This 3-week Historical Tour through Europe
was the apex of our World History In-Depth study in high school.
(see Raising Scholars: Spreading Wings)
Just like the Early American History Tour,
I asked my sons where they wanted to go and what they wanted to see,
then wove this into a custom tour incorporating all of these places plus many more.
Background
I had lived and studied in Austria in college and had traveled all around Europe. Thus, I had favorite places I wanted to go back and visit with my kids plus a few I was never able to see like England and Pompeii.
I also wanted them to experience different types of lodging such as hostels, historic bed-and-breakfasts, and homes of locals (through AirBnB). I wanted them to ride the trains and use the subways.
So we booked a variety of lodgings in England, France, Germany, and Italy, and embarked on our journey seeing so many places we had only read about and seen in books.
By the end of our trip, my 10, 14, and 16-year-old sons were hopping on and off the trains and reading the subway maps like they had been doing it all their lives.
Packing
To be as mobile as we needed to be, we had to travel light. We saw some tourists on our trip encumbered with large suitcases and multiple bags. I was very thankful we had brought so little.
Our experiment flying to Hawaii several years before with only a carry-on and personal bag each proved we didn’t need more. So we did the same on our trip to Europe even though our trip was more than twice as long.
Just like Hawaii, my younger two sons brought their rolling duffles and backpacks. My oldest son chose to just bring his school backpack. I had all my own stuff plus some additional gear for the family in my rolling suitcase/backpack plus a small Eddie Bauer slingback and Travelon purse. A packable backpack held the slingback and purse when on the plane and was used for groceries while in Europe.
We used the PACKING LIST for Plane Travel found HERE for this 3-week trip. We had everything we needed and amazingly it all fit in just carry-on bags. HERE are descriptions and links to TRAVEL GEAR we use.
As I said in Traveling Light as a Family ~ It’s Possible!, I do not hold the attitude of leaving home all “what if” items as many other traveling light bloggers do. I do not want to spend precious time abroad seeking out needed medicines or toiletries. If there is a reasonable likelihood I will need the items and they don’t take up much space, I bring them.
Preparation & Itinerary
Armed with a good packing list, lightweight travel gear, several excellent iPhone apps, a few comprehensive tour books, an international smartphone, and international credit and debit cards, we had a marvelous, fairly stress-free trip that we will all remember for many years to come.
However, good planning is what led to a smooth trip.
Three to five months prior to departure, initial preparation began with setting dates for travel, countries to visit, and a rough itinerary. Two to three months prior to departure, we made reservations for travel, lodging and the most popular sites. Refinement of the itinerary, packing, and financial and cell phone arrangements were completed in the final month before departure.
HERE is the complete TIMELINE of what I did to prepare.
We only had three weeks for our travel due to prior commitments both before and after our trip, so we did as much as we could during this time. I had looked at pre-arranged tours which would have been much less work on my part. However, none went everywhere we wanted to go (going to England, Berlin, and Pompeii were all important to us). So, I customized our own.
HERE is the ITINERARY for our European Historical Tour.
Through my research and travel experience, I learned some invaluable information.
I’ve included it HERE to save you some time!
Knowing these things made our trip much smoother, much less stressful, and much safer.
DISCLAIMER: Though our trip was amazing, and I look forward to going back to Europe or other countries with my children and/or other family members, anyone traveling abroad should be knowledgeable about the countries being visited and safety precautions related to that travel. Caution, awareness, and vigilance are vital to safe and happy travels.