The Overambitious & Energetic Duo

For getting from London to Madrid, I would suggest you look at budget flights. Check www.whichbudget.com to see what budget carriers fly between cities. As long as you can follow their rules you can find some really good deals on airfare.

For an assessment on if your trip is too ambitious or not, here are the two biggest questions: how much time and how much money have you allotted? From your situation, it sounds like you probably have more time than money. My overall advice would probably not try to do too much on your budget. From your perspective right now, it might seem like you'll never get the chance to go to Europe again... but trust me, in the profession that you're about to enter (once you finish with residency), you will. I speak from experience on this point ;)

Hi Alex, How many days total do you have for your trip? You said you plan on spending a couple of days in each country...so if you really only have about ten days for your trip, then I'd say 11 cities in 5 counties is definitely too ambitious. I really and truly don't blame you for wanting to see all that you can when you have the chance. I also don't doubt at all your energy level; you med students are used to long, hard hours. But by covering so much territory in so little time, the places you visit are likely to become a blur, plus you'll spend a lot of your time sitting on a train or bus. You've already decided that you can forgo France and maybe Germany, but you still have a lot to cover. You've taken travel time from London to Spain into account, but you still have a fair distance and travel time from Spain to Switzerland. Just think – do you want to spend your time exploring fewer of the beautiful cities you've chosen, or sitting on a train getting to them. I'd suggest going over your itinerary again and deciding what your top priorities are, keeping in mind travel time. Whatever you decide, have a great trip!!!

Another consideration. If money is tight, it won't go very far at all in Switzerland. If its the Alps you want, you can get great mountain experiences for about half the cost in France, Germany, Italy or Slovenia (and about 3/4 the cost in Austria). And just to re-emphasize- don't underestimate the significant money and time costs of changing location frequently. Trust me, it will be a much better use of your time to thoroughly enjoy your location rather than to spend half your time on a train.

Hi, I'm wondering if you already bought your plane tickets? If so, where are you flying in/out of? How many days and nights do you both have? If you haven't bought your tickets yet, perhaps you can skip London and go straight to Madrid? That may save you time (and $$$ -- the dollar/pound exchange is not that great and London itself is fairly expensive). And if you haven't already read 'Europe Through the Back Door' be sure check it out! It has really good info about traveling/rail skills/ etc for Europe. When you let us know a little bit more about your travel dates/budget, we may be able to help you better! :)

Give us this: How much time. How much money. Cities/specific places in rank order. (Countries are big, listing them won't help - - unless you want the best of some specific thing in each - - in that case give the specific, e.g., dolmen, church, strip club)

Oops, sorry I left that information out! My original post was too long so I accidentally edited it out. We are flying into Dublin and out of Munich. Between those two cities we have about 25 days to play with. Also, our city rankings are as follows, from highest ranking to lowest: England, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, France. Excluding plane tickets & a eurail pass our budget is about $5,000. We are planning on staying with friends in England as well as Austria and then in hostels the rest of the trip.

Not to belabor a point, but I are a geographer and I know for certain that England, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, France are not cities. You can walk from France to Germany in one step at no cost. Bordeaux to Munich will take some time and bucks. Cough up dots on a map in order of preference and money in the pot. Help will then flow. Edit: missed the money answer, at least we're making progress.

Ranking countries is still pretty vague. It tells us nothing about how many times you plan to move around within each country, which as previously mentioned, can significantly increase your expenses. Without crunching numbers, my rough guess is that on $200 a day, you might need to cut back... particularly Switzerland. OK, rail passes. You really need to crunch the numbers to see if one will save you any money... and without knowing your final itinerary, you can't do this yet. The days when buying a rail pass was a no-brainer to save money are long gone. Today, you can usually save far more money by buying tickets in advanced directly from the national rail companies (there is no "Eurail", that is the name of a conglomerate set up to sell overpriced tickets and passes to naive travelers). At best, a rail pass might offer mild savings. The caveat here is that depending on your age, you may be able to get a youth pass that would be a good deal. But the only way to know for sure is set down your itinerary, crunch the numbers you get from the national rail websites (not RailEruope or EUrail), and compare those to the costs of the various passes.

Ed, you are too specific!!! LOL Anyway, budget works out to about $100 per person per day. Know you have lodging for some of the trip but budget seems tight to me. Get us names of cities in order of preference. You can save money by eating at cafeterias, go to local "deli's", check out free places such as museums in London that are free, free city walks, etc. Keep researching and good luck.

Here's a suggestion: Before you purchase your rail pass, if it's not already too late, check out Eurolines.com. They have 15 day and 30 day bus passes. My daughter is currently on a similarly ambitious tour of London, Paris, Brussels, Vienna, Munich, Budapest, Prague, Transylvania and then flies out of Warsaw. (not necessarily in that order). The Eurolines bus pass enables her to do most of her intra-European travel at night. We crunched the times and fares of Point to Point train tickets, railpass, and this bus pass, and Eurolines was clearly the winner. (She qualified for youth pass and is travelling in mid-season). If you're a med student, then you are accustomed to long days, short nights and probably can sleep anywhere at any time. You're young and you'll do fine. You can see the highlights and get a good feeling for where you want to spend more time on your next trip. Have a great trip.

You want harsh critiques? How about this one. "(Dublin)- London-Paris-Bordeoux-Madrid-Barcelona-Nice-Geneva-Interlaken-St.Gilgen-Vienna-Munich" does not equal "a poor medical student trying to conserve money" You are arriving in a couple of weeks and you have flights and you don't have a clue about where you want to go. Can't get more specific than a list of countries? And you're going to be a Doctor? oh dear.

London to Madrid under $100 on EasyJet. You itinerary is a bit ambitious, even for a college student. I would either try to get more time or cut a couple of places out. Spending half the day on the train will quickly get old. Otherwise, have fun!

Alex, To begin with, as this is your first trip to Europe I'd highly recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip. It will provide a lot of good information on how to travel "well" in Europe. I most definitely agree with the others in that your proposed Itinerary is FAR too ambitious, even IF you're "overambitious & energetic". Twenty five days is NOT a long time for travel in Europe, and it's extremely important to allow adequate travel times between cities, which will usually be at least half a day in each case. It's EXTREMELY important to plan an efficient travel route, in order to avoid wasting time or money! As the others have mentioned, it would really help to have a list of the cities you're planning to visit between Dublin and Munich! How are you planning to get from Dublin to England? Unfortunately, Spain doesn't fit as well with your overall route as France, so you'll need to budget both time and money for travel to and from Spain. I'd consider skipping it on this trip, especially with a limited budget. I realize it's important to you, but Dublin, England, France, Switzerland, Austria and Munich will be easier to accomplish in that time frame. Regarding your budget, US$5000 is about €3530 (at current rates), and the exchange will be worse when dealing with Pounds Sterling. Is that $5K for both of you, or do you each have $5K? The fact that you have friends to stay with will help. Using Hostels is a good way to keep costs low as well. You may want to take out an inexpensive membership in HI Hostels as that will provide slightly better rates. They have properties in most cities in Europe. Good luck and happy travels!

Nigel. Check your mail. I'm sending you the "Mean SOB Award" which has been on my mantel for many years. But accurately spoken.

Agree with above, let's critique not put down. They want comments and suggestions, let's stick with that. I do agree that this is far too much. They are young and can almost be positive this will be the first of their trips to Europe. I would cut out Spain and leave it for another trip. Narrow down plans on to must see cities and map plans how most efficient way to get from one place to another. Keep us updated on how plans are going.

Thanks for all the helpful comments. I was in a bit of a rush in my last reply and was not as thorough as I should have been. Here is the schedule that we are considering as of now: Dublin (spend 1 night here) - fly to London (3 days here) - fly to Madrid (3 days here) - bus to Barcelona (3 days here) - train to Nice, France (spend 1 day here) - either fly or take a train to Geneva, Switzerland (2 days here) - train to Interlaken & spend a couple of days in this area & surrounding cities - train to St. Gilgen, Austria (2 days here) - train to Salsburg (1-2 days here) - train to Vienna - (1-2 days here) - train to Munich (spend the rest of our time here & in surrounding cities before flying back home). Yes, we leave in a couple of weeks but with finals the past couple of weeks I have not had the opportunity to do much outside of studying - thus the rush to figure everything out now. The $5000 budget includes both of us. As I mentioned earlier, we have friends to stay with in England as well as Austria & the rest of the time we were planning on hostels & possibly even couchsurfing. As far as food is concerned, we were planning on finding a grocery store/market & buying items to throw together something like cheap & easy such as a sandwich; we definitely weren't planning on eating out all the time.

Good for you. FYI Some department stores have great "deli" counters, food. Local supermarkets are great as you seem to already know. You should be okay. Enjoy!!!

Does three days really mean three nights? Because if so, that's really only two full days. Take a look at how long the travel takes on the day you're arriving.

One thing to know: You said you want to see the most that you can, but the style of travel you have planned, you are actually seeing the LEAST that you can. Because so much of your time will be taken up on transportation, and because it's a rare bus/train ride in Europe that is actually scenic, you're actually going to waste a lot of time seeing nothing. You will see more if you spend less time traveling long distances. More specifically, I don't see the point of one day in France. France is my favorite country, but one day for all that travel from Barcelona and to Geneva? Skip it. I would personally also skip Geneva and give those days to other spots on your itinerary. Dublin needs another day--you aren't going to be able to do much, jet lagged and with only one evening.

I've gotten mixed up trying to count, but you've got about ten travel days in a three-week plus trip. The ratio sucks since all of those legs take just about all day, hotel-to-hotel. You won't have time to see much and what you do see will get all jumbled in your brain by the time you get home.

Being a young person, you might want to check out Rick Steves' son's site: www.andysteves.com He offers weekend trips to college kids studying abroad, as well as week-long itineraries. You might be able to check out some of his itineraries to get ideas for your own, as well as what a young person thinks is good to see in each place. I'm guessing (probably correctly) that a good number of people who post on this site are probably your parents' age or close to it. But, I'd guess most folks who post on Andy's site(s) are closer to your age and energy level. Have fun. Travel and the understanding of other cultures will make you a better person (and doctor). Do take time to absorb the places and the people -- otherwise you are just "passing through" and checking off countries. Also, wear a money belt (and read the money section in the trip prep link on Rick's site).

If you try couchsurfing, PLEASE report back. I'd never do it now, but a decade ago in my poor college student years I would have been all over it. I have friends that still live like college students and have been looking into it on couchsurfing.org and are hesitant to go for it. The closer it gets to Oktoberfest, the more compromising they seem to be. Personally, I'd go for the "Greatest Hits" tour my first time too, maybe a little more condensed though. You will be back sooner that you think. Have a great trip!

Thanks for all the replies.A lot of people have mentioned that "the majority of our time will be spent traveling on trains", however the majority of our traveling between cities (atleast 8 of 10 days) plan to be overnight, not during the day. So we would leave one city (i.e. Barcelona) in the late evening and arrive in another the next morning (i.e. Nice), leaving us with full days of sight-seeing with most of our traveling to be at night. Any comments/suggestions?

I have to agree with the others. It doesn't matter your age or energy level. When you try to "see as much as possible" and you don't allot enough time for your plans, you actually end up seeing very little and paying a lot more than necessary. You can plan all the late nights and early mornings you want, but you can't compress travel times and distances.

Alex, IMHO, your latest Itinerary is still far too ambitious and will be difficult to achieve in reality. As Ed pointed out, many of your trips between cities will require the better part of a full day. If you're only staying in a particular location for one day, that doesn't allow much time to see anything. Your plans to use air travel between some cities is also not entirely realistic. As you'll be travelling in the VERY near future, you likely won't be able to get the cheapest fares on the budget airlines. These often use a "sliding scale", with the prices increasing as the flight fills. Therefore you'll have to pay full price (which is probably not a desirable option for a "poor college student"). I still believe you need to reduce your list of destinations considerably, not only due to your limited time frame but also your limited budget. However, it's your trip but be sure to file a "Just Back Report" and let us know how it all worked out. Cheers!

Totally agree with Ken. Please do post a "just back" report after your travels, so we can all know how it went. Otherwise it would be like reading part of a book and never knowing how it ended. ..........might even make a great screen play....."25 countries in 25 days"..........(just kidding). We seriously would like to know where you wind up going, how you got to each place, and what you see....and how your budget was allocated. Humor allowed in your posting, of course. Most importantly, have fun and safe travels!!! You'll be talking about this trip years from now :)

The overnight train is a great idea. It may be the only way you can physically make your schedule and will save you some $ too. Maybe you take turns sleeping so you have one person minding the luggage and the train stops. Also, beach loungers make a great way to catch up on some sleep, especially in Nice and Barcelona. My friends that live in the UK go camping all over Europe really cheap too. I've never done it but they stay outside of big cities as just a place to crash and shower and then train in or in your case, move on to the next destination. They are always telling stories of all the interesting people they meet doing this. You can rent the tent too so you don't have to bring anything.

I appreciate your plan to use the night trains. Have you actually checked times and routes? For example you said Barcelona to Nice. From the Bahn website, I picked a random evening midweek and found: Barcelona Estacion de Franca Tu, 14.06.11 dep 19:38 21:46 5 EN, EC, TGV, RE Fares not available Choose return trip Nice Ville We, 15.06.11 arr 17:24 === Barcelona Estacion de Franca Tu, 14.06.11 dep 19:38 22:26 3 EN, EC, TGV, BUS Fares not available Choose return trip Nice Ville We, 15.06.11 arr 18:04 === Barcelona Estacion de Franca We, 15.06.11 dep 08:15 10:18 2 ALS, TGV Tariff abroad Choose return trip Nice Ville We, 15.06.11 arr 18:33 === Barcelona Estacion de Franca We, 15.06.11 dep 08:17 10:16 3 R, ALS, TGV Tariff abroad Choose return trip
Nice Ville We, 15.06.11 arr 18:33 >> so you can see going at night will be 22 or more hours and 3 to 5 changes; in the day it is only just over 10 hours and 2 or 3 changes. I am worried that you may find you have less time to enjoy places than you think.

I'm not sure, but I think Nigel's point may have been that the so-called night train from Barcelona to Nice is actually a series of trains. Only one of those is a couchette sleeper, and it is just an hour and a half long, ending with a 9-hour wait in Narbonne (from 10:40 PM to 8 AM the next day) for your connecting train. Trust me, you do not want to do this!

The Barcelona/Nice leg of the trip is harder than you would think if you don't fly it. We researched it on a previous trip and by far the cheapest and fastest way to get there was to rent a one way car rental. I think it took about 6 hours and it's a beautiful drive. You could take turns sleeping. Also look into ferries as an option from Dublin. Unfortunately I don't think there's one to Nice.

I'd thought about car rental as well though I've never tried it abroad myself. The only thing is, at least in the US, most if not all car rental agencies will only rent to people over 25. If Alex is a second year med student, he's probably under that. Sorry to talk about you in the third person, Alex:)

Excellent point Penny. I haven't been a Europe traveler until my late 20's so that was never an issue. I just rented a car in Italy and all they requested was an additional "fee" if underage (can't remember what that qualified as though). Sorry I forgot to add in the additional $ for being a young adult. I would run the numbers when you get a moment or decide this is where I splurge ane just fly.

If you manage to get a adequate amount of sleep on a night train, you will be in the minority of travelers. Most of us have found that it doesn't save anytime because we end up too tired to do anything upon arrival. And as Nigel pointed out, only one of your proposed routes offers couchette service. If you think this will save your any sight-seeing time, think again.

Hmmm, Nigel from Birmingham is a perfect example of why I WON'T be posting any of my travel logs on here for quite a while, if ever. When did this forum become more about teasing/jeering/abusing legitimate questions than actually helping inquisitive travellers?????

When did this forum become more about teasing/jeering/abusing legitimate questions than actually helping inquisitive travellers????? If you read the context carefully you will see an individual who acknowledges burning the candle at both ends and the middle, and that time is short. You will see that he says he is studying to be a doctor. And you can see that he hasn't planned in detail. So, teasing? Nope jeering? Nope
abusing? Nope Was it a legitimate question? Absolutely. And my answer was designed to attract a little planning so that the OP did not end up traveling all the way to Europe and spending a load of money and having it all fall apart. I'll be looking out for blogs from all.

Alex, If the route from Barcelona-Nice were less cumbersome, less circuitous, I would say do the night train...no problem with night trains but not with 4 transfers. I myself would do the DAY train this way even though it also takes 4 transfers but you have ample time, if you don't mind spending all day, a long day, getting there. Take the 0900 from Barcelona to Perpignan, which requires one transfer. At Perpignan you have a 4 hr lay-off to see the town, then take the 15:31 to Nice, arriving at 22:37. On this second leg you'll have transfer at Valence, a station which I 've seen twice. As far as going from London to Spain, ( a bit late now), but I would have reserved the Euro-Star London-Paris, spend a couple of days in Paris, or skip it, then take the TGV to Spain, preferably a night train, Skip Bordeaux this time, take TGV Paris to Madrid. If trying to cut down on the expenses is a primary concern, then forget the couchette, sleep upright in the general seating area or compartment (You'll see that's what the locals do)...it's a lot cheaper than paying extra for the couchette or sleeper. In Vienna there are 3 good to excellent hostels at the west train station (Westbahnhof) area. I've stayed at one and checked out the other two as well.

It doesn't sound as though Nice is a high priority for Alex. Given the logistical difficulties I'd just skip it and fly to the next high-priority destination. Less hassle, less exhaustion, and more time for the places that are top ranked on this time-starved itinerary.

It would actually work better to take the Elipsos night train to Turin and then backtrack. You could get to Nice by 13:03 doing that, with an uninterrupted night on the train (well, uninterrupted by the need to get off, at least).

Kathleen, this forum often provides a bold reality check for those who either have done minimum planning on their own and present a travel plan that is almost unrealistic in scope, or for those who have little idea what it is like to do things like travel on a night train or who think that traveling from Spain to Italy is like going from Ohio to Michigan. Whether it is budgets, accomodation, or traveling, most of the posters offering advice here, have been there and done that. Perhaps their style is not all warm and fuzzy and sugar-coated, but it is still helpful. Count me in as one who will never travel on a night train again. Cheap flights might be a better option for those long treks to multiple countries. Just reading the original post about wanting to go to 11 different places, and leaving in just a few weeks, plus being on a tight budget, all those things don't match up very well. Nigel is trying to point this out, as have others.

Kudos to Jo and Nigel! Well said! You two are so spot-on in your feedback, any frequent reader of this helpline should know they can take what you say to the bank. Alex, you can take what advice is offered, or leave it. As another poster said, please do give us an after your trip: where you finally decided to go, what were the highs and lows, how the transportation worked out.

Alex, Good, well-seasoned travelers are giving you some really good advice. If the goal is relaxation, cover less ground, and take time to enjoy. I am guessing each of you have a wish list of places that you have bolted together? If so, peel a few away each and compress. I would kick off either UK-Ireland or Spain -- or both! Something needs to go. You will return again I'm sure, so save some spots.

No. I stopped reading after getting about halfway through it... No. Have you ever blown up a balloon, then let it go? 'Zzzzzzzzzz' all over the room? That's your itinerary, only travel takes A LOT LONGER than a balloon. Barcelona>Nice>Geneva with one night in Nice? NOT nice. Nigel, I actually 'fist-bumped' you when I read your first post; it's tough love, Kathleen. I'm not going to sign off on some of these itineraries when I know what a disaster they are IMHO, which is what I was asked for. Alex said: "We are viewing this as an opportunity to get out there and see the most that we can and not as some relaxing vacation where we stroll along vineyards & drink wine & sit on beaches all day long. Comments, suggestions???" Yes, you'll be sitting on planes and trains ALL DAY LONG drinking wine...I definitely appreciate the fact you want to 'go and do', but you haven't left any time for the 'doing'. Do I need to clear a space on my mantle ;-)

Oh man, there's definitely a lot of tough love going on here. So we tried to slightly revise our schedule, giving us a few more days in the cities we want to see & cutting out some long travel days on trains by taking flights. Here it goes again..: Day 1 - Flight in to Dublin early morning, spend day in Dublin Day 2 - Another day in Dublin Day 3 - Fly from Dublin to Madrid in the morning, spend day in Madrid Day 4 - Day in Madrid Day 5 - Day in Madrid Day 6 - Day in Madrid Day 7 - Take train to Barcelona, spend day in Barcelona Day 8 - Day in Barcelona Day 9 - Day in Barcelona Day 10 - Take morning flight to Milan, make our way over to Cinque Terre via train Day 11 - Cinque Terre Day 12 - Cinque Terre
Day 13 - onward -Travel to Bern, Switzerland - wanted to spend some time exploring Jungfrau, Gimmenwald, etc. (Reminder: we have a total of 26 days) ..Ok, I'm going to stop here as our plans beyond this aren't solidified. (And to give you all the chance to chew up & spit out what we have so far haha). Basically, we need to make our way over to Munich for our flight home & we wanted to do by including the areas in Switzerland I mentioned as well as Austria (perhaps St. Gilgen, Vienna, or Salsburg?) We do have the flights I mentioned so far reserved. Is this a bit more doable or are we completely doomed?

Ahhhh...(exhaling...) I'm feeling better about the whole trip...MUCH more relaxed... (Nigel might even let you take his blood pressure - baby steps!)

Alex, The revised itinerary is looking great and very do-able. Please keep us all posted as you progress, and then let us know how your trip goes. This has been a fun, attention-getting thread, based if nothing else on the number of postings. (I have to admit, I've enjoyed clicking on it each day, just to see what's happened :) It appears everyone on this site genuinely cares about other travelers, especially you and your sister. And, you've definitely acted on feedback. I see a fun, memorable trip in the making. Safe travels!! And, how wonderful to be seeing so much at a young age.....Godspeed to you.

Alex, I see you decided to scratch the option of going by train Barcelona-Milano. Between Nice and Milano my choice is Milano too, but I would have done the direct night train route. Since the return flight is out of Munich, I myself would get to Vienna after Italy, gain an extra day by the direct Milano-Vienna night train...no need to transfer. Vienna is one of my top favourite cities in Europe. I would choose the route arriving at Wien Westbahnhof, and as pointed out above, 3 well-recommended hostels are in that immediate area. When you leave for Munich, it's out of Westbahnhof. Taking the Railjet is the best way between Vienna and Munich, ca., 4.5 hrs. It used to be more than 6 hrs.

Now we're cooking. I feel so much better and my blood pressure has come back down. Alex, those first 13 days look really super. I think you and your sister will have a great time. If you keep the pace of the second half at about the same rate you will remember this trip for decades, for all the right reasons....

And unless you´ve suddenly stumbled upon more money, I would still cut Switzerland. You can´t avoid the Alps going to and from Italy, so don´t think you won´t get a good Alpine experience if you don´t go far out of your way to spend money you probably don´t have in the Berner Oberland. I would consider getting your Alpine fix somewhere in Germany or Austria that fits your overall itinerary more logically. And the Alps are one region you really can´t rush. The weather can vary from day to day, and if you don´t budget enough time, you may only see rain and fog.

WOW. Much better, remember as so many have said, trust us, you will go back someday. ENJOY.

So we just returned from our one month trip to Europe. Despite much criticism on our itinerary before we left, we still planned on seeing as much as possible. Here's a rough itinerary of our travels: Dublin, Ireland Londond, England & surrounding cities, such as Windsor Madrid, Spain Barcelona, Spain Cinque Terre, Italy Vienna Austria Salzburg, Austria Sankt Gilgen, Austria (very small, picturesque village where we had a friend to stay with) Munich, Germany Interlaken, Switzerland Paris, France As you can see, we saw ALOT in a short amount of time. However I am VERY GLAD to say that we had the time of our lives and that we wouldn't have changed our itinerary at all. I'm not really sure why people were suggesting to see less. I should also add, we managed to keep a budget of under $3000 combined for both of us (excluding Eurail and airfare). It was perfect and I couldn't imagine changing anything. So for anyone looking to travel Europe, go big and see alot!

Also, we did create a blog. but have only up to Cinque Terre finished. Here it is : http://alexmarianaeurope.wordpress.com

Very impressed with your budgeting and glad you enjoyed. Now you can help others on this site.

Alex, thanks for doing the after-the-trip post. We've all been wondering about you, and are so glad you had the time of your lives. Can't wait to check out your blog. And, I'm guessing Europe will call to you again and that you already have a list of places to visit on your next trip.........there is always sooooo much more to see :) Until we all get to check out your blog, which were your top 3 favorite places and/or sites? Funniest experience? Take care, and best in med school.

Sounds like you came back for a big 'ol "I told you so" to this board. Usually people coming back after a trip drop at least a small dollop of gratitude.

Ah, Michael 1, try to cut Alex some slack:) Though Alex got some very good advice from people who only wished the best for him, some of the feedback he received was pretty darned harsh, but Alex was always a very good sport about it. Alex, I'm so glad you had a good time! And thanks for checking back in with us.

Thanks for the update! I'm glad you had a great time!

Right on Penny. Nice post, very thoughtful.

Alex, I am in awe of your energy! You certainly covered a lot of territory and saw many wonderful sights. You need to put all of your travel techniques down on paper and get them published. I never would have thought you could see and do so much on your budget. You could also teach folks a thing or two on traveling light. Your blog is great. I'm looking forward to the next installment.