Europe Summer Vacation

It's hard to give advice when we don't know the locations you want to visit, the timeframe for the trip, the budget or anything else. Are you talking about the Global Entry (not sure of the name, but it gives you quicker entry into the U.S.)? That would probably not be worth the money in your situation, since you plan no other travel before it would expire. Who is going? How old are those involved? Who is doing the planning? The more information you can give us, the better advice we can give you.

leah,

Going to the UK would depend on what you want to do/see/experience there. Same with anyplace else.

More info would help,

Happy trails.

You may need to do some reading to get an idea of what is worthwhile for YOU and for your uncle. Rick Steves' guide "Europe Through the Back Door" was made for planning such trips. Good general travel advice and also on how to plan your itinerary. You may find it at your library or download to a Kindle, but read it ASAP. Then those of us on the Helpline can assist with more targeted questions. As mentioned above, knowing how long you have to plan for (2 weeks vs. 3 weeks makes a big difference on how much territory you can cover) is critical, as is a budget.

There really isn't a budget for the trip. As I said he hasn't comfirmed any places but what I think we are going to do is start in England, go to Paris, visit Marses (?), go to Florence, Venice, Milan, maybe Rome, and then go back to France to end the trip or possibly to Switzerland. I just don't have a ton of information for this trip comfirmed.

The most important things we need to know in order to help you are, especially about whether or not England is worth it:

How long is the trip?
What types of things do you like to do - museums, history, architecture, scenic areas, food, wine, etc.?
How do you plan to travel while in Europe - planes, trains, automobiles?

Budget is important for answering questions about transportation between places and where to stay or dine.

Regarding hiring a driver, I would assume you mean a driver for England, a driver for France, etc. Could be somewhat difficult to find a single driver for the whole trip. If that's what he intends, then I would suggest contacting a traditional travel agent and pay the fee for their help in organizing a trip of this sort. The posters here are more likely to be able to help you design an independent trip based on your time, budget, interests.

Good luck with your planning.

leah,

maybe your unc wants YOU to determine if the UK is "worth it".

He wanted me to find out if we started in England, went to France, and then some stops in Spain, if going to England would be worth it. I would love to be able to do everything but is a stop in England worth the trip?

or to be more to the point. Do some homework and research it for YOURSELF. Not just asking others, but learn and do your own thinking. I get the impression that he wants you to PLAN the trip and to determine if its possible.

happy trails.

You could start in London and take the Eurostar train down to Paris in less than 3 hrs. Yes, London is worth the visit.
After you're through in Paris, you can take the new fast train service down to Barcelona in 6 1/2 hrs.

Thank you David for the informative reply!
Is the Eurostar train something I need to book far in advance? I assume so. Also I assume you've had experiences taking thae trains, and if so how were they? (Well enough to recommend obviously)

Leah,

First of all I think you are one lucky individual.

To your question is London worth it...I think your Uncle is alluding to or forcing you to use critical thinking.
"Worth it" ?? Of course!

However, I would like you to do some research on the VALUE of the
Pound/Dollar versus the Euro/Dollar. You might be surprised at the difference. ,

You started in Oct. and it's now Jan. As we sit here giving you information the price of your
airfare is going up...

Get to it!!!

We will gladly help when you have more information.

P.S. I'm not being "mean" as my grandchildren would say.