know-it-alls here who work for free. Gina must do some research and make some decisions and then people can help here hone her trip.

WOW, all while I was at work----------------great info and I appreciate it. I have researched for 30 years , I didn't think anyone would be so helpful. I can get REALLY specific if needed. I have looked at brochures, travel books etc forever. I wanted advice (like I have received of actual people who have done trips).

Sidney-your basic itinerary is what I'd hoped for. I don't know which mode of travel would work best. I put exactly the countries and cities I wanted to see??

I love all of these:)sidewalk cafes? castles? Fiddle playing Irish pubs? etc.

Julie_Swan, also helpful because this person would know if rail or air from Vienna to Paris better in terms of $$ and time spent

PalenQ---Awesome about this site and travel guides for rails:)

Really--crazy how I feel like I am upsetting people----------"Saying you just want to see the countries is, well,lazy. WHAT do you want to see there? Cities? Countryside? Local festivals? Shops? Outdoor activities? Historical sights? Museums? "

FYI, I would do all these things but realistically I can not.

StCirq - all you mentioned is common sense as I have planned numerous events in my life. I have gotten great leads here and appreciate all the time put into trying to help me.

Goodbye

"FYI, I would do all these things but realistically I can not."

Then tell us which of those activities are your priorities. We can suggest loads ideas but we'd rather suggest things that you'd actually like to do and avoid wasting time suggesting ideas of no interest to you.

You must have chosen Kracow, Vienna, Venice, Switzerland, Paris, and Germany for some particular reason. For example, you mentioned that Ireland is a good choice because you are Irish--this is very helpful to us because now we know that you'd like to explore our heritage. Another example: Why Kracow? It is an unusual choice for many first-time trips to Europe. There must be some specific reason why this choice came to mind.

You seem surprised by the numerous responses, but people here will grow less willing to help if they feel you are not offering the simple answer to the question "What do you want to do in these cities?" We want to know YOUR must-sees for YOUR dream vacation, which are probably not the same as each one of us might chose. It is difficult to tell you the best number of days if we don't know what we need to fit into those days. We'd like to help you, and can help you better if we understood your plans better.

On the other hand, if you want to go to all these places without a plan of activities, then for us the number of days does not matter. People have already made suggestions to your query about different modes of transportation that connect these cities. Another helpful website for planning transportation is www.whichbudget.com which shows the cheap airlines that fly between specific European cities.

I think Gina was indulging her fantasy and was both shocked and terrified that so many people, not only took her seriously, but took the time to offer sound advice.

Adu I think you're right. The first thing I do when planning a trip is to get out the map, and at least know "in what order" the countries are that I plan to visit.

I have to admit, though, my first post was answered by an Italian zeppelin (or something similar) and I did think to myself, Whoa, what did I do wrong? It took me back a bit by the tone of the request for more information.

<I have to admit, though, my first post was answered by an Italian zeppelin (or something similar) and I did think to myself, Whoa, what did I do wrong? It took me back a bit by the tone of the request for more information.>

Ah yes Fodorgarchs can be brutal to novice users asking typical questions - such rudeness is unfortunately endemic IME here!

A good trip begins with a good fantasy. She came with a lot more ideas about what she wanted than most. It can be daunting for a 1st time poster.

I think $150 a day is an OK budget. Of the places you mention I know Switzerland best because I have a friend who lives there, Lac Leman area (Vevey/Montreux outside Geneva) which I love.

One time a friend and I combined Vevey then Venice then Paris. We flew into Geneva and out or Paris and used the train Vevey/Venice, then Venice (thru Milan) to Paris. 5 days each place. It was a wonderful trip.

Another time I was alone and just did Vevey for a week, then to Venice 5 days, back to Vevey, home from Geneva.

ginanoelle: <i>Really--crazy how I feel like I am upsetting people</i>

Please be assured that you are upsetting no one. Some posters just have a more direct way of writing. Other long time posters have seen the same questions repeated over and over again and can't bring themselves to post the same answers again. Others still have seen some questioners come in here and want us to plan out their entire trip for them...and so on.

I therefore beg your indulgence and ask that you try to overlook how some posters present their viewpoints.

Your itinerary is a rather unique one. We're having problems putting coherency to your travel plans until you give us some more details. The more details you feel free to share with strangers, the better we can help you hone your travel plans.

Treat the Fodorites like cheese, some are sharp, some are mild, some are moldy, some are smooth, some are full of holes, others are solid.

Sounds like a wonderful trip! Hope we can help you refine your plans more!

If gina comes back, I hope she considers this:

As an event planner, imagine the frustration one would feel if a client walked in the door and said they wanted a wedding. But they didn't know how long they wanted it to last, or exactly where they wanted it to be, or exactly how much they wanted to spend or exactly what they wanted it to be like (casual, formal, picnic, church hall, booze, dry, religious, party scene, etc.).

The more one offers up of one's desires, the more a planner can help.

Fodorites are volunteer planners.

Italian dirigibles not withstanding.