Europe in 14 or 21 days???

Since Amsterdam and Germany are high on your priority list but are not included in the 14-day tour, why take a tour at all? It shouldn't be too difficult for you to visit those places on your own.

If you click on the Travel Tips tab at the top of the page you're reading now, you'll find a series of articles taken either in whole or in part from Rick's book Europe Through the Back Door which is a wonderful planning and "how to" guide for first-time independent travelers. If reading the articles gets you thinking, "We can do it!," then buy the book. The 2008 edition is out.

Well - those two destinations aren't really the highest on our list - Paris, Venice and Rome are up there as well. I like the concept of a Rick Steve's guided tour as it takes the stress out of us planning and just being with each other 3-4 weeks. we're both active and like the combination of planned and unplanned time the tours seem to offer.

I agonized over 14 vs 21 tour before putting a deposit down for the 21 day tour, but now 2nd guessing it due to the extra expense.

Having been on two RS tours but not the ones mentioned I know you will feel you get your money's worth on the tour. You will do more and see much more for less money than you ever could on your own.
London right now is the most expensive city on the planet. If you can take the extra week off and can swing the cash I would say go for it. When will you both be going to Europe together in the near future?

Why not do the 14 day tour with your daughter as a gift, then when she graduates from College give her the three week tour as her going on her own gift,, it will be a treat for her, and it will save you some money for now! LOL

What woderful Parents you must be to be giving your young daughter the gift of travel! Travel is an education in itself. You are giving her memories that will last a lifetime...good for you! I'm kind of at the other end of the spectrum. I'm a daughter who wants to give her Parents the gift of travel. I hope someday your daughter will do the same for you.
I like Pat's suggestion. 14 days now and 21 days at College Graduation. And maybe once she's established in her Career, she can return the favour!
An extra $3K isn't really all that much all things considered...But what might be more of a concern is the extra week off work plus the loss of potential wages times two. Unless you have Vacation Time/Pay to draw from?
Gee, that IS a tough one!

Whatever you decide, I'm sure you will have an absolutely fabulous time! Enjoy yourself...and eachother!

Safe Travels,

F/A

All - thank you for such wonderful replies. They're all good. Pat, I think yours makes the most sense for us right now. I'm self-employed, and that one week is actually pretty significant for me in terms of lost pay. But at the end of the day, it's not truly all about the money..... Flight Attendant, I so agree about the gift of travel - it's also something I once gave my parents, (a cruise) who enjoyed the memories for 20 years! Memories can last a lifetime, and europe holds such an important part of our histoy that it's a valuable education. Problem is that my daughter isn't as excited as me about the trip and hubby is grumbling about costs (although he'll go along with what we chose to do!).

hah - this is almost like saying - Cake AND Ice cream or just one? BOTH! well the flights are the biggest cost - so if you can afford to stay longer once there - do it! the weeks go by so fast! ALso gives you more exposure to more places you may re0visit on your own in the future! Obvious the daily spending money will be more depending on your beer/ice-cream habits - but unless you plan another 2week trip next year - go 3 now!

Good point, Tom. Actually it's wine for me and ice cream for daughter......

Um Kathy you do realize your daughter is legal to drink in Europe ,, and will most likely be served in any restaurant you order wine in, as in they will bring three glasses,, LOL, look out mom.

Kathy,it's interesting that people don't think $3,000 is much in the "big picture".Maybe they haven't been writing the college checks lately.My college freshman daughter's in-state expenses are about $18,000 this year.My high school daughter wants a private school ($40,000 a year on up).Also,these amounts don't include incidental expenses like travel and hotel bills. And then there's the approx $10,000 a quarter it costs to study abroad,something that is getting extremely popular and my girls both want to do.I plan our family trips VERY carefully,so we can still travel (tight budget, of course!and we can still pay the education bills as they come without borrowing.An additional $3,000 is A LOT of money for a family with a child in college!!!

Pat - legal to drink, ouch! Actually she'll be 17, but already looks older, so I'm sure she'll be offered drinks. And I don't mind her having one (with Mom around to supervise!!).

And Terry - yes, we're getting nervous about college. Community college was going to be about $1500 a year, so I booked the trip when my husband said "sure you two take 3 or 4 weeks in Europe"! Now she wants a 4 year college, away from home, so we're looking at 25-40k a year. I've saved for years for this trip and still plan to do it, but now looking at a different financial reality!