Plan Your Europe Trip Now

Summer is a great time to visit Europe. The weather is warm in most areas, the days are long, and you don’t have to take your kids out of school for them to experience this exciting trip with you. However, summer is also the busiest season in most parts of Europe, so it pays to take some extra time to plan your trip carefully.

Tips For Planning A Successful Trip To Europe This Summer

1. Plan early. Making your European travel plans well in advance can save you money and also insure that you get the hotels, tours and other travel elements that you desire. Most airlines and some hotels offer deeply-discounted fares and rates to those who book early. After those seats and rooms are gone, the prices go up.

2. Learn a few words. While English is spoken or at least understood widely in the major cities of Europe, it’s polite (and useful) to learn at least a few words of the country or countries that you’ll be visiting. It will go a long way towards soothing relations between you and the hotel staff, restaurant servers and store clerks. At a minimum, learn a few greetings and the names of foods and beverages you like.

3. Don’t try to see it all. If this is your first trip to Europe, it can be tempting to try to see as much as you can of the continent in one trip. However, even though the distances between most cities are smaller in Europe than in Canada or the United States, you don’t want to spend all of your time on trains, planes or buses. Better to pick one country or one region and explore it thoroughly.

4. Plan to get off of the beaten path. Although the big cities of Europe have a lot of appeal, they generally aren’t where you’re going to find the real culture and feel of the country, especially during the summer tourist season. When you’re mapping out your itinerary, be sure to include some smaller towns and attractions, not just the big metropolitan areas. Go here for more places to see that avoid crowds.

5. Pack light. Gone are the days when a trip to Europe meant dragging a lot of steamer trucks around with you. Limiting yourself to what you can easily carry yourself gives you more flexibility. By traveling lightly, you can hop on a train, navigate rail stations and airports easily, take public transportation to your lodging and stay in private or smaller hotels that may not have an elevator or a bellman.

Bon Voyage!

A trip to Europe this summer is an invitation to experience a new culture, see historic and cultural attractions, try new food and just get away from your usual routine. Make sure that you get the most from your trip by starting early, packing light and limiting your itinerary to one region or one country.