Plan in Motion - But I need some advice!!!

Hi Kayla,

Yes, this is WAYYY too much! With this itinerary you may see a lot of Europe, but you won't experience it. Not to mention you will be exhausted from all of that travel.

With the time frame you have you will have more fun if you narrow it down to 3 to 5 destinations. Also, you may want to look at an open jaw ticket so that you don't have to return to London.

Enjoy yourself whatever you choose!

Personally, I think for a first trip to Europe to get a "taste" of each country that it perfectly ok to stay just 3 nights in a city. It is enough to get a feel and know whether you want to go back again and do more exploring the next time. Most of those flights are only going to be about 2 hours long. The only thing to keep in mind about RyanAir is that it does NOT land at the regular airports and you must take a bus usually to get into the city you are traveling to. I know for Frankfurt, they advertise as landing in Frankfurt, but it is a one and half hour ride that costs 12 euro. Rome is a 45 min ride, etc. Look on their maps to get a better idea of where they REALLY land. Though often quite cheap, sometimes you can get a better price with other airlines, like Air Berlin, Alitalia, etc. Look around before deciding on just one airline. The only route that I might change would be the Paris to Dublin. Stay on the continent by going to Hamburg from Paris, and then to Rossendaal. (perhaps using the trains?)Then fly over to Dublin and back to London. I think your trip sounds like fun and would gladly come along. If you have the money to fly to all those different cities, go for it.

Kayla,

It appears that you have about a month for your trip? While visiting 7 cities in that time is feasible, good planning is essential to minimize "wasted" time and provide a more relaxed travel experience.

Your plan to fly RyanAir is certainly one possibility, however be sure you pack light or you'll be "nicked" with an overweight charge (they're VERY strict!). Also, many budgets use remote airports, so time & cost to reach these has to be considered. Even short flights can use almost a full travel day.

It would be more efficient to use "open jaw" flights, and while there are many possible Itineraries, this is one suggestion:

Fly to Dublin

Arrive in Dublin (recover from jet lag - 3 or 4 nights?)

Fly to London (travel time from Dublin at least 6 hours in my experience. 4 nights?)

Train to Paris (travel time from London probably 3-4 hours realistically. 4 nights?)

Train to Roosendaal (3 nights? visit families)

Train to Hamburg (2 nights? visit family)

Fly to Rome (via Air Berlin or German Wings - travel time likely 6 hours+? - use the Leonardo Express from Fiumicino to Rome, about 30 minutes - 5 nights?)

Fly to Barcelona (via Vueling or Click Air - travel time 4 hours+? - 4 nights?)

Fly home from Barcelona

This provides some extra time to use for travel days, staying a bit longer in some cities in order to take day trips or perhaps add one city.

Given your location, you might find it useful to visit Rick's Library and check Guidebooks for each city in order to figure out sightseeing ideas on what interests you the most.

Good luck with your planning!

Thank you all for your ideas and input! It's funny how your own idea sounds so good until you hear what even better ideas other people have! All it takes is a question!

Ken: In response to your suggestion, I was wondering exactly what Open Jaw flights are? Also, I plan on spending about a week with my friend in London just because I originally planned to go there to see her. I more so I have 2.5 weeks with my friend who is traveling with me to all of these places (a friend from home)... Which is why I'm in a panic for prioritizing. She couldn't get more time off work which is sort of restricting our options... but money is as well. :) I really like your idea about the different airlines. RyanAir's prices were catchy so I haven't looked elsewhere. Thanks for the advice!

Jo: I'm thinking the same thing about getting a taste for each city and seeing what I enjoy most. We were originally going to stay in Dublin and Barcelona and additional night.. but who am I to prejudge which city I will enjoy most! So this is a very helpful viewpoint, thank you!!!

April: Your advice about cutting out some cities might be the way I go.. possibly! While I've never been to Europe, I'd rather go to cities that I truly desire to visit and get to know. As kind as it is of the families to offer to me to stay with them, I have to keep in mind it is not a priority just because they say that they would like to "visit with me again" after doing business with them for a few hours and them knowing I'm traveling. So I really need to figure out what I truly want to do! Thanks a lot for your input!

I would love anything else anyone would like to add.. maybe more itinerary ideas, airlines to check out, helpful sites! Anything would be such a great help!

Thank you all for the helpful advice and tips!

The only thing with an open jaw flight is that I need to go back to London. I have already booked a roundtrip flight from Seattle to London. My friend who goes to school there, Tristen, is expecting me and my traveling companion and friend, Paula, back in London after our travels. So it seems like a route that goes into a circle would be most ideal at this point.

I am thinking that I may just see one of the families I have met.. and only for 2 nights or so; The family in The Netherlands. They were the family that most implied they wanted me to visit THEM - rather then some other families who mostly implied "call us if you need anything but if you want you can stay with us too". Plus the Netherlands is somewhere I've wanted to go for a while.

So I'm thinking this will be my new itinerary:

Oct 6 - Fly out of Seattle.

Oct 7 - Arrive in London.

Oct 8 - Revive from Jetlag in London.

Oct 9 - Train from London to The Netherlands [family].

Oct 11- Fly out of Netherlands to Rome. 4 nights in Rome

Oct 15- Fly from Rome to Barcelona. 3 nights in Barcelona.

Oct 18- Fly Barcelona to Paris. 3 nights in Paris.

Oct 21- Fly Paris to Dublin. 3 nights in Dublin.

Oct 24- Fly Dublin to London. [This leaves 4 nights more in London for Paula who is departing Oct 28th from London.]

Oct 28- Paula Leaves to Seattle.

Oct 24 to Nov 3- I'll be in London with Tristen for this period of time... and we might make a weekend trip somewhere fun!

With this new itinerary I feel much more relaxed and confident that I will see all the places I want, get a taste of each one, and also see one family that I really enjoyed working with. I still haven't looked into different flights. But I will post about some more ideas on here.

Let me know what you think about the new plan! Your input has been more than helpful!

Thanks a TON!!!

-Kayla

Open jaw means that you fly into one city and leave out of another. If you start in Dublin and leave from Rome (or vice versa) you eliminate the wasted time travelling back to a place you have already been. You will likely gain a day or so two explore a city or two of your choice rather than sitting in an airport or on a bus.

personally I would stay in Rome for 4 nights. There is simply too much to see and do there to rush through it in what would essentially be two and a half days of hurried sightseeing after you have dealt w/ the airports and such.

Another budget airline to look at would be EasyJet. They are quite similar to RyanAir and they usually fly into a different airport than RyanAir in the same area which may leave you with more options. But Ken is right, watch out for the extra costs associated with overweight baggage, bus fares, etc.

Godd luck!

Kayla,

I grew up 8+ years in Europe but your post reminded of my kids - and friends - first trips across the pond! It was almost "overwhelming" to them - all the new sights, sounds, and cultural difference. Looking back we should have been a little more focused! I would suggest with roughly 15 days of travel you limit yourself to 3 (or no more than 4) cities.

With our last set of friends we chose the BIG THREE - London, Paris and Rome. We were fortunate to know each well so we did more than just the tourist destinations and provided an incredible experience for them! They wanted to see everything... and our first "planning session" had them wanting to go to 7 cities in 11 days - AAARGGGHH!!!

Fortunately we were able to talk them off that ledge. You've got a few more days but I would still suggest to limit your "inter-city" travel and SEE each town. The fact that you will have "local guides" is a huge asset!

No matter what path you choose, you'll have a GREAT time on your first trip! Our kids still remember theirs! Good luck and safe travels!

Ciao,
Ron

Whether or not you keep the number of cities and just get a taste of each one, or cut down the number to go more in depth is a personal choice and everyone is different.

I do agree you need to rearrange the trip so as not to backtrack so much. Either go north to south, south to north, or in a circle.

There are plenty of airlines that offer discount pricing and may be better between some of the ciites than Ryanair. Try differnet sites, like kayak.com to try to find them.

One other thing to remember. I don't know if you plan to tavel light or not, but don't forget to bring a gift to each of the families you're visiting. You do not want to show up empty handed. It's considered rude.

Before you finalize RyanAir, read the comments from travelers about this line. Mostly negative because of baggage limits and departure and arrival airports so far from the city center. Some passengers have also been stranded at times.

I would read all the responses on Graffiti Wall listed under "Flying in Europe." Also read the archives for all the sections covering air travel. Click on "Classic View" on the Graffiti Wall home page.

Based on what I have read over the past years I would NOT choose RyanAir. That is you decision, but you should know more about that line before making your decision. And you COULD have a pleasant experience with them. Do as much research as you have time for.

Carl, I don't think I'd agree that most of the comments here about Ryanair are negative. For some people, the cities that they fly into are no big deal. On my trips they have gone exactly where I wanted to go, even when it wasn't a "popular" destination. Yes, they have strict weight guidelines, etc., but so do all of the budget carriers. It's all a matter of knowing and following their rules. I have actually flown on Ryanair (unlike some people who have a lot of opinions based only on something they have read), and I have never had a bad experience with them. You just have to follow their rules.

Dont go to Dublin (it is a shadow of the others cities you mention, tho we havent been to Hamburg) but stay 6 nites in Paris or surrounds. Have a great trip

Kayla, I think Jo has a good point -- we've done the overview approach on our first trips, and are now going back to the ones we love or could see more of. I also agree with others, though, that some cities deserve special treatment, like London, Paris, and Rome, for the sheer quantity of sights and culture there. I don't think you'd mind a 4th day/night there, but just a suggestion.

For open jaw flights, all the search engines and most of the int'l. airlines are searchable that way -- check the "multi-city" option or "more options" button, as opposed to one-way or round trip.

But don't fret too much -- plan the best you can, but you'll have a great trip no matter what.

Wow what an itinerary, if you want some reasonable focus you may want to take a look at the Open Jaw Itineraries we have taken during our personal travels. We have listed the them with pictures at our personal blog at; http://gadtravel.blogspot.com/