My trip is in your hands! :) Can this itinerary be done in 12 days? If so, how?
Feb 23rd, 2006, 03:37 PM
#43
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dherron, I think you want to give your Mom "more" since it might be her last trip. She is fortunate you are willing to organize the trip and want to spend the time with her.
I think you don't realize there are many ways to give your Mom "more". Have you been to London, Paris, and Rome? I'm not sure if you understand how the ancient history of Europe creates a million sources of fascination on every corner. Therefore, the more time you spend in one place, the "more" you end up with!
I have a suggestion. You are thoughtful and are trying to put your Mom in a situation she can handle, such as you have a vision of her seeing the scenery from a train. There is another way. You can have a fantastic time by hiring a good driver (tour guide) with a comfortable car. You will actually see MORE scenery than you would from the train, and can stop for a nice lunch.
A dear "friend" I met on-line, who was 72 years old at the time, really inspired me. He had been travelling back to Italy with his wife twice a year for the last ten years. I was so inspired, as it was the first major international trip I had planned independently. He inspired me! He and his wife would travel from one city in Europe to another by train. They stayed in their favorite hotels, and had favorite drivers (licensed guides mostly) who would take them on half-day driving tours.)
I think your Mom would enjoy travelling this way, and she would never forget the trip. Basically I'm saying you can slow down, spend more nights in each place, and still have your Mom seeing "more"!
Have a wonderful trip. A hug to you and your Mom.
I think you don't realize there are many ways to give your Mom "more". Have you been to London, Paris, and Rome? I'm not sure if you understand how the ancient history of Europe creates a million sources of fascination on every corner. Therefore, the more time you spend in one place, the "more" you end up with!
I have a suggestion. You are thoughtful and are trying to put your Mom in a situation she can handle, such as you have a vision of her seeing the scenery from a train. There is another way. You can have a fantastic time by hiring a good driver (tour guide) with a comfortable car. You will actually see MORE scenery than you would from the train, and can stop for a nice lunch.
A dear "friend" I met on-line, who was 72 years old at the time, really inspired me. He had been travelling back to Italy with his wife twice a year for the last ten years. I was so inspired, as it was the first major international trip I had planned independently. He inspired me! He and his wife would travel from one city in Europe to another by train. They stayed in their favorite hotels, and had favorite drivers (licensed guides mostly) who would take them on half-day driving tours.)
I think your Mom would enjoy travelling this way, and she would never forget the trip. Basically I'm saying you can slow down, spend more nights in each place, and still have your Mom seeing "more"!
Have a wonderful trip. A hug to you and your Mom.
Feb 23rd, 2006, 03:45 PM
#44
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dherron, I hope I was clear in my message above. You would still need to take the trains to get from one city to another. But once you reached your "base" city, where ideally you would spend 4 nights, you would have the driver (licensed guide) do a half-day trip each morning to see nearby sites.
I think your Mom isn't too mobile, so if I were you, I would make sure to choose 3 "base" cities from which many beautiful driving trips could be taken. So you want cities which are surrounded by beautiful scenic countryside.
I am younger than your Mom I expect, but I can tell you my body is wearing out lots faster than my mind...and travelling about is tiring at my age. I like to travel to get somewhere really worth going, with lots to see nearby, and stay there in one hotel for 3 or 4 nights. But we don't hang out in our hotel...we get out and see things nearby, on foot, by bus, by hired car, or in our own car, according to what I have planned.
I think your Mom isn't too mobile, so if I were you, I would make sure to choose 3 "base" cities from which many beautiful driving trips could be taken. So you want cities which are surrounded by beautiful scenic countryside.
I am younger than your Mom I expect, but I can tell you my body is wearing out lots faster than my mind...and travelling about is tiring at my age. I like to travel to get somewhere really worth going, with lots to see nearby, and stay there in one hotel for 3 or 4 nights. But we don't hang out in our hotel...we get out and see things nearby, on foot, by bus, by hired car, or in our own car, according to what I have planned.
Feb 23rd, 2006, 04:37 PM
#45
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You've gotten lots of advice here.
I think one big thing that you need to think about is HANDLING LUGGAGE...
I find that hoping for "bellboy" anywhere is futile today. You handle your own (2 pcs/pp maybe) all the time!
Getting ON a train and managing my own 22 " and tote and purse is a job for me...Will your Mom be able to handle suitcase, purse and tote???You have to likely LEAVE your luggage at end of car and then get it all off quickly w/ a senior to handle also. Perfect opportunity for someone to steal a bag or two while you are getting on and off dragging suitcases and Mom...
Ck out the tours..they come in ALL price ranges and EVERYTHING will be taken care of..you NEVER have to touch that luggage till it is at your hotel room and is picked up again in the morning.
Next time you go do the free-lance but I can just imagine nightmare situations..I find the European trains/schedules/tickets etc to be very confusing/hard to understand even when they are in your hand!...Often many stairs up and down to change trains in a hurry...
Your travel agent can recommend a good European tour to see all your dreams..and it will be leisurely and wonderful. Unforgettable for Mom.
I think one big thing that you need to think about is HANDLING LUGGAGE...
I find that hoping for "bellboy" anywhere is futile today. You handle your own (2 pcs/pp maybe) all the time!
Getting ON a train and managing my own 22 " and tote and purse is a job for me...Will your Mom be able to handle suitcase, purse and tote???You have to likely LEAVE your luggage at end of car and then get it all off quickly w/ a senior to handle also. Perfect opportunity for someone to steal a bag or two while you are getting on and off dragging suitcases and Mom...
Ck out the tours..they come in ALL price ranges and EVERYTHING will be taken care of..you NEVER have to touch that luggage till it is at your hotel room and is picked up again in the morning.
Next time you go do the free-lance but I can just imagine nightmare situations..I find the European trains/schedules/tickets etc to be very confusing/hard to understand even when they are in your hand!...Often many stairs up and down to change trains in a hurry...
Your travel agent can recommend a good European tour to see all your dreams..and it will be leisurely and wonderful. Unforgettable for Mom.
Mar 3rd, 2006, 12:54 AM
#49
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I have to agree with suze and others. Having travelled to many of those places with children (similar to travelling with the elderly) they can be great, but not if everyone is tired and cranky. Our goal when travelling is keep the kids well rested. I went to Ireland with my Dad, age 75, last year and that was a challenge. He wanted to take a tour but we couldn't find one that went where we wanted to go (ancesteral town to visit in Dongegal). It was thoroughly exhausting for him. After the flight over he needed several days to recover and adjust to the new time before he felt like really seeing things. He also was not comfortable in cities, if you can call Dublin a big city compared to where you're going. The best time we had was in the small towns getting to talk with the locals. So I would seriously consider what your travel companions can handle. I know I would be exhausted by your trip and I'm a seasoned traveller. You'll enjoy it much more if you're rested and relaxed. Venice is great as it's a city, but not too large and overwhleming getting around. I'm considering having my father visit us in Austria, but I really don't think he'd enjoy it after all the flying, switching planes, etc.
Mar 3rd, 2006, 02:46 AM
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DHERRON:
QUICK QUESTION: (i may have missed somehting but....) why not drive?
The reason I ask this is because if you are fairly content on seeing the scenery as you go past (which is not altogether laughable IMO) then from my two trips I say that driving is a great way to do it.
I drove from paris to switzerland, austria, frankfurt, turin, nice and back to paris in about 16 days and loved it.
Let me add one more retort to the nay sayers. The only way to properly see everything is to live there. Spending a near fortune on dozens of holidays there is uneconomical compared to relocating yourself. On that basis accept that you'll miss heaps, look forward to the feel of those locales and love it.
(Maybe an extra 2 days in that would really help though)
QUICK QUESTION: (i may have missed somehting but....) why not drive?
The reason I ask this is because if you are fairly content on seeing the scenery as you go past (which is not altogether laughable IMO) then from my two trips I say that driving is a great way to do it.
I drove from paris to switzerland, austria, frankfurt, turin, nice and back to paris in about 16 days and loved it.
Let me add one more retort to the nay sayers. The only way to properly see everything is to live there. Spending a near fortune on dozens of holidays there is uneconomical compared to relocating yourself. On that basis accept that you'll miss heaps, look forward to the feel of those locales and love it.
(Maybe an extra 2 days in that would really help though)
Mar 3rd, 2006, 05:45 AM
#51
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Unpacking (even if you live out of a suitcase you've still toiletries in the bathroom)every couple of days then repacking, getting transport to the train station, waiting for the train, figuring out how to get from the train to your next hotel which may or may not be ready for you to check in depending on the time of day and storing your suitcase in the hotel office without access to it during the day then repacking and repeating three days later? Yuck even for me and I'm healthy, active, (although not so young..)and a big time go getter on vacations.
Leave the arrangements to someone else or limit your trip to two places. Hire Michael Osman (google him to get his email address)to escort you around Paris for a couple of days. He will do whatever you want as fast or as slow as you wish and is a bargain.
Leave the arrangements to someone else or limit your trip to two places. Hire Michael Osman (google him to get his email address)to escort you around Paris for a couple of days. He will do whatever you want as fast or as slow as you wish and is a bargain.
Aug 3rd, 2006, 12:13 PM
#52
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Yes, it can! I'm back, we traveled to all locations, had a great time, saw beautiful architecture, scenery, etc. Venice is begging me to come back and, if I had it to do over, I would take time out of Rome and add it to Venice.
For all of the naysayers that said it couldn't be done or shouldn't be done, I would do it again today. Did we see all of London, Paris, Geneva, Venice, and Rome? No, but I haven't seen all of Ohio either, and I live there.
Yes, we were tired. Big deal. We saw the Eiffel tower lit up at night, we saw gondolas on the Grand Canal, we saw the Roman Colloseum, we shopped at Harrod's, and saw the Swiss Alps. Tired wasn't what we were thinking about.
For all of the naysayers that said it couldn't be done or shouldn't be done, I would do it again today. Did we see all of London, Paris, Geneva, Venice, and Rome? No, but I haven't seen all of Ohio either, and I live there.
Yes, we were tired. Big deal. We saw the Eiffel tower lit up at night, we saw gondolas on the Grand Canal, we saw the Roman Colloseum, we shopped at Harrod's, and saw the Swiss Alps. Tired wasn't what we were thinking about.
Aug 3rd, 2006, 01:02 PM
#54
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Just goes to show you there are different strokes for different folks. Obviously, you prioritized what you wanted to see and got it done. I've been slammed before for planning really ambitious itineraries; some people like things that way. Others would hate it. You didn't get to spend full days in the Louvre, Orsay or Vatican, but you saw the things you wanted to see in the time you wanted to spend. Good.
Aug 3rd, 2006, 02:56 PM
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The only suggestion I have would be to limit the cities you see and take the scenic routes on the train. These are longer train rides but you see more of the countries that the train travels through. I would limit the cities to maybe three in the 12 days. There are several scenic trains that go thru Switzerland and I am sure you would love the views. Check out the eurail site and other european train sites to see if this might better suit your needs.
Good luck
Good luck
Aug 3rd, 2006, 04:06 PM
#57
monorailgold- please read the rest of the post. they are already back from the trip and gave a report.
dherron- thanks for checking in with us. as one of the people who thought it couldn't be done, glad to hear you did it and enjoyed it all.
dherron- thanks for checking in with us. as one of the people who thought it couldn't be done, glad to hear you did it and enjoyed it all.
Aug 3rd, 2006, 04:12 PM
#58
Sounds like you accomplished your main goal of seeing some special places with Mom, meaning you will have a lifetime of great memories because of it. Every now and then, it's necessary to go against the flow. Well done.
