Planning the Perfect Trip with Parents!

I have two thoughts.

Focus the whole trip on the UK. There’s plenty of castles, cathedrals & amazing gardens. An advantage is there’s no language barrier for them. Also the time between locations will probably be shorter.

Or a sampling trip could be flying into Vienna and working your way by train to fly home from Paris.

By the way, I’m in my late 60’s, and still going full speed ahead during my trips to Europe! ; ). What a wonderful opportunity of memories you will be creating together!

10 days on the ground really means a sampler trip. Once you pick your targets there is lots of weather data available on the internet. In addition there are "Garden focused" tours so check some out for ideas on where they go and when (not that you would need to take one of them). I would suggest flying into Geneva and in the first half of the trip do France (select among Annecy, Lyon, Paris or something similar depending in your/their tastes) then the second half in England (select among London, Stratford, Salisbury, Cotswolds, again depending on your/their tastes and interest). Two nights in each place so each location gets one full day to enjoy. Most can be done by train although for the Cotswolds a car would probably be easier. Have fun planning. I have used the itineraries for the RS tours as a way to start my own thinking about touring different areas, although I have never been on a tour.

You want a perfect trip with your parents? My dad always said watch out what you wish for. I'm kidding. I wish I would've made a trip like this with them.
For me a perfect trip is one that is planned out. By that I mean everything is planned out like a Rick Steves type tour. Cities, motels, some meals, daily tour or activity with some free time fit in each day. You can do your own planning or go on a tour. I will explain why a Rick Steves tour is something that may suit your needs.
My wife and I are in our mid sixties and we made our first trip to Europe two years ago and hit many of the largest cities over a three week trip. I did all the planning myself. I had just retired so i had the time. I bought all the travel books and watched way too many U Tubes. I booked all the trains, rooms and tours myself. It was a lot of work. Then I used an app called Tripit and inputed the entire trip.
Amsterdam , Bruges, Paris, London, Edinburgh with a couple of other smaller stops. We did this many cities and countries because we weren't sure if we would ever come back. This was both our first trip overseas. So we thought we needed to see as much as possible not knowing if we would ever come back. We fit a lot of sites into each stop. I am always amazed when I see something in person that I have seen all my life in pictures or films. Walking up to the Eifel Tower or Big Ben is something you should see once in your life. But that is just me and what I like to do.
We liked the first trip so much we thought we would look into a Rick Steves tour in Italy since we didn't hit Italy or Rome on our first trip. Plus planning a perfect trip is difficult so we thought let's try one of Rick's tour. We choose the 9 day Venice, Florence, Rome tour. We flew into Rome to start our trip before the RS tour started in Venice. We were able to overcome our jet lag and visit some Rome sites the tour wasn't going to visit like the Colosseum and St Peter's. The RS tour skips those sites because of the crowd size. But the tour always leaves you time to visit those sites during your free time they give you.
We met some of the nicest people on this tour. Everyone was open and engaged. One thing for my wife and I were many of our tourmates were our age, mid sixties. A few other couples in their forties. And one family with a twenty year old daughter. This was our first tour with people over a 9 day period. I don't think I've been around this type of thing since summer camp.
So we are doing another Rick Steves tour this spring. 12 days in Portugal. Lisbon to Porto. Then after the tour we're going to walk the Camino de Portuguese between Porto and Santiago Spain. I don't have to do any planning for the first part then all the planning for the second part.
A perfect trip all comes.down to planning and not putting too much into each day. Know when your leaving and arriving between cities but leave some open times in each city.
So I don't know you or your parents or husband. I take it your the daughter and your husband is the son in law and you want a perfect trip? Your words not mine. You may want to look into a Rick Steves tour. There are so many different options. Plus you will travel with others your parents age, old peoplelike to be around each other. We like to sit around and talk about the good old days and you never know when you and your husband will need that time to get away from and having others around is a nice option.
Sorry to ramble on but either way make that trip. If you think this will be their only trip make sure it's places they want to go to. You get old people in a situation they don't like it doesn't matter how perfect the plan is.

You mentioned the favourite locations of you and your husband. But where would your parents like to visit? If you want to plan the "perfect trip", perhaps their wishes should have priority. Sit down with them and have an honest discussion. And an "oh, I don't know; whatever you decide" is not good enough.

As a 75 yr old who still travels internationally at least twice a year, I will say that your comment about your physically fit parents ages being a possible concern smacked of undeserved agism.

With only 10 days on the ground, you really need to be aware of travel times between places you choose to visit. You will lose at least half a day to travel every time you check out of one hotel and move to another in a different town. So moving more than 3 times will indeed result in a trip full of little more than drive bys.

May is an excellent choice. And the previous suggestion of limiting your trip to places in England is worthy of serious consideration. The gardens will be lovely. And remember that the Chelsea Flower show will be held the 3rd week of the month.

With basically 10 days, I would suggest either sticking to 1 country OR splitting your time between 2 cities , perhaps London and Paris. You'll have gardens, castles, cathedrals. Toss in a day trip in both locations to get a "small town" experience.

You could fly into London, take the Eurostar to Paris and fly home from Paris. May will be great for gardens, but there are some holidays to work around.

Keep in mind the more you change locations, the less time you will have to explore and experience. If you could stretch your trip to 2 weeks, you could add another base location.

But really, if this trip is for your mother, what does she want to see and do? Is her dream of Europe sitting at an outdoor cafe with a view of the Eiffel Tower? A gondola ride along the canals in Venice? Absorbing the centuries of history at Westminster Abbey? Walking the cobblestone streets in fairy tale Bruges? Lunch overlooking vineyards in Tuscany? Seeing the works of a favorite artist?

I want to say that I love that you are taking this trip with your parents. Some of the responses have felt a little harsh to me. You are wanting to give your parents the very best of times and are asking for ideas. Very thoughtful!

I would echo the suggestion to narrow your focus. Everyone has a few dream places that they have always wanted to see. I’d pick a few of your parents’ top dream locations and go from there.

You know their travel styles better than anyone else. Are they go, go, go travelers or do they prefer a slower pace? Match your itinerary with their style and interests and you are sure to have a great trip.

I have traveled with my adult children and really value those times we have together. If I am honest, the destination is less important than having those days together with the people I love. My guess is that just being with you will be the best part of this trip for your parents.

Bloom,
Jean and CJean are correct. With ten days you would be a bit rushed trying to see too many different places. Maybe just pick one country (e.g. England or France) , spend half that time in a big city like Paris or London and the other half seeing villages or small towns and the countryside. Or spend half the time in London and half in Paris. Both have nearby castles (e.g. Windsor and Versailles), gardens, and, of course, beautiful churches and cathedrals, plus numerous museums and neighborhoods to pick from. Both have charming villages within a reasonable distance and through lovely countryside. Have either of them indicated a wish to see any one place in particular? If so, take it from there. You can see "as many different places as possible" while still in one country and you wouldn't be spending a good chunk of time moving locations. There are a lot of "must-sees" but they are different for each person.

Husband and I are in our 80's and to us late 60's is young, Since your parents are in good shape and work out daily there shouldn't be any problems on your trip. We are not big exercisers, never have been, and spent a month in France two years ago and did very well traveling. Since our late 60's we have been to Chile, Kenya, Egypt, Morroco, Turkey, France, Spain and Portugal. Your parents will be fine. Even if this may be their one and only European trip, don't try to cover too much territory in 10 days, or it will be mostly "drive bys". Re budget, we travel moderately, not too frugally, but we pay attention to certain expenses and have the occasional splurge. Some careful research and planning can give you a good amount of bang for your buck, as you know from your own travels. Think about what any special splurges appeal to you...a private tour, a meal at a special restaurant, a night or two in a castle, and work that into your plans. You and your parents will have a wonderful time and make wonderful memories! Have fun researching and planning.

My daughter and I took mom to France once for her 65th birthday. She was never adventuresome, so I knew to keep the itinerary to something that fit her likes as much as ours. We had some things planned each day, sometimes timed tickets etc, but also left plenty of time to just explore. I did have a list of options for each day like what was nearby, what the hours were, etc. That way we could do things on a whim, but not waste time researching. I also made sure restaurants were researched ahead of time since mom was definitely not adventuresome with food;) It was trying at times, but I am so thankful for that trip. She talked about it for years, but also said she had no more desire to go to Europe. She was happy with one and done.

I usually travel with my husband, but we still do family trips with the kids (30's) and my daughter and I usually get to Europe at least once a year just the two of us. We travel great together, except she actually likes downtime more, so I will often leave her in the room and go out on my own.

I share all of this so that you can think about what things might be more your parents style, etc and to find ways to work it so that all of you have a great trip without feeling like you are sacrificing.

As for places to visit, would the Christmas markets be of interest? They are definitely busy, but a lot of fun for us. I personally love winter travel, but I know that isn't for everyone.

We took the kids to Germany one year and we went to Munich, Salzburg and Rothenburg. That trip we had 10 days not counting travel days, so the same amount of time that you are looking at. We went in September and got out of Munich before Oktoberfest. The English Gardens there were really nice and one day we rented bikes for the entire day and just rode through there stopping along the way for lunch, coffee, etc. We used trains and it was very easy and it did not feel rushed to us.

This is a lovely gesture. I suggest since you have 2-3 years to plan this trip, give them a couple of guidebooks for the holidays (I suggest RS Best of Europe and DK Eyewitness Europe) and have them start identifying places they are interested in seeing. Your parents should have the biggest say in where they want to go, doesn't matter one lick what a bunch of people on the internet think is a "must see" location. Once they've identified interests, then you can help narrow it down to a manageable trip and ask more detailed questions in the forum.

I would pick 2 or 3 places within 3 hours of each other. Doesnt have to be the same country, the EU and Schengen sort of did away with that advantage. For two places London and Paris are hard to beat. Or Rome and Florence Or Milan and Venice Or Vienna and Budapest, Or hmmmmmmmmm Well to any of those you can throw in a day trip to add a third or for some there are good day stops between the two major cities.

Mr. E had great advice. I suggest that you stick with one country and visit places other than a large city like London or Paris.

Do 5 days in London and then do 5 days in the countryside. Consider Oxford, Stratford Upon Avon, Bath, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Windsor Castle.

In Bath, the Brooks Guesthouse is a great B&B. If you love Shakespeare do Stratford Upon Avon.

If you do Paris, then consider visiting Normandy or Strasbourg/Alsace region.

Some random thoughts:

What are your parents MOST interested in doing and seeing? Taking them to Europe is a lovely gestures ( wish I could have done that for mine), and their desires should be the first consideration. As someone suggested, get them involved with a number of guide books and see what appeals to them the most. Your desires should be second. Assume you and your husband will be able to return on your own at a later date.

As a general rule flying into one location and back from another is less expensive.

If you exclude travel to and from, you will really only have ten days. Don't try to do much! Suggest you only visit two or three places maximum and do day trips from there if desired. Every time you change locations, you will lose at least 3/4 to a full day relocating. It's not just the travel time. It's also checking out of the hotel, getting to the train station or airport, finding you way to the new hotel upon arrival, and hopefully checking in.

One possible plan (again, depending on their desires) would be London, take train to Paris, and fly home from there.

Just offering food for thought.

For a 'once in a lifetime' trip why so short?

Do you/they have ancestral roots that would make one country more meaningful to visit.?

Have they expressed a preference?

If the time available is not expandable, then the previous comments cover everything I might have thought of.

Good luck

You’re putting a lot of pressure and very high expectations on yourself with a relatively short trip up to 3 years away (a lot can happen in that time), but one that will be “perfect” and “once in a lifetime.” Why is it once in a lifetime for people in good health and still relatively young? And while every trip I’ve taken has been great in its own way (and I’ve been to Europe at least 30 times) I wouldn’t call any of them “perfect.” Whether it’s financial constraints, family obligations, and/or personal preference (sounds like mother wants to see Europe, perhaps father never has?), if they like it, they may well want to do it again — my in laws first visited Europe in their sixties, and went again at least 5 times before ill health eventually put an end to it. Maybe take a look at something like Rick Steves flagship “best of Europe” tour, which hits a great variety of the deservedly best known highlights. It’s longer than your message has in mind (about 3 weeks), and certainly not inexpensive, but I think you get good value for your $. If I wanted to do “once in a lifetime” Europe it would be an itinerary like that. And just a thought, maybe consider spending the money you would have for you going with them, on a longer trip like the RS tour just for them, where they will be well taken care of with all arrangements made, with a congenial group of (mostly) other seniors? Or if not the other posters give good advice about focusing the shorter trip on just one or two areas of particular interest. Either way, I would suggest trying to do this sooner rather than later, don’t wait 3 years, as generally speaking travel gets more expensive as time goes on, and seniors’ health hopefully will not worsen but rarely improves over the years.

Hi, Bloom, first, If it were me, I might suggest going to the UK and France. That's two countries which will give you plenty of time in both. You could easily stay in London and do day trips to quaint villages outside the city where you can see lovely gardens. And of course there are many beautiful gardens in London itself, as well as many other sights. Or you could spend three nights in London seeing some sights and then head for the Cotswolds or Yorkshire for another three nights where your parents could enjoy some of the quaint villages that are iconic to England.

After that you could take the Eurostar to Paris and spend a few nights there, exploring that beautiful city. Then maybe go outside and see the Loire Valley and Versailles and again some of the iconic and beautiful places in France including Monet's Garden in Giverny. That would be twelve days overall plus a day or two for travel. I think given that this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, it might be worth it to add on an extra couple of days so that you're gone for two weeks.

If you did decide on this option, I would suggest booking a multi-city flight where you fly into London, spend your time there, then take the Eurostar over to Paris and spend your time there, then fly home from Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris. I did that earlier this year when I took my two of my grandkids to London and Paris and it worked out very well. It's much easier, less time-consuming, and actually cheaper since you don't have to pay for a second Eurostar return trip which can be a bit pricey. I found that overall multi-city trips are really not more expensive than round trips.

And for what it's worth, I'm 70 years old and just spent a month in Romania and Budapest. Your parents are probably in better shape than I am so don't discount their energy levels and excitement over traveling. If they work out every day they are more than ready to travel for two weeks in Europe. 😊