It is no surprise that I am a serial travel planner. Give me a destination and time frame, and I’ll find all the hidden gems and pack it all into an itinerary. The best way to show you my process is to take you through one of the trips I went on, specifically planning my Europe road trip through Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and Italy! For this post, I won’t be going into too much detail about each of the cities on my Europe road trip; rather this will just give you some tips you can apply to planning your own trip.
Some Background Info
During my time on exchange, I took a week off (aka used my last skip for each class before receiving an automatic fail) to go on a Europe road trip with my friends. We discussed some of the destinations we wanted to visit such as Lake Bled, Zurich, and Neuschwanstein Castle, and planned a route that would determine our route.
Our starting point was Milan, Italy (where I was for exchange!) and we had 7 days for our Europe road trip. Taking the most “important” locations, we came up with this:
Now, you might be thinking “6 cities in 7 days, are you insane? You’re driving,” I know we were being ambitious but it’s not everyday you get to go on a Europe road trip! Thankfully, I have learned to be very flexible when it comes to my itineraries and am (relatively) okay if things don’t end up going as planned.
Tip: Have a plan, but be prepared to stray from it. Things like the weather, flight delays, or even sickness just aren’t foreseeable. Don’t lose sleep over it!
Renting a Car
After researching a few car rental companies in Italy, we decided on Europcar! Not wanting to spend too much money, we chose Europcar because others had shared their experience of not being charged the “young driver” (aka under 25) cost. We booked the cheapest automatic car (hello Yaris!) online and prayed it would keep us alive on the Autobahn.
Tip: Scour the internet for reviews on particular rental companies you are deciding between to see the experiences of others. Keep an eye out for hidden costs. Double check if the rental car companies in the country you’re in need an International Driver’s Permit!
Tip: Make sure you account for the return time and when the rental needs to be back at the company by. We were late and arrived 5 minutes after it closed (despite speeding back). Don’t incur late fees like us.
Finding Accommodations
Since we were on a budget, I looked up average AirBnb rates and compared them to hostels (I used Hostel World) in each city on the Europe road trip to decide where we would stay. Always always read reviews looking at both quantity and quality. Since we had 4 people, when possible, we opted to pay a little more to get an ensuite room for hostels.
Things we accounted for were:
- Price
- Location
- Parking (since we had a car)
- Check-in times
While I tried to be thorough as possible, mistakes were made. I will detail these life threatening situations (not even exaggerating), as well as the actual AirBnb/hostel, later in more specific posts!
Tip: Look up POIs nearby and use street view to actually see where your AirBnb and hostel is located. You don’t want to find yourself above a nightclub. Or on top of a snowy mountain and have to push your car up a hill just because you don’t have snow tires, and fear for your life driving down a mountain.
Planning the Itinerary
How did I decide what to do on each leg of our Europe road trip? I Googled, asked for recommendations from my Facebook friends (thanks guys!), creeped Instagram hashtags, and posted in forums! After compiling a large list, I narrowed down on things that interested the group, maintaining the previously determined destinations!
After qualifying the list, I starred them in my HERE app – the best offline maps app ever! (This is not sponsored by HERE, thought I wish it was because I am such a big fan.) I saved them into a “Collection” so I could easily see which “stars” are located close to each other.
Tip: Plot your destinations on a map to see what POIs are close to each other so you can tackle your itinerary by the areas and plan out your days efficiently!
Tip: Always leave room for travel time and walking around exploring. You may find activities you want to do once you’re there (perhaps through the recommendation of your host) so keep that in mind!
Driving & Navigating
Driving in a foreign country can be scary. Plan ahead by looking up laws, tolls, and speed limits. Another great thing about the HERE app was that it showed the speed limit of the road we were driving on! The HERE app saved our lives when our friend’s data suddenly stopped working one afternoon. Since I saved the address of each of our accommodations and destinations, we were able to navigate to them stress-free.
Tip: One of the most important things especially in planning a Europe road trip is to check for things like toll booths and vignettes. In certain European countries like Switzerland, Slovenia, and Austria, you must buy and display a sticker on your dash. Vignettes are generally available at borders, gas stations, and exchange offices – prices are dependant on time in the country/weight of the car. Find out more here.
Tip: Be very aware of the traffic around you. If people start slowing down, follow suit. Europe is home to automated radar cameras.
I know that was a ton of info. Part 2 will detail each leg of the Europe road trip – the location, where I stayed, attractions and more. If you found this post helpful, please share in the comments the most helpful tip and tips you may have for us! Thanks for reading and stay tuned!
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Stone & Fern is a travel and lifestyle blog started by friends who have a passion for exploring cities, capturing moments, and trying new food. To see more of Europe, click here.