How much time to spend and where
 

Since I need to buy my rail tickets before I leave for Europe...I assume I will be forced to stick to my itinerary.

But what if I decide I want to spend more time in a city?

I am 26 yr old female....the more I read about Amsterdam the more I think 4 nights might not be enough!

First of all, are you sure that the rail pass is the best option? Sometimes they can save money, but not always. Check out railsaver.com and be sure to click on "only if railpasses save me money".

Also, note that a rail pass is NOT a train reservation. The rail pass simply allows you on the trains. Some trains require you to pay for reservations, some don't. You can usually make reservations the day of your train travel or a day or two before, so your trip itinerary doesn't necessarily have to be set in stone before you leave.

I hope this helps some.

Tracy

I'm sorry! I misread your post and thought you were referring to rail passes, not tickets. Please forgive me!

I've never cancelled a reservation before, but I'm assuming its fairly easy to do. If you decide to spend more time in a city than you originally allotted, I think it would be as simple as talking to someone at the train station and changing your reservation? Hopefully someone how has had previous experience can chime in.

Sorry again and good luck!
Tracy

Are you talking about a rail pass? Or individual tickets? Why do you (for sure) need to buy tickets ahead of time.

Depending on how many times you plan to take the train, you might OK (or better even) buying point-to-point tickets from the train station(s) after arrival. That would give you complete freedom of changing your dates, time, itinerary.

Hi M,

Usually, you don't need to buy your rail tickets more than the day before you wish to leave.

You can find rail schedules at http://plannerint.b-rail.be/bin/quer...n?L=profi&

((I))

Does my budget look feasible?


Airfare to UK (and out of Amsterdam) is $600. (from TX)
Hostels are approx. $40 per night (x12 nights =$480)
Train travel London to Paris is $120
Train travel Paris to Amsterdam is $100
Food/gifts/museums, etc I am budgeting like $900 for the whole trip ($75 per day x 12 days) i.e. MISC

TOTAL TRIP COST (ESTIMATED) is $2200 (but I plan on falling below this mark)

Seasoned travelers....what am I overlooking or overestimating costs on??

Your budget looks fine to me. I'm also a 26 yr old female and went with my husband this past summer and we spent about $4K for 2 weeks.
Though 4 nights in A'dam would be enough. And this is coming from a girl who loves her beers! :) I guess I prefer the wine in Paris more...
I'm jealous. Sounds like a fab trip!

Budget sounds fine, can't think of anything you're missing.