Probably a weird question to ask here...

betizzle73 · May 2010

but, I love you ladies and I want your advice . Have any of you guys traveled to Europe?

Kurt and I have been looking at stuff online, trying to decide if we should go on an all inclusive tour, or if we should put our own trip together.If ya'll have gone, what did you do? would you do it again? This would be for our honeymoon, which we won't take until next summer, since our wedding is in November and we're both in school... which makes taking one right away impossible

scorpioscuba · May 2010

I would definitely put your own trip together if you are comfortable travelling on your own. I just planned a 2 week European trip for my mom, sister and I which we took in March. It was so much fun and definitely cheaper than an all inclusive tour. I used the fodors.com community boards to do most of my research. Once I had our dates figured out I watched flights and looked for hotels/apartments. If you are planning to stay in one place for at least 5 days an apartment rental is definitely the way to go! We stayed in an apartment in Paris for a week and it was fabulous! European hotel rooms are a lot smaller than what we are used to here in the US so you will get more room in an apartment, it is typically cheaper than a hotel plus you usually have kitchen and laundry facilities so you can do some meals in. If you need any help in planning or have any questions let me know. I've been to Paris 3 times and London twice.

betizzle73 · May 2010

You may just be a lifesaver

The one we're looking at is an 9 day london/paris trip.I'll let you know if I have any questions! thank you!

shanna82 · May 2010

I've never been to Europe but I want to go sooo bad! That's awesome that you guys are planning a trip.

I did go to Antigua in the Caribbean for our honeymoon and we did an all-inclusive resort (Sandals) and absolutely loved it! But if you are planning on going to different parts of Europe I would imagine that planning your own trip would work the best?

Let us know what you decide!

jerriesgirl · May 2010

Sounds like fun! I was planning a trip to Italy for our one year anniversary,but I kept procrastinating. Turned out I was pregnant.

I went to tripadvisor to read reviews and signed up for kayak and airfarewatchdog airfare price alerts. Go to the library and look at some of the "...for Dummies" books. I have the "Italy for Dummies" and it is great.

Izabella22 · May 2010

I guess it depends on what you want to see. I've never done one of those all inclusive, see-everything tours. Seemed like a lot of traveling ( suppose that's the point) and not very relaxing, after the wedding we were pooped. but anyways... MH and I went to Italy for our honeymoon. We flew into Pisa, rented a car, rented a GPS, got a room for a week at a really nice little B&B in Tuscany and just tooled around the countryside for a week. I knew I wanted to go to Tuscany for years, check out the vineyards, see the not-so-touristy stuff. It was amazing and really laid back. We had the most fabulous place to stay overlooking San Gimignano in the middle of a nature preserve, right in the middle of wine country. We took a couple of short trips so we didn't get to see Rome or Venice, but it was very relaxing and we had a good time. I think if I did it again I would probably have spent a night in Siena because that was really gorgeous (highly recommend a visit there!!!). But we did it right, if you want to see the countryside renting a car is the way to go, with the GPS, a healthy respect for getting out of the way of the Italian drivers, and a sense of humor the driving over there isn't half bad. Granted Pisa was the biggest city we visited, but you can always hop a train to Rome or wherever.

CashewsMommy · May 2010

I wen to Europe when I was a senior in high school... and we went with a bunch of teachers who just wanted to go, and it's cheaper at a group rate. So I guess you can say it was a tour.

I'd go on your own! Rent a car and just drive around. We went to Paris and stayed there for a few days and then drove to Switzerland and went home. But on the way we visited the beaches of Normandy, Mount St. Michelle, The Matterhorn.

I loved that trip!!!

damabo80 · May 2010

I've been twice. I went to Italy (hit up all the major cities) when I was 16 and I was in a performing group. Due to the nature of the trip (preformances each day), it was highly, highly organized (down to where we were going to eat lunch that day.) It cramped my style.

DH had a business trip to London about a year and half ago, and I tagged along. I explored the city by myself (while DH was at work, poor guy), but did get one of those two day bus tour things, where you can hop on and off the bus and there's a tour guide to tell you what you are seeing. I highly recommend doing that the first day or two you are there, so that you get a feel for the city. After I got a feel for the city, I went off exploring by myself. I also got a tube pass for the week. DH and I took a weekend and went to Paris, and promptly spent the whole time getting lost. London is pretty easy to get around in, but Paris is not. I think it would have been different if we spent more than a day in Paris so we could get our bearings.

Oh, and what the PP said about the hotel rooms was spot on. Since we were on the corporate dime, we stayed at the 4 star hotel. But the room was still super tiny! For some reason, the shower was huge, but the room only had space for a bed, two small little nightstands, a thin dresser and a TV. It was nice, but I felt motel-6-ish.

Also, another recommendation about London that I didn't learn until halfway through the trip. DH and I were on the corporate dime for dinner, which was nice b/c London is really expensive. But the pubs actually offer a great breakfast and lunch. I was having breakfast at the hotel, which was $25! The pubs offered a great breakfast for like $7. Oh, there is one restaurant you have to try (it's a chain): Cafe Rouge. I could eat their French Onion soup for the rest of my life and die happy.

My brother lived in London for a few years, and my SIL is English, and is from London (which is how they met), so if you would like, I can ask them to put together a "recommended" list of things to see and do.

BlakeG · May 2010

We went to Greece for our honeymoon. We didn't do a tour or anything like that because after the wedding we just wanted to be able to relax and do nothing. We really didn't want a schedule. We did use a travel agent though who knew about Greece and helped up pick locations, set up tranfers between islands, etc. So she guided us in the right direction and helped with the logistics but there was no all inclusive thing or tour group. We did Athens, Mykonos & Santorini. It was amazing, I wish I could live in Santorini!

bethskye · May 2010

I lived in Germany for a while, and I have traveled rather extensively around the Baltic and North Seas. I don't know much about the British Isles or France, but I would say to skip the tour and make your own way. In Germany the most effective way to travel was to grab a multi-day railpass and go by train. That may be different in France and England, but the rail system is much much nicer in Europe. The only other advice that I have is to make sure to read up on where your going so that you don't make costly mistakes. (Never let the hotel do your laundry, it's cheaper to buy new clothes. Don't eat the bread that they put on your table in Germany, it costs a bunch extra. etc.) Have a wonderful time, and bring back pictures!

SmallestWilk · May 2010

We spent 10 days in Barcelona...10 days was too long for one place. I would recommend doing at least 2 cities...We didn't go all-inclusive because we like the freedom of doing whatever we want and eating where we want, etc. Plus, I think it's more cost effective to do it on your own. TripAdvisor.com was my best friend in planning!

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