Best way to travel for 9 family members:economy-wise

Margie,
To be of any help, we really need to know WHERE in Europe you plan on traveling to.

We have been told to fly into Amsterdam at the end of May for best flights. We are really open right now, covering from Amsterdam, France, Spain and Italy. Knowing that we can't do it all in one trip, we are even thinking of a week in one place and a week in another. Pricing it out, I didn't know if we might have more buying power though if we did a tour or cruise because of the number of people.

Which country (countries) are a must see?

You might want to consider renting two cars instead of 1 van. Large vans are very expensive to rent and hard to park. Two cars could end up being more economical. Also be careful when considering what kind of drivers license is required to drive a large van in Europe. In terms of the style of travel it depends a bit on the people in your group. If it's a family that wants to spend time together I'd recommend to rent a couple of houses as bases and do some more local exploring from there.

"We have been told to fly into Amsterdam at the end of May for best flights." You will find comparable prices to Paris/CDG from PHX for May. That could always change. You should probably fly into one city and out of another. I used my travel dates leaving mid May returning early June. It is about 825 (decent price) into either CDG or AMS. Flying into CDG handout of AMS is 825. It is just another 25 to do it the opposite way. Of course, you could mix and match other cities. If Italy is on your radar you could fly to AMS and out of Rome.

As for necessary countries, Gerri, I would say we need to make a stop in Amsterdam to see a friend. Other then that, we are still really just open to anything. Realizing that Europe as a whole has so many beautiful places, we don't think we can go wrong with any place we go. Price is a factor because of the large group. And it's looking like coming into one country and out another is the way to go. We are not shoppers (as in needing to shop in Paris,) we are more for checking out museums, architecture, wine country, local-simple living and even beaches are a plus.

Margie,, how long is visit,, two weeks,, three, ( did I miss this?) . If travelling for more then a set amount of days( I believe its about three weeks) then leasing vehicles is a economy wise choice.
Renting a van large enough for nine will be almost impossible, and likely very expensive, and then you will find that even if it fits nine of you, it likely will not fit the luggage for nine people. Two vehicles are a better option., Also, is everyone adults, or are there younger kids on trip, letting us know the group makeup may get you some more specific recommendations on things to do or see. Travel itself adds to your cost, so if you pick only one or two places to visit( say Paris and Rome for example) then you can save money by taking some inter Europeon cheapo flights,, I have used Vueling, my husband has used Tuifly and Airberliner, and I know others here on board were happy with their other choices. Advantage is no gas cost( gas is expensive in Europe) , and flights bought in advance can be VERY cheap. That said you can also get cheap point to point train tickets if bought well in advance too,.

If you're wanting to save money, then less traveling will mean less money. Each time you move somewhere else, you have to pay for gas/train tickets/plane tickets. Staying in apartments or cottages will save money, too. You'll have more space and access to a kitchen for a lot less money than staying in B&B's. So you may want to pick 2 areas you want to explore, find a central place to rent an apartment, and do day trips from there. I'm going to agree with the others in that renting 2 cars will cost less than one van. We looked into this in Ireland 2 years ago, renting a van would have cost over 1000 euro/week, while renting 2 cars cost around 500 euro/week. Plus, if I understand it right, some countries require you to have a different license for driving vans. And, if you have 2 cars, if you guys are getting sick of each other, you can split up for a bit.

Picking up with what others have said, I would look for 2 locations to use as home base. You want somewhere that you can strategically cover the most sights with minimal travel. Renting a house or villa will save lots of money in meals alone.

Thank you very much everyone for the pointers. As the day went on here, a lot of what you all were saying was beginning to make sense. We will most likely take up residence in two locations, rent two cars and just enjoy day trips. Now to find a great flight price. ;)

With 9 people flying, have you looked into a charter flight? I have seen charter groups flying on my trips on United Airlines and AA. There are also special charter airline flights available. Not sure of the prices, but doing a private charter- there is no walk thru security hassle, you can name your flight times, etc. Might be worth a look. Even if the minimum is 10, book 10, use 9 and it still might be cheaper per person than booking 9 individual flights.

The basics: 9 people, budget travel, see what you can in 2 weeks starting in A'dam. Don't do railpasses; buy individual tickets and group daypasses for outings and limit your travel distances. Don't rent cars - too expensive, a liability in European cities. Stay in apartments - cheap, more room, your own kitchen. Don't travel super-long distances by train - if you go to Spain or Italy, fly cheap airlines instead: Suggestion: After Amsterdam, do a 3-stay loop with 3-4 days in each place and include Germany, Belgium, and France, which are all close by. Stop 1: Amsterdam - Rhine Valley (near Koblenz) by train. Apartments for 4-5 people run 50-60 Euros per night. Use a 3-day mini-group ticket (40 Euros per group of 5) to make outings. Tour castles, drink wine, enjoy the cobblestoned villages, ride bikes - St. Goar is a great spot to stay: http://www.st-goar.de/586-1-fewos.html We liked this place a lot (there are 4 apartments together): http://www.loreley-apartments.de/unsere_region_en.php Stop 2: Paris? You can buy 39-Euro tickets from St. Goar 92 days in advance at http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en Can't help with Paris apartments. Stop 3: Bruges. Gorgeous city, Venice of northern Europe. Apartments (in Dutch, but most links have English text option): http://www.brugge.be/internet/nl/toerisme/logies_restaurants/vakantie-woningen.htm

Cheap airline sight missing above: http://whichbudget.com

Wow Russ! Thank you so much for that detailed information. And thank you everyone else also. First time posting on a sight and found this to be very worth it. Hope I become a seasoned European traveler some day so that I can give back. :)