Today marked the official first day of my 2013 Eurotrip planning so I will write about the stages I am in in hopes that people who think a vacation is only for the rich or for their dreams can plan their own soon.


When planning a long overseas trip the whole thing needs to border on obsession especially if you're not rolling in dough. I always obsess, plan, research prices, the works in order to keep myself in check mentally and financially. Planning ahead lets me follow flight cost trends and I've always managed to go away for really cheap. Except when I flew to LA from NYC during Thanksgiving weekend for 48 hours to see Morrissey but....some things can't be avoided.

I learned that summer is the worst time to travel. To Europe at least. Not that I've ever been on vacation in the fall and the city was full of locals but the summer makes it worse. School is out so students AND teachers are running rampant. It's hot and sticky and it just makes for a bad experience unless you're heading to a beach town. The prices are also absolutely insane. Everything drops once you decide to go away after Labor Day Weekend which is perfect because it's my best time to travel. This works out well because if you're going to a major city, especially any in Europe, you really can't enjoy it wish sunglasses on. The architecture in those cities is amazing and everything stands out when the sun isn't in full effect. I did experience the awful heatwave that went on in the fall of 2011 when I landed in Paris but a little shopping did the trick. Any excuse, right?

I'll be adding some of my favorite sites for finding fares, information on getting around when you're in certain European cities and anything else I think may be useful for a new traveler. Be Excited! Get a passport and just GO!