If you haven't made your summer vacation plans, there is still time to find a great vacation package or cruise.
If you think you'd like to travel in late July and/or August, it can be warm (think hot) in the southern part of Europe, but absolutely delightful in the northern parts. Consider Scotland, Ireland, England, Netherlands (Holland), Estonia and Germany.
June's weather is delightful along the Mediterranean! Warm sun, blue blue skies, and less crowds. Spain offers lots of spectacular beaches, France has fascinating historical villages along the seaside and Italy is full of romantic notions under that sun in Tuscany and Venice's canals are bustling with activity.
First time to Europe? Consider a Mediterranean cruise to see the most places with greatest of ease. May and June are fantastic cruising times for southern Europe. July and August are perfect for cruising the northern European cities. Anytime during the summer is delightful for a river cruise on the Rhine and/or Danube Rivers (www.vikingrivercruises.com). There are lots of sites you can search, for instance check out this site for last minute/bargain cruises: http://www.lastminutecruises.com/ You can select where to cruise, the length of a cruise (7 day minimum is best), month of travel, etc. Cruising offers you an incredible value: your floating hotel transports you from port to port, with no stress to you, and your meals are included! Getting over there: sometimes the cruise line will offer an airfare for free or as an "add-on"...I suggest you ask specifically the routing for the flights...sometimes it is best to book your own flights (or take the credit for the airfare offered by the cruise line) and take control of your flights! (One time we had to take 3 flights to get from NY to our cruise ship in Athens!!! The wear and tear on us was not worth the "free" airfare!)
Looking for package deals? Want to visit 3 cities on your whirlwind tour? Easy enough to do! There are so many choices, so many cities, so many countries. Again, there are so many sites that you can find on line for travel searches, and here is another: http://www.europeandestinations.com/ How about London-Paris-Rome? Dublin-London-Edinburgh? Germany's Romantic Road & Castles? Or Rome-Florence-Venice for an Italian culinary adventure...Paris-Amsterdam-Brussels...the options are endless. You can choose a pre-made package, or create your own.
Want to settle down in one spot and "live like a local"? Travelling with family and need a bit more space than a hotel room? Vacationing with a group of friends sharing costs? Check out this site to rent an apartment or house in your destination: www.vrbo.com
Aside from the well known hotel chains (InterContinental, Sheraton, Hilton, Marriot, Holiday Inn, etc), consider some of these brands: Eurostars Hotels, Sofitel and one of my favorites, Best Western. Best Western in Europe are mostly family owned hotels; some are small, others a bit larger and some quite large. I've stayed at a larger one in Florence (on the edge of the city, a converted convent) in a smaller one in the Florence city center (a converted monastery) and a most charming one in Ducey, France (converted water mill). Of course, there are just some hotels that are privately owned and not affiliated with any brand. I've had the good fortune to have slept and enjoyed my stay in many a hotel throughout Europe and not a complaint among them! Sometimes we splurge and go 5 star and other times, a 3 star delivers the same warm hospitality and comfort for a lesser cost. On my blog, "Search": "Where We Stayed" for some of my past stays! ( I also have a grouping of restaurants where we've dined!)
Airfares: shop, shop, shop! All the major US carriers will get you there, and so will many European carriers: British Air, Iberia, TAP (Portugal), Alitalia, Air France, Lufthansa, SAS (Scandanavia), Swiss Air and a little known gem: Air Berlin! Air Berlin has incredible fares and many destinations throughout Europe. Here is their link: http://www.airberlin.com/prepage.php Don't forget to check your credit card company for offers on using "points" to buy your air tickets. Some credit card companies may even offer vacation packages or travel services as part of their program. Don't overlook any opportunities!
So what are you waiting for? Check out those websites, book your trip, confirm your passport is current, pack your bags and don't forget your camera! Bon Voyage!
Fifi
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