Arranging Your Travel
Air Arrangements	There are countless sources for airline tickets. Often the least cost will be to use a consolidator which can save you money because consolidators "buy in bulk." Air tickets purchased as part of a vacation package can similarly save you money because packagers "buy in bulk" and pass the savings on. Contacting me is the best way to find out the least cost source of airfares for your trip. See Consulting Services for information on prices charged for making air arrangements. To book your own air, you can get airline tickets at the best available published rates at Sacramento Flights. You can also buy discounted airline tickets from Auto Europe, subject to availability. Click on the icon: Or, if you want expert advice before you purchase your airline tickets: Click here for more information on consolidator tickets. Click here for an airfare quote.
Cruises	For most of its history, Europe has been a maritime civilization. That means that a cruise may be the most convenient way to visit the core areas of Europe. A cruise means having to unpack only once and being able to sleep in the same bed for the duration of the cruise; what a time saver that is! A cruise lets you travel with Europeans who find a cruise to be a great way for them to take their vacations. You can take a river cruise through the heart of France, Germany, and Eastern Europe. You can take a barge cruise on canals built to tie distant parts of Europe together. You can go on an ocean cruise that calls at major ports in the Baltic, Western Europe, and Meditterranean. You can even enjoy a cruise on a yacht! See Consulting Services for information on prices charged for booking cruises. The cost applied to final cost of cruise. Click here to request a cruise quote.
Car rental	Renting a car is often the best way to get into the rural areas. Having a rental car allows you mobility and flexibility that you can't get through any other mode of transportation. Contact me about arranging a rental car for you in Europe. See Consulting Services for information on prices charged for booking rental cars. If you prefer to book a rental car on your own (no booking fees charged), choose Auto Europe, the premier car rental broker in Europe. See Car Rentals for more information. Click here for information on car rentals.
Rail travel	If you are going to spend most of your time traveling from city-to-city in Europe, consider going by train. For the most part, Europe has a hub-and-spoke network of railways. That means that you can "base camp" in a major city and take daytrips by rail to secondary cities or even to other major cities. For example, you can stay in London and go to Paris in the morning, shop, sightsee, go to museums, dine on wonderful French food, and return to your London lodging that night. Or vice versa.. If you prefer, you can also use rail to move from "basecamp" to "basecamp." You need to plan such an itinerary carefully to avoid backtracking unnecessarily, and I can help. Just send me an email to ask for my assistance planning your rail itinerary and booking your rail tickets or rail passes. See Consulting Services for information on prices for booking rail travel (tickets and passes).
Lodging	If you want an experience and not just a trip, stay where the locals stay or stay in more unusual lodgings. Staying where the locals do means staying in smaller, family-run hotels rather than impersonal chain hotels, staying in B&Bs or pensiones, staying in a residential neighborhood of a large city rather than in the tourist district, living in a village, and going on cruises with European vacationers. Staying where the locals do increases your chance to meet Europeans, to learn and experience their culture, to dine in typically European restaurants, cafes, pubs, etc., and to enjoy the life of the local people. Staying in an unusual lodging gives you the chance to experience something different from the ordinary life you lead at home. Unusual lodging choices include: + Spend the night in a castle + Rent a cottage, an apartment, a villa + Live in a cave + Rent a room in a convent or monastery + Charter a yacht, barge, houseboat -- tie it to the town pier to live on Contact me about arranging accommodations for you in Europe. See Consulting Services for information on prices charged for researching and booking lodging arrangements. The cost is applied to final cost of lodging. Click here to request information on booking a hotel or other lodging.
Tours	An escorted tour can be an economical, convenient, and informative way to experience Europe. The right tour can take you off the tourist track and let you see behind the scenes for a glimpse of how Europeans live and make a living. Or, if you are more interested in an overview that takes you to the most notable tourist attactions, such as museums, churches, and castles, then there are tours that will let you do that with a minimum effort on your part because the logistics of travel are taken care of for you. There is no one tour that fits all travelers, so contact me about arranging a tour for you in Europe. We need to chat about what you want out of a tour, how fast a pace you are comfortable with, how much unstructured time you want during the tour, and what is on your "must see" list of sights and activities. See Consulting Services for information on prices charged for researching and booking tours. The cost is applied to final cost of the tour. Click here for information on tour departure dates and pricing.
Vacation Packages	A vacation package may be the most economical way to experience Europe because the parts of your trip are "packaged" by reputable wholesalers. A package will include whatever you wish it to include, such as airfare to Europe, transfers between the airport and hotel, lodging, sightseeing, and admission to museums. A package may be for a single city (such as London or Venice) or for a combination of cities (such as a London and Paris combo). A package may be for a resort destination, such as on the beaches of southern Spain. The important thing to know about vacation packages is that you enjoy the economies of scale because the package wholesalers "buy in bulk." What you often don't get with a package is an itemized breakdown of the prices of the component parts. That's because the wholesaler which put the package together has access to special deals which they pass on to you, the travel consumer. A vacation package is like a fixed price menu; you pay one price for a three course meal and can't tell what the individual prices of the soup, salad, and main course are. Nor do you care as long as the total price for the package-- or the fixed price menu-- is a good deal. Contact me about arranging a vacation package for you in Europe. See Consulting Services for information on prices charged for researching and booking your vacation package. The cost is applied to final cost of the package. If you prefer to do all the work yourself—no research or booking fees charged—click on the EEI icon below to book your package through Europe Express, one of the premier wholesale packagers for European vacations. Alternatively, click here to arrange your own travel packages to Europe through Travel Impressions. Travel Impressions welcomes you to experience high-quality, reliable and value-oriented vacation packages. This wholesaler personally oversees every aspect of your vacation to ensure it exceeds their high standards of quality. Click here for information on vacation package departure dates and pricing.
Trip Insurance	Trip insurance is strongly recommended. Period. It's for your protection. See Ins and Outs of Trip Insurance for more information on trip insurance and for a link to buy this important protection for yourself.
Cell Phone Rentals	Having a cell phone with you is more than just a way to stay in touch with family and friends at home. Having a cell phone is also a great convenience. For example, if you have a cell phone and you are going to be late arriving at a hotel, you can call the hotel and let them know your situation. You can use your phone to cancel or amend reservations. You can call your hotel to ask for directions. While you can do all those things with a pay phone, finding one may not always be simple and you will need a phone card or correct change to use a pay phone. Having a cell phone with you can be a real blessing. Unless you have a special cell phone, the cell phone you use in the US won't work in Europe. Now you can rent a European cell phone through Auto Europe. You can also rent a cell phone through Global Cellular:
GPS	Need help navigating the highways and by-ways of Europe in your rental car? A StreetPilot III GPS (or equivalent) may be just what you need. You can rent one through Auto Europe. Click on the icon below:
Books, Music, Movies, Maps	Reading up on your destination, listening to its music, and watching movies set in the locations you will visit are excellent ways to prepare for your trip. Whether it's a guidebook or a novel, a street map or highway atlas, a travelogue on DVD or period movie, a language tape or music CD with all the flavors of your destination, you can buy it at Amazon.com.
Spas	Destinations such as Bath, Weisbaden, and Evian-les-Bains are so famous for their spas that the word "bath" is part of their name. But many other European destinations have spas as do many upscale hotels and inns throughout Europe. To find out where the spas are, check out Spa Finder. To give the gift of well-being, give a trip to a spa: