Europe Trip 2017

Choosing Flights and Planning Your Trip

One of the things that was important to Nick and I when we got married was travel. We wanted to be able to see the world, find new experiences, and taste the food from all over. Since we both have about 6 weeks off in the summer, that is the perfect time to take a trip to Europe.

When planning for a trip this big, we usually start about 1 year in advance by picking the places we want to go. We each pick one place we want to visit and then we agree on the third place together. The flights across the pond are not cheap, but once you're in Europe, travel is very inexpensive, so we usually plan for about a 2-3 week trip. For a trip in June, once we have decided where we are going, we usually try to book the plane tickets in October. These are just the tickets there and back and not the travel in between countries.

Paris

After we book the flights, we start working on places to stay and the travel in between countries. We always use Airbnb when traveling to Europe because I feel like living in an authentic apartment is half the fun! You truly get to be fully immersed in the culture while you are there. In London, we stayed with a friend, but in Paris, we stayed at this flat, which was a five-minute walk to the Notre Dame. Each morning, we grabbed a pastry, a coffee, and a baguette, and headed to the Notre Dame for breakfast. Another favorite activity was happy hour at an outdoor cafe or day drinking in the garden by Rue de Medicis. But my favorite thing we did was a bike tour of Versailles. We spent the day riding bikes through the gardens, stopped at a small town for picnic supplies, and then toured the Palace of Versailles.

Rome

We took the Eurostar when we traveled from London to Paris (which is an experience I highly recommend), but we fly AirFrance in between in Paris and Rome. In Rome, we stayed in this apartment, which was right by the River Timbre. It was the perfect location: close to markets, the Spanish steps, the Vatican, and all the food options you could ever imagine. The first night we were there, we stumbled onto a bachelor party turned street party in the streets complete with a DJ!

The highlight of this trip was definitely the food. I ate more pasts than I could have ever imagined and could still go back for more. When choosing places to eat, we always use Yelp to help guide us. The reviews will never lead you astray. Another rule of thumb is to never eat at a place where they have food out for display by the hostess stand. Always a tourist trap. Each day, I would log into Yelp and see what was rated the highest in our area, and that's where we went. We also love a good outdoor market, so sometimes that is where we would find breakfast.

Final Tips and Recommendations

After we book our flights and places to stay, we book our excursions. I highly recommend pre-booking things you want to do. I wouldn't plan something every day, but I would plan 2-3 things so you have a schedule of events when you get to each city (also, some things book up quick). For excursions, we use Viator.com. You can see everything offered in your city and read the reviews to pick what works best for you! Another site I highly recommend is Eatwith.com. On this site, families host multi-course dinners, and people from all over can book a seat at their table. It was by far one of the best experiences we had on this trip! Great food, great wine, and great conversation.