Help Getting Started with Planning my Trip 2022

Budget 10-12k CAN $

Does this include airfare to/from Europe and intra -European travel?

Are you solo?

London, Paris and Rome are not noted as 'bargain' destinations

At 1st blush you need more money or fewer days

Approx 140 euro per day, assuming the air travel to/from Europe is excluded, does not leave a lot for lodging food, entrance fees and travel within Europe. If that budget includes all the travel expenses, you look to be in deep trouble.

Put down the map, and step away...deep breaths....

OK, you need to get some focus. The good news: hey, this year you can (probably) go! More good news: you have 8 weeks, more than most people can put together. The bad news: You already know this - there is way too much to do in 8 weeks (or 8 months), so don't beat yourself up, admit that you need to limit your scope.

First, some questions...

Have you been to Europe before? If yes, where have you been, what did you enjoy most. If not, what are your interests, your priorities (not places, but the kinds of thins you prefer to see/do/spend your time on)? What about Europe makes you want to go there? Having some sense of these tings will help you as you start prioritizing places and things.

First piece of specific advice as it pertains to your early plans: be careful about tossing around all those countries. Your list starts out reasonably enough, but it goes on and on and on. Some groups of countries make logical/logistical sense (places that are well connected by transportation and/or cultures, eg Ireland + UK, UK + France, France+ Italy). But it's easy to get carried away and end up with a list that's crazy long. Start thinking about priorities...

$12,000 CA is about $9,600 US--a tight budget for eight weeks, especially if it is to include your transatlantic airfare. It will help us understand the parameters you're working with if you can clarify for us:

• Is your budget intended to cover you airfare to Europe as well as all transportation within Europe?
• Are you traveling alone (so without someone to share hotel costs)?
• Are you willing to take dormitory beds in hostels, or must you have your own hotel room everywhere?
• Are you willing to take individual hotel rooms without en suite baths, meaning you'd have to walk down the hall to use the toilet or shower? (I believe there is normally a lavatory in the room.)
• What sort of things do you want to see and do? You can have a very nice trip that basically involves walking around beautiful cities and looking at the exteriors of buildings, just enjoying the opportunity to be in a fantastic place different from home. In most cities, going inside a bunch of those buildings (some churches excepted, and also some museums in Great Britain) will cost something. "Something" can be quite a bit in a popular city with big-name sights like Paris or Florence. Visiting two sights a day could cost you over $30, or more than [corrected>> $1600 <<corrected] over the cost of the trip. If you plan to cram in a great deal of sightseeing (the Colosseum, the Uffizi Gallery, Westminster Abbey and the like), your daily expenditure just for admission tickets could easily exceed $50 quite often.
• Do you by chance have a student ID card? That would help a great deal with admission fees, and probably also to some degree with European train tickets.
  

Edited to correct calculation in next-to-last paragraph, because at that point I had somehow turned 8 weeks into 80 days.

Your travel ideas brings back an old movie - "If It's Tuesday It Must Be Belgium". Too much to cover, even for 8 weeks.
Europe is big with lots to see in all areas - just look at a real map, like an atlas to get an idea of distances.
Recommendation then - break it up, concentrate on one or two areas in proximity, and save the rest for another adventure.
As others have mentioned you need to consider costs when preparing your budget: air fares, local travel, lodging, meals, and sightseeing. Major cities are expensive, so if you take out an average air fare of $1,500 for summer travel that leaves a balance of $8,500 out of your proposed $10k. Or around $150/day for the 8 week period - not enough, even if staying at hostels.
Good luck!

Really? Hmmm first time I've thought about budget being an issue. Deep trouble huh?
That's ok, I'm used to being in deep trouble ;)
ok well if I spend more it's not the end of the world but I'd prefer to try to keep it to around 10-12k if I can.
airfare budget separate. what do you think a realistic budget is? 15k?

10K CAN divided by 56 days is about $140 per day US. With same calculation = 12K would be 170 US per day.
I don't know. Sounds like plenty to me, but what do I know?

how much do you spend per day on average when you travel in Europe???
I will pay for as much lodging and travel within Europe as I can in advance.
international flight cost NOT part of this budget. yeah I'll mix it up btwn hostels, hotels, air bnb's,
No I don't mind a share bathroom.
I don't drink. that might save me a few bucks.
how much money do need? 15k 20k CAN? I could do that but I'm going to try not to.
thanks.

where does the list go crazy?

ok

8 weeks:
-a few weeks in Ireland
-London
-Paris
-a few weeks in Italy

is that a reasonable starting point?

8 weeks
budget 15,000 CAN (this does not include international airfare)

London
Paris
Rome, Venice
some other places nearby.

better?

or
maybe I should just go for 6 weeks = London, Paris, Rome Venice, wherever else that's "close" to these destinations
on a real map like an atlas.

make more sense?

thanks!
-m

I'm confused by a response.. do you mean 8 weeks is enough time for Ireland & UK?
or
UK/France
or
France/Italy

or Ireland, UK, France, Italy.

Obviously I'm not talking time to explore all of these countries, but time to visit one or two cities/towns/countrysides/seasides?
in each. did my mentioning Spain, Greece, and Germany make it sound insane? or is it really just like 8 weeks=2 countries MAX
maybe I'll do the opposite and just go to 19 destinations in 8 weeks. I'll bring my checklist lol.
yeah hopefully covid doesn't just cancel all of my plans. if so, hopefully my employer will let me cancel my VL haha.
Thanks!
-m

If you're willing to use hostels and rooms without bath much of the time, your budget becomes a lot more viable, because on a long trip like this, lodging is a very, very large part of the cost. Only a tiny percentage of us have stayed in dorms or done without a private bath recently; I haven't done that for over 40 years. We may be overestimating the cost of a shoestring trip.

But what you're laying out is going to make your task more difficult, because it doesn't sound like a budget trip. A budget trip covers a lot less ground and isn't totally focused on the most popular (i.e., the most expensive) city in a whole string of countries over territory so wide that your transportation costs may be painful. You'll do better to visit a wider range of destinations in fewer countries. Less-well-known cities can be great places to visit (as long as you aren't the sort of traveler who collects famous sights and has to go inside each one of them--in which case, your budget is in trouble). You're a lot less likely to see McDonald's and Pizza Hut everywhere if you aren't one of millions of tourists passing through the place every year. To me, that is a huge plus.

Sightseeing attractions are likely to be a lot less expensive in the less popular cities. The Tower of London costs £30 (about $49 CA); Westminster Abbey costs £25; the Uffizi Gallery in Florence costs 20€ (not including the 4€ online-ticketing fee, recommended if you don't want to risk standing in a long line), which adds up to $33 CA. Restaurants will also be somewhat less expensive when you're not in London, Florence, Venice or other (wonderful) places of that ilk.

I'm a bit concerned about your plan to pay as much as you can ahead of time. A lot of people either lost a bunch of money back in 2000 or had to spend a great deal of time and emotional energy trying to get credits for pre-paid trip expenses when everything shut down. I don't think it's prudent to pre-pay a bunch of things that don't need to be prepaid. It could happen again.

Rick's book, "Europe Through the Back Door" is an excellent primer on traveling smart. It is very helpful when you're planning a first trip to Europe. It will prevent many costly mistakes.

M,
To give you an idea for an answer to your question of "what do you spend"..

We're also Canadian, and going to England for 10 days in a few weeks. With the conversion to the pound and London being such an expensive city, we're budgeting approximately $5K CAD after flights and hotel, for 2.

Current conversion is about 1.65 but prices in London, from what I've researched, are usually on par, in pounds to what we would pay at home in Canadian dollars.

So, a $20 menu item here looks to be a 20GBP menu item there, which converts to that same item costing the equivalent of $33CAD..pricey.

Not sure if that helps or not, but hopefully it does :)

I don’t see the similarity of your plans with “If it’s Tuesday”. You are hardly rushing around.

10 days in Greece would be too long for me for a first visit. Easier to do the 10 days in Spain ( Barcelona, Madrid and evirons, Granada, Cordba, Seville ).

You apparently haven’t gotten your transatlantic flights yet. I hope you aren’t including their cost in your budget. How much do I spend a day? My wife and I average 150 Euro per day in Germany for the 2 of us ( not includng airfare ). In Italy and Spain it was probably 2 times more ( and Iceland - whoa ! ).

What are your interests? Age ?

I think your itinerary looks fine. I think your budget is possible - it is off season and you are flexible. Because you say you could spend more, you'll be fine if things go over what you hope. And I understand "pay in advance" to mean reserve in advance? I would check cancelation policies for everything as you go. I have an upcoming trip that is the first time I will buy trip insurance because of how unpredictable things are these days.
As for where to go, the early stages are full of all.the.places. It IS hard to choose. I think the time you give to each location looks great to me, so then the question is more what you are interested in for those 10 remaining days. Both Spain and Greece are terrific. Spain might be easier for this trip because public transportation is easier. All that said, I am someone who travels like a a backpacker. We (family of 5) visited 10 places over 5 weeks and had a blast. It depends on who you are and what you are comfortable with. We tend to spend less than others on the forum (judging by their hotel recommendations) but my best friend is the opposite and would hate the way we travel. So bear in mind that some of the feedback is based on personal preference, as Acraven said. If you are comfortable in a hostel or with a shared bathroom, your lodging will be way cheaper. We eat all our breakfasts in the airbnb (unless we find a cheap b&b, which is my favorite, because of the breakfasts ... although I'm more leery of this these days bc of Covid), which amounts to a loaf of good bakery bread, some instant coffee and maybe eggs, all bought when we arrive. We also prefer to eat much more casually - falafel shops, tacos. We do eat a 'nice' dinner in every city. And our budget includes gelato, which at around 4-5 euro daily adds up ;)
So when you ask for suggestions, what would you like suggestions about at this stage?

Go to hostelworld.com. Look for the prices in the cities you are considering. There are many differences between cities.

M, your trip is very possible; don’t be discouraged. It will take some work on your part, but you have plenty of time.

Here’s how I plan my trips just to give you some ideas. First for each country I think about visiting I read the Rick Steves and the Lonely Planet books. After I have a clearer idea of where I want to go I study transportation. Trains and European budget airlines. By this time I have eliminated some destinations. I try to stay 3-5 nights in each place. Booking.com and Airbnb give me an idea of prices.

Once you have a tentative schedule you can come back to this forum for more specific advice. Enjoy the research and planning as well as your trip. It’s worth it.

My thoughts on the itinerary:
Ireland/Scotland/London only - 21 days
Paris and surrounding places (add Normandy and Mount St Michel) - 10 days
Italy (add Milan, Cinque Terra, Florence and further south of Rome if you have time) - 21 days
Total of 52 days .. this leaves 4-6 days to add a day or two to the above or to use as travel days.

Budget has been mentioned several times already so I won't comment (to much) on it ... I am planning a 5-6 week trip (2 weeks London/Cotswolds and 3+ weeks Netherlands/Belgium/Luxembourg) and my budget is 8k (not counting airfare) ... I take it you are solo since you always use "I" and not "we" so just a reminder a single room will cost almost as much as a 2 person room (don't assume a room for 1 is half the cost of a room for 2) ... didn't see how you were getting from place to place but that will be a huge cost whether you take trains or rent a car.

My first recommendation would be to create a spreadsheet ... I know there are others on this forum who love spreadsheets also and am sure they will agree it is an invaluable tool to organize your trip ... create separate workbooks for each place (1 workbook for ISE, 1 for Paris, 1 for Italy so it doesn't get too long and overwhelming ... list everywhere you want to go, how you will get from place to place, where you will stay, daily allowance for food, sites you want to visit (are there entry fees?), etc... and how much it will cost ... you will be surprised on how quickly this all adds up ... it will take time to build and you'll be constantly fine-tuning but you'll see the big picture in black and white when it's done.

A few more recommendations in no particular order ... some have already been mentioned and I totally agree with them:
1) Always reserve refundable rooms (look for places that don't require pay now to reserve, instead look for pay at the hotel) ... and keep track (on your spreadsheet of course) of what is reserved so if you need to cancel you won't miss any and be out the money ... go back every so often and search again, sometimes the price actually goes down or you find a place you like better for less ... if so, book it first and then cancel the older reservation (and update the spreadsheet)
2) Trip insurance ... I got a 1 year basic policy from Allianz for myself and wife and it cost about $125 (this was about 5 years ago so not sure of costs now) ... be sure it includes coverage if you need to be evacuated back home
3) Use a credit card with no foreign transaction fees ... and one that provides extra coverage for a rental car if you go that route
4) Plan for down days (every 7-10 days) to do laundry, sit at a cafe and watch the world go by, get up late/go to bed early to recharge the batteries, etc...
5) Build in flexibility ... in 8 weeks, you will get rained on more than once ... don't plan a big outdoor day the day before you are moving on ... be ready to swap an indoor day (museum) for an outdoor day (foot tour of Paris/London/Rome) if the weather doesn't cooperate

I have more but need to get back to work :-)

How exciting to have the issue of planning a trip like this!
First of all. This trip can be anything that you want it to be. It doesn't have to match anyone else's travel style or preferences. You did ask for suggestions and you got them!

Here are mine:
Spend one week just researching the top 8 places you would like to see in Europe. Watch RS videos, check out guidebooks from the library, check out you tube,etc. Start getting an idea about what are the places that you really want to see.

I am going to suggest that 8 weeks traveling solo will be a lot if you don't break it up occasionally with social opportunities such as participating in day tours or even the free walks often offered in major cities. If your budget can swing it, I'd even break it up by joining a formal tour group (Like Rick Steves or others) for a week or two. Only you know your tolerance for 8 weeks of travel solo, but think about ways to plan for social interactions.

Finally, don't fall into the trap of trying to see everything. With 8 weeks you certainly can see a great deal, but give yourself permission to miss some things.

Two months is long time to be actively traveling. Post up for a week somewhere relaxing that's not a city in the middle of your trip. Austrian alps, Italian Alps, Istria, Pelopenese, Crete. Take a week to rest and have a vacation from your vacation, cook for yourself, save some money and meet some people/locals.