First (and maybe last) trip- help me get started

How exciting for you to be planning your first, and hopefully not last, trip to Europe. Some things to keep in mind - * Two nights in a location is only one full day. That isn't much time to see a large city. Be realistic about how many places you should try to see. * Changing locations will take more time than you think it will. * Renting a car in one country and returning in another will result in a large additional fee that can cost hundreds of dollars extra. Watching Rick's videos and reading some guidebooks is a good start to help decide what interests your family. Try to go for as long as you can. You will lose a day each direction flying and you may suffer jet lag.

Totally agree with previous poster. Day of arrival you may be jet lagged, day of departure is usually early morning so don't count that as a day. If you rent a car in one country and drop off in another,can be very expensive, in my opinion, go to Paris for several days, discount air or train to where she is going to be then home from there.

I would skip the rental car, Eurostar to Paris then train to Bonn. Its a pretty fast trip( can't you sqeeze a few more days in, this is Europe a continent not a trip to a beach resort, its going to be tiring, there is SO much to see, and travel from country to country does take some time.. and as well pointed out, two nights in one city is only one full day.. not very long for places like London and Paris. You say ( maybe jokingly) that it may be a first and last trip, so why not make it wonderful, rushing about tends to stress people out, and if you are not an experienced traveller it can make it overwhelming, and then you may really not bother to go back.. There are some good videos you can watch on this site, they are fun and interesting I would look at the travel skills sites too,, I realize you have likely had vacations before, but europe is different, different languages, different customs, and people use trains alot more then we do back in north american, becuase they are cheap and fast and easy!

Emily, It would help to know whether any of you have been to Europe before? If not, reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip would be a really good idea. The country Guidebooks have lots of great information to plan sightseeing, hotels, transportation, etc. Regarding your proposed Itinerary, IMHO it's going to be difficult to fit all those places in with such a short time frame. Is there any possibility you could get more time? A few things to keep in mind. First you'll lose the first and last days of your trip in flight times. You'll generally arrive in Europe the day after you depart, and will be jet lagged for a few days so probably won't get as much touring done as anticipated. The last day will be spent on the flight home. With only a week, I'd suggest skipping London. However, you should have time for a few days in Paris. There should be reasonably good availability of open jaw flights, inbound Paris and outbound Frankfurt. Renting a car in France and dropping it in Germany often comes with a HUGE drop-off fee. Travel by train would be a more efficient use of your very limited holiday time. For example, the trip from France to Germany will likely be at least partially via TGV, which travels at up to 300 kmH. Having a car would be beneficial in visiting Burg Eltz, as transportation to the Castle can be "challenging", unless you want to make the hike through the woods (with luggage that's not likely). You could (for example) travel by train from Paris to Koblenz (or other town), and rent a car there (the trip from Paris is about 4.5 hours with 1 change). Then head to Cochem (or another town on the Mosel) for a night or two. After that, start working your way towards Bonn. Check www.gemut.com for car rental information. Continued....

If your daughter is going to be in Europe long enough to get comfortable with her surroundings, it might be smarter to do your brief "tour" at the end of her stint in Europe and let HER show you around.

Emily - Part 2.... With the above suggestion, you might want to rent the car and then go directly to your hotel, visiting Burg Eltz the following day. I suggested that as you'll have to leave your car in the large car park at Burg Eltz and then either walk or take a Shuttle down to the Castle. I'd be a bit nervous about leaving all my luggage "unattended" in the car. I found the Shuttle to be a MUCH better option, as the hill is very steep, so hard on the legs on the way down and lots of work on the way up. There is a great vantage point of the Castle about half way up the hill though. You might want to pack along a GPS unit, along with a good Map. After visiting the Mosel area and Burg Eltz, you could either return the Car at the point of rental and take the train to Bonn, or return it in Bonn. I'm sure the others will have lots more good suggestions. Good luck with your planning!

Emily, I think you've made a very wise decision and your new itinerary sounds perfect for the amount of time you have. While your time is short you should get a good taste of 2 of Europe's premier destinations (3 if you spend a few days driving around Germany). I hope you'll decide, as I did after my first taste of travel in Europe, that it's worth waiting and saving to come back again for more in the future. Good luck to you, enjoy your trip.

I just want to say: Hats off to you for sending your daughter to study abroad for a few months. I hope she appreciates how lucky she is and what great parents you are. (I'm sure she does!)

Thank you all so much for your comments and advice. What I am thinking now is that we will fly into London, stay 3 days and then take the train to Paris and stay 3 days, then take the train to Bonn (or possibly Frankfurt - wherever my daughter has to meet her class) and then my husband and I can rent a car and do a bit more touring in Germany and hopefully get to the Eltz Castle. We could possibly stay a bit longer than 7 days (maybe 10) if we do it that way. Unfortunately, we have to make this trip on the front side of my daughter's semester since she will get back from Germany in just enough time to start her Fall semester. I'm going to pour through Rick's videos, books and these message boards and may be back for more advice. Thank you again!

Emily, Hopefully this will be your debut trip to Europe, to be followed by many more!

I think your plan is good now, and I hope you can squeeze an extra three days in to enjoy a trip to Eltz Castle and a taste of Germany.

Now that you have decided on three days in London and Paris, suggest you also look up Top Ten Sights in, etc. then map out what you want to see most and plan accordingly. You can save a lot of time with careful planning, for example you don't want to see Tower of London, then St. Paul's then Westminster, need to group things that are in same area for efficient travel. Also you can book tickets ahead of time to avoid lines. Also for main attractions if not booking ahead of time is to get there first thing in the morning. As you get closer to trip, suggest you get back on here and ask questions such as "when to see Louvre, what to see there, alternate entrances, etc. Good luck and how exciting for all of you.