For many people, it’s the trip of a lifetime: your first and maybe your only trip to Europe. Even if you hope it will be the first of many, planning can feel overwhelming. The continent itself is vast and diverse. So, where do you even begin? The tips below can help you get started.
Matching Time with Location
Even more important than how much money you have to spend is how much time you have. You don’t want to make the rookie mistake of trying to do too much and spending all your time rushing between airports and train stations. If you’re going for two weeks, it’s best if you don’t try to explore more than two or three locations. If you have longer, you can add cities and countries. Of course, some are perfectly happy spending a long time in a single place and getting to know it.
Your Budget
While it’s not as cheap as some other places globally, and some countries are substantially cheaper than others, Europe can accommodate almost any budget. You can stay in hostels and eat bread and cheese that you buy at a store. You can spend all your time in five-star hotels and the best restaurants, or opt for something in between. You should start saving early, cutting expenses, and putting the difference away in a travel account. There are some obvious ways to spend less, such as reducing how often you order takeout. Some less obvious ones, such as turning down your thermostat and walking more often instead of driving everywhere. You can also look into refinancing any existing student loans you have. This can make a difference what you are paying each month.
DIY or Tour?
Two groups of travelers that will probably never understand one another are those who choose to travel entirely independently, planning everything on their own, and those who embrace tours. One of these sounds way more appealing to you than the other. Tours, in particular, can be attractive for inexperienced travelers. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. Planning everything yourself, you risk missing something interesting that a tour guide could have pointed out to you. However, you might never stray too far from the beaten path with a tour, and you don’t get the same satisfaction of navigating your way through things.
Make Your Itinerary
Create a list of all the places you most want to go to. You may need to do some research. This can help with managing stress related to travel anxieties or the process of planning. Choose your favorites from the list and consider how practical it is for you to visit all of them. For example, it would be simple to visit Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands. However, if your dream is to spend some time in Greece followed by a trip to Finland, you might have to choose. Do you want to spend all your time in one place and come back later to visit the other? Or do you want to book a flight and visit two such different locations on the same trip?
