Travel help for a planned vacation

We recommend flying from Paris to Pisa or Florence and later from Pisa to Barcelona. See www.skyscanner.com. You can check other airports, but Pisa should be served by some budget airlines. If you choose train, a rail pass would not save money for this route; the best deal would be to buy point-to-point tickets in advance for the longer routes, and in the train station for short rides within Italy.

It doesn't much matter whether your bag has wheels (much more popular) or a backpack (for hardy travelers), as long as you pack light and can easily handle your bag yourself on stairs and a variety of other situations.

Thanks for the advice!

A few comments on your questions......

1. As Laura mentioned, a budget flight (probably form Orly) is usually the most efficient method. Pisa is well served by easyJet and other airlines, and is relatively close to the Cinque Terre. Booking well in advance will provide the best prices, but note that the cheaper tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable. Be sure to read the Terms & Conditions carefully, especially related to luggage.
2. Especially in Italy, Railpasses are rarely cost effective as P-P tickets are relatively cheap. However, there are a few "caveats" to be aware of..... When traveling on Regionale trains, passengers MUST validate tickets prior to boarding the trains on the day of travel, or risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot! When travelling on the fast trains such as Freccia or InterCity, reservations are compulsory and are specific to train, date and departure time. Tickets are valid ONLY for the one train listed on the ticket. If passengers board the wrong train, again hefty fines!
3. Each one of us here has a "favourite" of the five Cinque Terre towns. I prefer to stay in Monterosso, as it's the largest town and therefore has the most hotels, restaurants and other tourist amenities (and also the best beaches).
4. Use whatever luggage is most comfortable for you. I prefer a Backpack but the majority seem to like wheelie bags. Keep in mind you'll need to pack light as you're going to be one hauling those on and off trains, down stairs in stations, etc.

Thanks for the advice, Ken! I've learned from my last trip not to over pack for vacation. Last time I had to leave a pair of shoes because my luggage was heavy. It was very difficult moving around cobbled streets with it.

Before answering your questions, I have some for you. I'm guessing you have some sort of budget, as you want the cheapest option for Florence and the Cinque Terre.

You have listed six locations, most of which are located pretty far apart. How many days and weeks do you have for this trip? (And when?) Keep in mind that with all those locations, you'll be spending a good chunk of time in transit between them (rough rule of thumb, each location change = half a day), and a higher percent of your trip budget will be spent on those transportation costs. Also, depending on the size of the group of friends, difficulty in getting the group up, on the move, and together while transiting can be a hassle.

I have always preferred 2-wheeled luggage (I'm a short woman, and have used the same 21-inch rolling bag for years), because I always have some other bag slung over my shoulders. My favorite day bag converts between a shoulder bag, messenger bag and backpack, depending on the need and location.

I'm not a train transportation expert, but it looks like, given all these destinations, you will buy Eurostar tix for the London-Paris leg (or fly if you like), fly from there to Florence, fly from there to Barcelona/Madrid, whichever has the best schedules/prices, and take the AVE between the two Spanish cities. Individual tickets would be the best, I would say.

Lexma: We are planning on going in September/October because we wanted to be in Barcelona for the Le Merce festival. At this point the goal is for a 3 week to 3 1/2 week vacation. This could change depending on the budget that each member can save by end of June. As of right now there will be four of us traveling together. If we have to take different flights and meet up at the following city will not be an issue. All I'm doing is trying to come up with the cheapest itinerary/flight path and present it to the group.

How long is this trip going to be? If it's 2 weeks, you're simply trying to go to too many places too far apart.

London to Paris is best by Eurostar fast train in 2 1/2 hrs.

From Paris Orly Airport, you'd fly on EasyJet into Pisa and take a 1 hr. train ride over to Florence.
To get to Cinque Terre, you'd take a train back over to Pisa and go north to LaSpezia. A local train will take you into the C/T.
You'd go back to Pisa and catch a flight on Vueling Airlines to Barcelona.

From Barcelona to Madrid is 385 miles, and it's between 35 to 50 Euros to fly on Vueling between the two cities.

I have taken as many as 4 people on a trip to Europe, and they were limited to a 22" rolling suitcase. It worked out perfectly for our mid size station wagon--no room left. Anyone can travel with that much luggage indefinately.