Help! How to Choose...
 

I have never been abroad before and have decided that this was the summer to do my first trip to Europe-however I am having a very difficult time narrowing down an area-my first inclinaiton is to do either Spain, France or Italy as I would love to knock those off my to do list. My husband has already been to those places-along with switzerand and monaco, so I feel like I should somewhere he hasn`t been like London, Ireland , Germany or maybe Amsterdam or Prague or even Greece but he says he would love to see those places again with me and that it is up to me wherever I want to go-but really I want to go everywhere so how do I narrow ? Where is a good place to begin-I am 25 he is 30 and love good food, lively people and a place that we can walk around, shop and explore without getting bored-I love beautiful scenery and architure as well. My last trip was a road trip from San Francisco to San Diego and had a blast so we aren`t laze around and do nothing types. Oh we have 2 weeks for sure and maybe 3 three weeks. So Can I Please get some feedback
TIA!!

Go where your husband wants to visit or re-visit, since he wants to do it with you - to be with somebody who knows where he wants to go and is eager to show you places he already knows is priceless - that kind of enthusiasm and willingness to share makes for good trips and good companionship.

Your words "he would love to see those places again with me" are key - ask him to choose and - after he has decided - go to a library and read as much as you can about that place/those places so that you can be a helpful partner in the fun.

As a mom who's now experiencing the joy of introducing my son to the European places we love, it can put a place in a whole new light to see it with someone else for their first time. So feel free to return to places your husband has been to! Also, even if your husband has been to Spain, France and Italy, I doubt he's been everywhere in each of those countries. So you'll doubtless visit places within those countries that he hasn't been to.

When during the summer will you be going? Summers can be very warm, and generally speaking, there is much less use of air conditioning. So that may effect your choice of destinations.

To help you narrow down your choices, get some picture-type guidebooks from the library, such as Eyewitness guides. Flip through them, look at the pictures, and note what interests you the most.

Also think about what you enjoyed most about your trips in the U.S., including that road trip you mentioned. Did you visit Hearst castle, and would like to see real castles? Did you like the bustle of San Francisco, and if so, which part? Or did you prefer time in Carmel, or in more rural areas along the coast. Those can steer you in your decisions of what to see in Europe.

Thanks ladies, I`ll find some picture books and do more research to try to decide-you are right if he is happy re-visitng then I should enjoy planning the trip.

For the picture books, you might consider the National Geographic Traveler series. I don't find them particularly helpful for planning the practical details of a trip (hotels, trains, etc.), but I find them very helpful when I'm deciding where to go.

Hi M,

You have a very nice hubby.

>my first inclinaiton is to do either Spain, France or Italy...<

If you have 3 weeks, I suggest France and Italy.

If you have 2 weeks, I suggest:

Paris and France,

Paris and Venice

Paris and Rome

Italy

((I))

I second the recommendation for the National Geographic Traveler series. The Discovery Channel's Insight Guides also have lots of great pictures - again, not so much a travel guide as an cultural & historical guide to a destination. I also find the Fodor's Explorer series useful for getting a quick overview and some photos.

The book is a bit hokey and some of the choice (and omissions) are questionable, but the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die can be a good source of travel inspiration. It could be particularly useful for you and your husband to browse through, since he could look at the entries for the countries he's visited and either tell you which places he's seen and would like to re-visit, and which places in those countries he hasn't seen yet that he'd like to see with you.

With 3 weeks we always try to hit at least 2 cultures (ie one latin and one germanic or one latin and one slavic) just to get some variety. We almot always do road trips - with 2 major cities as anchors and then drive to smaller cities, towns and/or countryside in between.

(If you have only 2 weeks it;s harder to do this and still get a variety in any one country.)

We have done Italy and Switzerland, France and Germany, Belgium/Netherlands and Czech Republic - etc - just as a couple of examples.

Since you husband wants to revisit some places with you why not combine a couple of places he's alredy seen and one or two new ones you can learn about together. And the idea of looking at travel magazines and tour books to find the places you feel you MUST see is a great one. then link them into a trip.

Keys: don;t try to cover too much ground - and take twice as much money as you think you'll need.