4 travelers. ~1 month may-june 2012 WHERE TO GO?!

[zjacob2146]

Ok so me and my friends are in the pre-planning process and this seems like the place (obviously.) So we would like to get some experienced advice on a few things.

1. Costs roughly?
I read that it is realistic to say about 75 bucks a day. Now does this include train pass plane tickets and what not? Is that the average of all costs or just the cost of a day.
That being said, how much would an average flight out of Boston be to land in Ireland. And I read about open jaw flights or something... where you can enter in one city and leave another? How does that work and which airlines would have such a plan.

2. Places to go?
We would definitely like to start in Ireland, and work our way over to the main land through Britain hitting up London. After that we are open for suggestions. Probably France and then up the coast through Amsterdam and then up and loop towards Greece, Rome and then back up.
We would like to know whats a good route for some college grads to take. Some interesting things you have seen/would recommend. We are not leaving for about a year so we have time to plan this out and take suggestions.

3. Hostels/hotels/sleeping arrangements
We would like to know any Important precautions or recommendations about where to sleep over there. What is the average cost of a night stay. We would not mind camping some nights, hostels, cheap hotels, anything like that, so long as we will not be robbed, get live, or burn down. Whether or no these stories are true I do not know but we are just being cautious.

Anything else we have missed? Anything of note you would like to add? Please let us know what we are looking at here.
Thanks
-Zack

[Eagle]

zjacob2146,

Welcome to the Boards! I have a few comments to start with.

As this is your first trip to Europe, I'd highly recommend reading the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door. That will provide you with a lot of good information on how to travel well in Europe, and avoid problems.

Regarding your questions:

1.) A budget of US$75 per day would be a bare minimum. Keep in mind that's only about €53 or £46 (at current exchange rates). It would be better to increase that to at least $100 if possible. The amount for daily expenses usually doesn't include the cost of air fares, Railpass (if used) or flights within Europe. The daily limit typically covers only lodging, food, incidentals and local transportation.

Current prices for open-jaw flights into Dublin and returning from Rome are in the range of US$1000. However, these will most probably change prior to next year when you take your trip, so you'll only be able to use that for a Guideline.

Most airlines offer an open-jaw option, however sometimes this is done through code share arrangements with other airlines. For example, one flight from Boston travels via Delta to Paris, and then Air France to Dublin. On the return trip, the flight from Rome to Amsterdam would be via KLM and then from there to Boston via Delta. There are many different possible combinations.

2.) To get some ideas on "places to go", have a look at some Guidebooks and try and find locations that are of interest to everyone in your group. Are you interested in the typical tourist places that most people visit, such as historic sights, Museums, Art Galleries or other? Check your local Libraries for Guidebooks from Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, Frommer's, Rough Guides, etc. You could also check European travel programs on TV (especially the PBS channels).

3.) With a group of four, Hostels would probably be the best and least expensive option. If you book early enough, you should be able to book a four-bed Dorm room for your group. Most Hostels have a mixture of 4 / 6 / 8 or more Beds on Dorm Rooms, so if a particular Hostel only has (for example) a 6-bed Dorm room available, you may be sharing the room with a few strangers. That's not really a big problem though.

You might consider getting a membership in HI Hostels for each member of your group. There are HI properties in most cities, and as they're part of a chain, the facilities are usually fairly consistent from one location to another.

Most Hostels provide Lockers, but you'll have to supply your own Padlock (DON'T use one of the cheap TSA Luggage Locks!). I'd suggest a good quality small to medium sized Padlock. If you haven't bought Backpacks yet, you'll have to consider whether you prefer panel-load design (with zippers that can be locked) or top-load design (usually with a drawstring at the top that can't be locked). Other features to consider are a detachable Daypack (for carry-on) and a stowable harness (straps stow behind a zippered panel during air travel, so they aren't damaged by airport conveyor systems). A couple of good brands to look at are Eagle Creek and Osprey.

Another option for lodgings would be a budget Hotel. Each property will be different, as some may not offer rooms that accommodate four people. In that case, you'd probably have to rent two rooms.

One final thought. In planning the cities you're going to visit, try not to be overly ambitious, and avoid one-night stops where possible. It's extremely important to allow for adequate travel times between cities! This will usually be at least a half-day (and sometimes more) each time you change locations.

I'd suggest taking a close look at the Greece portion of your visit. Given the expense and time for travel from there to most other places in Europe, you'll have to determine whether it's worth the effort. If you're only planning to stop in Athens for a few days, I'd probably drop Greece on this trip.

Good luck with your planning!