Welcome to my Europe Your Way blog!
European travel is a passion my husband, Dave, and I share. Together we have experienced fifteen countries and have plans to continue well into retirement. Each trip has been taken for its own reasons and taken its own course. Each time we go, we learn new ways to make the most of our time and money while meeting the goals we set out for ourselves. Along the way we’ve had some crazy adventures! I’ll share our stories and hope you will find these lessons helpful as you realize that you too can experience Europe Your Way.
There are many reasons you may want to visit Europe. Maybe you want to discover where you came from and walk in your ancestors’ footsteps. Or, you want to experience the European lifestyle. Or find a place to settle down and/or invest in for retirement. Maybe you just want to see the big tourist attractions highlighted in travel shows and books. Whatever your reasons, you can design your European experience to deliver on those goals.
This blog is for people who like to make their own way, are full of curiosity, and who may have limited time and financial resources. As we go along, I will provide information that can help you plan, budget, book, and enjoy your European travel dream.
Planning Your Trip to Europe
There are five big questions that you need to answer before doing anything.
1. Where do you want to go? One of my first trips covered 5 countries in 10 days. Because many European countries are the size of American states, this is relatively easy to do. It became a real adventure and some of my most memorable stories came on this trip. Other trips have focused on exploring just one country but provided the opportunity to really settle in and experience the lifestyle and culture. I’ll provide information on the merits of single vs. multiple-country itineraries.
2. Why do you want to go? My 5 countries in 10 days trip started out as a visit to Dave’s son who was interning in Germany. The goal was to see how he was doing and get a sampling of Europe so that we could discover areas we might want to return to for more in-depth experiences. A trip to Ireland included some family history research and exploration. You will have your own reasons to go.
3. When do you want to go? Obvious considerations are climate and your other commitments – i.e., work or school schedules. Dave and I are empty-nesters which allows us to travel any time of year. Our preferences are shoulder seasons (April-May or September/October) when weather is still good, crowds are fewer, and costs are often lower. This doesn’t need to be set in stone until you have booked flights. Your research may impact your final dates.
4. How much time do you have? Given the time it takes to get to Europe (roughly 8 hours depending on where you are flying from and where you are going) and the expense of flights, we always try to eke out as much time overseas as possible. Our early trips to Europe averaged 15-16 days. I’ll share my strategies for maximizing your time. We retired in 2018 allowing us to have a 6-week extravaganza in 2019. While this allowed us to amortize airfare over a longer period of time, we utilized other strategies to keep lodging costs down.
5. How much are you willing to spend? The biggest expense category is transportation, both getting to Europe and getting around Europe (think planes, trains, automobiles, buses, and boats). This category is where you have the least control. Accommodations is next but you can fit this to your budget. Eating, sightseeing, and shopping round it out and provide the most flexibility for expense control. Whether you want luxury or are travelling on limited means, it’s important to have a budget.
Once you have answered these five questions, you are ready to get started.
Preparing for Europe
Once you know where, why, and when you are going and have established a budget, it’s time for the serious work to begin. This is the research and booking phase. It can seem daunting but if you do your homework you will have a better experience. I’ve done this enough now that I’ve developed an approach that will save you time while ensuring that you are well-prepared for your trip to Europe.
There are three areas that need extensive research: (1) Experiences, (2) Transportation, and (3) Accommodations. These are not mutually exclusive but are in priority order. Your choices for the experiences you want to have will influence your choice of accommodations and transportation. For example, in order to accommodate river cruising on the Rhine River in Germany, it’s important that we do not have a car at that point of the trip. As a result, the early part of our trip to Germany will be conducted by train and our hotels will be within walking distance of train and ferry stations. Your research should include both guide books and websites. My approach will help you coordinate these resources.
The old adage, “When in Rome, do like the Romans.” is like the golden rule of travel. The locals will appreciate your efforts to fit in both culturally and linguistically. We had heard that the French were not friendly to Americans. However, I spent some time learning the language and it paid dividends. The French people we encountered appreciated my efforts, quickly realized that their English was far better than my French, and we got along fine.
Smart packing can also make a big difference. Too much luggage is a real hindrance when you are traveling by train and staying in hotels with no elevators.
Other posts will take you through my approach to research so stay tuned.
Enjoying Your Time in Europe
Europe, though similar in many ways, is not America. That’s why it’s so much fun to go! Pace yourself, allow for some spontaneity, embrace the culture and the people and you will have the time of your life. Through our stories you will learn how to immerse yourself in the moment and create lasting memories that you will be relating to family and friends for years to come. I’ll be updating this blog with new stories on a regular basis.
Enjoy this blog! Let me hear from you. We should have a lot of fun.