How to plan a "Euro Summer" trip
based on my personal travels & studying abroad
Now, I’m not an expert…
My experience with traveling and planning trips myself started when I studied abroad in London. I had not seen much of Europe before that, which made it slightly terrifying to be the one planning trips, but I always knew I wanted to travel a lot in my 20s. After much research and going on a few different trips, including my most recent grad trip, I have gathered a few travel planning tips for certain parts of Europe that I think might be helpful to some.
I also want to add a little disclaimer: there is no single way you should travel. People have different processes, and they can have successful trips based on their individual preferences in many different ways. I love planning, so this is what works for me. It helps if you have a planner or two in your travel group who likes organization to follow the travel tips my group used to plan.
Anyway, let’s get into everything!
A Bit About My Budgeting
We spent roughly around $2,600 for our trip last summer which was 2 weeks of travel and covered 4 (technically 5) bases/cities. This was our grad trip and the first Euro Summer trip I did with this specific group, which played a role in the amount we spent.
A breakdown of my costs:
Round-trip international flight - $1,038.90
Stays
Paris (round 1, 2 nights) - $204.36
Nice (4 nights) - $213.71
Camogli (2 nights) - $90.53
Florence (3 nights) - $236.84
Paris (round 2, 2 nights) - $138.34
Internal Europe transportation
Paris to Nice train - $124.52
Nice to Camogli train - $31.47
Camogli to Florence train - $24.79
Florence to Paris flight - $187.60
Food & Drink (estimate) - $275.31
Ubers & Taxis - $80.62
Shopping (estimate) - $185.86
Miscellaneous - $53.65
A few money-saving tips:
LOVED going to local grocery stores and making food from local ingredients
Share meals (if allowed) to try more things and save money
One final note: I recommend downloading Splitwise if you are booking your travel, accommodations, and other expenses with a group. You can create a group to add all your expenses, who paid for what, who was involved in the purchase, etc. and it will consolidate all the costs so that at the end of your trip, you can just pay each other once.
Keeping Organized
If you are anything like me, this might be the fun part of planning a trip for you. I love anything to do with organizing my things and I will find any excuse to create a Google Doc full of all the information I could ever need to plan an event or trip.
Even if you aren’t big on planning and organizing, I think it might be helpful just to have all of your flights, accommodations, things to do, and budget all easily accessible and in one place. Especially when it comes to visiting another country, having your things together can be extremely helpful in case something goes wrong.
To start a travel doc, it is helpful to build out the following categories:
Budget/Expense Tracker - link this out to a Google Sheet/Excel
Flights - international & any planes, trains, or other pre-planned transportation within your travels
I use Trainline, Omio, and Google Flights for transportation within!
Also, make sure to research Ubers, taxis, & public transit to determine how you will get around when there!
Travel Calendar - only necessary if you are traveling within your destination/are planning on taking day trips
Accommodations - look for Airbnb’s, hotels, hostels, whatever you are comfortable with
I usually check Airbnb and booking.com for stays!
Hostels are a popular choice for some when traveling Europe. It is a great way to meet new people, but be aware that you might be sharing space with people outside of your group.
It really depends on your personal preferences and priorities while traveling to decide on what type of accommodation best suits you.
Things to Do - I’ll explain this in the next section…
Share this doc with anyone you are traveling with, because this doc is also helpful when planning to keep all research & options all in one place that everyone can look at. For reference, it took my group around 7-8 planning sessions to get everything figured out through this doc. This might seem like a lot, and the first few meetings felt like we were barely getting anywhere, but these sessions were the entire reason our trip became a reality.
The Fun Part
What really is important here is figuring out what type of traveling you and your group, if you are going with one, are most interested in. Are you more interested in history? Do you want to explore the food? Are you a relax-at-the-beach or a go-on-a-hike type of person? Or both? Make sure your group is aligned on this, or at least you can split off into smaller groups to satisfy everyone’s bucket list. Also, it is essential to be flexible here. Maybe you don’t like history but might enjoy a specific museum. You may be more of a night-in than a night-out person, but what if you have a fun night dancing with your friends? Something I have found that I prefer is spending time with my friends and experiencing something together rather than having things go exactly the way I think I’d like.
Despite being a planner, I am fully against creating an hour-by-hour strict itinerary. Like I said, be open to things changing and experiencing things that might be out of your comfort zone. Sometimes, the best meals you have are from restaurants you stumble upon. My favorite city from my grad trip was where we had the fewest recommendations before going.
Sticking too closely to a plan can sometimes make your experience of them unenjoyable. Think of a plan as a fall-back/easy option rather than a checklist. But still, make one because there are instances where you might be too tired or hungry to find a dinner place or something you want to do or see that inspired your trip.
Add a “Things to Do” section on your planning doc and think about including the following for each place you visit:
Food spots - separate by breakfast/brunch, lunch/dinner, sweet treats, snacks
Shopping - if you plan on it
Things to See
Nightlife - once again if you plan on it
Etc.
This part of planning is entirely based on your interests, so set it up however you like. I just recommend getting every bucket list item everyone would like to do. And remember… it’s not a checklist.
Right Before You Go
A few weeks before going on your trip, I recommend figuring out your packing list and any important info you would like to travel with.
For packing:
Make sure you have the right adapters for where you are going.
Have all your medications and a mini first aid kit sorted out for the duration of your trip. Traveling with what you know is better than figuring out unfamiliar medication.
Plan out your outfits.
Consider a capsule wardrobe to mix and match different clothing pieces
Figure out if you have the option of doing laundry
Will you have to carry your luggage up staircases or lug it around on transportation? Are you traveling on airlines that have smaller suitcase allowances during your vacation?
For example, the Amalfi Coast was rough even with just a carry-on because of all the stairs.
Also, European budget airlines can be very strict about luggage sizes, and a U.S. carry-on is typically bigger than a European carry-on.
This next part isn’t super fun to make, but it gives you a fall-back plan in case something goes wrong.
Important Info to Save on Your Phone:
Scans of your passport and ID
Numbers and addresses of embassies, emergency contacts, etc.
Language basics, if different from yours - greetings, how to order/purchase, a list of essential phrases, etc.
And That’s About It!
As I’ve said, witnessing the beauty of places is one of my favorite parts of traveling. My travel videos on YouTube showcase how my travel plans lead to the best trips. Check them out if you’re interested:
Soon, I’ll release my travel guides with all my specific recommendations and fun things to do from the places I’ve visited.