One of the benefits of having a European boyfriend is that I've been able to go to Europe somewhat regularly. I don't expect anybody to trade in their American model on a European one, but he and I are in a position to share the tips and tricks of traveling to Europe affordably. It's quite a bit different from traveling in the U.S. We'll do U.S. travel on another blog.
PICK YOUR COUNTRY AND CITY: Let me dispel some of the common myths.
1. MYTH - Many countries don't speak English so this will be problematic.
TRUTH - They all speak English, if sometimes a little bit broken. The younger the person you approach, the more likely they are to speak English.
2. MYTH - Some countries are anti-American.
TRUTH - They are all pro-American unless you go over and act like a total jerk. I have done that myself and gotten the cold shoulder. The worst that will happen is someone will move away from you on the subway. No one will actually say anything.
Knowing this, you can go just about anywhere. I've been all over Greece (inland and various islands and Athens) and to London, Paris, Rome, Venice, Florence, and Zurich. If you are only going to Europe once, and you want to see the most historically significant sites in the smallest area, I would vote for Rome. I would also say focus on one city for several days. You will be jet lagged for the first couple of days, so plan time for an afternoon siesta to catch up on your sleep. What you do NOT want to do is one city per day, or one country per day. You will not get enough time to soak up the sites and you will spend all you time traveling. If beautiful artwork and ruins is not your bag, and laying on the beach is, I would say go to Greece. You can fly in to Athens, see the ruins for a day, and then take a ferry to an island where you will eat fabulous food and layout.
PICK YOUR TRAVEL COMPANION CAREFULLY: If your spouse is a poor traveler, or your children are at an age where they sulk and complain a lot, they could really mess up your trip. Pick someone and BE someone who doesn't expect to be in their own living room when they travel. I dated a guy who complained incessantly while on our one trip to Cozumel to scuba dive. Didn't like the food, wouldn't dive, couldn't understand why they didn't use American money or always speak English. I could have screamed. It was the beginning of the end for that relationship. If you are dating someone, and you ARE a person who wants to travel a lot, test your prospective life partner on something like a four day trip to Mexico. Also, if this person says that going to Europe would be a nightmare for them, believe him/her. It's TOTALLY different from the U.S.
THE FLIGHT: Per my boyfriend who goes to Greece every summer to see his family, the best travel sight is Kayak.com. This searches all the other websites for the best deals. Just like in the U.S., you want as few layovers as possible. I just looked up DFW to Madrid Spain and it's less than $1,100 round trip in June. Flexibility on your dates and times will help your rate. They have a busy season just like we do.
If you don't do so now, you might consider getting a credit card that gives you airline miles. I have used the AAdvantage card for American Airline miles and got free roundtrip tickets every year by charging everything to the card (including property taxes) and paying it off every month. You have to be disciplined because you don't want to pay interest on your monthly charges, or any late charges. However, we're switching to a Southwest credit card soon since we travel on Southwest more.
THE HOTEL: This is where we save a boat load. We don't package it with the flight. We just fly over and stand around in the line at the airport travel bureau in whatever city we arrive in (it's an office for tourists). The travel bureau desk will show you several hotel brochures they have listed and you get to decide. But before you get to the front of the line, some sales reps with unlisted hotels will sidle up to you in the line and ask you "What are you looking for?" I look them right in the eye and say"We want a hotel room with a connecting bathroom for less than 90 Euros." They might roll their eyes or laugh, or even say it doesn't exist. But the next sales rep will show up and say, "OK, this is what I have for less than 90 Euros....." It will invariably be something with construction noise from the remodeling in the next wing, but it's during the day when I'm going to be running around the Colosseum or the Louvre, so who cares??? I guarantee if you go through the web before you get there you will get the most expensive deal. The best deal we got in Greece was in Corfu (an island) where we get a whole small villa (little hotel) to ourselves for 90 Euros per day.
TRANSPORTATION: We have never rented a car. However, we did take his brother's car across Greece one year, so if you were doing an inland trip across the country you would have to do so. But otherwise we never have. We take the train (every major city has a subway) and buses. And we walk a LOT. You can get an international drivers license through AAA for $20. If you are AAA member, it's free. If worse comes to worst you can take a taxi (you may need to to get to the hotel from the airport.) But do not get one of those cattle call tours full of nothing but Americans. On the islands, the hotels and the beaches are not in the same location. They have buses that leave every thirty minutes or so to take you to the beach. The language of travel is English. If a person from Japan is trying to get to the Vatican, they speak English. You can get around if you just ask for help. They WANT you to come back.
When we went to Rome, we started in Zurich, Switzerland, took the train south to Rome, and then took the train north to Venice and Florence and then back to Zurich. This was two weeks. The train trip is part of the fun. And the flight over the Alps was breathtaking. It is possible to do two countries up right in one trip, but it will require one week in one city (Greece) and one week in the other (e.g. Paris). There is no reason to fly to Europe if it's for only one or two days per country. Take your time.
RESTAURANTS: The water and the food is safe. You might want to go where the locals hang out, because it will be significantly cheaper. Please please do NOT go to TGI Fridays and McDonalds. The goal is to get immersed in a new culture. Try something you cannot get over here. In Greece we eat a Greek salad and tzatziki (yogurt dip) as an appetizer every meal. We eat rabbit, too. The seafood is exceptional. The food is actually the best thing about Greece. I wasn't crazy about the food in Rome. Prosciutto sandwiches are all dry white bread and a sliver of dry lunch meat. What was really good was the paella (stew).
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