Girl Guide trip to Europe - itinerary help

You've already recieved some excellent advice. I'd also suggest the following: 1) Why not narrow it down a bit by creating a focus for the trip- one "culture" (ex. Germanic, - Germany, Austria, Switzerland...)or a period of history (Roman Empire- Rome, London, and one other?) or an "interest"- art or gardens, etc. maybe you could earn a special badge? 2) Talk to some other adults who have taken similar groups- there are issues such as liability insurance, medical power of attny, forms, medication control, # of adults to # of girls, etc. in addition to budget to focus on. Having the girls list and rank 3-5 (or even a top 10 list) cities/countries they want to visit and 2-3 possible "focus" items might help narrow things down. However, realize they may not yet have very broad vistas and may not know what to list!!! Maybe assign pairs to research specific things and do a presentation then do a rank vote (vote- giving 1st choice 10 pts, 2nd gets 5 pts, 3rd 2 pts- highest pts. gets considered by leaders for trip). Also- start the girls doing research on packing light- this site, onebag, etc.

Wow - is that asking a lot from volunteer posters. Need to know purpose of trip, budget, some idea of extry and exit points, etc., etc. Are the leaders experience European travelers or first timers like the girls - big handicap. Time is on your side so you can do your homework - tour books, videos, etc. You need to get a rough handle and want you want to see. "See everything" means nothing. The more "everything" means more travel and more expense. The Olympics will have a huge impact during the Olympics. Should strongly consider open jaws so that the travel is more or less a straight line. This forum is excellent for answering specific question but cannot serve as a tour group organizer/planner. Do some homework and then ask the questions.

Frank's advice is the best first advice you can possibly receive. Heed it.

Slovenia, then Norway, then Portugal. No, seriously, you'd better find out what specific interests they have and narrow your focus to two, three, or (maximum) four countries in the same area, preferably contiguous. If they can't think of anything more specific than "everything" then buy a general guidebook to Europe and make them come back with specifics. London is my favorite city in the world, but I'm not sure I'd go there just prior to the Olympics. But perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps pre-games (which start July 27) it won't be as crowded or expensive as I fear, though London is always crowded and expensive.

Don't need whole itinerary planned - looking for ideas / experiences / sites that would especially appeal to 15 yr old girls to incorporate into our itinerary. Puropose of trip is to introduce girls to Europe. Budget approx $5000/person will stay in hostels or smaller hotels. Could fly into/out of Frankfurt, London, Rome. Leaders have travel experience, just not lately with teenage girls. Would appreciate any ideas or suggestions. Thanks!

Don't think you are getting the point. Who are these girls? Brownie troop, high school glee club, local soccer team? How should we know what would interest them if we don't know who they are? Give us something to work with.

Diana,, why not have girls all write down three sites/places they want to visit , then a processs can begin of elimanating some places. My hubby and I have taken all three of our kids to Europe one by one ,, as one on one trips( I took eldest son when he was 14, then hubby took next son when he was 14, then I took dd when she was 11) Each child was expected to do some research and come up with list of three sites. I think kids should be involved in planning. What if all the girls want to see the Coliseum,,, seems a trip to Rome is a good idea,, etc. I would avoid London till after the Olympics myself. Paris for Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, as well as daytrip to Versailles most kids know about those sites and are interested. Girls that age just finished units in school the year before on the Revolutions, French, Industrial, and American, so lots of relevence here. This is a big project, and while you and other leaders may have travelled before , booking and leading a group is a bit different. Good luck, and I suggest you go to tripadvisor.com , there have been several threads on the Paris forum about groups of girls being led over there.. so do a search or two. One group planned and booked a private bike tour to Versailles they thought was highlight of trip( its easy enough for anyone, check out Fat Tire Bike )

Diana, I have PMd you with contact information for a woman who recently took a group to Our Chalet (among other places). She would be a good resource in planning your trip.

Since these are Girl Guides you might want to consider spending 3 or 4 days at the International Scouting Center in Kandersteg, Switzerland. http://www.kisc.ch/ There are Girl Guides and Boy Scouts from all over the world, most in the 13 to 16 age group. The Center offers a variety of group accommodations (check out the Chalet and the Tower) and age-appropriate activities like canyoning, hiking, rafting, etc. this would be a nice break from "city" stuff and they would have an opportunity to meet lots of other teens from all over. . . . Kandersteg is right on the main north-south train line in Switzerland (going from France to Italy) so it is easily accessible. . . The dates for the London Olympics are 27 July to 12 August, so if you arrive in London in mid-July you will minimize the Olympic impact (but there still will be lots of people there). Start in London, train to Paris, then Switzerland and a stop or two in Germany. Fly out of either Frankfurt, Munich, or Zürich. That's one possibility.

The best way to get them excited is to get them involved. Consider buying the group a Let's Go Europe guidebook, which is geared to a younger audience. Let them pick out what they want to see and build from there.

Keep it simple, like 3 or 4 closely-spaced countries, and a maximum of 5 or 6 destiinations total. These girls are VERY lucky to be able to do someithing like this, and they are going to be excited no matter what. If you give them too much say, their ideas will be all over the place, and you can't possibly do it all. Starting in London will give them a chance to "ease" into Europe. And I have yet to meet a 15-year-old girl (including this former 15-year old) who did not LOVE London, especially the palaces, the Tower, the fashion scene, the British accent, etc. From there it is an easy train trip to Paris, so that's a natural for a second destination. Again, it is one they will have some familiarity with, and there's time for them to learn a bit of French, which could be a nice group project. The scouting center mentioned above would over a change of pace, with outdoor activities. We've been through that town and seen all the teens out and about, and it looked like they were having a great time on their hikes, etc.

Diana: The other posters have given you some excellent advice. I was one of several high school teachers who led a group of hs students to Europe a few times in the 80's, so your group of 15 year olds is probably similar. We had them do a project before we went..each person had to research one particular sight (like Notre Dame cathedral) and do a "sales presentation", getting the class excited about going there. You might be able to adapt that. In terms of itinerary, I definitely agree..go to London as far before the Olympics start July 27 as possible. London is a very expensive hotel city, and it will be super packed summer of 2012. I would also put in a side trip to Stratford on Avon, Warwick castle, and Coventry Cathedral. Our students found Coventry very moving, and many said it was the highlight of their trip. I would do Paris and Versailles, but I would keep the museums to a minimum, putting in as many experiences like eating pastries at laduree, strolling down the Rue Mouffetard trying to pick a restaurant, taking the funicular up to Montmartre as possible. I would do Nice and the French Riviera. The kids will adore this. From Nice you could do Milan, Venice, Salzburg and Munich, flying home from Munich...and the kids would have had a great initial exposure to Europe. They would also love Amsterdam, but I don't know if that could really fit into a 21 day trip.

Diana, you indicated that the girls want to "see everything", but it would help if you could provide a list of countries & cities they'd be interested in seeing. That will help to narrow down places to list on the Itinerary. With only 3-weeks for travel, it's NOT going to be possible to see it all. Many people have a tendency to try and fit too many places into a limited time frame, and especially when travelling with a group, that doesn't work well. ¶ I'm assuming this is a first trip for most, so it would be a really good idea to pre-read "Europe Through The Back Door" before the trip. This will provide some travel skills and some idea of the "differences" they'll encounter in Europe. As you've got lots of time, perhaps one copy could be passed around in the group? ¶ It's great that you're getting an early start on the planning! As you noted, the Olympics will likely be a factor in London, but as you've got lots of time there should be no problem getting reservations. ¶ You indicated that you'll be staying in Hostels and smaller Hotels. Regarding Hostels you might have a look at * www.hihostels.com/ * (cut & paste the link inside the asterisks). They FREQUENTLY have school groups staying there, and the facilities are reasonably consistent from one location to another. Having a Membership (it's very inexpensive) would help. To provide one example, the HI Hostel in Bacharach, Germany is located inside Stahleck Castle above the town. It's a great location, and when I was there a few months ago there were several school groups from Germany staying there. ¶ Regarding small Hotels, Rick's Guidebooks have lots of listings for budget Hotels (click the "Travel Store" to have a look at the Guidebooks. You might be able to find copies in your local Library. ¶ Continued - Part 2.....

Diana - Part 2..... In planning an Itinerary, my suggestion would be to start in London as that will provide less of a "culture shock" than other locations in Europe (and they won't have any difficulties with the language, although that point is sometimes debatable!). Moving from there to Paris is a logical progression. ¶ It's VERY important to allow sufficient travel time between locations, and that includes time to get from the station to Hotel / Hostel, check-in and get organized. Rail travel is usually the best method, and the high speed trains provide very quick trips between cities (but they're more expensive than "slower" trains). ¶ Whether or not to use Railpasses will depend on a number of factors, which you won't be able to determine until after you have an Itinerary "roughed out". Railpasses are not the bargain they used to be, and I often just use P-P tickets these days. There's a section on "Itinerary Planning in the Guidebook I mentioned in Part 1. ¶ Your group might find it interesting to start working on some "language skills" before the trip (which may also build some anticipation). While most can get along with English, it's polite to at least try to function a bit in the local languages. Good luck with your planning!

How lucky the girls are (and you)! You might look at London - Paris - Switzerland (Zurich or Geneva) - Florence - Rome which would be an excellent intro to European culture for the girls and possible within 3 weeks. If you take trains they'll get a feel for the geography and countryside. There would be something of interest for each of them at each stop whether it be fashion, history, the arts, current events or whatever. If that seems like too many stops, perhaps London, Paris, Nice and fly to Rome.

Thanks for all your assistance - some great thoughts! Part of our trip prep is having monthly meetings to learn about European geography, history, language, travel skills, etc. Our plan is to have all the girls have broad knowledge and then each girl be "in charge" of a site/city/country and have more in depth knowledge of their spots. Appreciate all the ideas of places/activities girls might enjoy. Tips are useful too. Thanks! PS Girl Guides are similiar to US Girl Scouts