European Travel Skills: Trip Planning

In this travel lecture, Rick Steves offers tips on gathering information, planning a smart itinerary, avoiding crowds, taking a tour or a cruise, traveling in peak season vs. off-season, and joining local walking, bus, or bike tours. Visit www.ricksteves.com for more European travel information.

[@AlonsoRules]

Trip planning is just as fun as the trip itself. Its like a big jigsaw puzzle and extremely satisfying to complete.

[@debraladams9140]

Used Rick's tip for buying a ticket for the Colosseum in Rome: Went to Palatine Hill and bought the 2-for ticket (no line, just like Rick said!). Decided to take the time to see Palatine Hill/The Forum right then and there and thoroughly enjoyed it. Returned the next morning to the Colosseum and went straight to the entrance--no waiting. Best tip EVER!!! FYI-the 2-for ticket has to be used in 2 consecutive days. We also went to Rome in early April. Not a lot of crowds and the weather was pleasant. As usual, Rick is right!! (Thanks Rick!)

[@carolina7314]

Because of you my dad is my own “human encyclopedia” during our travels to Europe. Thank you so much for giving my dad, and now me, all the information needed for making a fun and great trip to Europe! My dad has been watching your shows since the beginning and has read just about all of your guide books.

[@ChuckleHoneybear]

Big props to your dad

[@kaichan9475]

Note : HUMAN ECYCLOPODIA !!❤😂

[@_LostAndFound_]

In Spring 2024 I am takin my parents on a 7 night Mediterranean cruise with MSC (an Italian cruise company) out of Civitavecchia/Rome; going to Palermo, Malta, Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa and back to Rome. We decided to take 3 days before the cruise and see Rome, then after the cruise travel all over Italy (my fav country) via Italian Rail and see everything we can for the next 7 days, and fly out of Venice. So I am here learning and I will watch all of the Planning, Packing and other Tips video's and re-watch for the millionth time the Italy shows!! Ordering my Guidebooks now!

[@perfesser944]

One of the greatests phrases in modern cinema can be found in Kate and Leopold: "Life is composed not only of tasks but of tastes". Most people travel to fulfill a series of tasks, to cross off experiences from their bucket lists. If you want to get the most bang for your buck when traveling, go for tastes. By all means visit the Louvre or the Vatican or the Acropolis, but also enjoy a pastis or a glass of wine or a glass of ouzo in a small, out of the way cafe and enjoy the place itself. Believe me, it will be worth it.

[@AnneMB955]

Can’t believe these vids are popping up for me in 2022. It’s almost like they time travelled. A lot of this info is still relevant today. Holiday planning and research is so much fun. Love anticipating what’s ahead. Thx Rick Steves.

[@marthas8108]

I took the tour in Morocco with Aziz -- the absolute BEST day of my 6-week trip -- Rick was right on that, and everything else. He's a gift to us all. What a worthwhile life and career he's had.

[@Jake-sw3ss]

I planed around how much time I had, and rail routes. I got a three day eurail pass, then I found three cities separated by a day trip on a rail. I planed how many days I wanted in each city plus the time for the train travel itself. I then reserved the trains that needed reservations and proceeded to get Airbnb's near the train stations in those areas.In this way I spent 12 days in Europe and flew into Amsterdam, went to Berlin, then Warsaw, and then Slovenia and flew out of there. With a couple of small hiccups, this plan worked real well and I had a great time. By doing all of this in advance and paying for it all, I was left with just sight-seeing and eating! I suggest getting a Euro-sim for your unlocked phone with lots of data for Google maps.Just do it, go to Europe and give yourself time to do stuff. Don't make that schedule too tight!

[@bethcanepa7180]

I own several of the books and have recently enjoyed some of your audio guides. Definitely I enjoy places more when I thoroughly research them first, and your material helps greatly with that.

[@romellobo]

All good info and I'm a real big Rick Steves fan, but I've never heard Rick Steves talk so fast.

[@JenShea]

I love Rick Steeves... but must say that I always use Trip Advisor when I am looking for a good place and I have never been disappointed.

[@xwiirastusx]

I WISH I had consulted TripAdvisor before booking a hotel in London a fiew years ago. In the face of it it seemed to be an affordable place in a respectable neighborhood in the West End, but turned out to be a mismanaged flea pit. Reading scolding reviews afterwards really taught me a lesson.

[@Heart2HeartBooks]

Don't forget ...Rick is selling tour books@!

[@armenianchik]

Went on two Rick Steves tours! so worth it!

[@carooteiza8074]

Free walking tours are usually excellent and share the story of the city 🌺. Rough guides are a great source of information, I download them to my iPad.

[@aditisharma2683]

Thanks Rick for this amazing info. It sure helped us a lot as we were planning our trip.

[@tanyouliang]

Great info that sums up Ricks 30 years of travelling in Europe!! THinking to get a guide book one day!

[@heinrichkleist3473]

What an informative video!

[@Karenzr]

I sure enjoy your videos and guides Rick!

[@Jc22ny]

Great Info! Enjoy your travel advice and mode Rick stoves

[@joejacoby2464]

Great sales pitch - and I mean that in the kindest way - providing the information in guides for those who would prefer to do it on their own doesn't take away from your mainstream business - it complements it. Love your style, and like you, we prefer to travel among the locals, not among the tourists. Our best experiences to date have been on those sojourns where we've opted to try to experience a country's culture by being WITH the locals. Thanks so much for sharing!

[@karenmariahernandez]

Great advice! Thanks!

[@rebeccagutierrez1960]

You can get a nice cooked lunch at the local supermarket near your hotel.

[@jwin_]

thanks for sharing! very helpful. this is awesome!

[@onlihuman13]

pretty much answered all my questions

[@EarlJohn61]

Be warned about the cruise ships... If their itinerary says they depart at 3:54pm then they depart at 3:54pm AND YOU HAD BETTER BE ON BOARD!!! They will NOT wait for you. If you arrive at 3:55pm they are gone... & you now have find your way to the next port of call at ruinous last minute travel rates... MUCH safer to be aiming to return to the ship at 2:54 [in this example].

[@AbbasMwali]

Thanx Rick

[@rajeevmudakavi]

I agree with you.. I hate getting lines too

[@JosephCompnotta]

Hi Steve , THANKS for your video's on here and on public tv . You inspired us to take a trip to Europe back in May 17' . We landed in Dublin and picked up our reserved RV which was actually like a a mini van w/ a fold down bed fridg and cooking gear for use outside . BUT we saw all of the western side of Ireland along the coast up to Galway then back to Dublin , then we took the Ulysses over to the UK to explore but the exchange into pounds was crazy high so we went to see Goring where George Micheal lived until his death and then on to the chunnel over to Calais . The whole time not having a phone because the purchase on sims cards did not work and the GPS unit that came w/ the rv as well work sometimes which caused us to fuss at each other and then we would realize we are fussing in Europe ! and would laugh and calm down and find out way . We made it the Amsterdam over to Cologne back down to France all the while seeing gorgeous country side cause I purposely stated off the main roads in order to meet locals that weren't use to seeing a bunch of rude tourist . We had a wonderful 3 weeks and I drove over 3,000 KM . The driving part was great considering I'm a X truck driver of 15 yrs . But we had our hangups like being asked why we didn't have a visa stamp from the countries we had been to ? French police asked that before boarding the Oscar Wilde ferry back to Ireland . I kept all receipts each place and country we bought something so we would have a paper trail it wasn't a big issue from them they just seemed amazed we did all that traveling w/o getting or needing visa's So our passports only have 2 visa stamps Ireland and France . lol Could you recommend a phone service we could use during our travels and where should we go once in a country to get a visa stamp just to have one ? thanks Joe

[@kCedarwood]

Thank you for taking the time to do this video. Perhaps I overlooked how you decided to be on the other side of touring as well as providing useful information to the public? There's so many ppl who have useful info that they think is useless or pointless or even foolish to share!

[@RickStevesTravelTalks]

Hi, Kristen. I think you'd enjoy these links on the history of Rick Steves and Co: www.ricksteves.com/about-us/company-timeline and hwww.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/travel-talks/history-of-europe-tour. -- Laura

[@cryptohook9395]

Great info!

[@vcreativeart16]

Thanks for that advices

[@maxinef6654]

I can’t wait to do one of Steve’s tour.

[@kenlee1416]

Tripadvisor hotel/lodging reviews are great. NOWHERE else can I find information with regards to availability of an elevator, noise from outside a hotel, whether a taxi can bring you to the hotel entrance etc.

[@HarmlessDilettante]

Just an hour of Rick Steves hawking his products.

[@andrewmarks4640]

And loving it.

[@lingdatang669]

ltcomment 38:38 cost, 46:13 reservations

[@MsBridgesSocial]

Have you ever given tips on planning a gap year for adults?

[@migueldecarvalho8012]

"Self imposed hostage crisis" LOL!!!

[@InAUGral]

Tripadvisor is useful to find places and see roughly what they are like. Tripadvisor is more "curated" than this video gives them credit for. Even if some of them are fake you get a good overall idea. Pro tip: USA peeps are always more picky so take their reviews with a grain of salt.

[@mariposapapillon9261]

I agree wholeheartedly.

[@PlannedObsolescence]

Not all people from the US are the same.

[@adamsmith4195]

I take the American as gospel and all others with a grain of salt.

[@pareshbhaidharodiyarajkot818]

we pllaning van tour europe how coment pls..?

[@socalcandy85]

I'll be in Paris for 7 days in May, question is safety if I need help where do I need to go?

[@RickStevesTravelTalks]

For all emergency services, the easiest is to dial 112. Guidebooks will mention other numbers that may take you a little more directly to various services. -- Laura

[@romellobo]

If only there were other trustworthy sources for Travel info for other parts of the world like Africa or Asia. I'm sure there are, but I just don't know of them...

[@deborahdoesscrap]

I am currently trying to plan what will be my only trip to Europe. I say this because I am not wealthy, I am 64 years old and my health is not great. I have wanted to go to Europe my entire life and for many reasons, I always put if off. Not this time. I am planning on going in September as my daughter will be able to accompany me then. I have watched all the videos, read all the books and frankly, it is all starting to seem too hard and confusing. I looked into taking an organized tour in Italy which is the country that for me seems most challenging. I love the outline of Rick's three city tour of Italy but my problem is the physical demands as outlined in the tour. I appreciate that they have rated the days as regards to degree of difficulty but I am wondering if anyone knows whether there is an option to not walk all the way up the hill if your health does not allow? The tours seem to be pretty jam packed and I am sure that really healthy young people enjoy that but as an older person with health problems it is problematic. If any one has any suggestions of other tours to take that might work for me then I appreciate any and all help. Thank you. Deborah

[@ingridp4457]

deborahdoesscrap Check intrepid travel or overseas travel adventure, they have some tours in which there’s only light walking, also check mena tours, they are based on Chicago

[@evilassaultweaponeer]

I cannot speak to organized, packaged tours, but I am traveling to Italy in just a few weeks with my girlfriend and found it was very helpful for us to simply have a few long phone conversations while taking notes on where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. She wrote the final decisions on an electronic spreadsheet an after a couple weeks and just a few conversations we had an itinerary! It sounds like you got a bit overwhelmed with information, so perhaps it would be best to let you daughter keep the master itinerary. From what I have read and planned, it seems that Italy is quite easy to get around in the urban areas, as there are myriad transport options you can use. I recommend this: choose some big cities (Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan seem like the top choices) and book some half day or day tours on Viator (or similar websites) to be driven by van to nearby towns a couple of days? That way you can choose less strenuous activities and plan a pace that seems comfortable.

[@rebekahpollock8627]

Deborah, I hope you have a wonderful trip!! From my experience in Italy, major sites in big cities like Florence and Rome will have a lot of options for those who are not mobile, including, elevators or taxis that can take you to the top of hills. However, you might not be able to avoid stairs in some historic buildings like church bell towers. Small coastal towns like the Cinque Terre could pose a problem, as the terrain is naturally hilly and few buildings have elevators. If there is a tour that you are considering, I recommend you arrange a phone call with the tour operator to ask how they accommodate those with less mobility- it has certainly come up for them before! Ask what activities could pose a problem, and what happens if you want to sit an activity out. Confirm that all hotels have elevators or rooms on the first floor. If traveling alone (with your daughter) select hotels in good locations that will not require a lot of travel each day. Hop-on, Hop-off tours are a good option for getting around the city and getting an overview. Arrange special accommodations with your airline- for example, they may drive you to your gate or help you skip long lines. If necessary, pay for a seat with more leg room. PACK LIGHT! Pack all medication in your carry-on, and keep copies of all emergency contact numbers, insurance and medical information. Cruising may be a good option for you, especially if bus stairs pose a problem. Amawaterways offers river cruises with "gentle" tour paces. You can do this! Yes, it will take planning but it will be worth it. Enjoy and be well!

[@StumptownBoy]

Hi, Deborah: I have no advice. Just want to wish you a wonderful trip, and hope that you love it so much that you decide to do it again, against all odds. Hope you'll come back here and let us know how it was. Ciao!

[@freal3512]

Check out Sage Travel - European Travel Expert for the disabled www.sagetraveling.com/accessible-holidays-europe They have not only packages but also guidebooks to help you navigate (avoid) streets and areas that are difficult for those with reduced mobility including those using walkers and wheelchairs. Scroll right down to the blue section at the bottom. I have never used them but have strongly contemplated it to travel with some family members. Let me know if you do use them.

[@davidvilchez2209]

I wish I could afford to live for 4 months in Europe

[@pyrotarkus]

I went for a month long trip , liked it a lot . So , I got a job there and stayed 6 months ...;There are websites that help people find work when they travel abroad .

[@williamtan4470]

Rick is the Father of the Vloggers!

[@18daisydoll65]

I can't get the app, is it only available in the States?

[@manishabegum4019]

try amazon :), that where I got hold of mine

[@18daisydoll65]

+manisha begum thank you, I have it now and I'm not sure how I found it🌍🙋🏼

[@yonis5046]

i gave up when he said 100dollars a day for a guid daheck

[@barvdw]

If you can share that with say 3-4 more people, $100 isn't that bad, especially if you get driven around for that money, too. I wouldn't go for a private guide each day, but at some places...

[@angelalauren3297]

I like the guy, but he's style is so dated!

[@MV-zt6gb]

Europe is dated!!!

[@rebeccagutierrez1960]

You're kidding, right?