planning for a Europe trip in late June

Why can't you do this yourself?
And you are correct in that ticket cost typically goes up the closer to the journey.

Booking accommodations should also be done ASAP.

As someone with a partner who has been hesitant/nervous about planning travel on several occasions, tell him you are buying tickets TOMORROW and if he hasn’t made up his mind on an itinerary, you’re buying tickets anyway.

Or here’s a good idea: go without him. He can’t get his sh*t together and he just wants to play video games all day. Why take him to Paris?

Anyone else think this is a disaster waiting to happen.

As for flights I assume money is no object? Because this plan of yours to book 3 weeks before will cost you. I leave in 3 weeks. I just checked my flights are over $1,000 more than I paid!

If you want a nonstop, right now a 2 week trip with a round trip to Paris is running $1884 on Air France leaving Sunday, June 19. That is the cheapest in late June. Get you bf's credit card to book the flights. Maybe that will get his attention. Once you have tickets, you can plan a trip around that.

I am not going to get into the interpersonal relationship aspects of this trip.

This has all the makings of a fishing expedition, all for fun of course.

Hi!

prices: as others above have commented, the prices go up and availability of your preferred accommodations goes down - esp as this is peak tourist season. there will be crowds - esp. in Paris which is the most popular city (tourism is back per what i saw yesterday).

sightseeing: besides that you should be okay. you can look up tripadvisor for top sights in any city and hit them, walk around, eat and enjoy the european vibe. pack light and be prepared for some hot days. I fussed over "doing everything in the city" - don't have FOMO, don't be me - it doesn't matter.

bookings: some top sights may need pre-booking, keep track of that, once you finalize tickets.

since you mentioned your boyfriend: as a guy, my comment is: ask him directly and tell him straight that certain things are his responsibility, not yours (don't expect him to read your mind). if he is interested in the trip, once you make up your preferences, you have to ask him directly to schedule a couple of hours to do the bookings for you. I have seen many of my friends "train" their significant others in being responsible :p

Booking flights and accommodations at this time, can be done, but it will cost you more money. I don't know your budget, whether you have been to Europe before or the time off that you have, so you will need to look the costs, availability of what you want to see and make a determination as to whether this is the trip you envisioned, if not, you can always postpone. If it is, then set up your idea itinerary, share it with your boyfriend with the costs and get the arrangements done as soon as you can.

Have the bf pull his weight or dump him.

It sounds as if your boyfriend is not interested in travelling or he's scared/intimidated about travelling and avoiding the topic. I would sit him down and tell him how you feel and that you intend to travel with or without him on such and such dates. Maybe he'd be fine tagging along wherever you decide to book.

Let's maybe keep non-travel-related relationship advice out of this conversation?
If you're talking about June this year, you will not get much change out of $2,000/each, and hotels will be scarce too. Is it your money, his, or both? If yours or both, perhaps state your upper limit and let him pay the extra amount caused by his delayed decision? A less confrontational approach would be to reschedule of course, but that doesn't seem easy.

It all depends. I have done both ways of booking, the several months prior as well as the few weeks prior. I have reserved
accommodations in Germany in the summer as late 2-3 weeks away from arrival. Unless you are super picky as to where to stay (especially in German cities), booking the last minute can be done.

As a regular at certain small hotels in certain cities in Germany, (Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Kiel, etc) I am picky and would rather stay there, but if you back-up places, 2nd or 3rd choices, not getting your preferred first choice is of no consequence. As a regular, depending on the particular small hotel, I know the owner will accommodate me during my multi-day stay, which means you might have to change rooms once or twice....no problems. They're making the effort, I had better do likewise.

Likewise in Paris, I am a regular at my small hotel, whether I book a single 3-4 months out or just 3-4 days, always in the summer, I get a room.

Plan the France part of the trip going to Paris and then Normandy, Versailles, Fontainebleau, Rouen, the Loire area....a wide range of choices, how about Saumur? Our first trip to Poland in July of 2001, the Mrs. did all the planning, took care of all the details, (itinerary, research, sights, accommodations, etc) , I did nothing, left everything to her, besides she liked doing all that anyway.

Are his COVID vaccines and boosters up to date? Does he have a current passport? If he hasn't taken any interest in planning a trip to Europe, then maybe he hasn't done any of these things either. Until he does both, there's no trip.

One trick you can try is to research airline tickets for leaving in three weeks to compare with flights leaving in three months. That might help make a quick decision. Sorry, but that kind of boyfriend would drive me loony!

We leave Sept 13. Our plane reservations were done 3 weeks ago. We have 7 stays, and will have all of them set by today.

I'd plan for next June 2023.

we haven't seen the OP since their first post over a week ago

Presumably, they are still trying to get the bf off the couch and away from the video games.

Troll post, perhaps?

I said that the 1st day, but the thread rambled on.