Destinations

Yes you can. When are you going? How many days do you have? Where can you fly in and out of?

Not sure when yet. Could be a 2-3 week trip. Fly from Houston Intercontinental to best destination, perhaps Paris. Would like to take the train to Rome, don't know the best way to get to Athens. Thats the thought but not nailed down.

yes? why not?

Most people do. The percentage who use tours are way less than those who travel independently. Consider an open jaw tickets - into Paris and home from Athens. It is a long train ride from Paris to Rome but not out of the question. Rome to Athens is best via plane.
Read lots of tourbooks and watch travel DVDs of those area to get an overview of what you would like to see and do.

Absolutely!! I've done two RS tours (Florence and Istanbul) and throughly enjoyed both. I have also traveled to Ireland, France, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Amsterdam, Rome, Venice, Paris and London solo. You've chosen three excellent cities to visit. All it takes is time to research. Rick's books are always helpful guides. Practical information. Open and closing times of sites, holiday closures, public transportation, lodging options, money, wonderful little maps, etc. Personally I love the freedom to come and go when and if I please. Usually rent an apartment for no less than a full week so I can explore. In Ireland rent a car and drove everywhere even into Dublin. All other countries used public transportation, trains, planes and buses. Firm believer in one carry on bag. Makes traveling so much easier. That said, if you've never been to Paris, Rome and Athens one of Rick's 7 day tours would be an excellent option. Very informative, stellar guides, nice fellow travelers, wonderful food and having the ability to skip the lines at the Louvre or Vatican... worth the price of admission so to speak. Either way have a wonderful time!

Ross of course you can plan your own trip. With the internet everything is so easy now. Fly into Paris, 4-5 days at least, then fly to Rome( Vueling or Easyjet, fast and cheap( about 70 euros, 1.5 hours, plus 4 hour getting to and from airports). The Rome 4-5 days at least, then fly to Athens, ( at this point I would give Athens one or two days and get out, theres a bit of civil unrest going on now) and I would head to an island, or skip Athens and fly direct from Rome to either Santorini , or Naxos or Corfu etc.. then fly home from either Athens or Rome. Once you start piecing it together it gets easier and funner. You can research hotels here or on tripadvisor.com ,, you can get links to various airlines or train ticket sellers etc. Have fun, if you have time and patience planning your own trip can be really fun

Would not currently recommend Athens.