My Itinerary - What Do You Think?

[omisan]

That itinerary/route seems to make a LOT more sense, but it still seems a bit of a whirlwind pace, at least for my tastes. If time and budget are a concern, you might want to look at dropping some of the more expensive places like Monaco and Switzerland, unless they're an absolute must for you.

[tumblezweedz]

Yes, that looks a lot more manageable than your initial plan, I think you'll enjoy yourselves a lot more. Certainly you haven't given yourself too much time in any one place (more is always nice, but not always possible), but for a short, overview type trip, at least 2-3 days does give you a bit of a chance to sample each stop.

I just took a look at my itinerary from my 3 1/2 month trip to Europe (in 1991) and I can't believe that I moved on as often as I did, often spending only a day per place. And yet, I did thoroughly enjoy myself and did feel like I had a good look around in the places I went to. Now, I think that pace would kill me, but even so, two summer's back we did a trip covering 6 countries in five weeks, with multiple stops in some countries, with four little kids in tow, so I guess that's pretty frenzied, too.

Bottom line, if you can add more time anywhere along the way, you won't regret it, but if you can't, you've put together a solid itinerary that will give you a good overview, time to look around and relax a bit, and you'll have a better idea of where you want to go on future trips, when you can spend more time.

[AP03]

Just thought I would give you guys an update. After a little more research, and coaxing to my friend, I managed to convince him to go to 45 days!

3 - Scotland (Edinburgh/Glasgow)
TRAVEL DAY
3 - Amsterdam
TRAVEL DAY
3 - Berlin
3 - Prague
4 - Munich
3 - Venice
3 - Rome
3 - Florence
2 - Cinque Terre
2 - Monaco & Nice
TRAVEL DAY
3 - Lucerne
3 - Paris
5 - London/Hampshire

I was told Cinque Terre is a nice semi-quaint location where I could just chill/relax - what do you guys think of it and the new itinerary?

[space virgin]

I think you're probably going to want to spend more time in Cinque Terre. Is there any way you could shave off some time in Florence and spend it there instead? Or is Florence a place you're really interested in spending some time?

Make sure you really research your transportation times to & from all the places you're going. I like how you're putting more of a 3 or 4-day emphasis on most places. You'll have a MUCH better time of it, I promise!!

About Monaco & Nice... stay in Nice and just day trip to Monaco. It'll be less expensive and Monaco is only a 20-minute cheap train ride away.

Above all, keep things flexible. You may arrive somewhere and fall in love with it and want to stay longer, or you may get somewhere and not give a rat's ass if you stay another day. Book your hostels just a couple of days in advance instead of entirely in advance. You'll really appreciate the freedom it will give you. (Um, unless you're going in the middle of June/July, in which case reservations may be necessary farther in advance.)

One more thing: I'm only 5'2, I'm sure I'll fit in your backpack.

[AP03]

space_virgin: hehehehehehe, well i am planning on getting the dana design swift traveler so we'll see....

Right now there is no ryhme nor reason to how much I have alotted to each city, I just thought 3 would be good. But as an added benefit, what you said would occur: Say I got to Florence and I decided I was done within a day, then I could move on to Cinque Terra quicker.

As a side: You think the Dana Design is a good choice?

[space virgin]

Yep. I do. Awesome choice.

And yeah, I'd bail on Florence a bit early for more time at Cinque Terre.