My wife is Mexican and has never been to Europe. I've been a dozen times, and this will probably be my last. We land in Dublin the 2nd week of April for 3 days (to "climatize"), and we fly home from Warsaw the middle of May.
Looking for suggestions. I want to show her Salema, Cinque Tierra, Venice, krakow, and visit old friends near Rothenburg, Germany for a few days. Open for ideas. Because my wife is Spanish speaking, nervous about going, and thinks we are better off to "save the money", I want to spend some time in Spain and also discover some new places with her.
I've been beating my head against the wall with trying to squeeze in Paris, Rome and "places you MUST see", I'm pulling my hair out to try to accomplish too much in limited time.
I'm open to any ideas or thoughts you can offer. I think our future traveling is going to be South America in the future, which is amazing and much more economical.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
First things first:
1. Does your 33 day period include the day you arrive and the day you leave? If so, subtract two days from that time.
2. How do you intend to get from place to place while in Europe? Driving won't be a good option since you are talking about several different countries. There are large drop fees when renting in one country and dropping in another. You might opt to rent for brief periods in certain locations.
3. What kind of budget do you have for this trip? This will affect types of lodging, things you can do, meal planning, as well as transportation expenses to get from each place to the next.
4. The earlier you can book things like high-speed trains, flights, etc., the better. Of course, that means finalizing an itinerary (or parts of it) early, too. In my own planning, that sometimes helps determine my itinerary, if I find out that I can get a cheaper flight if I wait a day, or that train doesn't run on Tuesday so I will leave on Wednesday.
Posted by
2081 posts
Michael,
33 days isnt bad for a start.
but you have to do some thinking on WHY youre going to where you say. To me what you say where you want to go is more or less central/south and then you add Dublin?
unless there is something special there, i would dump it and focus on the other areas.
Since ive been traveling in the last 2.5 years, my time is approximately 30 days. And most of the time i travel in a small area and i can fit in at least 5 or 6 major citys in almost just as many countries. Some places in Europe is more compact (closer togeather) so travel distances/time isnt that bad. but when you start to make further jumps, it can take more time & $$$.
also, depending on what you want to do/see, i dont see why you cant see/do all the places you list unless theres something youre leaving out. Paris is an exception since its sort of out of your way.
what may help is to ask yourself why you want to go there and then make a list of the citys/countries/places you want to go and guestimate how many days(nights) you want to spend and go from there. that list will tell you if youre overreaching.
what you can think about too is to "group" your travels. try to keep from making large train/air use that way it can keep you on the ground more.
if you need to print out some maps and start making marks on it, go for it. it will help you visualize where youre going and how spread out your plans are.
happy trails.
Posted by
OP
Vancouver, WA, usa
37 posts
I appreciate all the response. I did figure the days we actually arrive and leave to figure the trip. What a bummer to have to figure it down to the hour, almost. But yes, it's NOT 35 days, as I initially intended..but more like 33 and the flight out, making it 34. Lost a day on the arrival. Bummers again.
So, with that being said, thank you all for your tips and advice. I planned to start in Dublin because I have always told my Spanish speaking friends where I have settled in Mexico, "If you are planning a trip to Europe....be sure to stop in Dublin, as Ireland is the most friendly, warm and hospitable country in Europe." I want Adriana to see and experience that. And for the first day or two, you are usually in "la-la land" anyway. A good place to land and just walk, shop, eat, and visit a few sites around the city. Not "heavy duty tourism"-ville.
I'm finding that widdling down to what is important to me, and what is important to my wifey is what matters. I have NO desire to visit Rome; but it is one of her top priorities. She couldn't care less about visiting southern Germany, but my friends that live there are my #1 priority. It's all "compromise" when you travel with someone....spouse or friend, or whatever.
We'll be fine. I plan to "get lost" in Spain..and we can rely on Ryan Air, etc to jump us around more than I ever dreamed of doing back in the 60's and 70's. Technology is so different from when we traveled from American Express for mail and carried travelers' checks to function in a dozen different land with different currencies, customs, etc. I appreciate ALL the comments.
I'm not real tech-savvy, but savvy enough. I bought a few things I won't need, and don't have a few things I will need; but we'll survive. I know I will miss most staying in hostels where you get a chance to mingle with other travelers and the young people who aren't afraid to make mistakes and have an inbred knowledge of the latest technology that are only "expressions with no meaning" to me. But maybe we can cross paths with a few younger travelers and get a chance to gather up some of their knowledge of how the world works and what all these new gadgets do, and explain how to use some of them.
Damn! I'm excited! Last trip I took, I expect to stay three months. I returned after only two weeks because I wanted Adriana to be there with me so she could see all the wonderful things I was seeing. Now she will be. This is going to be great!...even if we sit on the curb outside the Dublin airport until the sun goes down the first day. We are in Europe..the other side of the world, where they live life in a different way...not better, not worse...just different. You really can't mess this up. Every day is a new experience when you travel outside your comfort zone. I'm really looking forward to this one!
Thanks again for all the advice and information.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Michael, one thing you can do about mingling with other travelers is to stay in places that serve breakfast. Another would be to sign up for a local walking tour from time to time.
I'm with Adriana about Rome - and seeing it with her might make it more enjoyable for you.
All good things,
Zoe.
Posted by
southwest, Missouri, U.S.A.
1717 posts
Hello Michael. I recommend that you delete Ireland from your travel plans. Ireland is not the only country where people are friendly. People in Portugal are friendly. Many people in Italy are friendly. And many people in Spain are warm and friendly.
Traveling between Dublin and Warsaw would be a very wide area. If you travel to the eight destinations that you mentioned (including Rome, not including Paris) you would have seven travel days -- for travel between destinations. I think it would really be more than eight destinations, because I think you will go to more than one place in Spain. And there are long distances between most of the places that you mentioned.