Should I Stay or Go

Some things to consider: will this be a new place, or somewhere you know you want to revisit? Is it a good base for day- or one-night trips away? Do you enjoy having a routine?

Perhaps split it into two places, two weeks each. I could easily spend a month in Roma or Paris, but on my fifth day in Milano I am looking for daytrips.

If you will have a car, the decision can be easier, you could stay in a smaller city and travel throughout the region on a daily basis, or if it's economical enough (smaller towns are better for this), spend a couple of nights away from your base. It doesn't make sense to me to pay big-city hotel bills or apartment fees if I am going to be away from the city about half the time. As an example, right now I am in Trevi, in Umbria. With a car I could visit one or two other towns every day and see quite a bit of the countryside. I don't have a car, and public transportation is challenging, so I will only be here for three nights before moving on.

We've lost count of the trips we've made to Europe, and we no longer get a big thrill visiting some of the big, expensive cities .
My wife's wanting to lease a car and stay 3-4 places outside of major cities 3 months next Fall. She's interested doing day trips out into the countryside to cities and travel sights.
I more lean toward staying in one location 1-2 weeks, and moving to a different place. Despite being well travelled in some countries, there are still dozens of great places we've never seen. And there are many cities we've never even heard the name of that are incredibly interesting.

I've stayed put for a little over two weeks in Istanbul (wish it was longer but I'm not retired). It was totally worthwhile because it's such a large, busy, exciting city and I was able to get a really nice, affordable apartment to make small meals. I never ran out of things to do and I used it as a base to get to some islands in the south (for a day trip) and lots of boat trips on the Bosphorus and Golden Horn from the Asia to the European side. I saw many sites off the tourist track and it was a great decision to just base myself in one place and explore it as thoroughly as I could. I plan to do the same in other large cities in the future.

I think you'll enjoy 'staying put' for a while. But I'd try to pick a place that has options of good day trips and/or good 1 or 2 night trips within easy distance. If I could do something like this, I'd choose London or maybe Inverness or Edinburgh or Salzburg. All have lots to offer themselves, and they also have plenty of excellent day trips that are easy to get to by train or bus (we prefer not to drive in Europe). Getting an apartment or making use of university dorm facilities (ones that give you access to laundry and kitchen) would be a good idea.

We have been considering the same thing. And, of course, you will not know for sure until you try. The idea of breaking into two, two week sessions might make some sense for you. You use the first person, I, so I don't know if there is a we or us involved. I think that could make a difference. We are interested in settling into a local routine, flow, and maybe not doing much other than a few side trips. But we are also going to bring along some projects that need to be worked. We will plan on days of very limited activity. We are considering bring our bikes. Unfortunately that adds a 40lb suitcase for each bike. Probably skip that for the first time. Give it shot. What is the worst that can happen -- being bored in Europe. I can handle that.

Depending on the location, I don't see a problem staying somewhere for a month. When I was little we spent a month at Woods Hole, Massachusetts. It was one of the best family vacations every. We went swimming. We took some arts and crafts classes, we went to the local folk dance each week. We did some day trips to Boston and Plymouth. I would investigate what you would do in one spot. If you are just counting on simply hanging out, you might be disappointed, but if you plan some activities you are likely to have the best time ever. I don't see why you couldn't duplicate at least part of what we had at Woods Hole in Europe. For example, if you chose Inverness or a small town near by, you might join the Inverness Ramblers for some of their walks rather than planning your own solo walks. Or you might check out art classes here or discover a craft here. When you go somewhere for a month, you do get the opportunity to work your way into the community a little bit. But, you have to get started that first week or the time will fly by!

Pam

We frequently stay in one place for weeks at a time and have never regretted it! You just have to approach trips like this differently. You have to slow down, be patient, enjoy the small things, and be OK with a little down-time every once in a while.
The longest we have stayed in any one place was 9 weeks and that was in a small town just outside Paris. The shortest we stay in any one place is 10 days. We are over seeing cities and areas as quickly as we can and the. moving on...we love getting to know an area and settling in for awhile. Right now we're staying just outside of Prague for 2'weeks ( we're on day 2) and are having a nice time seeing the sights at a leisurely pace. We were just in a small town in Norway for two weeks and that was fantastic as well!
I suggest starting with a city that has plenty to do and then try a smaller place to see how you like it.

We have stayed in Vienna from 2 weeks to over a month and loved it. You can do a lot of day trips out of there to Salzburg, the Wachau region, etc. We loved our apartment and shopping at the local markets. Last trip we,spent two weeks in Lech am Arlberg up in the Austrian Alps and two weeks in Santa Madellena in Sudtirol. had a great time!

I think there's a lot to be said for just staying in one location. After I've seen everything (as if I have enough lifetime to do that) I'll likely pick my favorites and plan longer, more relaxing stays.

I'm still not a fan of taking day trips from a base. Generally the base is in a city, which means it's noisier with more expensive lodging, dining and parking/transportation. I can't see staying there if I'm spending my days visiting smaller towns. The big advantage may be not having to pack/unpack - but I travel with a small carry on only so packing isn't an ordeal.

I like a chance to get immersed in the language, but I normally accomplish that by visiting one language group per vacation and cramming ahead of my trip.

Ah Brad, you need to go to Scotland! You can stay in a small town just outside of Inverness and explore a big chunk of Scotland through lovely day trips. :) The only traffic you have to fight is Inverness which has a population of 72,000--about the size of Appleton, WI and no one would call Appleton a big city. :)

Pam

Hello Charles. I would like being at one place in Europe for 4 weeks, if I will write part of a book while I am there (using my laptop computer). If you will not write a book while you are there, I think being at one place for 4 weeks would be too long.
I suggest going to 2 places. Be at each place for 2 weeks. I think I would like being at Salzburg in Austria for 2 weeks (with day trips, and stay at a rustic place in the Salzkamergut for 2 nights), and Paris for 2 weeks (with day trips).

Thanks so much for your input. It really helps and I must say that in general this forum has been very helpful and considerate. Any further personal stories or view points are always welcome and interesting.