The First European Trip
London and Paris. Rome, Florence, and Venice. A thoughtfully chosen first route can show you a lot without turning the vacation into a race.
The hard part isn't finding somewhere worth going. It's deciding what fits together. Rome or the Highlands? London and Paris? Italy by rail? A Scottish road trip? A river cruise with a few days on land? Europe gives you almost too many good choices. The trick is turning those choices into one vacation that actually works.
Start Planning EuropeKnowing that you want to go to Europe is enough to start. We can figure out whether your trip should be one city, one country, a road trip, a rail journey, a cruise with time on land, or a combination that is completely your own.
Europe can make you greedy. When another country is only a train ride away, it can feel almost wasteful not to add it. If you're already in France, shouldn't you see Belgium? If you're at Lake Como, Switzerland is right there. And if you've made it all the way across the Atlantic, shouldn't you squeeze in one more city?
I've learned from my own travels that the answer is often no.
There's a point where adding destinations means experiencing less of each one. Another train means another checkout, another station, another check-in, and another afternoon spent getting somewhere instead of actually being somewhere.
I'd rather help you spend an extra day wandering Rome, stop in a Scottish village you didn't know existed, or have an afternoon in Paris with absolutely nothing scheduled than come home with six countries checked off a list.
That doesn't mean we can't build an incredible multi-country trip. We absolutely can. It simply means every stop should earn its place in the itinerary.
The itinerary should follow the way you like to travel—not the number of pins we can fit on a map.
London and Paris. Rome, Florence, and Venice. A thoughtfully chosen first route can show you a lot without turning the vacation into a race.
Italy beyond the big three. France beyond Paris. England beyond London. Sometimes staying within one country gives you the time to understand why you wanted to go there.
Scotland is a great example: Edinburgh or Glasgow can lead to Glencoe, the Highlands, Glenfinnan, Skye, and places you may never have found from a checklist.
Rail can make city-to-city travel wonderfully easy—but a train connection alone isn't a reason to add another stop. The route still has to make sense as a vacation.
A river cruise doesn't have to be the entire trip. Add Paris before the Seine, Amsterdam before the Rhine, or extra time in Budapest after the Danube.
Castles, Christmas markets, whisky, food, football, Formula 1, festivals, battlefields, walking trips, Mediterranean islands—or a place you hadn't considered until we started talking.
I've traveled in many European countries, and one of the things I've learned is how different a trip feels once you're actually on the ground. Travel times matter. Changing hotels gets old. A place you thought needed three days may deserve five. And sometimes the little town you almost skipped becomes your favorite part of the trip.
That firsthand experience helps, but I don't limit my planning to places I've personally visited. My job is to combine what I've learned traveling with professional resources, trusted partners, and the kind of research I'd want someone doing for my own vacation.
Think of these as conversation starters, not boundaries.
Big cities, small towns, lakes, food, art, coastlines, and enough variety to reward slowing down.
Paris is only the beginning: Normandy, Provence, Alsace, wine country, the Riviera, and much more.
London, Scotland, Wales, English countryside, Ireland, history, rail, road trips, pubs, villages, and landscapes.
Cities, beaches, food, wine, architecture, islands, and routes that work beautifully by rail or road.
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, Hungary, and neighboring countries with strong rail connections and very different personalities.
Fjords, cities, northern landscapes, road trips, summer light, winter experiences, and cruises.
Ancient sites, islands, coastal towns, food, and trips that can mix culture with serious downtime.
Slovenia? Croatia? Belgium? The Baltics? Sometimes the best idea arrives after we stop trying to pick from the obvious list.
“Start with something proven. Change anything you want. Or start with a blank sheet of paper.”
Maybe the trip begins with art and history. Maybe it's food and wine, castles and battlefields, football and pubs, Christmas markets, whisky, hiking, beaches, family history, or simply finally seeing the place you've talked about for years. Those interests should shape the route—not get squeezed into one after we've picked the cities.
You don't have to see all of Europe. You just have to have a great trip to Europe.
You don't need a country list, a rail map, or a finished itinerary. Tell me what has you excited about Europe, how long you have, and who is going. We'll build outward from there.
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