Spring of 2024/ 8 weeks / 1st time to Europe/ slow, solo, 65 female

If you like the BOE itinerary, I think using it as a base for a much longer, self-directed trip is a very good idea. I'm older than you and take long solo trips every year (COVID permitting). I don't think you have to lock down all your lodgings, and thus your itinerary, way in advance, but there's a budget risk in not doing that in popular destinations, and your budget is quite tight. I don't stay in hostels (I usually go with about the cheapest acceptably-reviewed hotel I can find), so I don't know now tight your budget will prove to be in reality. Perhaps there are lots of well-located, non-party hostels that have dorm beds available right up until the last minute, but I am doubtful. In my search for lodging I have fairly often read about a hostel that sounded good, only to discover it was a considerable distance from the nearest bus stop and/or up a steep hill; the non-central locations was a major reason the rate was so affordable.

Be sure you know what you're getting in terms of house rules at each hostel. I think you often have to vacate the place by a certain time of the day. That would not work well if you were tired and wanted to take it easy, not heading out until the afternoon. Few of us go to Europe to spend a lot of non-sleeping hours at our lodgings, but I definitely have days when I get a slower start.

I have been in the position of having to either spend more money on lodging than I wanted to or select a hotel that wasn't as centrally located as I preferred because there were so few options remaining. The best-value places always book up first. Your preference (and mine) for longer stays than average makes booking late more of a challenge. A hotel or hostel may have a late cancellation so a room or bunk becomes available, but how likely is it that the original booking was for as many nights as you need? Again, this may not be as big an issue with hostel dorm beds as I fear. As a result of my experiences in Europe since 2015, I now try to book all high-demand cities well in advance (at least weeks ahead, sometimes a few months). All of the cities you mentioned except Reutte fall in the high-demand category, so I do wonder whether you'll have problems trying to travel as flexibly as you'd like.

The thing about leaning so heavily on the destinations covered by the BOE tour is that they are extraordinarily popular ones, and that demand really pushes up lodging prices. Hostels are not immune to that pattern. Restaurant prices and museum entry fees also tend to be higher in the big-name cities. You'll have an easier time of it, budget-wise, if you mix in some time in less famous places. Just one example: Padua and Ravenna in northern Italy are interesting cities with important art, and their hotel rates are about half what you might pay in Venice.

I'd think about possibly sprinkling some lower-profile stops throughout the itinerary that could be left flexible. You could cancel them if you fell in love with the prior stop and could extend your time there (which in my experience usually costs more, because you're booking so late). I try very, very hard to make all my stops at least four nights, because I really dislike the process of relocating. Although there are some exceptions, I can usually find enough of interest in the cities I choose, or in the form of convenient day trips, to justify at least four nights.

Booking hotels at the last minute means you can't buy your train tickets early, either. That will mean often paying full price rather than getting advance-purchase fares. This won't matter much for short hops, but the cost difference could be painful for London-Paris, Paris-Switzerland, Rothenburg-Amsterdam, etc.

Incidentally, you'd probably save time and money by positioning Amsterdam in a different spot on the itinerary. And from a weather perspective, I'd start the trip in Italy and work north if the trip is to begin in April.

Dear Acraven, thanks for all your great advice!
its good I have over a year to make all my plans, Im gonna need it. I do believe the only way I can afford this trip is to book as much as I can ahead of time. I've heard back from

Sanctuary Firenze, Convent Guest House
Borgo Pinti, 15
50121 Firenze Italia
sito web: www.sanctuaryfirenze.com

they are recommended in the RS guide book so I am counting on it being a good location in Florence. They have told me that the rate is 58 Euros a night for a private room w/ bath!!! And, To book as early as possible.
I am going to check out Padua and Ravenna, I am so ignorant, Never even having heard of these places!!
The idea of beginning in Italy is one I would not have thought of, I know it gets hot in southern Italy. May I ask you how you would lay out an itinerary including the places ive listed, beginning in Italy? I am all gung -ho now on making as many reservations as I can, seeing how reasonable the prices were for the hostel in Florence. As well as reservations for traveling in between by rail.
So I see that first I need to nail down the itinerary, so I can start booking rooms.
Question, starting so early, in April ( I want to avoid the heat, biggest crowds, and get the better prices that may be available during the shoulder season) Do I need to cut out Switzerland? Would it be snowed in ????
I may never have the chance to go back so I have my heart set on seeing the big sites on this epic trip. Even though I know they are the most popular.......
Thank you!!!

Rhonda, there are many here (myself included) who are in their 60s and 70s and travel solo - and many of us are NOT slim and trim, including me. :) But we still travel and take into account our limitations, so you will do fine.

I'm curious why you picked Reutte - if I was traveling that way, I would stop in Salzburg, Austria instead. It's a beautiful city with a lot to see and do, and there are budget options there. That way you could also make a stop in Munich, Germany on your way to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Munich is a fun Bavarian city and not that far from Rothenburg.

Mardee hi, the only reason I had Rhutte included was that I saw it in the 21 day best of Europe with RS. I figured it must be a worthwhile stop if he included it. So I will absolutely be checking out your suggestions :)
I am concerned about my health and want to do all this traveling sooner than later. As I am at the very beginning of planning my visit to Europe, I’m kicking around a lot of different ideas. Thinking of my stamina perhaps I could do 4 weeks in the spring of 24, come home for a rest “vacation “ then finish the rest of the itinerary in the fall of 24.
Any thoughts or suggestions? And thank you for your words of encouragement, I have had so many health issues recently that I’m very discouraged. So really trying to think everything through and having access to the advice of so many experienced travelers is more than inspiring! The reason I’m just now preparing for traveling is my father recently passed, and has left me a small inheritance that is making this all possible …..

Welcome to the forum Rhonda.
How exciting for you! Planning is half the fun. I traveled solo for the first time in September. I'll do it again in June. And am starting to think about 2024.

acraven and Mardee plus others on the forum have a lot more experience traveling solo than I do. Listen to their advice but do you own research. We all have different things to do and see on our buckets lists. I've learned so much from all of them.

Here's a couple websites to check out for hotels. I am staying at my first monastery stay in Salzburg. Check out Monastery Stays for affordable and safe rooms. In London I stayed at Cherry Court Hotel, very cheap but clean and safe. If you decide to stay there, book early and ask for a double room on the first floor. There is no elevator so you only have one flight of stairs to climb. The more amenities a hotel has, the higher the price.

I think you need to increase your travel budget. If you spend $100/night for room and $50 day for food, you are already over your planned $1000 per week. Depending on the exchange rate, the $ may not buy much. You still need to add in transportation, sightseeing and things to do. You'll want to add in a few group activities, like food tours and walking tours, so you are not alone the whole time.

I suggest drawing out where you want to go. I'd start in the warmer countries and move north. Write out an itinerary where you want to go and what you want to see at each stop. Although it can be tempting, don't schedule more than one sight per day, or even every other day to give you time to relax. Remember that you can't see it all so choose what's important to you. Using your phone's calendar as you plan helps to figure out timing so you allow for travel, breaks and meals.

After your foot surgery, go to physical therapy for help with mobility exercises. Then start walking to build up your stamina. I'm 72, in fairly good health and somewhat active. I try to walk three days a week incorporating stairs, plus I do exercises I learned in PT for my back and lift light weights.

When you get to the packing stage of your trip, let us know. We'll fill you in about packing light.
Kathy

Adding: I book cancellable hotels after I book plane tickets. I book both early. It calms my solo anxiety to know how I’m going and coming home plus where I’m staying.
Don’t forget to look at travel insurance.

Have you taken long (month long) trips before? The reason I ask is that I had a month long trip last September and, much to my surprise, it started feeling too long at the end. It sounded great when I planned it, but it turned out to be not what I expected. I do like your idea of breaking this into two trips instead of 8 weeks all at once.

Rhonda, I’m happy you are finally getting to Europe. Better late than never!
I do like your thought of splitting your trip into 2 4 week trips, just because it sounds like you have not traveled much and travel, can be quite tiring. Plus, it does make the planning more manageable. I wish you the best of luck and you have made a great first move by coming to this forum to ask questions. Nice bunch of folks and some of them, are VERY well traveled! 😉
Edit-Carol now retired and I typed at the same time!

Rhonda,
I applaud your determination to go to Europe keeping in mind your physical limitations and knowing life is short!

I noticed you are planning to spend 6 nights in London, Paris and Rome. Why not sign up for Rick Steves 7 days/6 nights in London to begin your adventure? Your hotel & many meals & sights are included and most every day has ample free time for you to rest in your hotel room or continue exploring the sights on your own with your tourmates. Then you could travel to Amsterdam for a few days on your own.

Next, continue to Paris for the Rick Steves 7 Days/6 nights tour! Explore the countryside with the cave art you mentioned. Your RS tour guide will offer guidance on the rest of your travels in France.

You get the idea, take a few days to explore the Rhine in Germany and Switzerland. Continue on to Rome for Rick Steves 7Days/6Nights. Then move on to Naples and Pompeii. Florence and Venice will be easy to access via train.

Have fun on your adventures!
I hope I have given you some good ideas.

Your budget will thank you and you will make lots of new friends as well.

Well, I’m not sure the week long tours are budget propositions, but I do like the idea of putting a city tour in the mix. It is nice to have a group that you are part of from time to time, even if you just join a day tour.

I've done the 21 day best of Europe and frankly I felt Reutte was just a stop for overnights. On the full day we visited Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau :castles" as they are close by. I figured the reason we stayed in Reutte was that it was less expensive than staying in Fussen or closer to Neuschwanstein. We were also staying slightly outside Reutte but drove thru on the bus 3 times and the parts I saw out of the bus window would not make me want to stay there.

I'd stay in Fussen which is probably more expensive.

I think your time frame is good. IF you decided to start in Amsterdam in April you would catch tulip season.

I do like to travel a month or more at a time. For myself it's not too much but usually I am doing independent travel around tour dates so I have a mix of days where I am responsible for figuring everything out and as well as a chunk of time where someone else is doing the planning.

For a first time solo traveler I might consider dividing this in to 2 separate trips - perhaps Italy, Switzerland and France and then Netherlands, (Belgium??) and Germany a different time. London could go on either trip. There are a lot of logistics to consider and you are moving a lot on this itinerary.

I will tell you that I loved the 21 Day trip and it remains one of my favorites BUT it is strenuous with the constant moving and with all the sights that are covered.

You might want to take a peek at Swiss prices and see if that is going to be a budget buster. After visiting Spain and Italy for all these years, I was definitely surprised by the costs (I find costs there comparable to US--not so in Switzerland!). There are alternatives--some time in the Italian Alps, for example. I would not skimp on your trip elsewhere to make Switzerland work, I would just eliminate it from this time, as you'll be seeing many amazing places.
Best wishes on your journey!

I agree with the others that two 1-month trips would be easier to plan, and probably to execute, for someone new to European travel. The additional cost of airfare is a given, but you'd probably be more energetic if you split the trip. The reasons I usually do just one very long trip a year are weather (I'm more heat-tolerant than cold-tolerant) and my hatred of the overnight flight (sleep deprivation and jetlag). I am not fully functional until I've been in Europe for several days; my current trip is going unusually badly in that regard. I don't want to go through that adjustment process more than once. Most folks don't have as much difficulty as I do.

I want to suggest some background reading for you as you begin to work on planning your first trip:

• Rick's book, Europe through the Back Door, is a classic. It will teach you how to travel to and within Europe. It should be available at your local library.

• The web site https://www.seat61.com/ has a truly overwhelming amount of information on travel by train, so you'll need to focus on one country at a time, returning to the site from time to time to refresh your understanding of how things work. When you get to the point of detailed itinerary planning, post your questions in the appropriate country forums here to get advice from folks familiar with transportation in the areas you want to visit.

• There's a lot of very good reference material on this website. You can watch Rick's videos here rather than trying to catch just the right re-runs on your local PBS station, but I'd start with the Travel Tips. They will help keep you from succumbing to a scam or wasting money by using the wrong ATM card and credit card.

Thank you Everyone !!
SO HELPFUL!!!
I am upping my budget to around $1300 a week,( not counting transportation ) sounds more realistic, as i'd said I was so happy to find the Convent Hostel in Florence from the RS guidebook for just $60 a night so im hopeful I will find more places like that if I make reservations early...

Your thoughts please on the following

I have decided to do 2 separate trips, one in the spring of 2024 and one in the fall of 2024. I spent many hours looking at maps and the calendar today, thinking of the weather and when to go to the different regions for each trip and considering all your ideas and suggestions.

Spring of 24

April 15th leave home
London. April 16-April 21 leave on April 22nd

5 full site seeing days

April 22nd travel day to Paris

Paris. April 23-April 28 leave on April 29
6 full site seeing days

April 29th travel day to Lauterbrunnen

Lauterbrunnen April 30-May 2 leave on May 3rd
3 full site seeing days

May 3rd travel day to Freiburg im Breisgau

Freiburg im Breisgau May 4-May 5 leave on May 6
2 full site seeing days

May 6th travel day to Mannheim on a Rhine river ride up to Mannheim. ( CAN THIS BE DONE?????)

May 6th travel continue from Mannheim to Rothenberg

Rothenberg May 7-May 9 leave on May 10
3 full site seeing days

May 10th travel day to Amsterdam

Amsterdam May 11-May15 leave For home on May 16
5 full site seeing days

Does this sound right? I am open to any changes, please advise : )
From the time I leave Lauterbrunnen it just feels fuzzy,
don't know if there is a way I could cruise up the Rhine after Freiburg then disembark around Mannheim and make my way to Rothenburg, transport details here just aren't clear to me yet. The rest of it seems straight forward going by rail between cities.

Then in the Fall of 2024, spending about 3 weeks in Italy, the 4th week is up in the air right now. I had thought that Switzerland would be better to do in the spring part of my travels because of the weather...... I'm hoping with your help to tidy up the spring itinerary, and start making reservations.
My husband and I have traveled extensively in the states, but being abroad is a whole other animal......Im glad im starting now
Thank you again, Rhonda

There are river cruise lines that leave from Basel that might be a possibility. Viking is one of them.

I think perhaps you are not realizing how much planning you might want to do for each location. I suggest start with London and without actually booking anything, select a lodging, list what you would like to do each day. Then starting with your arrival, figure out how you would get from the airport to lodging. Learn what transportation will get you there and what type of ticket or pass to buy. Do that for each thing you want to see each day. Some things you will be able to walk to, but other will be by tube. London tube is easy to use, but you probably don't want to go unprepared to the tube station the first time. If you are going to Windsor for example, that is a train ride and another type of transportation to learn. If you have timed entry (for instance) to a museum, you don't want to miss the time because you took the tube in the wrong direction.

Just doing a detailed planning of London will give you a sense of what you will have to learn and navigate in each location you plan to visit. I'm not as well traveled as many of people who have answered your posting, and my time and budget are limited, so I plan pretty carefully although I can adapt when changes must be made. But I don't want to spend hours when I get there to learn how to do basic things I could have learned ahead of time. Planning for first time visit to so many new places sounds daunting to me.

We all travel a bit differently, and my concerns may not be yours. The suggestions are offered just because I want you to have a great trip!

Another person mentioned Cherry Court Hotel in London. I stayed there about 15 years ago and a friend stayed there 3 years ago.
I would stay there again. It is close to Waterloo tube station and train station.

First congrats on your first vacation and I hope this goal allows you to get healthy.

However, as a seasoned solo traveler I do have some suggestions or questions you may want to think of. First is have you ever been on a vacation this long? You said this is your first trip to Europe and while Rick's tours are great for those with a tour guide and transportation-to do this on your own can be tiresome. IF it were me, I'd pick some "home base" and do day trips from there. People don't realize how tiring moving from hotel to hotel can be after a while-especially when you have only yourself to rely on. I did a three week tour of Spain and while I loved it, if I had to ride another train or move and unpack at another hotel, I've have hated it.

Second- I always try to pick places were I wouldn't mind staying in for a day or so, If I get sick. I've hurt my knee in London and had to stay off of it for a day and I've had food poisoning in Barcelona where I stayed in the bathroom most of the day.. I'm not sure how that works at hostels but you might want to see if the places allow customers to stay in their rooms all day.

Third-travel insurance. With your health history and Covid still rampant, it's vital to have travel insurance in case the worse should happen and you need medical attention abroad. Check with your carrier to see if they even pay for overseas care-mine doesn't.

Fourth-As others have said, Rick's city picks are not always the best ones. In Italy Venice would probably be at the bottom of my list-especially in summer. Go to places where you want to go.

If I were heading to the places you plan to see on your first trip, that trip would not start in April. I am, I admit, less tolerant of chilly, wet weather than average. April may be a great time for you in London, Paris, etc., but I'd suggest forgetting you ever heard the song title, "April in Paris".

You can (and should) look at several year's worth of actual, day-by-day weather statistics for your destinations on the web site timeanddate.com. Don't just look at the day's high temperature, or worse, the average monthly high temperature from some summary chart on the internet. You need to know how uncomfortable it might be; if nothing else, it will affect your packing.

London April 2022

Use the pull-down box to see data for April 2021, April 2022, etc. You can search for your other destinations at the upper right.

It would be worth posting in the appropriate country forums to see whether certain weeks in April-May 2024 are likely to mean higher hotel rates because of Easter (falling on March 31), spring break and local holidays.

I have lived overseas for 9 years (Germany and Saudi Arabia) as well as traveled to 81 foreign countries. I have done a lot on my own as well as cruises, bus tours, rail tours, etc. I am now 75 and still in good shape, but with arthritis in my lower back. Still, I travel.

As I get older, I gravitate toward taking a tour like the one you mentioned. The tour company takes care of all the arrangements for lodging, dining, tours, transportation and that is huge. I think taking a tour would be your best option.

We have been on tours with individuals that had physical limitations, including having to walk with a cane and walked slower than the average person. The tour guide handled it very well.

If you don't want to do that, then consider taking a river cruise. You don't change hotels, since you are on the river boat. You travel through the countryside on the boat and stop in cities for an excursion. Some river cruise companies will divide the groups (usually 4 groups) and one group will be the slow group for the elderly or people with limitations. You still get to see a lot.

Tour groups usually book nice hotels with elevators. Are you sure a hostel will not have a walkup. We just came from a week in Amsterdam and the affordable small hotels in the downtown area all have walkups with steep staircases. You mentioned Amsterdam, what will a hostel have. Hostels are usually bare bones places to stay, check them out for this before you elect such a choice. Our week in Amsterdam in a great location still had us in a hotel with a steep walkup. It cost us $1000 for 7 nights.
Also, getting around Amsterdam or other big cities is likely to involve taking the Underground in London or METRO in Paris. There is a lot of walking up and down staircases and standing while waiting for a train. A tour would likely have some way to move you around, of course with some walking.

Rhonda, I have a few words of advice, since unlike most in these forums, I am a hostel dweller. Six years ago at age 69 I did a 54-night first trip to Europe, and I'm leaving April 17 of this year for a 91-night trip all in hostels. Both solo trips. The first trip was a combination of fast and slow travel, and my trip report is here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-54-nights-of-hostelling-through-western-europe-at-69. Here is the thread for my itinerary question for the upcoming mostly fast-travel trip: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/long-trip-itinerary-suggestions-welcome.

Sorry--usually I have no trouble with an elementary task like inserting a link, but today I couldn't manage it for this forum. But those are the URLs.

From what you say, I may be in considerably better physical condition than you, but just take it easy when you feel tired or have a physical complaint. From trip #1, I learned I don't want to try to tough it out when I feel bad, and on the upcoming trip I will definitely stop trying to sightsee and seek medical help quickly if need be.

Specific points: (1) I've been staying in hostels both in Europe and U.S. quite a bit, and I haven't encountered hostels that are closed for cleaning mid-day or hostels that have curfews, although both exist. Definitely read plenty of reviews on hostelworld.com and feel free to email the hostel directly if you have questions. (2) Partying in hostels isn't as frequent as the stereotype. It's just as likely that your roommates will all be zonked out from things like 20-hour trips as that they will be coming in drunk. Take earplugs if you are worried. (3) Given your physical limits, be sure that hostels you are reserving have somewhere somewhat comfortable to sit. I look for lounge pictures, and if all they have is hard plastic chairs or (like one I stayed at in Paris) hard plastic stools with no back at all and very little surface space for your butt. (4) The hostel experience definitely helps forestall any loneliness from traveling solo. If you want to talk, there's always someone around, especially if you are willing to go outside your room. (5) I hear that you would like the freedom to travel without reservations, but I can't advise that, especially this year. I started trying to reserve hostels in December for an April-July trip this year, and some of my preferred hostels were already booked up. Especially with limited energy, you want a decent location and you should be picky about making sure you have a place to sit and a quite short walk to transit.

I like your idea of 6 nights each in London, Paris, and Rome. I stayed 13 nights each in London and Paris, and will be going back this summer without repeating a single sight. Each of those 3 countries offers great countryside, much of which you can reach easily by train.

I would heed the advice to start south and move north just in terms of climate. Switzerland was cold when I was there May 8, for instance; the advantage of that is being between ski season and summertime tourists.

Lastly, heed the advice to travel light so that lugging a heavy load through train stations, up the few steps into the train sometimes, and from the station to the hostel doesn't get you down. See my trip report for other stuff, factoring in the differences in our preferences but also the similarities in terms of interests.

" April may be a great time for you in London, Paris, etc., but I'd suggest forgetting you ever heard the song title, "April in Paris". " So , a bit of post related trivia here - April in Paris , like weather here in New England { I just came home from Stockbridge and Williamstown after several days for a museum jaunt } can still be chilly , rainy ,and unpredictable . I find that real spring doesn't make an appearance. until May . With a surfeit of great museums in Paris , you'll have no trouble filling your time . But to clear up ( no pun intended ) the concept of " April in Paris " , the song by Vernon Duke and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg , the title was meant to be " May in Paris " . A problem occurred in the writing ( composers and lyricists work in collaboration ) that the music required two syllables at the start for the lyric to sit properly on the melody , hence the change to " Ap-ril " A real beauty it is , brilliantly performed by Dawn Upshaw - https://youtu.be/u2OkHbT5yFQ

I think 1 1/2 days in Rothenburg would be enough. Night Watchman's tour, Christmas ornament store, Crime museum. To me, that's basically all there is to see. I also really enjoyed my stay in Fussen.

EDITED: I would take the 3rd day in Rothenburg and find another day somewhere and do a trip by train from London to either Bath or York. London is expensive, so I would limit my time there to just the things I had to see, which for me would be a minimum of 3 full days(Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, British Museum, Windsor Castle).

Rhonda, I'll be honest - I would skip Rothenburg. It's a very charming town and worth a visit but with the direction you're going, it's really out of the way - you will spend probably 2 half-days traveling there (if not more). And quite frankly, Rothenburg is really not big enough to devote more than 1, maybe 2 nights to. I would save it for another time when you are closer to that area.

I would consider substituting a place like Boppard or Rudesheim (both are very charming river towns) rather than Mannheim. Most of the river cruises travel through the two places I mentioned, but I don't think they go as far south as Mannheim, because the scenery is not as pretty. I was in Germany for a month last year and stayed in Boppard, and cruised on the Rhine and loved it. If you skip Rothenburg and Mannheim, you can just head to Boppard or Rudesheim and pick up one of the KD cruises (or others - KD is the largest). Here is a link you can check for the schedules for this year. https://www.k-d.com/en/

Freiburg is a nice place to visit in the Black Forest and you can do at least one day trip to one the of the surrounding towns. Freiburg is a city but there are some charming towns around there that are worth a visit. I spent 4 nights in Gengenbach and loved it. You might want to post individual questions about places like Germany and Switzerland etc on the individual forum pages. For example, Germany has some posters who have traveled extensively there and could give you advice about Mannheim and cruises and so on.

I think you will enjoy Amsterdam - I was there in 2018 and loved it. Let me know and I give you a link to the AirBnb I stayed at. It was a single room in a whole house owned by a very engaging older couple (he is an architect and she works in theatre). I had the run of the living, huge kitchen and lovely garden, plus a shared HUGE bath upstairs with the best shower head I have ever encountered. All for €50 a night (I think it has increased to 55 now). It was in the de Pijp neighborhood, which I loved. Very easy access to trams and buses that would get me anywhere. As I said, the bedroom and bath are upstairs but it was an easy climb. But that may be a dealbreaker for you - if it is, always check with the hotel or hostel to see.

And keep in mind that our first floor in the US is actually the 2nd floor in Europe. So if a room is on the first floor, chances are you will have to climb steps (unless they have an elevator).

Lots for me to think on ...... and then make some decisions. Thank you !
Has anyone used an app for translation that is user friendly ? That is really my only fear, the language barrier : (

I’ve used both Microsoft Translate and Google Translate apps. Both work. I save the commonly used words in the app.

Try to learn the “polite” words in each language: hello, please, excuse me, thank you, good-bye, where is the toilet, sorry I don’t speak___ These will get you by, most people will in tourist areas speak some English.

If you have food allergies, learn how to say that or write it in the local language on a card to show waiters.

Google Translate is one of the best apps for translating - very user friendly! And you can save particular translations and copy them if you like. So if there are particular phrases that you think you will be using over and over, just save them and access them as needed.

You all have given me ideas that perhaps I can travel more cheaply by hostel staying and or Airbnb, Mardee, in Amsterdam. I really want to return there for a longer stay.
I’m bookmarking this thread.

I hope you enjoy your trips! I would have a backup in case there is a rail strike in one of the countries you're visiting. My daughter and I went to the UK last year and right before we left we found out there was a train strike. So, no way to get from London to Edinburgh by train, as we had planned. Luckily my son was living in England and had a car. Originally he said he definately didn't want to drive. But we ended up using his car, driving through the highlands of Scotland (something I wanted to do but hadn't planned on this trip) and taking ferries back and forth to Ireland, instead of flying. That drive through the highlands was a favorite part of the trip for me. It was beautiful. It also took us longer to get a ferry back so we had to cancel a hotel and stay at a last minute Airbnb in Wales. Little, adorable stone cottage out in the countryside, down a dark unpaved road. Got there kinda late at night and found a massive spider in one of the bedrooms. Luckily my room had a double bed so my daughter slept in my room that night. lol.

I'm wanting to go somewhere this Summer but no one can or wants to go, so I may go by myself. I just retired and want to travel now while I can still get around fairly well. The older I get the more I hate moving from place to place every few days. I think that trip last Summer will be the last one I do like that, 2 or 3 days in one place. It's not fun.

Rhonda: I know exactly where you've coming from since you're slightly mobility challenged. My wife too had a knee replacement and then she had a mid-foot fusion and bunion surgery on one foot. The foot surgery put her in bed for 8 weeks without an ounce of weight put on that foot. And it was a really tough surgery--worse than the knee.

But we've since learned to adapt. It's a shame that your husband is unwilling to take a European vacation as you need him terribly to handle luggage, etc. He could make a trip so much easier for both of you.

As I wrote in another posting, my wife travels with a Luggie folding portable scooter. And with it, we can go just about anywhere. It's much faster than I can walk, and it has a 10 mile range--farther than I can walk. She rides it thru airports and to the door of the airplane. I handle all the luggage without any assistance from anyone. Nice we travel light.

In your situation, you probably need to put your trip on hold until you recover from the foot surgery. Good foot surgeons are rare, and it's a long recovery period. And one of those long see all itineraries on a bus may be out of the question for you right now. You'd do best to start with a 2 week trip to Italy--preferably with your husband to assist you.

My wife and I pretty much have travel down pat, and we take our granddaughter who's 11 years old to help. But we couldn't do it without a high quality folding scooter.

David hi ! Thank you so much for your encouragement and good advice. My husband and I have traveled extensively in the states and is a great travel buddy. As for traveling abroad is is unable to accompany me because of a disability that prevents him further travel. And im not going until next spring of 2024 so im thinking I should be on my feet by then, ..... : ) I like to plan way ahead of time, I find great pleasure in that as well : )

Hi Rhonda, I’m glad to see you updated some ideas in your comments and thinking about two 4-week trips. That will be less planning at a time, plus you can apply things you learned from your first trip into your second one. Even traveling over a dozen times, I’m always making notes on the way home what I should do differently, or bring something different than the previous times.

You’ve received a lot of fantastic advice, so I will just add a couple of thoughts that came to mind. First, the big cities with the top sights get mentioned so much as the “must do” places. They definitely have advantages! But, the smaller cities can also be wonderful places to visit! You might want to consider staying at a smaller city as a starting point in some of the countries to enjoy the culture & uniqueness with less cost. The smaller cities are less hectic, less crowded in museums (and several museums have been either free or just a small cost), less costly meals - gelato is definitely cheaper outside of the top 3 Italian cities, and lodging is less money to be a very good cost-savings. I certainly like to have a nice mix of both the big cities and the smaller ones in an itinerary and add some time at a lake and/or mountains. And Switzerland is expensive! The Austrian Alps and Italian Dolomites are both gorgeous locations we’ve enjoyed. I saw someone else mentioned charming Salzburg which we love to visit! They have a Salzburg Card that’s one price for a lot of museums, etc.

Have fun planning, and let us know what you end up doing!

Hi Rhonda:
Several of us responding here are in our 60s and 70s...still traveling to Europe, while we are still physically able to do so. We applaud your decision to travel. You've received excellent from some of the very BEST female solo travelers: acravan, Mardee, horsewoofie, Carol now retired, Jean and Pam.
My husband and I were late to travel to Europe. When our children were young, we too traveled extensively throughout the United States, including Hawaii. However, it wasn't until we retired that we ventured to Europe. Our first couple of trips were with another couple, who had traveled to Europe. Were were thankful to be with experienced people.
Anyway, seeing that you are from Massachusetts, where Road Scholar is based, I wonder if you had looked into their tours. We have done several of their tours, as has "Pam from Coeur d' Alene" who responded above. Their tour itinerary tends to base several days in one town, and then take day trips from there. There's less moving from one hotel to another and in my opinion, their tours are not as physically demanding.
My husband and I usually like to sign up for a tour...and then add days before a tour...and even a couple of weeks after the tour on our own. I like being part of a tour at the beginning of our trip...to give me time to "shift" to being back in Europe.
Whichever way you travel, we are rooting for you to fulfill your European vacation.