Most travelers, including me, want their trip to be free from stress. The key is good planning.
The two most common ways of traveling through Europe are with a guided tour group or by planning it yourself. Both have advantages. A huge plus of traveling with a group is that the tour organizer takes care of the logistics. They are responsible for your travel itinerary, hotel accommodations and make many of the dining reservations. They provide an experienced guide to help you along the way, and as an added bonus, are usually knowledgeable about places and bits of history you might not find in a guide book. Another big plus is the built in camaraderie. Having a familiar face to see every day is reassuring, especially if you are an introvert like me. The first time I went to Europe, this was the way I traveled.
With an EF tour group on our way to watch tennis at Wimbledon in England.
The other possibility, planning your own itinerary, will be my primary focus. Having traveled both ways I’d have to say I enjoyed our self-guided version a little better. While going with a tour group is a great way to travel, I felt our self-guided excursion was a richer, more satisfying experience.
Unlike going with a group, traveling with your own agenda requires countless hours of research and planning. Sure, there was some stress involved. There were times I had difficulty locating a hotel in a city, but the kinks always worked themselves out. In the end, after all the research and planning, I was more prepared and more knowledgeable about the places we would be visiting.
The line outside Westminster Abbey for Evensong
For example, I’m not sure I would have known about the practice called Evensong, performed in many of the cathedrals around England, if I hadn’t read about it in a guidebook. Evensong is basically a church service in the evening performed in song. With a little luck in timing, my son Nate and I were able to attend this on our first day in London and at Westminster Abbey, no less. What a way to experience the beauty and grandeur of this ancient cathedral. Another advantage, normally it cost twenty pounds to tour the inside of the cathedral, however, the Evensong service is free.
There are a plethora of resources available for the self-guided traveler. The ones I found most useful are the books and PBS shows by Rick Steves. My family had a good chuckle every time I said, “Well, Rick Steves suggests.” But the truth is, Mr. Steves gives great, straightforward advice.
If you are thinking about a trip to Europe, I would strongly suggest checking out Rick Steves’ book entitled, “Europe through the Back Door.” This title was the foundation for planning our trip. It gives specific cost saving tips and great advice on making the most of your time in Europe. He answers most of the basic questions from how to exchange money to using Europe’s elaborate train system. The book also has a basic overview of the countries you might visit that leads you to other resources about specific countries. Other helpful guidebooks, by Fodor and Lonely Planet, are worth checking out too.
Next time I will share a few travel tips and focus on getting yourself ready both physically and mentally for taking such a trip. 
I understand there are still parts of Europe that will not break the bank (Poland, Hungary, Greece) but much of it is very expensive unless you stick to youth hostels. Many of these are for young’uns, 26 and under.
But as to rejuvenating the spirit? Priceless.
It wasn’t as expensive as I thought it would be. For one we went on the shoulder season–prices (and crowds) were less. We didn’t have extravagant meals, purchased some of our tickets at discounted prices before leaving the US and traveling with a partner helped to defray the expense. I would say our daily expenses (hotel included) mounted to around 125.00 a day. Not cheap, but reasonable. Thanks for commenting.
We’ve just returned from 10 self-guided days in Dublin, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Belfast, and Carlingford, Ireland. I found a used copy of Rick Steeves’ book on Ireland, and it was most useful in the planning. It does take hours to find accommodations, travel between various places, etc., but it worked well for us, and surprisingly, all went smoothly. For stays of 3 nights or longer, we used Air bnb – so nice to have a complete apartment at the end of the day, and usually cheaper than most hotel rooms. The hosts are sometimes very helpful, too. The train system is so great and inexpensive, and a couple of times we visited unplanned-for places, just because we could. Great trip overall; maybe someday the package tours will work for us, but self-guided is good for now.
Jan, Sounds like you had a fulfilling trip, and it sounds like your experiences mirrored ours. I’ve not been to Ireland, but hope to someday.
You’re the second person that mentioned using an Air BnB in Europe. I need to learn more about it. Thanks for sharing some of your Europe travel tips.