Hello community. I am a recently retired 57 year old male from NYC. The day after retirement, I packed up a backpack and began what I hope will be a very long journey, starting with Mexico.

Since I can only be here 180 days and I’m on 111, I’m planning ahead. The easy thing is to just do a visa run back to the states or Guatemala but I think I’d like to mix it up a bit.

I love Spain, Italy and France as well as Belgium and Amsterdam but to go back without seeing some other places, well that doesn’t seem too adventurous also. So, here is a list of places I’d like to go and I’m willing to spend 3-12 months doing them. My question to the group is more about logistics. i have to leave Mexico at the end of May.

Since I’d like to come back to Mexico at some point and I can only spend 90 days in Schengen countries, where do you suppose the best place to start and return to CDMX would be? Please understand this is just a wish list and I do not want nor expect to hit all of the places on this list. Getting from point A to point B is important and I’d rather immerse myself in a place for a few weeks in an apartment. Fortunately I have the means stay in an AirBnB instead of a hostel however I’d still like to keep my accommodation budget under $1,300 per month usd. As far as what I am looking for from each place, to be near a great local market and learning each cultures food and drink is more important to me than sightseeing and museums. Professional sporting events and festivals interest me more than shopping and statues.

I think three to six places out of this long list would work fine. If you were me, how would you compile an itinerary starting and returning to CDMX out of the following places and if possible, the least expensive way to get from one place to the next.

Sorry for such a long post, as I tried to give you as much info about me to make a knowledgeable suggestion. I appreciate any and all advice or suggestions. Thank you

Ireland
London*
Amsterdam*
Belgium*
Barcelona
Lyon, France
Agadir
Zagreb
Budapest
Bucharest
Istanbul
Bratislava
Krakow
*been there before, fun but not necessary — looking for recommendations

A few years ago, we took my sister-in-law on a whirlwind trip of Europe, and it was budget-minded. But we used inexpensive discount carriers to move about quickly. Many of our flights were $20-$35 each. Since you want to go all over the place, I suggest you take a close look at skyscanner.com which has great search options. Say you start in the south and work north (assuming you go in the spring and want to follow the weather), maybe start with Istanbul and put “everywhere” for your destination. You will see all the places you can go and possible prices at a glance. You can also simply type in a country name as a destination.

Our lodging averaged about $75/night, but we paid more, since there were three of us. The advantage of the apartment was that we were able to prepare some meals at home, which is nice when you have great local markets. Some airbnbs (and other apartments on places like booking.com and homeaway.com) do provide a lower rate for singles. There are many decent apartments especially outside major cities that can be had within your budget.

Here was our basic itinerary and how we got around.

Copenhagen/Malmo Sweden (WOW air from Boston)
Prague (via Norwegian Air)
Bratislava via rail
Budapest via rail
Brussels/Bruges via Wizzair (a change since borders closed to Zagreb and Ljubjlana)
Vienna (via British Airways)
Salzburg via rail
Innsbruck, via Lake Hallstatt, Zell em See, Berchtesgaden by car
Venice via rail
Tuscany/San Marino/Puglia by carRome where we returned car
Nice/French Riviera (via EasyJet) and then rail
Barcelona (via EasyJet)
Paris (via EasyJet)

taking trains I presume - for lots of trains and where to go with them, check BETS-European Rail Experts - their free online European Planing & Rail Guide; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com- all loaded with objective info.