How to plan a european vacation
HOW TO PLAN A TRIP TO EUROPE 2023 (STEP BY STEP) FOR FIRST TIMERS | Flights, Accommodation & More!
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planning a trip to Europe can be a
really daunting task for first-timers
from picking where to go and finding
flights to choosing hotels and building
itineraries it's all a lot of stress but
don't worry I'm here to make it easy
today I'm going to be walking you
through step by step how to plan your
own trip to Europe hi I'm Christina from
happytowonder.com I've been traveling
around Europe for the past 10 years and
my goal on this channel is to help you
travel Europe smarter so let's walk you
through the step-by-step process of
planning your own dream trip to Europe
this is going to be a pretty long video
but hopefully by the end of it you'll
have all the tools and resources that
you need to plan your own trip and stick
around till the end and I'll even give
you a free workbook that helps you do
exactly that alright so step one is
understanding the Schengen Zone before
we can talk about visas and entry
requirements and all that you need to
understand what the Schengen zone is so
a lot of people assume that in Europe
it's all border free travel but that's
actually not the case in all countries
and the whole travel Without Borders
thing only actually applies to a certain
Zone known as the Schengen Zone granted
this is a huge group covering 27
countries but it doesn't include all the
countries in Europe so a few notable
exceptions include the UK Ireland
Bulgaria Romania and a lot of countries
in the Balkan region as of 2023 these
are the countries that belong to the
schenken zone so as you can see it
comprises a lot of the countries that a
lot of first-time visitors will be
visiting but it's important that you
know that distinction practically
speaking with the schengenzone it
essentially means that if you stay
within this zone of countries you're not
going to need to go through passport
control every single time you cross the
border an important note is a lot of
people confuse the Schengen Zone with
the EU and even though there is a lot of
overlap they're actually not the same
thing so there are a lot of EU countries
that are part of the Schengen Zone and
some non-eu countries that are part of
it as well so just keep that in mind
that they're not the same now the reason
it's important to know this distinction
is because that can impact which visas
you apply for if you need to apply for a
Visa and it also impacts how long you
can stay in each of the countries that
you're visiting for more clarifications
and examples I have written a full Guide
to the Schengen Zone and you can find it
on my website now after you wrap your
head around that one we're going to move
on to step number two which is how long
you're actually going to be spending in
Europe and this is a really important
question to ask yourself honestly my
first independent trip around Europe I
spent about six weeks and that felt like
barely enough I would honestly recommend
a 10-day minimum if you're coming from
overseas just because you have to make
that jet lag worth it but of course it
really depends on how many vacation days
you have to work with and don't worry if
you even have just a week to spend in
Europe I actually have a video coming
out in two weeks time covering 40
different one-week itineraries for
Europe so be sure to subscribe for that
of course choosing how long you're going
to spend in Europe really depends on a
lot of personal factors so I'll leave
that up to you the one thing that I will
say is it is important to keep in mind
the time restrictions that you have on
how long you're allowed to be in Europe
many non-eu passport holders are
restricted to only 90 days within 180
days when you're visiting the Schengen
area and all the non-shanking countries
actually have their own specific rules
on how long you're allowed to stay so if
you're smart about it and you actually
wanted to spend longer than 90 days in
Europe what you could do is spend 90
days in the Schengen Zone and then spend
more time outside of the Schengen Zone
and then you don't overstay any of your
allowances and you're golden now after
you figured out how much time you have
to play with you get to decide the
really fun stuff where you're gonna go
so I know that Europe looks really small
on a map but it's important to keep in
mind that it's a very varied continent
with a lot to see a really high density
of sites meaning that you're not
probably going to be able to see every
single thing that you want to see in
just a single trip so a lot of
first-time visitors really assume that
they're going to be able to do this
they're like oh I'm gonna go to Europe
I'm going to cover the whole continent
because everything is super close
together and yes things are a lot closer
together than cities in North America
for example but it still does take time
to travel between countries so my advice
to you is to really just pick a few
destinations and not try to overcrime
your itinerary I remember when I was
planning my first backpacking trip in
Europe and I planned the itinerary after
like a few glasses of wine and I looked
at it the next day and realized it made
no sense because I was trying to go to
way too many places and it just didn't
add up but for shorter trips what I
would really recommend is you just pick
one or two countries and explore them
more thoroughly rather than trying to
cover a whole bunch of destinations in
one go but how can you decide where you
want to go so first of all again cheat
plug I do have 40 plus different
itineraries for one week in Europe so
you can browse out on my website you can
also look on my website for all the
different places I visited and can
recommend of course you probably have a
lot of places saved on your bucket list
as well usually when I start planning
for a trip I'll hop onto Tick Tock or on
Instagram browse on Pinterest kind of
get some ideas and just shortlist a few
destinations now after you've picked
where you want to go the next step is to
apply for visas and figure out any
documents that you might need for your
Europe trip I of course can't give
specific advice unless you're Canadian
because that's what I am and entry
requirements do vary based on where
you're from or what passport you have if
you are Canadian however and I believe
the rules are the same if you're from
the US or from Australia you do not need
a visa to enter the Schengen Zone you're
allowed to enter without applying for
any Visa beforehand that said as of 2023
you do need something called an etias
which stands for European travel
information and authorization system
form which is a very quick thing that
you can do online you pay a small fee
but that's not the same thing as
applying for a Visa don't worry visas
take a lot longer to apply for and it's
just generally a more stressful process
but the etis is not that difficult now
the best resource for finding out which
visas you need is your own government's
website okay when you're Googling things
be sure to seek out only official
sources because I found that when you
search up visa requirements and things
like that you often find a lot of
third-party websites that are just
trying to persuade you to purchasing
their services so the first step is to
find your official government website
and they can detail all the different
requirements that there are for entering
different countries with your passport
now moving on to step five the exciting
stuff is time to book your flights to
Europe now before we go into the step by
step something I definitely consider
getting is a travel friendly credit card
before booking your big trip just
because you are probably going to be
spending quite a bit of money on your
flights and on your hotels and just
general spending so it really makes
sense to have a credit card that Awards
you for your spending because you're
going to be spending that money anyway
so you might as well get some points for
it so I personally have the AmEx
platinum and I really do love it I think
it's super worth it you know that the
fee for that card is super high but at
least for the first year with the
welcome bonus you actually are able to
get a free round-trip flight to Europe
essentially so I think it's really worth
it and I can highly recommend that card
but that is just another topic for
another day so if you're looking for
more tips on securing cheap flights I do
have a full video all about that but
right now I'm just going to walk you
through the process that I typically use
so the first thing I'll usually do is
I'll hop on Google flights which is my
go-to tool these days I used to use a
lot of Skyscanner but Google flights
just makes things super easy and so I
prefer them these days first off what
I'll do is I'll go in and type my
departure airport if you are lucky and
have multiple airports to choose from
let's say you've got multiple airports
in your city or other airports close by
that you don't mind traveling to If It
Means A Better Deal then you can type in
with the passport codes the different
airports that you are searching up and
then in terms of the destination if you
already have a specific destination in
mind of course you can just type that in
but if not then you can also just type
Europe because then it'll show you the
cheapest flights just going to all the
different countries in Europe and
oftentimes that'll save you a bunch of
money if you just fly into a cheaper
airport and you have some flexibility so
for dates again if you have a specific
date you can enter them or you can just
enter a rough estimate and I'll show you
in the next step how you can then look
at a bunch of other dates at a glance so
let's say you're not really sure but you
know you probably want to go for a week
in June at some point so just throw that
in there and then search
so once you're here in this map view
then what you can do is you can you can
click on the calendar here and you can
click flexible dates and then that'll
allow you to search different flight
options depending on how long you're
going for so let's say a weekend one
week two weeks and also you can select
the time frame so you can do a one week
trip in the next six months for example
or specifically a one-week trip in
February June July whenever so I'll
usually have a little bit of a play with
that and then I'll look around at the
map at a glance and see where are the
cheapest flights where can I fly into
that is the cheapest so when you look at
the list if you see one that you like in
particular you're like oh I don't mind
going to London the flights there look
cheap so then you can click there and
then after that you can click view
flights and then you have my personal
favorite tool the date grid that you can
click on so there's actually a button
that you can click click date grid and
it shows you on a table how the prices
fluctuate depending on when you leave so
it'll be like okay well if you left a
few days earlier that it can actually be
cheaper so there's a lot of really cool
tools that you can use in Google flights
which is why I really really like using
them and so that's just the general
process that I use for finding cheap
flights again you can repeat this
process for different cities comparing
prices and ultimately you can decide
which one you want to go for the one
thing I will say is after you do choose
your flight what I tend to do is I
always book directly with the airline
just because I feel like that gives you
a lot more protection if anything ever
goes wrong Airlines tend to have way
better customer service than some of
those third parties now step six is to
book your accommodation after you've got
your flights it's time to decide where
you're going to sleep now I personally
love using aggregators like Google or
booking.com just to do my initial
research because I feel like they offer
a lot of tools that help you Whittle
down your options and if you're
interested in the step-by-step process
that I use to book my hotels and
everything I'm releasing a full video
all about that next week so be sure to
subscribe so you don't miss that but for
now here is a quickest rundown so in
terms of your accommodation options
you've got a huge range from the
cheapest like hostels and guest houses
to more expensive like hotels and of
course there's Airbnb and verbos you
know like vacation rentals that are kind
of this awkward in between so I'm gonna
quickly run through the pros and cons
bonds of all these different
accommodation options now hostels are a
great option if you're on a budget and
or if you're looking for more of a
social experience so in terms of Pros
hostels in Europe can actually be really
nice there's a lot of really beautiful
hostels in Europe and they're very nice
for the wallet as well with options for
private rooms in addition to dorms if
you want a little bit more privacy
hostels are also just really great in
general for meeting new people if your
goal is to make some new friends let's
say you're traveling alone hostels
really are the go-to option of course
the flip side of that is you don't get
much privacy and honestly even the
nicest hostels will seem quite Bare
Bones compared to nicer hotels and
they're kind of an introvert's nightmare
so if you're an introvert like me
hostiles might not be the best choice
now the next year budget wise would be
guest houses which are typically smaller
than hotels and usually involve a few
rooms typically ensuite at their
property now Pros are these guest houses
are usually cheaper than hotels and they
feel a lot homier they also tend to feel
more personal because the owner often
greets you and shows you the room so it
feels more like you're kind of
supporting a small local business
however the cons are they tend to be
more modest and how have far few
amenities in hotels they can also be
less convenient because there's not
usually like a 24-hour check-in desk so
you do have to coordinate a little bit
with the owner of the guest house and
then we have hotels which tend to be
larger properties with familiar
amenities like a check-in desk breakfast
Etc now when it comes to hotels one
really important thing to keep in mind
is that hotels in Europe actually
operate on a different star system to
what we're used to in North America so
whereas in North America if you're
staying at a one-star property you kind
of know what you're expecting one star
kind of means like low quality like not
not the best right whereas five star
usually you could expect a certain level
of niceness the system in Europe is
actually quite different so the star
system there is actually based on a
checklist of amenities so I've
personally stayed in a lot of really
nice two-star properties in Europe that
are just smaller and don't necessarily
have like all the big amenities but
they've been really really nice so
remember to keep that in mind when
you're looking at the different
accommodation options now in terms of
choosing hotels you'll be choosing
between either a chain property like you
know Hiltons and Marriott or you can
choose Boutique properties which are
usually more One of a Kind personally
these days I'm more inclined to pick
boutique hotels when I can but I do
admit there is a nice reliability when
it comes to chain hotels and of course
if you're also racking up loyalty points
or anything like that then it does make
sense to stick to a chain but that's a
decision for you to make Boutique
properties vary from City to City so I'm
not going to talk too much about that I
will say if I've ever stayed somewhere
really spectacular that I recommend I
always link to it on my website now on
to the last option which is vacation
rentals like Airbnb or verbo now I used
to be a really big fan of renting on
Airbnb because it was a really
budget-friendly option once upon a time
and you could save a lot of money too by
cooking at the property that you're
renting but these days with extreme fees
and just like hosts that are a little
bit out of control I don't actually
think it's the best option anymore
especially if you're looking at shorter
stays so airbnbs can come with a lot of
additional mental labor you have to
correspond with your host you have to
organize a meeting time sometimes
they'll ask you to do chores before you
leave so there's a lot of different
considerations to be made when you're
booking an Airbnb so if it's just for a
few days I personally don't think it's
worth it now the last tip I'll offer is
to always book direct most of the time
hotels will offer some kind of incentive
for travelers to book directly with them
just so they can avoid the additional
fees that they get when people book on
booking.com so for example a lot of
places will offer free breakfast or
they'll give you a small discount so if
you're looking to save some money it
never hurts to check out the official
Hotel website and see if the price is
better or you can actually just call
them and be like hey I noticed at
homebooking.com the prices like this is
there something that you can offer me if
I book directly it doesn't hurt to ask
now step number seven is to choose how
you're going to get around here so I
will say overall public transportation
in Europe is fantastic and you're
probably not going to need to rent a car
unless you're going to be doing lots of
nature stuff or you're planning on
visiting more remote locations like
little Villages so overall I'd say to
keep your life simple stick with public
transportation my first move is I
usually hop on omeo and this is a really
great free tool that you can use to
compare transport options from point A
to point B so let's say you're going
from Paris to London it'll show you all
the different buses all the different
trains all the different flights and
then from there you can kind of suss out
which option is probably the best now if
you want to learn more about the cheap
ways to travel around Europe I do have a
full video all about that but I'm going
to quickly run through the options from
cheapest to most expensive and their
pros and cons so first is buses buses or
coaches is what they call them in the UK
now the pros of these is you know
they're really really cheap there's a
lot of budget companies that offer bus
travel and you can get from one city to
the next for like 10 bucks and usually
you're dropped off somewhere close ish
to the city center so it's quite
convenient as well and the cons are you
do have to deal with traffic and
oftentimes it's just not as nice or as
comfortable as taking a train now the
next option is trains the pros of trains
of course is that they're very
comfortable very Scenic and it does feel
like a very European experience
especially if you're like me and you
come from somewhere where Intercity rail
travel is just not really commonly used
another great perk is that you do arrive
in the city centers and it can be very
flexible if you get a rail pass the cons
of course is that train travel isn't
always the fastest I mean it depends on
where you're going but it's not usually
faster than a flight and it can be very
expensive especially if you're booking
last minute the next option is flights
the pros of course is that it's super
quick sometimes it can be very cheap as
well if you're using European budget
Airlines the cons are that you arrive
outside of the city center because the
airport's never actually close to the
center and it can be expensive for
flights if you're booking last minute
and of course there's the environmental
impact of flying as well now step eight
we're getting into the itinerary
planning it's time to decide what kind
of stuff you're gonna do when you end up
going to Europe so if you've gotten this
far in this video I think it's pretty
clear I am a planner and I really do
like knowing what there is to do in a
place before I get there so I can
maximize my time now as fun as it is to
be spontaneous I do think it is
important to do at least some research
before you arrive to the destination
because the last thing that you want to
do is to be wasting precious time in the
destination trying to decide what to do
and trying to figure out what you're
going to be spending time doing when
really you could use that time to eat
spaghetti you know so here is how I find
fun things to do wherever I go so first
I hop on Google of course and I Google
things to do in the destination then the
next step is I'll usually skim through
whatever blogs and list testicles come
up just to get a general sense of what
the top touristy things to do are and
then if I see any that I'm interested in
I'll hop on my Google Map and I'll start
now this is where a lot of people will
stop their research but honestly I think
that's really just the bare minimum and
so usually what I'll do is I'll extend
my research and try to find like more
hidden gems and things that aren't
commonly recommended so my next stop
usually is I'll go on Atlas obscura
which is a really cool website that
highlights unusual things to do in a
place again I look through star a bunch
of places and that's it then I'll hop on
social media Tick Tock is actually my
personal favorite Search tool it's a
great Search tool compared to Instagram
and you can usually get a lot of
wonderful ideas especially in the food
and drinks here so again I'll go through
Tick Tock I'll search up places to eat
in X place and then I'll star the places
on my Google Maps and last but not least
I will usually look on local blogs
especially event and news ones because
then you can see if there's any cool
events happening or any cool pop-ups
happening in your destination so you
might be wondering why I start all these
places on Google Maps and just left them
them so the reason that I do that
instead of making a list is when you
have the Stars on a map then you can
actually cluster the different
activities based on location and that
can be really handy when you're in a
destination because if you're walking
around and you look at your map you can
see oh actually like this cute coffee
shop I saw on Tick Tock is really close
to where we are so then you can just
casually stop in and that is a lot
easier to manage I think than having
just a list of places because then you
don't know where exactly those places
are and it can get kind of messy and
here's a pro tip if you are really
struggling to organize all the different
activities that you want to do usually
if you type in destination plus
itinerary there's probably a travel
blogger out there like me who has put
together an itinerary already that you
can use for inspiration alright lastly
we're on to step nine which is choosing
what to pack now I have a lot of other
videos and articles about packing so be
sure to check those out but here are
some general tips to keep in mind I'm a
big believer in traveling carry-on only
especially when you're traveling to
Europe because navigating cobblestone
streets and really stuffy Metro systems
is not ideal if you've got really heavy
bags at the very least any suitcase you
bring make sure you're able to carry it
because sometimes you'll find that you
know there aren't elevators everywhere
you might have to Lug your suitcase up
some stairs so yeah be sure to either
work out beforehand or make sure that
anything you bring is like a suitcase
that you can personally carry yourself
I'd also really recommend buying packing
cubes if you're new to this channel you
might not know this I am obsessed with
packing cubes I love them so much
they're really cheap and they're just a
reusable tool that you can use for every
trip so make sure to grab a set of those
because honestly they can keep your
clothes so organized and overall what I
would do is pack just a week's worth of
clothes in all instances even if you're
traveling for two weeks or three weeks
because you can do laundry on the road
and it just makes more sense to pack
lighter that way apart from that I think
packing is just a really personal thing
and you should just wear whatever makes
you comfortable but if you do need some
inspiration I do have two free printable
packing lists that you can steal from my
website at one for winter and one for
summer so there you have it from start
to finish how to plan your own trip to
Europe I hope that was useful and if
you're looking for that free workbook I
promise you can find it right here
thanks for watching if you want more
practical travel videos just like this
one be sure to like And subscribe and I
will see you next week thank you bye
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