lodging with four big kids

Getting two rooms may not be the best bet financially, but I don't think you have much choice. If you cram everyone into one room you're going to spend half your mornings waiting for everyone to have their turn in the bathroom. Not to mention the joys of sleeping on the floor. You're not going to find American style king sized beds in Europe. I've stayed in B&B's throughout Europe and invariably their bedrooms are set up for two people. Sleeper sofas are virtually non-existent. I have traveled with my own 4 kids when they were of similar age and I speak from experience. Trying to find rental apartments in 5 different countries in the vacation month of August is going to be close to impossible.

I feel your pain. We often take our college daughters and sometimes their boyfriends. It costs 3 or 4 times as much as traveling with just my husband. The kiddie discounts are long gone.Thank goodness we love our children! The biggest travel budget help we ever discovered is home exchanging. Last year we even invited our former exchange student to join us! Everyone is welocme and it's completely free! I would think that an apartment would be a better choice than a B&B because you can cook, which saves a fortune in feeding teens and young adults. And it's so much fun to shop in the local grocery stores. Our general policy is to prepare breakfast and dinner in the apartment, while eating lunch in a restaurant during a sightseeing break during the day. You can enjoy the same restaurants and pretty much the same food at often about half the price. I would rather stay in an ugly apartment WITH my kids along than stay in a fancy place missing them! Best of luck.

$300-400/night is a pretty good budget for an appartment rental for 5 people. You should be able to find something even though you are travelling in high season. But you need to pre-book every rental NOW. Here is an agency that has places in all the countries you plan to visit: www.interchalet.co.uk We found a place in Tuscany through that agency and paid 120 Euro/night for 6 people. Another thought: appartment rentals might only be available for an entire week during high season in some locals. If you want to rent by the day that can increase your cost. You may want to rethink your travel strategy and slow down a bit and go for longer stays in fewer countries. Or you pay for the entire week but leave a bit earlier - that might still be cheaper than renting two hotel rooms for exactly the number of nights you want to stay.

I'd look into staying at convents/monistaries and universities. If that doesn't work, consider reducing the number of places you visit and stay longer. You should be able to get better rates on short stay apartments with at least a week's stay. I'd suggest Austria, Brussels, Germany or Italy, Austria, Germany(or France). You'd also save some on your travel budget by changing locations fewer times.

Besides the fact that moving to so many locations makes it harder to find well priced apartments, the cost of train tickets for 6 people can be a real budget buster. With a big group, I think it's easier to move a little more slowly. Your kids are old enough to get to know a neighborhood and do a little independent exploration. Staying in one place longer allows more time for the group come and go and get a feel for the place. My kids all like staying in places that they are familiar with and can do their own thing part of the time.

Just a word of caution regarding convents or hostels. You usually pay per person and not per room there. That means the cost/night for a larger group could easily add up to more than what a 2 bedroom appartment might cost.

Which cities/towns? With 3 to 5 nights in each place, you should be able to find apartments. There are many that rent for less than a full week. We found quite a few for our trip to Italy for 120 to 150 euro per night for a family of 4. Of course you will need something slightly larger. Once you've picked your towns, go to the Tripadvisor forum for that town and look under "Inns/B&Bs" and "Specialty Lodging." Many in th eB&B category are actually apartments. You can also just Google "name of town" and "vacation apartment".

http://www.vrbo.com is also a good bet. Some places say they expect you to stay a week, but will negotiate. I agree with the previous poster: get your reservations made ASAP. I make mine as soon as I have my flights established.

Thank you for all your words of wisdom. I have not even figured out where I am going - just know I'm flying in and out of Franfurt with a month in between. Just made the air reservations today. It sounds like most people suggest fewer cities than more and that makes sense to me. Thank you!

For some alternate lodging ideas, check out Key Camp logding. Not in the large cities, but often nearby, these places rent mobile homes for reasonable rates. We've never personally stayed in them, but have several friends who love them. Check out places that consider themselves a "residence" - which is a cross between a hotel and an apartment. Limited front desk service, but you get a larger place and a kitchen. This is an option my family likes. Be sure to check out Etap hotels. Basic, clean and no frills, but at a no frills rate. You might be able to get two triples to save money. Another option is to ask hotels if they have a family room. Often not advertised on their sites. Given that most of your party is actually of adult age, I'm not sure whether they would still allow this for you, but it can't hurt to ask.

Lola's advice is good. The costs will vary from country to country, but you won't have to pay NEAR what rentvillas charges. The problem you might run into in August is finding a place that will rent for less than a week. That'll vary from country to country, too. Germany and Austria shouldn't be a problem, but I don't know about the rest of the places. Outside of the big cities, in Germany, Austria, and France, you could find apartments for around 70-80 euro/night. Do the search like Lola suggested, but in Germany and Austria, they'll be called "Ferienwohnungen" or "FeWo", in France you'll look for "gites". You'll also have a kitchen, so you won't have to spend a fortune each night feeding that brood. And you'll probably also get a washer and dryer.