Rick's 21 Day "Best of Europe" Itinerary?

Colby, If this is your first trip to Europe, my first suggestion would be to read Europe Through The Back Door, as that will provide a lot of good information on "how" to travel in Europe. I'd also suggest having a look at some of the country-specific Guidebooks to get some idea of touring and activities that might interest you in each city. To answer your questions, the Itinerary for the Best of Europe tour would be an excellent choice for a grad trip, especially since you have some flexibility with your time. It provides a good "overview" of some of the most popular countries. However it's important to remember that the transportation, accommodations and activities are well organized with that (and other) RS tours. Therefore it would be a good idea to plan your trip in the same way if you plan to keep it within a specific time frame and budget. One point to make regarding Railpasses. These do NOT include the reservation fees that are compulsory with some trains. You'll need to pay "out of pocket" for those. DON'T be caught without a valid reservation especially in Italy or you'll be fined on the spot and it won't be cheap! I'm assuming this trip will be taking place in May or June 2012? Good luck with your planning!

Keep in mind that organized tours can pack a lot into a smaller time period because they have done this before. They know where they are going (they don't get lost or miss a train), the lodging and meals are already arranged, and entrance to attractions are sometimes streamlined. Having extra time in your plan will help you get everything done, but you might find that you still miss some things you wanted to do because you ran out of time. Then again, you might be done with a particular place before a tour would be, and can move on.

@Ken:I have a copy of 'Travel Through the Back Door: 2009' that I borrowed from my local library. I also have a few of his country-specific guide books via the library, but they are outdated. When the time comes, I will purchase d versions to make sure everything is correct! :o) Thanks, ken, for the information. I did not know that about Railpasses. I'll have to budget in a little more for reservations. Pertaining to that... How much do normal reservation fees cost? @Nancy: I have thought about different organized tours, but I have the rest of my life to be the average tourist! lol I think for my first trip without parents, I want it to be wild and sporadic.... True adventure! This will be my version of Rick Steves' "Europe through the gutter" trip, except I will have his advice to guide me. I will definitely go on a Rick Steves' tour at one point or another, because I (vicariously through his TV programs) know and respect him. Plus, they are great tours.

Colby, I wasn't suggesting that you take an organized tour, only that personal intineraries BASED on organized tours don't usually work out the way you think they might. I see now, though, that you are basing your trip on the RS suggested itinerary, not the tour by the same name. With the additional time built in, you'll have more time for getting lost and finding alternate activities.

With the caveat that I haven't tried to do it, I'd say, yes, you could probably do this itinerary in a month. It might not be the best month itinerary for you, but it could be pretty great. And I would not try it with a day less than a full 30-day month, or add in anything extra without subtracting equivalent itinerage. Have a blast!

Although you plan to base your travels on this suggested tour, I strongly advise you to read other guid books and also web sites about the areas you fnd attractive. These tours are aimied at trying to have something for everyone- there are bound to be things in the tour that are not to your taste, and even wrorse- places and sights well within your main interests that are not mentioned on this tour. Such a pity to miss them because you relied too heavily on one source