5 Easy Steps to Plan Your European Trip
RabbiePosted on 20 Dec 2023
We all know planning a European trip for 2025 can take some time, so let us share our top 5 tips to help you streamline the process. Afterall, we’ve got years of experience navigating how to book and prepare tours. Its’s these tried and tested tips which can help to make the difference between a trip that was OK, or a great trip you can’t stop thinking about and reference back to for years to come. We know which one we want to partake in! Shall we begin?
Within this article:
How to Plan Your European Trip In 5 Steps
1. Find Your European Destination
2. Decide How Long Your Stay in Europe Will Be
3. Planning Your European Route
4. Book Flights & Travel Accommodations
5. Discover Local Excursions & Activities to Inspire Your Trip
How to Plan Your European Trip In 5 Steps
Trying to plan a big vacation to Europe in one go can be extensive, so dividing it into manageable, but logical, steps can be the best tip we could provide. For those of you who like to book last minute or maybe like the company of other travelers, our small-group tours might be the answer you’ve been searching for. With a pre-prepared itinerary, all you have to do is book your flights and accommodation.
If you want to give planning your own European trip a go, discover our 5 easy steps to get you started.
1. Find Your European Destination
First things first, planning which European destination you want to visit. Not only should it be the first step in your journey, but it can help narrow down your activities within the later steps of your trip planning. To help you decide, we’ve researched the top travel destinations for 2025, so you don’t have to.
Top Tip:
To try to make choosing from around 50 European countries easier, our top tip is to decide on the type of vacation you want. City break, beach holiday, and ski trips are what might come to mind first, but what about witnessing historic ruins on a trip around Italy or sampling the finest port on a tour of Portugal? Find what sparks your imagination and plan your European trip around that.
2. Decide How Long Your Stay in Europe Will Be
European destination decided, the next step in your planning journey is to think about the length of your trip. Asking what the recommended amount of time in one destination is, is like asking how long is a piece of string. It varies! All our European tours are divided into:
3-4 day European tours
6-day European tours
13-day European tours
For some travelers, they’ll want to visit one country for the length of their stay, but for others the temptation to cross the close borders is tempting. If you find yourself in the latter group, you can easily combine a trip to Spain with Portugal, followed by a stop in Italy, and a tour of Switzerland to round your trip off. The flexibility and ease of traveling around European countries, while soaking in the variety of cultures, makes it one of the best areas of the world to explore in our opinion.
For more advice, discover our guide to short trips, which can help those of you who are limited on your vacation time.
3. Planning Your European Route
We’ve hit the point in planning our European trip which may take the most time. While you’ve decided on the destination and length of stay, next is planning a route. While this doesn’t have to be set in stone as we understand plans can change, solo travelers we’re looking at you here, having a rough guide can go a long way.
We’ve already highlighted that European borders are fairly close to each other, so the flexibility to venture further afield is possible with a little thought. Means of transport include:
- Flights
- Car
- Public transport
- Boat / ferry
Each of these can help make seeing more of Europe possible. Whether you want to include a quick trip to England, when looking to book Spain, or venture to Scotland first before soaking up the sun in Portugal, each is possible when planning your European vacation.
Top tip:
Ensure you think about seasonal travel times.
Seasonality can play a vital role when planning your European trip. Do you want to go in peak summer months or maybe you’re happier to wait out for the cooler climate and tour during fall? Each can be just as spectacular as the other, with each destination offering a multitude of activities for its guests. However, if you’re traveling throughout winter, our advice would be to check opening times to popular attractions as limited timetables may be in operation. To kick start your year right, discover the top destinations to visit during January.
4. Book Flights & Travel Accommodations
All the planning of your European trip is nearly complete, you just need to confirm your flights and travel accommodation. Flying to Europe from the United States is fairly easy and various companies offer direct flights to your chosen destinations, although it’s worth double checking if your trip is out of peak season.
If this is your first time planning a European trip, our guides to direct flights may be of help. With many conflicting sources as to how and when the best time to book your seats are, we’ve made it simple and straightforward:
- Direct flights to Spain from the USA
- Direct flights to Portugal from the USA
- Direct flights to England from the USA
- Direct flights to Scotland from the USA
When considering travel accommodation while in Europe, options can vary from location to location. Depending on what type of traveler you are, you might like to seek out the best 5* hotel with a matching spa to relax in, or maybe a shared room in a hostel where you can meet other like-minded travelers is more your style. Each comes with its own benefits.
5. Discover Local Excursions & Activities to Inspire Your Trip
The foundations to your European trip are secured, all that's left is to fill your daily itinerary. While we don’t encourage it to be planned to the very second of the day, having a rough estimate as to what your daily plan could be can help keep structure to your time away. Afterall, you don’t know who you’re going to meet or what experiences you might find while you’re on tour.
There must have been activities that caught your eye while deciding on the location of your vacation? Make sure you note them down and / or book them prior to flying to potentially score the best deal. From finding the best moorish architecture in Spain to starting the festivities earlier with a selection of Christmas markets or celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, each of these activities showcases the country's cultures and traditions, which you can take home as a souvenir.
Small-Group Tours Make Planning Easy
Narrowing down to just 5 top tips has hopefully made the thought of planning a trip to Europe more manageable, however if you're still feeling a little lost, let us plan the adventure for you. From our pre-prepared itineraries to contacting our private tours team to make the trip personalised to you, our driver-guides will be ready to welcome you onboard.
Be sure to stay up to date with all out latest news by signing up to our newsletter. Sharing our favourite short stories, newest departure points and tours, and our seasonal offers, including Black Friday travel deals. You don’t want to miss out!
Popular Posts
