INSPIRATION & EXPERT ADVICE FOR INDEPENDENT TRAVELLERS
INSPIRATION & EXPERT ADVICE FOR INDEPENDENT TRAVELLERS
An Alaska cruise is a trip that everyone should take at least once in their lifetime. And I say that as someone who isn’t always the biggest fan of ocean cruising. We were only a few days into our trip and Mike and I were already saying that we wanted to do this again! The...
For our honeymoon, Mike and I decided to spend five weeks in Europe. We travelled to six different countries experiencing everything from small lakeside villages in the mountains, to one of the world’s most popular festivals. I’ll admit it, I planned a very ambitious (and detailed) itinerary for our five weeks in Europe. I left...
Ellen ChristianYour photos are truly stunning. I’d love to visit Europe some day. You’ve shown me tons of things I’d like to visit but I think a walking tour would be the most fun.October 24, 2013 – 3:45 amReplyCancel
2 wisemonkeysWhat a great summary :) you have made us want to go back to Germany to see more of it! The photos are beautiful!!!October 27, 2013 – 8:59 pmReplyCancel
Cara IllerbrunThanks so much for this. We did a whirlwind 3-month European adventure a few years ago… 17 countries – wow! We are planning a trip back to Germany in the next year or two as our sister-in-law is originally from a little village outside of Bamberg. And we want to go see her family. I can’t wait to check out some of the other towns you listed! Also, I went to uni with Mike and just wanted to say a huge congratulations to the both of you. I’m so glad he found his soul-mate. xxx CaramiaNovember 10, 2013 – 3:37 amReplyCancel
CarolynFantastic post and beautiful photos – you’ve really showcased the places you visited perfectly. I love all your comments on the German towns you visited. These are all on my next European itinerary so your comments are really useful. I look forward to reading more of your posts.November 11, 2013 – 3:00 pmReplyCancel
FrankInteresting post – you covered a lot of places on that trip! We did some of the same spots a few years ago. I was also very impressed by Regensburg, not a place many people go to. Enjoyed, like you, Munich and Fussen (but disappointed by the Neuschwanstein tour as well). Heidelberg we found pretty but overly touristy, kind of felt the same way about Salzberg. We actually ended up being big fans of Germany – and your German photos especially are fantastic. You almost expect Hansel and Gretel to show up…
Great job,
Frank (bbqboy)November 26, 2013 – 9:19 amReplyCancel
Derek FrealI love your hit / miss approach. Definitely a different approach but that’s just makes it even better — and more insightful! For example although I’ve never been to Budapest (although I really want to) I have heard lots about their thermal baths. Everyone else that has written about them only speaks of the good — I’ve never heard anyone mention of the downsides, namely the rude staff that y’all experienced. Shame to hear but I appreciate your candor. Travel isn’t always a perfect experience but I feel all too often bloggers only write about the good and leave out the bad. For not doing so I just really want to say THANKS! Keep up the good work :)March 12, 2014 – 11:43 amReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseThanks Derek. I always try to be honest about our experiences, even if they are not so great. Travel is still real life- many things are wonderful, but sometimes a few disappointments sneak in there. I think we would be doing readers a disservice if we didn’t write about our struggles, but I always try to convey that our experience, is nothing more than our experience. Someone else can have a completely different experience/opinion of a place and that’s okay. As for the baths in Budapest, I had read many reviews on Trip Advisor that were almost identical to our experience, but many blog posts that were opposite of what we experienced. I wrote a more in-depth review article about the baths, highlighting both the positives and the negatives, but I made sure to tell readers that our experience is just that- our experience. I think people should still go and try things out for themselves, but a little heads up about what they may encounter is nice!March 12, 2014 – 6:19 pmReplyCancel
Toccara Maytrott BestWe’re heading on a 6-week trip to Europe this summer, including several of the places you guys visited! (Munich, Fussen, Rothenburg, Cologne, Burges, Brussels, Hallstatt, and Salzburg!) Thanks for the inspiration! I will be trolling around your blog for more tips! :) (I’m very much a detailed planner, like you!) I look forward to all of the wonderful memories (and tips) I’ll be able to write about when we return! :)April 1, 2014 – 3:05 amReplyCancel
Erny ToI love your blog so much. My sister and I went to some of those places in 2013. We have same opinion that Salzburg is truly amazing old town.. We love Neuswantein dearly. We do have the same problem in Paris. Paris is beautiful city but it was slowly lost its charm due to the smell, vandalism… We plan to go to Hallstatt next year…June 9, 2014 – 1:05 amReplyCancel
Alicia Gruhl-OvertonHi there planning a two week trip next year paris for 6 days then on to munich and area my question is should we spend a night in rothenburg and a night in salzburg or just stay in munich and do day trips? Should we skip ludwigs castles is it really worth 30min tour of each ?? Thanks so much love your blog!June 24, 2014 – 3:39 pmReplyCancel
PassingThru.comNice job on this recap! Like you, we spent five weeks in Europe earlier this year on our way to the Winter Olympics. It was fun to see your impressions of the places we have mutually visited. Your itinerary, like ours this time, was quite ambitious, as my husband had never been. At times it felt as though we were doing reconnaissance, anticipating return visits in more depth. Now we are embarking on a “deliberately homeless” two-year round the world trip so that we can slow down. I appreciated your impressions of the places in Germany and Belgium we have yet to see and will add them for the Europe leg. Safe travels and Aloha!July 11, 2014 – 7:02 pmReplyCancel
manishhi i was online looking for tips to travel europe and as i have never been there i found your article very helpful thanks a lot for sharing it. i would really appreciate if there is a way i can get your itinerary where to traveled when and how. i would understand if you do not wish to share it. thanks again for this article.July 28, 2014 – 11:48 amReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseThank you so much! Hope you have a fabulous time in Europe!August 6, 2014 – 11:08 amReplyCancel
[email protected]'s TravelgramThat’s a fantastic itinerary, though as a local I would definitely opt for more time in France!
In case you’ve liked Strasbourg so much, you would definitely love Colmar even more! It’s even more colorful and fairy-tale like :) The small city in France is – the more allure it has, actually.
Your photos are fantastic!
P.s. yep, ice-cream in Petite France is an absolute yum!August 18, 2014 – 6:35 amReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseI’ve seen pictures of Colmar and it looks absolutely delightful! On my next trip to France, I will definitely plan on visiting it.August 18, 2014 – 11:15 amReplyCancel
Wikki AmornsakHi! Wow that was great! Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
I’m starting to plan my honeymoon trip for next year 5 weeks in April-May and I don’t even know where or how to begin it. Your hit and misses really have me a great platform to start on. Thank youSeptember 5, 2014 – 10:34 pmReplyCancel
Arnie @ Romantic-Vacations-Guide.comI just stumbled across your blog, Rhonda, and have spent far to much time reading it when I should be doing something more productive. I always get suckered in by good writing.
My wife and I have been to quite a number of the places that you mentioned here and can never decided which to return to. With one exception.
At the end of every trip to Europe, we spend the last four to five days in….. Paris. We have been there the last three years running, and, maybe it’s because I’m getting old, but I have never noticed the bad odor that you mentioned.
If you want bad smells my wife would encourage you to visit Rouen in Normandy. She swears that the whole town smells of dog p..s.(Had to be delicate there.)
At any rate, have been enjoying your blog immensely.
Bonne journéeOctober 19, 2014 – 5:01 pmReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseThanks for your kind compliments, Arnie. I’m glad you have been enjoying my blog! My husband and I could also keep returning to Paris again and again. I’ve been twice now, but still don’t feel like I’ve seen and experienced all that I want to. I think for any future travels to Europe, we will try and use Paris as our starting point. If only it weren’t so expensive! Happy travels!October 20, 2014 – 10:22 amReplyCancel
JackieHi there! Thank you for this post! I am planning a trip to Europe for next year and I found this really helpful! I was curious about how you structured your itinerary. When you say you spent 1 day in a certain place, do you mean one full day without traveling, or is that with traveling to/from the city?October 25, 2014 – 5:23 pmReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseHi Jackie! I’m glad you found this post helpful. To answer your question, the amount of time I stated we were in a city is the actual time we had to explore (it doesn’t include travel time). So for Budapest, I said 3.5 days because that’s how much time we were actually in the city. We arrived early afternoon and then had another 3 full days to enjoy. Hope this helps. Have fun planning your trip!October 27, 2014 – 5:11 pmReplyCancel
CityoftheweekVery impressive itinerary! I’m sure you guys had a blast! Although I am not anywhere near my honeymoon, I always imagined something similar for myself as well (meaning three-five weeks of roaming around everywhere and anywhere in Europe). Enjoyed the post :)November 28, 2014 – 12:26 pmReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseYes, we did have a great time! We had so much fun seeing all the sights that it didn’t feel like 5 weeks at all. Glad you enjoyed the post!November 28, 2014 – 12:42 pmReplyCancel
Tracy GreenHi,
Thanks for sharing your trip, it was a great read and very helpful.
We are going to Europe for 4 weeks in ‘May 2015 and im struggling to work out how long everywhere. Some people say you have to stay a few days everywhere or you waste too much time travelling and get too tired .
Ive noticed alot of organised tours only do 1-2 night stays. There is so many places I want to see . What are your thoughts on overnighters? Is it difficult with luggage and check in & out times?
Originallly i had planned london-paris-venice-rome-munich-amsterdam-brussells-mannheim(our son is playing hockey representing australia here for our last 6 days). I was planning 4 nights/3 full days in each but now wonder if 2 full days is enough after reading your post?
We are late 30’s and fit and have our 13 yr old daughter in toe as our son travels with his team.
Rhonda KrauseI always struggle with deciding how long to stay in one place. On one hand, I like to see a city in depth, but I also like to see many different places in a country.
When I’m planning a trip, I make a list of places I “must-see” in a city, and then another list of places that would be nice to visit if we have time. Then I look on a city map how far apart the attractions are, and use that to estimate how much time we need getting from place to place. In Europe, many of the cities are compact with the main sights close together, so you actually can see quite a lot in a day if you wanted to.
For bigger cities, I like to spend at least 2-3 days, but for smaller towns, I have no issue with only spending one night. If possible, I try to arrange it so that we have a few over-nighters in a row, then take a travel break with a few days in one place. This way we didn’t get too tired or feel like we were travelling all the time. We also tried to do day trips if possible.
I never unpack my suitcase, so the luggage wasn’t an issue. We always took an early morning train in order to maximize our days. Most places we arrived at late morning/early afternoon which still left us half the day to explore. We found train travel to be really relaxing, so that helped with not feeling too tired.
I can’t really tell you if 3 days is too much because it depends on what you want to see. If you get bored, you can always do a day trip somewhere. Munich wasn’t my favourite city, but there are a lot of great places you can see on a day trip around there. For myself- 3 days in Brussels would have been way too much, but you could look into doing day trips to Bruges and Ghent from there. I wouldn’t take away time from Paris or Rome though- both incredible cities!
Hope this helps. It’s hard to give advice for things like this because everyone’s travel style is so different. I personally don’t travel to relax- I want to see as much as possible, so I don’t mind getting up early, travelling around, and returning home tired. But, that’s not for everyone (my husband included lol!)January 17, 2015 – 10:40 amReplyCancel
Dylan Rose GeerlingsHi there, I am a relatively new traveler and I will be spending a month or so this summer traveling Europe by myself after my abroad program ends. I am trying to lay out an itinerary for myself but I am also trying to figure out the best way to get from place to place. Your itinerary looks quite similar to what I had envisioned and I was hoping you could let me know how you got from place to place. Any information you can give me would be a big help. Thank you!March 11, 2015 – 11:31 amReplyCancel
Tyrowe John AlarconThanks a lot for this review this is such a big help… i am pretty excited with my plan to visit europe. Still collecting and searching possible itineraries…Will be there hopefully from October to November,,,Excited to experience autumn and see amazing sceneries…August 23, 2015 – 6:38 pmReplyCancel
MariI feel the same way about planning a trip as you do! I also faced people saying it would not be convenient to book everything in advance and plan what to do. But for me it’s definitely the best way to travel because you don’t have to use your valuable time abroad doing that.
I’m also a big fan of these hits and miss styled posts. I really like the way you approach travelling in your blog in general as well. It’s refreshing somehow. Thank you! :)October 4, 2015 – 3:46 pmReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseHi Mari. Thanks for reading my post- glad you enjoyed it! Sounds like we have some things in common about our travel style!October 4, 2015 – 5:49 pmReplyCancel
Deb TewLoved your trip review! I’m going on a Danube rivercruise next week that starts in Budapest and ends in Nuremburg. We had planned a couple of days in Salzburg afterward but now are thinking of staying in Nuremburg and taking day trips from there. Would you recommend Regensburg and Bamberg as the best daytrips from Nuremburg?October 8, 2015 – 3:33 pmReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseGreat idea to spend some extra days in Nuremberg! I wish I had planned for more time there. We enjoyed both Regensburg and Bamberg, but would maybe give a slight edge to Regensburg, if I had to pick only one. But both towns were great! Another option would be Rothenburg ob der Tauber. This was my favourite place in Germany! Most people do it as a day trip, but I’m really glad we spent the night so we could enjoy it without all the crowds. Hope this helps! Enjoy your cruise!October 8, 2015 – 4:01 pmReplyCancel
PeitaHi Rhonda,
How did you go about budgeting for this trip? This is the hardest part for me, as I have planned an itinery myself, however just want to make sure we are not leaving ourselves short.
Also how did you go with the trains and finding your way around to your accommodation everytime, is this time consuming? or did you just catch taxi’s etc?March 3, 2016 – 8:02 pmReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseHi Peita! When it comes to budgeting, we honestly don’t worry too much about that while we’re on the trip. We almost always use our airmiles/points for flights, so really only budget for mid-range hotels and train passes to get from city to city. Once we’re there, we do everything we’re interested in and not worry about the cost. We actually have a box that we throw all our spare change in and we use this as our spending money for our trips (it’s amazing how all that change can add up!)
I always tried to book hotels that were sort of halfway between the train station we’d be arriving at and the main tourist areas, also not far from a subway stop. Sometimes we’d walk to our hotel, sometimes we’d take the subway or a cab. Since we were staying so close to the train station, cab rides weren’t very expensive.
Hope this helps with your planning!March 4, 2016 – 9:08 amReplyCancel
the cape on the corneri think i have like 10 tabs open here. what a great idea for a blog post, this is super helpful. we were going to do an overnight in munich, after 2 nights in salzburg, but i thought it was just getting a bit too fast paced, and since we’ll have a rental car, parking is expensive. i figure i will likely visit munich on its own than st. gilgan in austria, or the wachau valley. how i wanted to drive the romantic road! oh well, next time. from our week in the alps, we are driving down to lake bled and spending 2 nights in ljubiana, have you been?
bMarch 17, 2016 – 11:55 amReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseNo, I haven’t been to Slovenia yet, but it’s on my list. So many places to see, never enough time (and money) lol!March 22, 2016 – 4:51 pmReplyCancel
HaileyThis post is exactly what I have been looking for! I am trying to plan an itinerary for my Europe trip and have had no luck looking online. Yours seems perfect the only thing I would have loved to know is travel time and the way you travelled between each place. I am super organised when I travel and I am really struggling with a Europe itinerary and where to find one with travel times and best way to travel :(April 24, 2016 – 4:01 pmReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseHi Hailey! I’m glad you’ve found this post helpful for planning your own trip. I’ve gone and added the travel time between destinations, which is something I’ve been meaning to do for a while, so thanks for the reminder! We took the train almost everywhere and rented a car once. Train is definitely our favourite way to travel in Europe. It’s easy, fast and efficient. Good luck with the rest of your planning!April 25, 2016 – 5:22 pmReplyCancel
BeastieI found your blog while searching for a 5 week itinerary for a trip to Europe. I really enjoyed reading about your trip but I couldn’t help but laugh about what happened on your walking tour in Prague. Something similar happened to us while my husband and I were in Cordoba, Spain. It was our first time taking a walking tour, we even paid for it because we wanted to skip the long lines to the Mesquita. The tour was so awful that we wanted to leave. Like you, we’re polite Canadians and we simply couldn’t bear the thought of being rude.July 25, 2017 – 7:36 pmReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseOh no! It’s always unfortunate when a tour is not what you expected. I still regret doing that one in Prague because it made us miss out on other places we wanted to visit. I think a good guide is knowledgeable but a great guide knows how to read (and cater to) his/her audience.July 26, 2017 – 8:27 pmReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseI’m happy to hear you found this helpful. Enjoy your honeymoon!February 16, 2018 – 1:37 pmReplyCancel
JenniferHi! I really enjoyed reading your post and the pictures are beautiful! I’m planning a 3-week trip to Germany currently and some of the same places are on my list! I’ve been reading various blogs to try to get ideas and information. I have to say, yours is the first that informed about having to pay for public restrooms, that is very good to know as I will be bringing my daughter!
I’m curious – there don’t appear to be a ton of people in your pictures, which is appealing to me to not have to deal with as large of crowds. Do you mind sharing during what month(s) you visited the Germany portion of your trip?March 22, 2018 – 11:47 amReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseHi Jennifer. We were in Germany mid-September and early October. The crowds in Munich were bad because of Oktoberfest, but other than that it was okay. I don’t enjoy crowds either, so I try to avoid summer travel.March 26, 2018 – 9:01 amReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseWe went to Oktoberfest in Munich.April 12, 2018 – 10:16 amReplyCancel
SilkyYour photos are really amazing and especially the Ice cave. Everything is summarized so well. I am visiting Austria in September 2018. Will be staying 5 days in Vienna, 3 days in Salzburg. Planning for a day tour to Melk from Vienna and a day tour to Hallstatt from Salzburg. Is the Vienna Pass worth? Please give suggestions from where to shop souvenirs and must buys in Austria. I look forward to reading more of your posts. Thank You!July 23, 2018 – 2:24 amReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseThank you! We bought the Vienna Card and only saved a tiny bit of money. We wouldn’t buy it again. You can see our review of it here: https://www.travelyesplease.com/travel-blog-vienna-card/ I don’t like to shop so can’t help you on the souvenir question- sorry!August 3, 2018 – 9:52 amReplyCancel
Jednog DanaI found your blog while browsing for things to see and do in Salzburg, and liked it so much that i started reading your other posts. I like this idea of hits and misses very much – very useful to start you off, and then point you to more in depth articles. But you really lost me when you said that you found Vienna boring. To each his own, I guess, but I like Vienna very much (but then again I am that person you never met, who found Prague quite underwhelming). I agree with you that the city is too expensive, but there is so many great things to do and see, and a lot of it even for free. I visited Vienna several times, never for less than a week, and never found a minute of it boring. I also think that you lose much when you visit a city famous for its museums, and then don’t go to the museums. On the other hand, I think that you can skip going to a classical concert (especially on your first visit and/or if you are only staying for a short time). A lot of the concerts are just tourist traps – expensive, and not that good.Anyway, keep up the good writing, and I’ll keep reading, even if I sometimes disagree :)August 24, 2018 – 7:20 pmReplyCancel
One summer Mike and I set out on 15 day road trip from Edmonton to Vancouver Island and back. We spent a lot of our time on “The Island” (as us Western Canadians call it) since it has a little bit of everything- great beaches, whimsical towns, gorgeous provincial parks, and romantic gardens. There’s no...
Derek ChristensenHow accessible – for Persons with Mobility Impairments – are these wonderful places you wrote about?? I’ve been to some of these places, but not all and am taking my wife to some of these in July 2013.
I have had many frustrating days trying to inquire to many locations to find out how “accessible” these places are for Persons with Disabilities. I’m disabled.June 20, 2013 – 10:42 amReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseOut of all the places we visited, Butchart Gardens is the most accessible. There is only one part in the Sunken Garden (a lookout point) that wouldn’t be accessible because of the stairs leading up. The Rose Carousel is even accessible. The Gardens also have wheelchairs available on a first come first served basis. They are free, you just need to make a $10 refundable deposit.
Schooner Cove trail involves a lot of stairs and the boardwalk can be slippery.
A website that may help you out regarding accessibility of beaches in the Tofino area is http://tofino-bc.com/blog/hiking-trails/wheelchair-accessibility-in-pacific-rim-national-park-reserve/
Rhonda KrauseHi Gina! Glad you found my article helpful. Vancouver Island is a great place to visit and with a week you’ll be able to experience a lot of it. How long will you be in Canada for? You should definitely try and make it to my home province of Alberta. We’ve got the beautiful Rocky Mountains!February 22, 2016 – 3:24 pmReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseYou’re welcome! Hope you have a wonderful trip!May 23, 2016 – 3:02 pmReplyCancel
KatiHi Rhonda,
I’ve been following your blog for some time, it was really helpful when we were planning our six weeks Canada road trip last year!
But I didn’t quite listen to your advice on Vancouver Island and we stuffed up our road trip by packing way too much in (and we were heading north to catch the ferry from Port Hardy as well). I virtually didn’t see anything you saw and now looking your descriptions and pictures, I can only smack myself in the head and wonder why none of your advice had sunk in… Ah well, I guess I can say I learnt some lessons. ;)March 3, 2017 – 3:06 amReplyCancel
Rhonda KrauseOh no! That’s too bad. I’ve been guilty of that a time or two myself. I guess you’ll have to come back one day. ;)March 5, 2017 – 2:19 pmReplyCancel
Seymour BallingThanks for posting such a wonderful trip experience.July 9, 2017 – 6:19 amReplyCancel
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Carmen EdelsonWe just returned last week from cruising through Alaska on the same itinerary. You were lucky to have good weather. It rained everyday, and we had low bearing fog along the way. August 21, 2014 – 11:35 pm
Rhonda KrauseOh no! That’s really too bad about the weather. I hope it didn’t affect your ability to see the sights too much. We did get really lucky with the weather. The locals were saying the sunshine we were experiencing was unheard of!August 22, 2014 – 1:00 pm
ToccaraWe also just got back from an Alaskan Cruise with this exact itinerary! I’m working on my blog posts now! I took so many pictures! Some highlights from our week included: whale watching in Juneau (saw bubble-net feeding and 2 whales breach), seeing a momma bear and her cub at Mendenhall Glacier, driving through the Yukon, and hearing and seeing the glacier calving in Glacier Bay, to name just a few! We were so fortunate to have incredible weather the entire week aboard the Island Princess (July 30-August 6). It sprinkled a little bit during our day in College Fjord, but the gloomy weather added a magical element to the scenery. I absolutely agree… everyone should so go an Alaskan cruise at some point in their lifetime. The landscape is simply amazing!August 23, 2014 – 9:49 am
ShobhaThis is handy! My husband and I were planning on going to Alaska next August for 2 weeks while the kids were at sleep away camp. It’s good to know that the weather will be mixed.October 17, 2014 – 11:31 am
Rhonda KrauseGlad you found this helpful! I hope you decide to go because Alaska is a wonderful place! I’d like to go back a third time. And yes, make sure you come prepared for all types of weather!October 17, 2014 – 4:28 pm
KatieI will be doing a similar trip this summer but by ferry. Alaska has an incredible ferry service that links so many of the coastal communities. I was going to skip Ketchikan but it looks beautiful so you may have changed my mindApril 30, 2015 – 7:20 pm
Linda BibbWallet notwithstanding, the advantage to booking a tour on your own is that your group will be a whole lot smaller. Sometimes that matters.May 5, 2016 – 12:45 am