Diane36

My daughter and I want to go to Europe for her 16th birthday which is next year. So I decided I should start planning this trip. One glitch, I have no idea where to begin. She wants to go Rome, Italy and the United Kingdom . So my question is how do u set up one of these tours and is it possible to do an all womens one since it will be just me and my daughter?

Jean

Where to begin is figuring out how many days you have to travel, exactly where you want to go in Italy (only Rome?) and the U.K. and what you want to see in each place. There may not be an organized tour that goes precisely where you want to go and covers all you want to see. You can organize your own travel, hotels and city tours if you can't find an acceptable organized tour.

jent103

Do you want to do a group tour, or plan your own trip? You'll find that many Fodor's posters strongly favor independent travel over group tours, so most of the advice you'll get here will probably lean in that direction.

The UK and Italy are well covered here - the search box at the top will get you a lot of information to get you started thinking about what you want to do. Is your daughter only interested in London, or does she want to go to other parts of the UK? How much time are you planning on - a week? ten days? two weeks?

Michael

Why a tour? Get an open jaw ticket going to London and returning via Rome. Organize your travels in the UK (guidebooks are useful in that regard), and then find a cheap flight to Rome. See Rome for however many days you have planned, and then fly home.

Ryanair and EasyJet among other offer low rate tickets between London and Rome.

Diane36

Wow so much to think about. What I want to do is something like 10 days and I just told her that we have to pin point exactly what we want to do. I would love to do an open jaw thing Michael but I'm a little afraid being that its just going to be us two. But I think I like your idea about beginning in London and going from there. You will all be hearing from me. This is a first for me and I want it to be a great experience for my daughter and me. Thank you all for your responses.

ellenem

Diane,

Calm down. There are many people here to help you and you have plenty of time to plan you trip and become comfortable with whatever you decide. One easy way to focus your thoughts: get an Italy/Rome guidebook and a London/England gudiebook from your local library. Both you and your daughter should glance through them to get an idea of what there really is to do and see. Once you begin to develop a list--we want to see this, this, this, and this--you will be able to understand how many days you need to do so.

Sue878

There are several Womens tour groups out there, but I think they are quite expensive

You could buy a couple of quide books, like Fodor's or (IMO) Rick Steves' guide books are good for beginners, or get them from the library.

jent103

If it helps, I've traveled in the UK quite a bit (I'm a single woman, age 30) and never felt unsafe. Anywhere you'd go as a tourist will be fine. I'm planning a trip to Rome and elsewhere in Italy with a female friend of mine, just the two of us. Do your research and you'll be fine.

Open-jaw air tickets are definitely the way to go. If you're searching on airline sites, it's often called the "multi-city" option.

suze

People travel solo around Europe all the time. The UK and Rome are all very well traveled; there is nothing to be afraid of.

I think a guidebook might give you more confidence to plan your own trip. Something like Rick Steves 'Europe thru the Backdoor' is a nice overview for a beginner.

You could certainly join an organized tour if you wanted to, but there is no reason you need to for what you describe.

How I plan is this:
1) set dates
2) pick places
3) purchase plane ticket
4) book hotels

That's about it, the rest I figure out after I arrive.

uhoh_busted

Go to the library and check out multiple guidebooks for Rome, Italy, and the UK and London.
With ten days or so, you are going to want to limit what you will see. You could easily just do Rome and London@ 5 nights each (or 5/4 - depending on your dates) with maybe one side trip in each location - e.g., from Rome a daytrip via train to Pompeii and back; in London, maybe a daytrip via train to Cambridge and back. That way you'll get to see a bit more than just the major city in each country.

I use Yapta.com to check on possible flight options. Decide which city you want to fly in and which you'll fly out of, as well as how you are going to get from one to the other Check options both ways - first Rome then London, as well as London then Rome -- it may make a difference in the air fares you are quoted. When you've got your flights, then look for hotels, and determine if you are doing any of the side trips.

You don't need to plan out every single day -- but it is good to know if there are things you truly MUST see, so you can be sure to see those. DO leave some time to do something you may not have considered while at home...if the weather is particularly gorgeous one day, you may not want to commit to spending most of it in museums!

janisj

If you only have 10 days -- it couldn't be easier. But is that 10 days total -- or 10 days on the ground in Europe (not counting the 2 days spent traveling to/from Europe)?

If is is 10 nights on the ground . . . fly into London, stay 5 nights, fly to Rome, stay 5 nights, fly home from Rome.

However -- if it is 10 days total, you really only have about 6.5 days free. It takes one day/overnight traveling to London, a bit over 1/2 a day jet lagged in London, a little over 1/2 a day to get from London to your Rome hotel, and a day to fly home.

In that case, I'd do 5 nights in London (longer in London than Rome to get over the jet lag) and 3 nights in Rome, fly home.

You really don't want a guided tour -- your daughter will be the youngest person by at least 25 years on that bus. And most will be in their 60's or older.

uhoh_busted

oh, I always end up having to elaborate on something else I meant to say -- but truly, I love using the library to check out various guidebooks so I can decide if one or another really seems more geared to my interests than another...then I'll buy it. (That said, most guidebooks I've found to be useful have been Rick Steves (for first-timers), Fodors, and Lonely Planet. But you may prefer others after you've checked them out. Do not take up too much space in your suitcase with books, but do take the one for each city you think you'll be consulting!)

If you'll be taking an iPad or a notebook PC, make sure you have the urls for sites you expect to use. I even used my Kindle and it's clumsy browser on trips to Paris, Amsterdam and SW France last year!

suze

Also you might get more "help" if you title the post something like "Mom & Daughter 1st trip to UK/Italy"... because pretty much everyone here is looking for help of some kind.

nytraveler

First of all there is no reason to look for an all women;s anything. the world is full of men and no matter where you go/stay you will have to deal with a lot of them - from airports to trains to restaurants, hotels and shops.

Second you're not going to find a tour that will do just London and 1 or 2 places it italy (the most you could do in the few days you have). You might find a package company - which will organize, air travel, hotels and transfers for you - but not a full guided tour.

And frankly, you will get more for you money if you plan it yourself - as well as doing exactly what YOU want.

I have done a lot of travel alone all over europe (usually before or after a business trip) and never had any problems anywhere. Plus my daughters have both gone with girlfriends (1 at 18 and the other at 19), had a great time - and again no problems (or at least no more problems than you would have with guys in a bar in the US).

Just start doing the research - including detailed examination of country and city maps - and as you become more familiar with what you want you'll be more comfortable.

soogies

Diane - you CAN do it on your own! The advice here is excellent and I won't elaborate on that.

My advice is to read, read, read. I know it seems daunting to do this the first time. But come up with some sample itineraries and familiarize yourself with areas, sites, hotels, transportation, etc. Look at a map and see distances. All it takes is a little study. You can do it and have a wonderful trip!

Diane36

Wow, once again thank you all for your responses. It is a lot to take in but I'm going to begin with the guide books from the libary and go from there. I just want to make it a memorable trip for us.

texasbookworm

I echo what is said above--read, research, and plan your own trip.
Very wise to plan so far ahead!

I have been to the UK 3 times and Rome once and I think you will find them both to be, with the proper alertness and precautions, quite safe.

In England, if the traveling between cities seems a bit daunting (it IS doable but you might feel hesitant to drive or tackle lots of inter-city travel), there are LOTS of day trips via train from London. So you could base yourself in London for a while (try to have at minimum 10 days on the ground, not counting travel) and take a few day trips--Oxford, Bath, Salisbury/Stonehenge, Canterbury/Dover, even York. Of course, you could certainly spend days and days and not get tired of London, but you could certainly see some of England by taking day trips via trains (or a bus makes sense some places--like Oxford).

Another way to get ideas is to read trip reports here. Everyone's trip is unique to their preferences, schedules, and budgets, but you can get lots of good ideas. If you want to look at two of mine (one for a 2-week trip when we stayed in London for 2 weeks and took 5 day trips and the other, with our daughter, when we were in London 4 nights and then rented a car for 9 days) see these links

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-day-trips.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-and-wales.cfm


As you plan, do post specific questions. And be prepared with a bit of a thick skin, as there are some very opinionated posters here. But listen to what everyone says and glean much much useful advice! I could never have planned the trips we've made in the last few years (all wonderful ones) without this forum.

bilboburgler

I think we could help a bit if you tell us what you and your daughter like to do. At you interested in Harry Potter, some TV things about vampires, fine art, shopping, historical buildings.

Also what don't you like? Crowds, meat whatever.

Then we can start to help, however while HELP is a great start you may want to focus a bit.

Ackislander

While you are looking at airfares check to see if 14 days might actually be significantly cheaper than just 10. Fares vary all over the map, but this is sometimes true.

Since the trip is for her, involve her in the dreaming and planning. Ask her to make a list of the things she really, really wants to see and do in Europe. Then ask her to close her eyes and imagine she is in Europe; have her write down the things she sees.

For what she wants to do and at that age, one of the "if it's Tuesday this must be Belgium" tours may not be a bad idea, though she will certainly be the junior member of the tour! You might just look at their itineraries, though, for planning purposes.

Another way to focus this would be to get some dvd's from Netflix or the library: Amelie, Three Coins in a Fountain, etc. The Bourne movies are all amazing travelogues if she would prefer action-adventure to love.

flanneruk

This really is a lot simpler than you're convincing yourself.

In 10 days, however you measure them, you're really not going to be able to visit more than just London and Rome. Or just one of them, with a daytrip or two. Simply buy an open jaw plane ticket to London, returning from Rome (or vice versa), and a cheapo flight between the two.

There's not the remotest chance, with five days in the world's two most densely-packed tourist destinations, of running out of things to see and do (I've lived in London for decades, and been visting Rome on and off for half a century. Not even begun to scratch the surface of either).

It takes just one guidebook to each - and even if your local library hasn't bought one for ten years there isn't THAT much that's new (well, actually in London there is. But sites like this are here to update the history books)

All you need is:
- plane tickets
- a passport each
- hotel reservations
- understanding before you leave home why in your case a 7 day Travelcard, sold by a railway ticket office in London, is the best local transport deal, and of the restrictions on a Romapass
- Probably: an advance reservation for the excavations under St Peter's (known throughout this site as "the Scavi")
- a camera and an ATM card.

Everything else you can organise when you arrive.