Jakester

My wife and I are taking a 9 week vacation in Europe this summer (leaving the end of May and returning the end of July). Our plans thus far have been loose (Southern Europe first third, Middle Europe second third and British Isles the last third) However, as the date approaches, we are becoming less and less comfortable with our lack of a plan. We would like to venture off the beaten pathes and we would like to keep our budgets low (e.g., staying in hostels and b&b's). We will have an apartment in Belgium that we will be using for our homebase (wash clothes, relax, etc..). We have never traveled this extensively before and would love any advice. Thanks!!!!

Ruth

It's difficult to make suggestions for such a wide range of possibilities. What would you be looking for on your vacation? Most suggestions of "must sees" will probably be ON the beaten path (there is a reason why the path has been beaten).

Why not combine a few of the famous sights (e.g. Venice, Prague) with plenty of time spent travelling between them and staying in lesser known towns and villages. Invest in some good maps and enjoy plotting a route, but with plenty of options for spending more or less time in an area, and not trying to see everything.

Jakester

Thanks Ruth. Helpful advice. I like the idea that it is more about the journey than the destination. What would you recommend as the best way to enjoy these lesser destinations? Eurail and just get off at the interesting places? Hitch-hiking? Bus?Rental car is kind of out of the budget.

The_Pixies

The best place to start is by reading some guidebooks. Read, read, read! This will get you interested in several places that you probably didn't even know about. Once you have a list of places to visit, them pull out a map and plot a loose route to follow.

Dilermando

I and my wife have traveled several times to Europe, sometimes for as long as 5 weeks. We arrive in Europe with a general plan, comprising a chosen itineraty, and how long we intend to stay in each place. Usually, we make hotel reservations in advance only for major towns (ex: Paris). We prize having flexibility. If a place is not what we thought it was, we move away. If a place deserves more time, we change the itinerary accordingly. All this is to justify why we always rent a car, which in our opinion is by far the best way to travel in Europe. Since 1978, we have always rented a brand-new car from Renault (www.renault-eurodrive.com). To be more precise, it's not exactly a car rental, it's sort of a leasing. You select a car in advance, specifying what you want (model, air conditioning, gas or diesel, motorization etc). You may pick up the car in one place (ex: Rome) and drop it in another place (ex: Paris), sometimes for an extra fee. This is great, freeing you from coming back to the starting place of your trip. We have went by car as far as Greece, crossing to back to Italy by ferryboat from the island of Corfu. I strongly recommend you buy in advance Michelin Tourist and Motoring Atlas Europe. Toll motorways in Europe are not cheap, however, alternative secondary roads are for free. Many of these are very scenic, crossig small villages. Try to squeeze your budget to make room for a rented car. July is high season, prices are higher, and accomodations can be a nightmare if not reserved in advance. July can be very hot, specially in the hinterland. In big towns (ex: Paris) a car is a nuisance, you don't need it at all, parking is scarce and expensive. One possible solution is to stay in a neighbouring smaller town. For instance, we stayed once in Fregene, a coastal town near Rome, and went to/fro Rome by bus (approx. a 45 min ride). Those towns usually have low-priced hotels. We have no experience at all in driving in England.