re: Help Me and My Friends Plan Our Europe Trip

Glad to help. The idea of a trip, at times, gets ahead of the reality/experience. It's why so many people love package tours and things like Viking river cruises...they don't have to decide where to go, they don't have to plan, they just show up and enjoy themselves.

To me, that's tourism vs. traveling. I'd rather be more thoughtful in my choices, going exactly when & where I like, to suit my particular tastes/interests. As a bread baking geek, I have schlepped across cities to stand in line for a sourdough croissant in a neighborhood of commuters, or driven 1/2 hour out of my way to buy a loaf from a wood fired oven I heard about in a pub the evening before. If you're over-scheduled, you don't get to benefit from such serendipity.

One thing I will say: I don't drive in GB. The whole wrong side of the road messes w/my brain. I even have trouble sitting in the front passenger seat! So consider whether anyone in your party is a great driver and can handle car rental, or if you will need to plan around trains/public transit. (Aside: I like taking public transit, as it's a great time to people watch. But your group may want to hire a driver/van for certain activities.)