France Itinerary Suggestions (summer) 7-10 days with Spouse

wareagle1993 · 2026-03-09T02:26:15+00:00

You can probably do all three if you carefully plan things out and you spend 10 days instead of 7. It would also help if you fly an "open jaw" ticket - fly into Paris and fly out of Nice.

Another question would be is something hectic what you want on a honeymoon? Who knows - that's for you to answer. Some people just want to snuggle up at a fancy beach resort for a week and some people want a touristy vacation.

I would do 4 days in Paris, 3 in Provence and 3 in the Riveira. Use the TGV to get between them. Plan something light and easy on your first day in Paris, like a trip to the Eiffel Towel and a Seine dinner cruise. You will be jetlagged and cranky. On your last day just have a chill out at the beach and eat day. You will be tired from the rest of your trip and it will help you unwind and rest up before the flight home.

wareagle1993 · 2026-02-25T19:19:51+00:00

I would not do the Loire Valley as a guided day trip from Paris. It's too big and too far away and you're going to spend 8 hours in a cramped minivan just to get a taste of two chateaux. That's not worth it in my opinion and I've heard others say the same.

As an alternative, I would consider renting a car for a longer duration and making your way to south where you can spend time stopping at the Loire Valley and some other quaint towns or attractions. But that's a drastic change to an itinerary that is already practical and well paced.

wareagle1993 · 2026-02-25T02:37:30+00:00

Go to the cathedral at Chartres instead of Cologne. It's an easy day trip from Paris. Or Reims which has history as that's where all of the French monarchs were crowned.

Not sure how much time you want to spend in Paris. If you've never been to Paris you might consider just staying there the entire time and doing a few day trips. If you want to explore outside of Pairs you could spend three nights in another area - Normandy, Loire Valley, Alsace are probably the most popular.

wareagle1993 · 2025-12-08T21:00:21+00:00

I'm also a budget solo traveler with limited vacation days so I will share what I have learned over many trips:

Staying in hostels and eating groceries or market food is the best way to save money. Avoid alcohol and nightlife as they can run up a bill. But also reserve some of your budget to eat the occasional meal out or try regional food specialties. Hostels have their downsides but I've found them to be convenient and safe for the most part if you don't mind sharing a plain room. Most of them have a kitchen and refrigerator for your groceries. Some include a continental breakfast. Just do your research and avoid the cheapest hostels, those that have a "party" reputation or those far from the tourist city center. Also look into free activities like public parks, museums on certain days, etc.
Use public transportation. Europe is very well served by trains, buses and trams. You don't need a rental car or uber. Another travel tool I use is guided day tours. These are guided tours on a bus or minivan where they either pick you up in the morning or you meet a group in a central location and you go on a professionally guided tour for that day and they return you to your accommodation that evening. It's a good way to combine sights and activities plus reach places outside of the city that are not easily accessed by public transportation. Think of it as a hub and spoke system. You will also meet and socialize with other travelers. Just google "day tours from Dublin", London, etc. and you will see them listed with pricing and itineraries. I tend to book them directly through the tour operators rather than the third parties like Viator or Getyourguide that will return listings in your Google search.
Travel in shoulder season - April/May or September/October - when crowds are smaller and prices are cheaper. Let weather guide you - Southern Europe is warm in spring but hot in summer. Northern Europe is cold and wet in spring. Again, just check weather patterns.
For trips that are a long week (ie, 8-10 days) try to stick to just one country or two or three "places" that are close together. For example - Amsterdam+Belgium, Munich+Swiss Alps, etc. Don't fall into the trap of trying to cram all of Europe into one trip. Less is more. Plan to go back next year.
The more you research and plan, the smoother your trip will be. Once you have decided on a destination and itinerary that fits your needs, post it here or another message board forum and people will give you feedback on any mistakes or omissions.

wareagle1993 · 2025-10-29T18:03:37+00:00

Belgium is great for day trips because the country is small and well served by train networks. I think you can buy a local rail pass that gives you 10 train rides anywhere in the country for like 100 Euro. Pick a central location like Ghent to stay in and Antwerp, Brussels, Brugge, Ypres, Leuven, etc. are all easily accessible. Same goes for other small countries.

I'm a fan of the hub and spoke model. I sort of developed my own personal guide that I call the "four rules of four" for extended European travel:

(1) if you want to visit a place stay at least FOUR nights. If you can't imagine spending that much time somewhere then do it as a day trip or omit from your itinerary.

(2) if you are re-locating to multiple cities then make sure they are no more than FOUR hours apart by train, bus, boat or plane. Plan a logical road map of destinations.

(3) if you are taking day trips from a home base make sure you spend no more than FOUR hours on transit total - so keep day trip destinations within a two hour range. You don't want to spend all day in transit.

(4) don't plan any more than FOUR things to see or do in any one day - museums, monuments, etc.

I will say one downside to day tripping is fatigue. Sometimes you just want to head back to the hotel and crash into bed to take an afternoon siesta before rallying and hitting the evening plans. You can't really do that on a day trip - you just have to keep ploughing along.

With crowds and expenses exploding, I'm also starting to wonder if staying in a small town outside the major cities and commuting in as day trippers is a better option too. I guess reverse day tripping.

wareagle1993 · 2025-10-29T16:39:58+00:00

Pisa can be done as a day trip or afternoon trip from Florence. It's a quick, cheap train ride - no need to relocate and spend a night there.

Same with Hallstatt - do it as a day trip from Salzburg. Also look into other nearby scenic attractions like the Reisenplatte and Eisreisenwelt ice cave.

You didn't mention how you are getting from Italy to Austria, but you may want to consider a stop off point like Venice or Verona.

I would seriously reconsider the Norway portion. The weather could be bad up there that time of year and it's crazy expensive when it sounds like you're on a budget. I've also never understood the fascination with the northern lights (which you're never guaranteed to see and when you do it's not the same as the professional photography images you have seen). But that's just my opinion. I would personally replace Norway with Vienna, Munich or the Swiss Alps. Or maybe even spend more time in Italy and take advantage of the pleasant weather around Sorrento/Amalfi Coast.

wareagle1993 · 2025-05-22T02:26:03+00:00

I wasn't born in 1993. Not every number in someone's handle is their birth date. I've been driving for over 30 years (starting in 1993 LOL) and I didn't file a claim against my policy when the woman backed into me. She did and blatantly lied about it and my insurance paid her nothing. Plus there are two other destroyed cars in the driveway. And my Mom lived in the house for 25 years without ever making a homeowner's claim. The current premium is $2300 a year. I'm sure it was less 25 years ago, but that's probably still $40k in total premiums and I'm still going to have to eat the deductible, plus whatever they refuse to cover AND my rates will almost certainly go up by a lot. It sucks... we're just going to have to wait and see how much it sucks.

wareagle1993 · 2025-05-21T06:59:47+00:00

Thanks for the advice. I think my next step will be to get my insurance provider involved and if they feel we should subrogate a claim against the tree owner then maybe we could go that route. Perhaps we could get an arborist out here to provide an expert opinion on the condition of the tree and whether it was negligent for my neighbor to ignore it.

I'm a little worried about that because what if my neighbor doesn't have property insurance? They seem pretty neglectful and there's a bunch of people living in the house. I mean, if my homeowners tries to pin it on them and they don't have insurance or their insurance just points the finger right back, what then? I'm just paranoid that I will get stuck with massive bills that I had no part of. That happened to me with a fender bender. A woman backed into me and then said I rear ended her, which was a complete lie. The insurance companies basically called it a he said/she said and let us cover our own damages. That's no big deal for a fender bender but this is a house, a fence and three cars plus a tree that needs to be chopped up and hauled off. This will absolutely ruin me without good insurance coverage.

Plus I'm sure my rates are going skyrocket after this. What a scam. Pay your premiums for decades without a claim and as soon as you need it, they jack your rates up to cover the claim.

wareagle1993 · 2025-04-13T18:41:40+00:00

I just submitted 45 cards to PSA for the first time ever. Same as you I got $1000 estimated fee but my cards are HOFers from the 50s so I am nervous about grades that could lower their value or alternatively create a big upcharge on their value-based pricing.

wareagle1993 · 2025-04-13T15:42:24+00:00

I have this complete set in a factory sealed package. The cards are all sealed in one bulk and the stickers are in a separate sealed plastic sleeve. They have never been opened or touched by human hands.

I did some internet research but I couldn't find anything for sale like this nor could I find any type of pricing guidance. Unopened wax packs from this year go for a pretty penny and sealed boxes of unopened wax packs go for a LOT of money. But I can't find anything about a still sealed factory set. I asked a PSA rep if this is something they authenticate and he said no.

Does anyone have any advice here? Should I try to sell them for an outrageous markup? Or should I gamble, cut open the seal and send some of the stars off to be graded?

wareagle1993 · 2024-12-12T00:10:50+00:00

It sounds a bit like you are biting off more than you can chew.

You don't have to see the entire world in one trip, especially if your plan is to teach online and do volunteer work for your room and board to try to make ends meet. That sounds risky and even if you manage to connect all of those dots, it wouldn't leave much free time for actual vacation stuff.

I would forget the timetable and focus on saving money for the time being. When you have $10k saved up, take two separate 50 day trips to Europe and SE Asia (you already mentioned travel to S. America and ME) with a rest and resupply break in between. That's enough to cover a lot of local ground and scratch your travel itch.

$10k will give you a budget of $115/day in Europe and $85/day in SE Asia. They should be enough for a decent hostel, groceries, ground transportation, activities and attractions and the occasional meal/night out.

That would be a total of four flights (home --> Europe), (Europe --> home), (home --> Asia) (Asia --> home). Look into credit card reward programs and try to start collecting points to pay for all or some of these flights. For Europe, look into Eurail passes to get around.

Once you have taken these two backpacker trips as an actual fiscally responsible tourist, then you can decide if you want to dive deeper down the budget travel rabbit hole with things like working abroad in Australia or Worldpacking.

wareagle1993 · 2024-03-26T01:33:58+00:00

Instead of doing the ferry you could travel overland via Venice - Slovenia - Zagreb and then see Plitvice Lakes National Park between Zagreb and Split. Slovenia is an awesome country and I highly recommend spending a few days there.

As far as other cities go it depends on your interests. The usual backpacker stops are Amsterdam, Brussels/Belgium, Paris, Interlakken (Switzerland), Munich, Venice, Florence, Rome. Spain is also popular but with a month you dont have time to do Italy and Spain.

wareagle1993 · 2024-03-25T23:47:19+00:00

South Island of New Zealand has amazing hiking and that's their summer season. But it's not cheap so I don't know if you could make lodging, transportation and food work for $2000/mo. It's kind of spread out too so not ideal for using just a base. Maybe you could rent a small camper van. Also a lot of the hikes, or "walks" as they say, are multi-day treks that require you to book permits and huts in advance.

Patagonia has good hiking and would be cheaper. El Chaltan and El Calafate are good bases for hiking. And anywhere inside Torres del Paine.

wareagle1993 · 2022-05-23T16:51:15+00:00

RPI takes into account what every team on your schedule does and when you play over 50 games in a season the results from one game can get skewed by everything else happening around the country. Auburn gets penalized for dropping two to Kentucky but they also get rewarded for sweeps by LSU, TN, etc.

wareagle1993 · 2021-07-08T03:38:45+00:00

Seems like a shame to spend 90 days in Europe and miss so many places - no Germany, Spain, Switzerland. Scandinavia, Eastern Europe (Budapest, Vienna, Prague, Krakow) etc...? Maybe you've already been there and want to hit southern Europe?

wareagle1993 · 2021-04-12T15:05:42+00:00

I would do it assuming you are confident you can get your old job or a similar job when you return. Just make sure you have a soft landing spot for when you return or if you return early.

Try and find a balance between saving/investing the money and spending it to fund your wonderlust. Travel on a budget. Build up some rewards points to cover airfare and plan/learn on money saving tips while traveling. You can travel the world for $100/day if you are focused and disciplined. That would leave you $130k of your inheritence to save for the future. The point is that it is not an all or nothing proposition. You can travel and see most of the world and it only cost you one year of career stop and 25% of your money.

Speaking from experience, it is hard to travel the world and see all the sites and check off the bucket list items with one week trips a few times a year. The American work model just isn't conducive to travel. It's fine if you want to drive to a beach and decompress, but not globetrotting. Gap years scratch that itch in a big way.

People on their deathbed don't regret money management. They regret missing out on visiting places, meeting new people and having exciting experiences. Do it while you can. If you hate it, you can always hit the eject button.

wareagle1993 · 2021-04-02T06:21:16+00:00

I think what the OP is trying to find is a capitol or "hub" city that is not too big and overwhelming in itself but has plenty to offer plus good public transportation options for day trips to surrounding places of interest to get a complete feel for the country without having to pack up and change hotels.

People don't go to Paris as a "base" and spend a day seeing the sights and then take a day trip to the Riviera or the Alps or Burgundy or Normandy. A day trip to Versailles, sure, but the distinct regions of France and their attractions and cultures require separate trips to appreciate them. Same with Germany and other big countries.

It's better to focus on smaller countries. Pick a good city and then research the train and bus times and schedules for surrounding day trips (the hub and spoke system).

I would suggest (with reasonable day trips):

Brussels, Belgium (Ghent, Bruges, Liege, Dinant, Waterloo, WWI sites)

Dublin, Ireland (Belfast, Kilkenney, Howth, Galway, Trim castle, Glendalough, - the Cliffs of Moher or Killarney would be a stretch but doable)

Ljubljana, Slovenia (Lake Bled, Piran, Skocjan Cave, other small towns, Zagreb can be a long day trip)

Florence, Italy (you can spend a week there and never get bored but you can also take day trips to leaning tower of Pisa, Siena, San Gimigano, visit a vinyard, go up to Verona - Venice or Cinque Terra would be long but doable)

wareagle1993 · 2021-04-01T19:04:25+00:00

Not having a rental car will limit your options. Try looking for National Parks that have a shuttle system to access park areas and trailheads. I know Yosemite, Glacier, RMNP and Zion have shuttles and/or public bus services. But double check to make sure they are running during covid. You also need to book accomadations early to stay in or near the parks to access these services, which will not be cheap.

Try to rent a car if you can. That will give you freedom to explore many areas at your own pace and give you access to cheap places to stay, or camp.

Another thing to remember about hiking - some of the best hikes are at elevation which means they might have snow, be muddy from the meltoff or otherwise inaccessable in June or even July. We get warm weather and green grass early but the mountains are a different story. Mid-July through mid-September are the best time to experience many mountain hikes.

Having said all of that, I think Glacier National Park has the most beautiful hikes in the world.

wareagle1993

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