Itinerary, clothing, budget Travel with Teenage Girls-Help Please

Probably for three, budget hotels would be less expensive than hostels. Etap, of the Accor chain, has properties all over France and Germany. All rooms sleep three with a double below and a single bunk above. Etaphotel.com

Make sure they pack light and leave room in their suitcases. Remind them that they'll be responsible for schlepping their own stuff, and remember yourself that teenage girls love to shop.

Convincing teens to pack light is not easy! But be persistent. More than clothes, I found convincing our daughter that she did not need all her "hair stuff" (her own blow dryer, cluring iron, gels, sprays, etc.)to be the big task. Encourage them to look at the packing lists here (and to cut items that don't relate to your trip - no beaches, no swimsuits for example). Then encourage them to get no-fuss hair cuts (lol). Have them pack their suitcase and take them for a hour long walk up and down stairs and hills. They'll get the idea!

Huh?

Spot-checking Wombat hostel in Munich (female dorm) against Etap gives a 12 euro per night split in favor of hotel.

Spot checking Square Caulaincourt hostel in Paris (female dorm) against Etap a short distance away gives a 31 euro per night split in favor of hotel.

Assuming, for no particular reason, a three-week trip with ten nights in each city; that's a 460 euro (pushing $700 ?) difference.

The OP said budget minded; hostel is do-able for emptying the pocketbook maybe.

There also seem to be a good bit of camaraderie in hotel breakfast rooms.

I think bringing a swim suit is a great idea. Europe has wonderful pools both indoor and out and this is a nice down time activity, even for rainy days or a break from museums.

If you use suitcases with wheels, you don't have to worry about the weight that much. When do you ever have to drag your suitcase for an hour and even if you did, with the wheels it is a breeze? We have walked a bit from train station to hotel, etc. or up and down stairs, but it is just not that big of a deal. I would have the girls carry their bags up a couple of flights of stairs, rather than just walk around for an hour.

You are right Jo. It isn't hard to drag a bag, but it can be difficult to carry one up and down stairs. A bathing suit takes up minimal room, so even if it doesn't get used it would not be a big deal. When we went to Europe with my daughter she initially was all about looking cute. She quickly converted to the less is more attitude when she was told her clothes had to fit into a carry on. Summer clothes are typically smaller and lighter, so that helps. Just remember that weather can be variable (hot or cold/rainy) so bring some long pants and a waterproof jacket. And no short shorts! Longer shorts, capris or skirts would be better. Before you shorts fanatics comment, when visiting Germany in the summer my female German cousins (in their 30's) wore shorts on the very hot days.

What a fantastic opportunity for your nieces, and what a great aunt they have!

First, Eurail is not a railroad. There are no "Eurail" trains. Eurail is a company that packages and markets railpasses for Europe. In Germany you would use the trains of German Rail, and except for very long trips, point to point tickets are a better value than a railpass. And a 2nd class German Rail pass is much less expensive than a Eurail pass.

The least expensive way to get accommodations, low cost family run Pensionen and Privatzimmer, is to use the website of the town, www.[townname].de (works better with small towns); a little German language knowledge will be helpful. This will save you money vs "budget hotels".

With all due respect to Jo, there can be times on departure days when leaving luggage at a hotel/hostel or train station is just not convenient and you may be stuck with your bags for an hour or more. Wheeled bags are also not the best when it comes to cobblestone streets, steep hills, endless sets of metro/subway stairs (not to mention turnstiles) and budget accommodation that rarely has elevators. Unless your nieces have physical limitations, a backpack would help them be more mobile. Wheeled luggage also tends to not fit inside hostel lockers, not a big deal if you are booking a private room in a hostel, but if you are staying in an 8 or 10-bed dorm you may want to lock up your bags.

I agree with Ed that Hostels for 3 can often cost more than many budget hotels, pensiones, guest houses and the like. But they do offer some amenities that are useful for long term travelers such as laundry & kitchen facilities, Internet access, and the opportunity to meet lots of travelers in their age group. Other budget accomodation you may want to consider would be university housing (many schools rent empty dorm rooms to tourists in summer at great rates), short term apartment stays (if you'll be based in one location for 5-7 nights while you take day trips), even many convents offer rooms to tourists at low rates. Read reviews of hostels in advance of booking if you want to gain insight as to the cleanliness, safety, location and typical patron of each hostel--some hostels are better for families or older hostelers, some are overrun with late night partiers. Try websites like hostelworld.com or bugeurope.com for candid reviews and photos.

Cheryl, my kids have gone to Japan and Europe with People to People Student Ambassadors. One of the "study sessions" consists of the kids packing their suitcases and bringing them to the meeting and walking around the school pulling or carrying them! They even have races down the hallways- useful if running tight for a train I guess! This really helps the kids pare down to a wheeled suitcase and a daypack.
As parents we have benefitted from our kids traveling light.

How many days will you be gone- when you say late June to mid August do you mean 6 weeks?

Also, try to get them to read a few pages in a guidebook and pick out something they want to do, even if it is on the way over.

Good luck, you are the coolest!

Hostels are the absolute best experience for your teens. There is no question about it. But you will want to reserve them ahead of time for summer. Yes, there are a few limited circumstances in which a cheapo shoebox hotel might be cheaper, but who wants that? Please don't subject them to american hotel expectations. There are also times when a B&B is a good alternative (maybe as a treat for you, or a break from the hostel scene). But avoid chain hotels like the plague. We have made 4 lengthy trips with children totaling 107 nights in Europe and have stayed in hotels for about 20 of those nights, NONE in hotels larger than 15 rooms. Our children prefer hostels.

Eurail passes can be a convenience, certainly. But unless you plan to make several trips of more than 200 miles each, it is unlikely it will save you money. On shorter runs, point to point tickets as you need them will likely be cheaper. If you plan ahead you can also get certain long distance runs cheaply online as well.

Hostels may in fact be a ton of fun,, but , you could keep a few things in mind, you may not be all in same dorm,, and they will be hanging out with people their own age( well a year or two older mostly at least) who will be drinking. Alot. That may not bother you,, I personally don't have a huge hang up about that, but since the American drinking age is much higher then Europe( and higher then Canada too) ,, you may find it a bit disconcerting.

This doesn't mean don't use them, it means, do your homework. Check out website reviews of hostels. When my nephew( 18yrs old) went to Europe last year ,, we learned how some hostels have a hard party reputation,, but others do NOT,, so its best to do your research.

I'm a big hostel fan. Germany has hundreds and they are generally great places. A lot of money has gone into them recently and most rooms are 4-6 beds, usually with private bath. Families can usually reserve a private room. We had a lovely room for 3 at the castle-hostel in Diez Germany a few years back. However, even in Germany you must be careful. I would not book any of the official HI - DJH hostels before mid-July. Before then, school groups - the bread and butter for DJH hostels - will often dominate the atmosphere. 12-year-olds who pay little attention to their teacher-leaders will be screeching up and down the halls at all hours and making a huge nuisance of themselves. In late July and August, you are generally OK; I especially like the smaller hostels in the smaller towns (like St. Goar's hostel) but some larger ones (like Mainz's hostel) do a great job too.

That said, private B&B's tend to be priced just as well and offer a much quieter, more culturally interesting experience. You are a guest in someone's oversized home, basically. No plastic trays or food lines here. You'll have breakfast with maybe on or two other guests in what normally is a very nicely appointed dining room, rather than in a place that resembles a school cafeteria. This is a place we've stayed in Bullay on the Mosel River in the town of Bullay - very typical. Had a private bath and nice balcony, too. Not bad at 18 Euros each per night:

http://www.gaestehaus-eberhard.de/gaestehaus.htm

In very high-priced locations (like Venice and Florence) hostels are a terrific value. We especially liked the Archi Rossi in Florence, should you be headed there.

Cheryl, I'd just like to add that everything that's been said about hostels is true - about some hostels. They are all so different. Some have bars. Some have athletic facilities. Some have kitchens, others do not. Some are in castles. Some have dorm rooms for 40 people with high-school gym showers. Some are easy to get to and have good open hours, others are so high atop cliffs (like the Bacharach castle-hostel) that it's a huge burden to come and go. Just check out the places very carefully before reserving.

You will not be separated in most hostels. You will be considered a "family" and put in the same room. I'm sure there are good hostels and bad hostels, but we've been to several with young children and have NEVER been to a bad one.

Granted, when I visit the web site, if the main photo shows a bunch of college kids getting drunk in a bar, I move on to the next option. But it hardly takes a genius to manage that.

B&B's are great, when you can find them, but teens will still likely enjoy the hostels more. Staying in aunt Betty's extra room might seem lovely and quaint to you, but for the kids - not so much.

I like hostels. I try to stay at quieter ones vs. some that are party central. You can check them out online to get a feel for the place and how it's rated by people who stayed there.

You should also try pensions. They're not exactly like bed and breakfasts but you are renting a room in someone's home. Think of it like staying in the guest room at relatives' homes. They're generally clean and comfortable but the bathroom is likely to be in the hall.

Accommodations

Hostels are usually paid per person. Hotels/pensions/B&B are usually paid per room. Thus, a hostel tends to be the cheaper option for a single traveller or a couple while they are rarely a bargain for families. Thus said, sometimes the location can make up for it and give you a special experience. In Germany, many hostels are situated in well renovated historic buildings and castles. A good example for that is Burg Stahleck in Bacharach overlooking the Rhine. A hotel in a similar location would be very expensive.

We had a good experience with an Accor Suitehotel in Berlin. The "Potsdamer Platz" suitehotel is in a great location and very affordable. Just don't expect lots of amenities. It was tight for the 4 of us but for 3 you should be fine.

Finding large triple or quadruple rooms in Europe is always a bit of a challenge. Especially since you're travelling in high season. If you want to find bargains reserve early! This is also true if you want to get a more private family room in a hostel. Many hostels do have them but only a few which get picked up very quickly.

Packing:

Packing for summer shouldn't be too difficult for your nieces. They will know what they like. Just make sure they do add a few warmer layering items that would help on some of the cooler and rainy days of summers. I've spent an August in Germany when I was feeling cold pretty much every single day and then there was the World Cup summer of 2006 with sweltering heat ... Do add a swim suit. Few budget hotels will have a pool but public swimming pools and beaches will be a lot of fun.

A wheeled carry-on suitcase turned out to be just perfect for my 14 year old daughter. She could pack anything she needed even when using bulkier winter clothing. It was easy to whell along streets and train stations and not to heavy to carry on stairs. Even when it included some HC books we received as gifts it wasn't more than 10 kg. Just leave electric gadgets like hair dryers and straigthening or curling irons at home. They won't work in Europe anyways.

One advantage of the wheeled suitcase is that you can also carry a small backpack for dayuse at the same time.

Itinerary

Do add a place with a beach - your nieces will love it! Italy or southern France would be great.

Go to Berlin! One of the more affordable capital cities in Europe and very interesting. Teens love a walk through Prenzlauer Berg with its unique boutiques - great for shopping. And reserve early for a tour of the Reichstag. They are free, available in English, and you won't have to stand in line. Turned out to be one of the highlights of our entire trip.

http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/visits/besgrupp/fuehr.html