Travelling abroad!

You guys are great, I guess I need to do more research, I would like to see some tourists spots but I really am more interestd in the local hotspots of the different countries. Good point about wineries being difficult to get to, I think I need to refine my desires, but you know, I can see pictures of many regular tourists spots and although they are well worth viewing in person, I would rather go to quaint towns/cities with great local music and eats, I don't need to do the big Europe thing, I am more people culture type. Does this make sense?

Yes you do make good sense Jen.

My daughter and I plan to go to Portugal, Spain and Italy next year for 5 weeks. We plan to fly into Lisbon (Lisboa) and out of Italy. We had plan to include Greece but did not feel we had the time.

I planned in detail our trip to Europe in 2005. We visited 8 countries in 8 weeks.

My advice would be:

1. Make Folders under FAVORITES for each country.
2. Under each country Folder make a Folder for: Rail/Bus.
3. Under each country Folder make a Folder for Lodging.

Make the same folders in My Documents.

Then every time you run across a web site that may interest you ...make it a favorite under the respective country folder, etc.

Each time you run across a post here on Rick Steves' that you feel is helpful.....copy and paste in My Documents under the respective country, etc.

Make a folder for Airlines.

My main Folder is titled Europe 2010 and I put all the other folders under it.

Hope this was helpful. It is the only way I can stay orgainzed and have everything handy.

Half the fun is in the planning.

Feel free to ask a hundred questions. That is why we are all here.

One week is not long in any country and 3 of these are large countries - by European standards. If wine is your major interest I am surprised you have omitted France as (without really knowing) I would assume that would have the greatest number of wineries.

I suggest you get a general guidebook and do some research before deciding as this does seem a bit vague right now. Time of the year could also be affect where you go.

I agree with other Liz. You begin by doing some research, using guidebooks. Go to your local library or the Travel Store (link at the top of the page) and get yourself Europe Through the Back Door or another guidebook you may prefer, and do some reading. Once you have a clearer idea of what you are interested in and where you want to go, we can help you flesh out a sensible itinerary.

Couple of general tips: moving around is expensive. The more countries on your trip, the more expensive it is. Wineries are often not in the big cities, so you may not be able to get to them as easily with public transportation, and car rentals can be expensive and a hassle. What other stuff are you interested in? Planning to see the Colosseum? Sistine Chapel? There are a lot of non-winery tourist sites throughout Europe. If you have no interest in these, fine, but generally we assume that first-time visitors to Europe like to hit the highlights.

Start watching the Rick show every time it airs in your city. I assume you have a local PBS station there, no doubt Rick is on at least once a week. Make a point of watching every show, even if it's on an area you have no interest in. Why? because you will pick up many valuable tips and strategies that apply everywhere. Get his "Europe Through the back Door" book and start reading it. Then start reading the posts on this forum that apply to the areas you are interested in. All of those activities will begin filling in the blank spots for you.

FWIW, while I'm sure there's some wine in Greece, and no doubt it's a nice place to visit with much to see, it doesn't see to fit in your trip if you really are largely focused on wine. Certainly France should be on your list, and Germany, too, before Greece, IF wine is so central to your trip.

Personally, as much as I enjoy a nice glass of the grape, I think there is sooooo much more to see/do in Europe that if you've never been there, it seems misguided to focus on wine to the exclusion of all else. Just my 2 Euros.

Oh so helpful, THANKS. I already called and had barnes hold that book for me David, and you are right about the wineries, I will just order a glass wherever I am, thanks. And JB that is a great idea as I am a far from organized person. Very useful, thanks, I will have a ton more questions so thanks for helping me! I guess I am looking for abroad RnR versus hustle to see monuments and such. A great cafe or eatery/pub with fantastic views is more my reason. Thanks

You've got a great attitude Jen! You're going to love Europe!

Thanks Sharon!

Jen,

As the others said, the first step will be reading Europe Through The Back Door. That will provide you with a lot of information on travelling in Europe, and the important things to know. I also agree that watching Rick's shows on PBS would likely be a big help, as it will likely introduce you to places that you aren't aware of (aka as "Rick's Back Door spots").

One month is NOT a long time for travel in Europe, especially considering the distances you'll be travelling in the 4 countries you listed. My suggestion would be to limit your visit this time to Portugual, Spain & Italy and leave Greece for the next trip when you can see it properly (as Rick says "assume you will return").

In choosing cities to visit, the travel times between them are an important consideration, so it's a good idea not to try and fit too many stops in. Try to limit one night stops, as they get very tiring!

Using open jaw flights would be a really good idea, perhaps inbound to Lisbon and outbound from Rome.

I also agree with David that Europe has so much to see in terms of history, art and culture, it would be a shame to just see the insides of numerous wineries and ignore the more "traditional" sites. You might consider a reasonable mix of wineries and other sites so that your first trip to Europe is somewhat "balanced".

Good luck with your planning!

Can't disagree with any of the advice given above, would only add that, if you can make it, attend one of Rick's weekend travel teachathons in Edmunds. We did before our first trip and it was well worth the time and expense - we are probably about the same distance from Edmunds as Reno is. His next one is October 3, and I expect he will have one in the spring also. We learned so much in such a short time. My wife and I split up to cover as many of the classes as possible.

Hello Jen. I agree with Ken : go to only Portugal and Spain and Italy, in this trip. I think I saw a whole book on touring the vineyards and wineries in ITALY. I recommend : acquire the travel guide books : "Rick Steves' PORTUGAL", and "Rick Steves' ITALY 2009". Some good places in Italy were not mentioned in the book Rick Steves' ITALY. You might like to know about the charming town Cannobio at the west side of Lake Maggiore, near Switzerland. A Bus goes to Cannobio from Stressa. And the island Elba, located west of Piombino.

I would also look at the time of year that you want to travel. Harvest time, depending on the country, is in Sept-Oct. I know in Germany, they have TONS of wine festivals in October that are a great experience.

You may want to search on Amazon, too, and see if there's some kind of wine-lovers guide to Europe.

My travels have been limited to major tourist destinations or places where I speak the local language. I wonder if it would be difficult to manage in Iberian villages. I have heard that Spain is particularly difficult, with many dialects which are not even similar to each other.

Lisbon to Athens is about 2000 miles as the crow flies. Overland it is probably double that, at least.

This is all such great info keep it coming everyone, and THANK YOU!

What wines do you typically enjoy at home? For me, I've always loved French wines so a European winery trip absolutely would have to include France (in fact we just did France, Italy is next time), but I could skip Spain. Just another thing to think about.

What about getting guide books and see what's going on in each , instead of expecting others (us) to do the work.

Bea-Not to start yet another "discussion"/fight on this HELPline, but I think your reply was totally unnecessary. If you don't want to answer someone then don't, but don't write a snarky reply. If you think it's a stupid question-fine, but don't write a snarky reply. This gal has never traveled abroad before and quite rightly, doesn't have much of an idea of where to begin. We ALL started off in this position!

Bea!! This is the "Travelers' Helpline". Which is here for the purpose of helping travelers' with their questions such as myself and others. For example, I offer suggestions and when planning one of my trips I ask questions.

This is not the place for negative comments!

Thanks Elaine and JB- I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.

Jen,

Be sure to keep us updated on your planning, so that we can provide tips for "fine tuning" (if necessary).

Cheers!

Thanks Ken, I am reading a ton right now and will be sure to check with you guys when I start picking places. I want to take my time and plan and save so that I can just relax and kick it once I'm there!

To answer Chani's question regarding Iberian towns. I travelled throughout Spain this past May and found no problem communicating in my imperfect Spanish. As with any country there are regional differences in language, but one can communicate wherever they go. Have fun Jen, the fun IS in the planning! There are a lot of helpful people here so keep coming back to the helpline.