Europe Summer 2016

[ninetails]

Hello! I was wondering if anyone had any tips and tricks for travelling to Europe in the summer

My family of 4 (parents + brother) would like to go on a trip ~10 days, but we've yet to decide where to go and my parents have kind of left that for me to decide.. but since I've never been to Europe I'm not sure where would be best?

 

I'm especially not sure where my 18 years old brother would enjoy going. He's more of the kind of guy who likes being in his room and playing with his yugioh cards or being on his DS, and though he's very friendly and nice, he's not the most outgoing. I just don't want to take him somewhere that's nice for sight seeing but nothing else really interesting to do or explore, since I'm afraid he'll be too bored for the 10 days, or just be back on his DS.

 

If anyone has suggestions for where in Europe may pique the interest of an 18 year old gamer and his family, I'd appreciate it!

 

Also if anyone has tips/tricks for getting the cheapest flights and how to enjoy a trip to Europe with a budget > <

I've looked around and done some research before but I feel like other people always manage to find better deals than I do, so I might be missing something? 3:

 

Thank you!!

[Scream]

Not sure if it would fit your style, but when I went backpacking as a teen we either camped out or stayed at youth hostels, which severely reduced our costs. If you're near universities, you can also usually get really good rates on dorm housing that's empty during the summer.

 

Also consider the types of transportation you want to use. Trains in europe are generally pretty cheap compared to car rentals, and an overnight ferry ride can cover both transportation and a night's lodging at once. You can also rent bikes for day trips and sightseeing to help cut costs, as well as allowing you a lot more freedom of movement.

 

To cut down on frustration, I'd try and stick to countries that are 'tourist' countries (aka they like tourists because they bring in money) and that have a high percentage of english speakers. Also look into what kinds of annual events you might want to attend while you're there. Even smaller art festivals and such can make an okay trip into an awesome one, and has a lot more interest to offer than 'ooh, lets drive 4 hours to go take a picture at X place!'.

[ninetails]

Not sure if it would fit your style, but when I went backpacking as a teen we either camped out or stayed at youth hostels, which severely reduced our costs. If you're near universities, you can also usually get really good rates on dorm housing that's empty during the summer.

 

Also consider the types of transportation you want to use. Trains in europe are generally pretty cheap compared to car rentals, and an overnight ferry ride can cover both transportation and a night's lodging at once. You can also rent bikes for day trips and sightseeing to help cut costs, as well as allowing you a lot more freedom of movement.

 

To cut down on frustration, I'd try and stick to countries that are 'tourist' countries (aka they like tourists because they bring in money) and that have a high percentage of english speakers. Also look into what kinds of annual events you might want to attend while you're there. Even smaller art festivals and such can make an okay trip into an awesome one, and has a lot more interest to offer than 'ooh, lets drive 4 hours to go take a picture at X place!'.

Unfortunately my parents would not be a fan of camping haha, but those are great ideas for the future!

 

I didn't know about the trains so I'll be keeping that in mind and I'll be sure to mention the ferry to my parents

Bikes sound awesome, and my brother loves riding bikes too so that might be a great option ^ ^

 

Thank you for your help again Scream! They're all awesome suggestions

[IslandGirl_Becks]

Europe is my jam! I spent 6 weeks couch surfing with friends in 2014, ending at Oktoberfest/Southern Deutschland. I did a summer program in Germany for 4 weeks in 2008 followed by 2 weeks road tripping from the Netherlands to Switzerland with my grandparents, and lived in Austria for 6 months in 2011 (lots of travelling between classes!). Then there were the 10 day trips to the UK/Prague in 2013 and Portugal/S.Spain in 2012... 

 

Where do you want to go? What's your budget? What are you interested in? Do you want to be a "blitz tourist" (new towns ever day or two) or settle into one place and do day trips around? How much do you want to interact with non-tourism locals? Do you like trying street food, or are you into eating at your 4* hotel? Are there places related to your family's heritage that you'd like to visit? 

[trailgirl]

My husband and I spent a month in Europe a few years ago. We are gamers who also like beer, history, and the outdoors. We sort of did the opposite of a hostel/backpacking trip - we had saved a bunch of hotel and airline points and blew them all on great places to stay! It was awesome. Websites like millionmilesecrets.com and mommypoints.com have good information on travel hacking. Steve even did a post on it when he started his Epic Quest

 

I really love the Rick Steves guide books. He does a good job of breaking down the attractions in each country, and provides example itineraries that I found very helpful. He had a TV show where he toured a country at a time. It's a little dated, but if you can find it it's a quick way see what catches your eye.

 

How does your family feel about museums? Amsterdam and Munich both had lots of unique museums and historical sites to explore.

 

Do your parents like wine? A river trip on the Rhine or Mosel rivers in German could take you by the tasty wine-producing regions.

 

If you like the outdoors, Austria and Switzerland have gorgeous mountains. We rented a car for a week and drove through some beautiful towns. Gimmelwald and Appenzeller, Switzerland, are quieter but gorgeous. You can take cable cars up mountains for some great views and hiking.

 

Want to see some sweet castles? Bavaria has Neuschwanstein, which inspired Walt Disney, and many others. 

 

Nervous about not speaking the language? Rent a car and drive around Ireland! My husband and I took my parents on this one and it was fantastic. Irish people really are super friendly, and driving on the other side of the road isn't so bad. You can find lots of bed and breakfast places on Tripadvisor, usually within walking distance of a pub. Dublin has lots of sites to see. You can even catch a cheap, quick, Ryanair flight out of Dublin to somewhere else for a few days - we flew to Edinburgh for three nights for a change of scenery.

 

Have fun planning! 

[ninetails]

Europe is my jam! I spent 6 weeks couch surfing with friends in 2014, ending at Oktoberfest/Southern Deutschland. I did a summer program in Germany for 4 weeks in 2008 followed by 2 weeks road tripping from the Netherlands to Switzerland with my grandparents, and lived in Austria for 6 months in 2011 (lots of travelling between classes!). Then there were the 10 day trips to the UK/Prague in 2013 and Portugal/S.Spain in 2012... 

 

Where do you want to go? What's your budget? What are you interested in? Do you want to be a "blitz tourist" (new towns ever day or two) or settle into one place and do day trips around? How much do you want to interact with non-tourism locals? Do you like trying street food, or are you into eating at your 4* hotel? Are there places related to your family's heritage that you'd like to visit? 

Oh wow, you must be extremely experienced in anything Europe! Thank you so much for your interest to help us out and all the detailed questions X)

I'll ask these questions to my family and get back here ^ ^ these should help us figure out what we'd like out of the trip as well!

[ninetails]

My husband and I spent a month in Europe a few years ago. We are gamers who also like beer, history, and the outdoors. We sort of did the opposite of a hostel/backpacking trip - we had saved a bunch of hotel and airline points and blew them all on great places to stay! It was awesome. Websites like millionmilesecrets.com and mommypoints.com have good information on travel hacking. Steve even did a post on it when he started his Epic Quest

 

I really love the Rick Steves guide books. He does a good job of breaking down the attractions in each country, and provides example itineraries that I found very helpful. He had a TV show where he toured a country at a time. It's a little dated, but if you can find it it's a quick way see what catches your eye.

 

How does your family feel about museums? Amsterdam and Munich both had lots of unique museums and historical sites to explore.

 

Do your parents like wine? A river trip on the Rhine or Mosel rivers in German could take you by the tasty wine-producing regions.

 

If you like the outdoors, Austria and Switzerland have gorgeous mountains. We rented a car for a week and drove through some beautiful towns. Gimmelwald and Appenzeller, Switzerland, are quieter but gorgeous. You can take cable cars up mountains for some great views and hiking.

 

Want to see some sweet castles? Bavaria has Neuschwanstein, which inspired Walt Disney, and many others. 

 

Nervous about not speaking the language? Rent a car and drive around Ireland! My husband and I took my parents on this one and it was fantastic. Irish people really are super friendly, and driving on the other side of the road isn't so bad. You can find lots of bed and breakfast places on Tripadvisor, usually within walking distance of a pub. Dublin has lots of sites to see. You can even catch a cheap, quick, Ryanair flight out of Dublin to somewhere else for a few days - we flew to Edinburgh for three nights for a change of scenery.

 

Have fun planning! 

Those are all lovely ideas! Thank you also for the great resources for travel hacks and tips, they'll be helpful for any trip planning in the future!