Eastern Europe Family Travel in 2015

Are you hoping to do 6 countries in 14-16 days? That would be quite impossible unless all you want to remember is the inside of a train.

For me, I would pick two countries (maybe even one) that are contiguous or at least well connected by budget airlines. Spend a week in each country and get to know it a bit. With 5 people, it might be best to rent a car. Also you should consider renting apartments or houses as this will be more cost effective.

For example, my family of four headed out in a rental car from Vienna to Bologna, Italy last summer. This was a great place to base ourselves for a week, as we made great day trips to places like Florence, Lucca, Modena, Ferrara and Venice. We then drove back to Austria and stayed in Seefeld in Tirol for a week in the mountains. Endless hikes, views, swimming, lakes and scenery. It was a great time that the kids will always remember.

You can plan this yourself, you don't need a travel agent.

Emily,

Thank you fro your response.

You might be right in that I am biting too much off here. As I continue to look at the maps, flights, bus routs, trains, ferry's...so on, even staying in the Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Germany area will involve a significant amount of travel. I am trying to fit in as much culture into our experience as we can. I also have a friend in Northern Ireland which was why I had that on my list. Maybe I can get him to bring his family over to England for a day or two and visit him there.

More work to do... :)

Thanks

Bill

Quality trumps quantity - trust me.

"Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Germany area" is half of a continent and too large of an area to cover if you want to keep your sanity (and family?) intact.

Bill,

get some travel books and readup on whats there and how to get around.

getting there is half the battle, the rest is in the details.

You can use a travel agent, but with google at your finger tips, why? also, that travel agent will require some $$$ for their services. You can make your family help with this trip by doing some of their own homework and figure out what to do/see in the places you want to go. after all do you want willing participants or reluctant passengers? I find that doing the work myself gets me in the mindset to go and i know alot of the info once i get there. Of course if you just want someone to do all the work and you follow the planned itinerary, there is that too.

What you can do is to just assume you will spend 2 or 3 full days (or nights) in each city and see how the total works out. You dont even know the travel times between places, but you will get an idea if you eyes are bigger than your days away. Also realize you will loose one day traveling to there.

just some hints.

When planning a trip, try to plan some type of path. Either circular or some linear path. It keeps you from criss-crossing your path or back tracking since both can be time consuming and expensive. Use google maps to print out areas and start marking up the maps with places/areas you want to see. that will show you where you want to go and if you can find some path to use. Sometimes it will show you just to plop down somewhere and do day trips from a central location.

You can also go to a store to get a laminated map and be able to mark and wipe off what you dont like.

Google is your friend. along with travel books, friends and boards like this. I say, if you dont know whats there, you really cant plan or do it.

Trains. look at seat61.com. This guy puts in alot of homework so you dont have to. Trains are waaay better in Eruope than the USA. What i like about them is that they go from City Center to City Center. No having to deal with, "how do i get from the airport into town" BS. also, there isnt any, "please turn off all electronic devices...blah blah blah". One other thing is that a trains 2nd class seat is like a planes 1st class - at least that has been my experience so far. alot more room and you can wonder around without having to worry if the "fasten seatbelt" sign is on.

good luck with your trip and happy trails.

Thanks for your feedback Ray.

I am currently doing a lot of investigation and have been for many weeks now. Part of the challenge is how to get the biggest bang from the time we are there and likely not to be going back again as a family...one time bucket list family trip. Frankly, it's overwhelming with all the reviews and data available and I was hoping that someone recently had this kind of vacation with the family and could offer some real time advice as to what worked and what didn't.

Again, thanks for the direction...

Bill

Agree with the other posters . Essentially you have two weeks and with 6 countries that's less than 2 days in each country when you take travel times into consideration. I understand your wish to show your children Europe and to enjoy travelling there with them but if you want to show your children how the rest of the world lives you have to actually spend time there. Rushing from one place to another will only show them how harried Americans travel. When our children were 11 and 13 and then again 2 years later, we took them to Portugal, the land of their grandparents. We spent 4 weeks travelling the country each time. They actually saw how people in that country lived. Not saying you need to go to one country for the entire 2 weeks but to really see and experience any place you have to spend time there. Also, it won't be easy moving 5 people and luggage around Europe on trains, buses, etc. Just getting to and checking into hotels and then checking out and leaving could take a half day for each transaction. Maybe getting to know 1 or 2 countries is better than seeing many countries for one or two days. My advice is to make a list of what you really want to see and pick 1 to 3 countries. You might realize it will be a better, more educational, and more relaxed and fun trip if you slow down and appreciate where you are and what it is you are seeing.

Thanks for your feedback Carol. It's really good to get advice from folks who have gone through the experience. Clearly my expectations weren't in line with reality and now I will focus my energy on 1-3 countries and build around that. Decisions, decisions...

Thanks again...

Bill

You might also want to save some sanity and look at Rick's Family 14 day European Tour. http://www.ricksteves.com/tours/europe/family-europe This will get you to Italy, Austria, Switzerland and France with good and efficient use of your time. Only you can decide if the $$ is worth it to have someone else do the planning.

I don't work for RS, but did do Heart Of Italy with my brother, his wife and their 2 sons last year and had a great time. There was no stress for my brother and me as someone else figured out hotels, transportation, sights and some of the meals. In my opinion, it was money well spent. One of the things I was concerned about was getting everyone up and out (the kids were 20 and 25 but like to sleep in) and making decisions on what to see and do each day. The tour took care of that and the guys beat the adults downstairs every day!

You would want to arrive at your start point a couple of days ahead of time to give yourselves some time to get your feet on the ground, so it would probably extend to the 16 day side of your time frame.

Hi Pam...thanks so much for your feedback. Yes, as I digest my new reality and maybe have to be honest about my ability to plan this trip myself (I'm a divorced dad) I am now looking closer at RS planned European tours which just may be my best bet. The trip can become that much better if the kids make some new friends along the way.

Again, thanks so much...

Bill

First, the term “Eastern Europe” means something different that the countries you mentioned. But what the hey, I understand. Now to be the odd man out on your itenirary. You list countries, but if you are really meaning one city in each country then its doable.

Day 1 leave the US
Day 2 Arrive Belfast
Day 3 See Belfast
Day 4 Fly Belfast to London
Day 5 See London
Day 6 Train to Paris
Day 7 Paris
Day 8 Train to Madrid
Day 9 Madrid
Day 10 Fly to Rome
Day 11 Rome
Day 12 Fly Rome to Berlin
Day 13 Berlin
Day 14 Home
Day 15 Add it to one of the above
Day 16 Add it to one of the above

Now if you were to drop Northern Ireland, then the time you save combined with the two extra days and you get about 2.5 days in each city. Not a bad sampler trip. I also like because it is varied enough to give you some sense of what impresses you and what doesn’t so you know where to return in the future.

Here are some canned tours to look at that you could use as a model:
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/europe/my-way-europe This is sort of the best of both worlds, not guided but not independent either. I sort of like the idea for a first time visit. My first visit was with American Express in 1979 and it was comfortable enough to feel confident and loose enough to learn how to do it on my own. Good experience for a 20 year old kid.
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/europe/europe-14-days

A couple of general thoughts to consider as you plan... I am with the large group suggesting that you cut the number of locations to 3-4, so you have a few days in each spot to settle in, unless you decide to do one of the RS tours in which case the hassle of moving from place to place is mostly dumped onto the tour leader. I also suggest that you mix up your locations, so you do some big classic cities and also one or two smaller towns. I think of myself as a city person but one of my most memorable moments on the Germany-Austria-Switzerland RS trip our family did in 2006 was wandering around the trails in Muerren surrounded by gorgeous mountains and wildflowers. The days there were the "vacation from your vacation" that RS recommends.

To determine which cities/countries to visit, think about whether your kids are learning a language in school - it might be fun for them to go somewhere where their language skills would be useful [and might encourage them to study a bit more in the months before you go]. Or how about your family's ethnic history? Before our GAS tour, we spent a week in the Rhineland/Palatinate area visiting small towns that my husband's ancestors came from; a fun way to start the trip. Is there a historical period they are especially interested in? or an activity? You could watch some of the RS travel shows or other travel shows and see what sparks everyone's interest.

Just one caution: remember that late June in Spain and Italy can be pretty hot, especially if you are used to cooler Maine weather. Air conditioning in Europe is generally not as powerful as AC here in the US.

When you do narrow it down to a specific list of countries/cities, be sure to come back for more advice; there are lots of really smart and helpful travelers on this site. I have gotten tons of great ideas by reading other people's questions and answers as well as by posting specific questions here.

Congratulations on getting a good early start on your planning. This will be a great gift to your sons and yourself!

I agree that an RS tour may be your best choice. You can find a tour that mixes several countries, urban and rural places, and glimpses of "how the rest of the world lives." If you can manage it, the difference in price for the Best of Europe 14 day and 21 day tours makes the longer one look pretty attractive.

You certainly won't be able to get to as many places and see as much on your own. Just having the bus from door to door saves hours. No waiting in long lines, no getting lost. Maybe take a tour that starts in Paris . . . fly into London for a couple of days on your own, and talk your friends into meeting you there. Then take the Eurostar train to Paris for the tour, fly home when the tour ends.

James, Kathleen, Chani,

Thanks so much for your feedback...plenty to think about. With all the new information, it so happens that my boys are here with me next week for 4th of July week so we will sit down and talk about narrowing the target and see if we can choose either a RS tour or come up with a list of contiguous countries/cities that we could focus in on.

Again, thank you all for taking the time to provide me your honest opinion which will go a long way towards making a final decision. I won't get a second crack at this one very special out of the USA vacation with my boys so I want to make is something they will never forget. I am looking at this as part of their education and maybe their options will open up once they see some of the rest of the world and what they have to offer.

BTW - Apologies if I offended anyone with my Eastern Europe reference. I was just using some of the terms I read...

Thanks again...

Bill

Thanks, all.

If you haven't already, order the Tour Catalog. It says it takes 2 weeks for delivery, but I have gotten them sooner than that. There is a great DVD along with. I think that tour DVD is also on Youtube, so you and the guys might take a look at that while they are there.

Thanks Pam...just placed the order and hoping it gets here in time to review it with the kids!

Bill

What kind if things are your kids interested in? Is there a way to tie their interests into the trip? Maybe each one could select a place/event or two they'd like to see and do the research on it. If you bring them into the planning portion, that extends your "bang for the buck". The planning that they do with you may turn out to be as memorable as the trip.

Thanks for your response Patty. My kids are part of the planning process and I have them thinking about what they may want to experience on this vacation. In the meantime, I have been doing a mess of homework so I can then have the next level of conversation with them hence my email to this forum. They happen to be here with me late next week for the 4th so it's a great time to chat with them more and share what i have learned. We have plenty time to sort the details out, thank goodness. As we know, our kids are as different as each snowflake so I am trying to be thoughtful in how we choose our destination countries.

Thanks again...

Bill

Absolutely, work the kids into the mixture. I bet they have some interests that can be catered to. Maybe something they have recently studied in school? Naaaa, its vacation, not school. How old? Boys? Girls? Make a list and bring that back here and let us dream up some stuff. And Kathleen is correct. I love the cities too but after a few days in a big city a breath of fresh air in the country is amazing. Our last trip was sort of the opposite. After a week of crawling through the mountains with a fishing rod I was dying to get into a city where I could get a good bottle of wine and just watch people walk by. The Eastern Europe thing? It may have been prophetic if you find your trip takes you that way.