Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > Europe
Reload this Page >

Trying to choose where to go! First Big Trip!

Trying to choose where to go! First Big Trip!

Old Oct 13th, 2016, 09:24 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Trying to choose where to go! First Big Trip!

Hey there travelling people

This is my first ever posting on any forum before!
(A bit of pre question info)
I have decided to quit my job around May/June 2017 and travel for 3 months before
starting school in September (Maybe). I am planning on travelling with my bf for 3 or 4 months.He is from Australia and I from Canada. I went to Australia with him for 3 weeks last February and loved it!!! We did a wilderness type trip in the Red Center, that was my favorite part. I like doing out of the ordinary and special! I also do not like to rush things, I enjoy culture/ history/ nature/ music/ hiking/ food and arts!!

I actually love my job, and would love to keep it and travel but unfortunately it's just not possible to keep my job and travel to the extent that I want to. (3 Weeks off a year) I will just go crazy if I don't act upon my urge!!!
PS: I've never been to Europe!
There are a few options here and we are not sure which to do...

Maybe use this time to go around Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England/UK

I'd like to do some hiking in Scotland and maybe take a train (Hogwarts Express) , Northern Ireland I would like to see the GOT filming locations and England see more Harry potter stuff as well as as Bath, Museums, History ... bf is a huge fan of Manchester United.. so we would definitely go to Manchester.

However much I love this trip/idea we also don't want to miss out on other places!

I think my bf would like to see MORE in that same time, whereas I would like to experience things slower (I think) It's also so odd looking at a map and not really understanding how close everything seems to be... because hellooo CANADA IS HUGE ! haha

Out TOP Countries Vary a bit

Ours: England, France, Italy
His: Belgium, Spain, Germany, Portugal
Mine: Ireland, Scotland, Croatia, Greece, Morocco (I know it's in Africa)

I was thinking we should save Portugal, Morocco and Spain to do together another time

Another Idea was to do a through Eurotrip sort of like this
( Scotland, Ireland, England, France, Italy, Greece)
* Maybe adding Istanbul or Croatia to this!

I guess I'm just confused because this is my first Euro trip and also the longest trip I've taken to date!
There is so much info out there and I just don't want to speed race through (Seems to be most itineraries) 1 day is this area... then overnight plan to this area, then two days and a train here...

The places we would like to go most I think are Spain/Morocco/Portugal and then the UK and they just seem like two completely different trips!

Have someone help me out ?

I pretty much want to go everywhere so I know I'll be happy wherever I go, it's just deciding!!

Cheers.
TravellingShae is offline  
Old Oct 13th, 2016, 09:54 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,963
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
This is so very wide open, you could get a million suggestions and more. Great to have 3 months and an open mind!

Just going with what you said about yourself and bf (thanks for elaborating a bit, it helps), your idea of starting (I say "starting" - three months allows for a lot of ideas) with Scotland is a good one - it can be rugged and "out-of-the-way-ish" like what you liked about central Oz. Also the language thing helps (to a point only - the Australian English is nothing compared to the Scottish...).

After a couple of weeks of getting off any beaten paths in Scotland, you might want to go look at a bit of civilization and amazing history - Edinburgh for example.

After that? By golly, the word's your oyster. For now you probably shouldn't lock yourselves in, not beyond a couple of weeks in Scotland (if that's where you begin) - there is no need for elaborate advance bookings etc if you travel footloose and fancy-free. With online access you can book hostels and such in plenty of time once you've decided where next.

To hop to other spots in Europe, look at Ryanair and easyJet and such budget airlines - a jump across to, say, Spain can be dirt cheap.

All in all, I would suggest that you read up a whole lot -get all the books your local library has, and all the websites - one country at a time. Once you gain a sense of the diversity, so that it's not all a big blur, you can zero in on targets that attract you and plan how to get there when the time comes.

Consider staying in a place for a week now and then so that you're not getting burned out from moving around. Websites like www.housetrip.com and - in France - www.gitesdefrance.com - offer house and apartment rentals, usually for a week at a time (Sat. to Sat. most often), which can cost a lot less than hotels or motels. You have a kitchen and fridge, enjoy a bit of home life, making day trips - restore your sanity before going out on the road again.

For now, study intensely, but don't rush any planning that locks you into a fixed schedule.

Have fun!
michelhuebeli is offline  
Old Oct 13th, 2016, 10:16 PM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 5,234
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hmm. a few ideas...

Well, first, have you looked at all the various guide books? If you can figure out what your top places are (and how much you want to see in each place), you can narrow it down that way.

Another way to narrow it down would be to look at plane tickets. I start with a list of possibilities and then choose my destination by plane ticket price.

Then there's budget. That is sort of dependent on where you want to stay. Some cities are more expensive than others. Sometimes I'll read about a specific lodging (like a historic building) and add the destination to the list. 3 months is a a long time to be gone so I'm assuming you don't have a huge budget.

As a general rule of thumb- I've found 6-7 nights in a city and 4 nights in a smaller place is about right. But it really depends on how many day trips you want to take and how much you want to see in each city.

Another thing to consider (and this is more from the POV of a person who likes hostels) is that the longer you stay in a place the more chance you get to do and see more. 5-6 nights is kind of my minimum. But I often like to do 8-10 nights because if you start, say on Friday, and leave the next Sunday, you get a chance to stumble across local festivals or live music for that second weekend. The first weekend you are in a city, you may be too busy getting oriented to discover stuff like that. I like the leisure of winging it for a few days, and if you stay longer you are more likely to get that chance.

When you get down to the nitty gritty- I also take traveling time into account. There's only so much time I can stand to spend on a bus or train. I'll plan an itinerary around the most convenient or direct routes.


Your trip sounds really exciting. I think you should think about it in terms of attractions density and not size. Canada may be huge but certain parts of it have a lot more to see than other parts. In a similar way, the space between European places matters less than what you really are interested in. I'd base it less on geography and more on what you want to experience in each place. Good luck!
marvelousmouse is offline  
Old Oct 14th, 2016, 12:33 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 1,817
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
At the present time, your money would go much farther in Great Britain.
France would probably be the most expensive country you visit out of your list.
Plan to fly open-jaw - fly into one city and fly out of another, for best fares.
Sometimes you can get better fares for short flights than if you go by train. You'll also probably spend less time, if you fly.
I don't recommend trying to save money by sleeping overnight on trains - they are normally uncomfortable, can be unsafe and might cost more than you think.
fuzzbucket is offline  
Old Oct 14th, 2016, 01:15 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,407
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Before I read that youre Canadian I was going to suggest you stick Switzerland in there somewhere

I cant decide which place in the world is more spectacular: Canada Switzerland new Zealand or Norway

but if you've been to the rockies it might be nice for you to compare Switzerland..and its so cute too

as an aussie I was absolutely smitten with Switzerland and ill go back one day,...ive only been to Lucerne and that was unbelievable

otherwise...Ireland..yep..lots of fun and very beautiful
Croatia..also fun and quite different

if I had three months id try to change up the culture and cuisine and spread the trip out a bit geographically
but it does cost more...what with airfares etc and it gobbles up time

you cant go wrong
with three months youre laughing

stay safe...have fun


make sure you get to Norway one day..its expensive but so gorgeous
lanejohann is offline  
Old Oct 14th, 2016, 02:04 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 25,496
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
In terms of cost Switzerland and Norway are the two most expensive.

Scotland is certainly a sensible place to start.

I'd try and blend some time in cities with some time in the countryside and certainly time on Orkney or in the Highlands is vital.

for trains look in seat61.com just to see how it all works.

Now to the books.

Certainly rough guide to europe to get an overview
Plus anything coffee table in a book shop will give you ideas

Do avoid July and August which is when Europeans go on holiday.
bilboburgler is online now  
Old Oct 14th, 2016, 02:56 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 2,302
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I also would advise to go n lonely planet. More young people there - budget backpacks etc.
we are more older people here.
WoinParis is offline  
Old Oct 14th, 2016, 05:44 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 541
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Though we are "old" people, we just finished a 4 month stay in Europe so wanted to comment. We also started our trip in May and, looking to pack light and take advantage of the weather, did our trip from South to North - flying into Zagreb and out of Manchester. As others have mentioned, your budget will dictate a good bit so try to have a mix of expensive and not so expensive (Croatia was VERY cheap). My favorite website to use for general planning is rome2rio.com - should help you on what cities make sense to string together. And seat61.com is definitely a fabulous resource.

We began with a month in Croatia and I can't imagine that you wouldn't like this - lots of GOT sites - Dubrovnik is Kings Landing and Diocletian's palace in Split is where Daenerys kepy her dragons! For natural sites, Plitvice Lakes is stunning. Though we moved onto Prague for a bit you could hop over to Italy instead and spend your second month maing your way up through France. End it with a month in the UK - I also did Harry Potter sites (Oxford, Alnwick Castle) and we had a week in Edinburgh (bowing to the spot where JK Rowling wrote) during the Fringe Festival. Fringe was an absolute highlight and I'd recommend to anyone. Though accommodations are expensive, you could see a dozen shows a day for free and still not see everything.

With so many great places to see and such a nice big chunk of time, it can seem overwhelming at first to plan. But begin with what makes sense flight-wise then pull out a map (or rome2rio) and a route will start to appear. How wonderful for you!
AtlTravelr is offline  
Old Oct 14th, 2016, 05:52 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 10,255
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes on 1 Post
Lots of good advice above. I would remind you that southern Spain and Morocco will be terribly hot during the summer.
Fra_Diavolo is offline  
Old Oct 14th, 2016, 08:30 AM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 7,933
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I noticed that you said you wanted to travel for three or four months. Many of the countries, with the exception of the British Isles, are in the Schengen area, which has a ninety day limit on the time you can stay. So I would either begin or end my trip in the Scotland, England, Ireland zone, and spend a month there.

You might consider doing as Atltravlr did, and start in the southern part of your itinerary. Maybe start in Greece, then Croatia, and then Italy, or switch it up. I'm not sure of the best way to get between Greece and Croatia, but there are ferries from both Greece and Croatia to Italy, so maybe you could do Greece, Italy, then Croatia.

I think you're wise to save Spain, Portugal, and Morocco for another trip. You're young, and I think you'll have many opportunities to travel in the future.

Have you thought of asking for unpaid leave from your job? I once had an opportunity to work in the Netherlands for a year, and got unpaid leave from my job in the US to be able to do it.
bvlenci is offline  
Old Oct 14th, 2016, 12:57 PM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,038
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Every first trip to Europe MUST include a stay in Paris !
Bedar is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
FarCanal
Europe
17
Jun 4th, 2014 05:35 PM
gsgs144
Europe
21
Apr 21st, 2014 10:05 AM
golfdude
Europe
75
Feb 7th, 2014 09:25 AM
chantelclaus
Europe
17
Dec 30th, 2010 09:41 AM
Carl_Hungus
Europe
14
Jul 20th, 2009 12:08 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -