PS,

If you leave out Greece, you greatly reduce your costs.

Ira,

Thanks for the hotel recommendation.

LEAVE GREECE OUT? Mea culpa. But Ira, we will be right there! The food, the folk dancing, the history... It must have been my wonderful Greek and Roman history teacher in high school that got me so hooked.

Is it because of additional plane fares/ferry fares, etc?

Gale, I don't know how upscale or downscale you want to go, but one possibility to save money would be to book a private room for you and your husband in a hostel, and have the kids sleep in the dorms. They would meet other young travelers and you would get privacy.

Hi Gale,

It was just a suggestion.

>Is it because of additional plane fares/ferry fares, etc?<

Yup. I was thinking of Pappa's ca-ching.

HOWEVER, check out www.europebyair.com.

They have Rome/Athens for $99 each way.

WillTravel,

I really know nothing about hostels having never stayed in one. Any info to clue me in?

Ira,

Yes, I too must think of Papa's cha ching! Otherwise I loose leverage to bring along the brats!

Are hostels, apartments or private homes less costly?

I topped an old thread for you.

Did your parents take you to Europe...

Luv2go,

What mean this? You topped an old thread?

Nope, my parents never ventured there. I lived in London for about three months in my late twenties and that's as far as I got. Always wanted to do France, Spain, Italy, Greece, & Egypt.

Gale,

Here's an example of a hostel (supposed to be a very nice one):

http://www.the-beehive.com/

Hostels are often the cheapest option, but you have to consider all factors and look carefully at various options.

Take a look at this sister site for apartment and other options:
http://www.cross-pollinate.com/home.htm

WillTravel,

Thanks for the threads to look at. I appreciate all the information and am sponging now!

gale

Luv2go means that s/he brought a thread titled "Did your parents take you to Europe" to the top of the queue. might be some more insightful reading for you.

Hi uhhhh,

OK, I feel like duuhhh! Gave my answer to "did your parents take you to Europe"!!!

Found the thread and some others as well. All so helpful. Now I'm on brain overload and totally addicted to this site!

Thanks for straightening me out...I was just a little tangled.
gale

Hi galestorm,

I totally agree with the other posters-- take them! We always do. We're headed back to Italy and England this summer with out kids, ages 13 and 16. This will be their fourth European trip, and we have always enjoyed the time together.

I would definitely look into renting an apartment in Venice and Rome. I thinnk it should be a lot cheaper. If you search previous posts, you'll probably find an enormous amount of info on where to look.

Good luck!

Hi, Gale!

Fodorites appreciate someone who appreciates us!

I'm a newbie too, tho getting to be an old one! Lo! Yes, isn't it amazing what wonderful people there are on this forum?

On inexpensive lodgings:

a) "Youth" hostels - these may be the cheapest. If you all sleep in the dormitories, it'll average about $10 - $15 per person. Some hostels have "family rooms" that will sleep two, three, four, or more. It's like having a private room of your own. Look into International Youth Hostels (IYH) and its website. A lot of information there and their hostels have to up to a certain standard.

2) In Italy, there are monasteries and nunneries which offer inexpensive lodging. Prices may be just a tad more than hostels. They, too, sometimes have "family rooms." I'm certain I've read something on this forum about monasteries.

3) Try B&Bs. Usually you can get pretty nice doubles for about $65 (that's euros!). Two rooms will run you about $130 euros, which is what you might pay for just one room in a decent hotel.

Finally, think about renting a car. The cost of train, bus, etc. fare for four people would exceed the cost of renting a car.

Hope this helps! Gotta go!

Weadles,

Thanks for the positive feedback. I will look into the apartment costs tos ee if that would be a viable option.

Easytraveler,

Thanks for the tips on the hostels and monasteries. I did take a look a a couple of websites (threads found here) on hostels that have quads. The monastery option sounds intriguing and I will investigate. I figure if I can save in some locales where we will be out and about most of the time I can splurge in others.

The car rental definitely like the way to go for the trip. If we begin in Venice then travel south to Rome, then the Amalfi coast where is the best place to rent and turn in? Any body have experiences renting cars? Let me know your experiences...good and bad please.

Bought Rick Steve's book and Fodor's 2004 Italy and Greece books last night so the reading begins!

Thanks once again to everyone for all their ideas and feedback.

Hi Gale!

Glad you found the information useful!

If you do decide on a car, remember to pack light! The trunks of those European cars are TINY and you do not want a huge American car in Italy! So you need a small car that, unfortunately, will give you a small trunk.

Once you have decided on the details of your trip, come back to this forum for great tips on packing! Along with type of shoes, packing is a perennial favorite topic!

Take 'em !!! Unless you want to come back home and find nothing the same no more.
Seriously I would hate to leave my child home and not being able to share that experience with them.
I am taking 9y/old. Bored ? Nobody THAT stupid to be bored in Europe.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

Check the agriturismo option also-- working farms that rent rooms all across Italy.

One website that often gets mentioned for apartment rentals is: SLEEPINITALY.com. There are literally thousands of others, but check previous posts for the best ones!

GKood luck!