How to Start Planning a European Family Vacation: 5 Strategic Questions You Must Ask Yourself

This post will help you start planning a European Family Vacation.

Embarking on a European family vacation is an incredible adventure, but it can also be quite a challenge to plan. Where do you even start? This post will cover the 5 most crucial questions to ask when planning a European family vacation. Once you’ve reviewed this, you’ll be able to plan your dream European itinerary.

Ultimate European Family Vacation

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European Family Vacation Table of Contents:

Trip Length

Factors affecting trip length include work and school schedules, personal and family preferences, and budget.

1. How long should your trip be?

One of the first decisions you’ll make is how long your trip will last. This choice is entirely in your hands, and many factors will help you decide.

Do you only have two weeks off work? You’ll have about 10-12 days for sightseeing and 2 full travel days. Are you planning a European family vacation during your kids’ school spring break? You’ll have even less time and may feel rushed. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, plan at least a 14-day trip if visiting multiple cities.

I’m a meticulous planner, so I check my calendar as soon as I decide to take a trip. You want to hone in on your best travel window ASAP. So, I look first at school holidays, then my work schedule and my potential need for PTO (paid time off).

I will start with plans over a year out (sometimes as far as two years out). The sooner you book the better, because you will get the best price. Also, the earlier you start booking, the longer you will have to pay off your trip. A little money every month towards a big vacation can make this more manageable for a family on a budget.

Budget

Budget can also be a limiting factor on itinerary decisions. How many destinations will your budget allow? A trip to two countries versus five will take a very different budget and time allowance.

 This trip may be your once-in-a-lifetime European family vacation, and you’ve saved $30,000 to spend the entire summer traveling. This trip itinerary will vary drastically from the family traveling on a budget of less than $10,000.

Before you start booking anything, please have your budget guidelines set. It doesn’t have to be an unmovable number but have a max in mind. Think of one main activity you want to splurge on and set money aside for it. For us, the $$ bucket list item was a private full-day boat tour around the Amalfi Coast. Comment below your bucket list item.

In short, we must begin our planning with the specific length of our trip. Then, you can subtract the travel days it takes to get to and from Europe (usually 2-3 days from US), which will determine the actual days allowed for sightseeing and proper vacation time. And remember to add some downtime to your trip, especially when traveling with kids.

Seasonal Travel

Have you always dreamt of skiing in the Alps during Christmas? Or is lounging on the beaches of the Amalfi Coast on your family’s summer bucket list?

2. What is the best time of year to travel for your European Family Vacation?

Let’s face it: Families with school-aged children are limited in the time of year they can travel. Unless your kids are home-schooled, summer, spring, and Christmas break are usually your only extended travel options.

If you are wanting and able to travel longer than two weeks, then summer will be your best bet. Remember that Europe’s busy season will, in fact, be the summer months (May-September). Which means busy crowds and long lines, so book sightseeing tours well in advance.

If you are one of the lucky few not pigeonholed by school schedules, plan your trip during the “off-season.” I would broadly paint “off-season” as January through March. This time frame will give budget travelers more for their money and offer a better view of the authentic European lifestyle.

The “shoulder season,” defined as April and October, is the ideal time to plan your European family vacation. April and October generally will have great weather and fewer tourists. But again, school makes this a challenging choice.

To summarize, the seasonal decision will depend on schedule flexibility and the specific trip your family desires.

Travel Destinations

By now, we know when and for how long we plan on traveling. Most of us have that mental list of all the places we would like to see in this world. With a little bit of family discussion, you will have a better idea of everyone’s picture of the perfect European family vacation.

3. What cities and countries will you visit?

For some, visualizing the dream vacation brings to mind images of the Eiffel Tower or the vineyards in the Tuscan countryside. Or perhaps the enigmatic Stonehenge has always fascinated you. Overall, Europe has a plethora of iconic sites to offer.

For our first big trip, I was the primary decision-maker on where we went. I was turning 40 and had always wanted to see Italy. So, I picked the country and had my family help choose the cities we visited. 

At the same time, my 8-year-old said, “I want to go to Paris for my 10th birthday!” So, now a trip to France and England is in the works. And for us, God willing, we plan on taking a big summer vacation every other year from now on.  

Suppose you are geographically challenged like me (the typical American); pull up a European map and see what places interest you and your family. It’s surprising to see how quickly you can travel from country to country in Europe.

In general, this step is just a brainstorming activity. As we plan further, limiting factors will allow us to delete travel stops. Those factors could include flight costs, sightseeing availability, and travel obstacles between cities.

Sightseeing Adventures

When you think of Rome, what is the first image you see? The Colosseum? The Vatican? Carbonara? Consider what motivates your travel destination choices. This next question may help you determine which experiences will make the most of your trip and how long to stay in each location.

4. What are the available must-see sights at each travel destination?

Now, take out the list you made in step 3. For each potential city, write down the essential sites and tours that interest you and your family. Think about what excites you most regarding each location and how you’d want to spend your time there. Research available attractions and tours using Get Your Guide or Viator.

I only plan up to two activities per day. For example, I will schedule an early morning entry into a must-see museum and then a walking food tour that evening. However, I will put longer guided tours (3+ hours) on a day with no other scheduled plans, especially when traveling with kids. 

See the example below of a Florence, Italy itinerary:

This approach will help you determine the number of days you will need to spend in each city on your trip. It will also allow you to delete a few travel stops that may not be worth your time.

Once you’ve pared down your list, you can start researching travel logistics. That will bring everything together for your final itinerary.

Travel Logistics

Finally, Step 5, let’s talk logistics. We can start with our “dream big” itinerary, but we must end on realistic terms. Below is a graphic of our 4-week Italy itinerary.

5. How will you get from one city to the next?

Choosing our starting point can be as simple as picking the cheapest flight from home. First, I search for flights from home to every destination on my list. This will eliminate many first-stop options. 

I will also research flights from each destination back to home, which will help me decide if it will be a round-trip or multi-city trip. Sometimes, flying into one city and returning home from a different city makes the most sense for our budget and itinerary.

A few may have similar travel times and prices, so determine the best place to start and end your vacation based on travel flow. For instance, starting in the North and working your way South might allow for the most straightforward travel.

Then, determine the most direct transportation from city to city. In many European destinations, trains are the most efficient means of travel. I recommend Trainline for researching and buying your train tickets in the UK and all over Europe.

To reach more rural areas, you may need to rent a car or hire a car service. Once you figure out these details, you can set your final travel itinerary.

European Family Vacation Itinerary

Following these 5 steps will make planning a European family vacation manageable. Start a fun family conversation about your dream trip and see where your discussions take you. Even if some destinations don’t make the cut this trip, you can save those ideas for your next big family adventure. 

I also want to share with you my most valued resource when planning my month-long Italian vacation. Kacie Rose Burns, aka “that American girl in Italy,” known for her Italian culture shock TikToks, was instrumental in giving me travel confidence and helping me finalize my itinerary. If you need one-on-one guidance for a big family trip to Italy, I highly recommend a consultation with Kacie! She’s the greatest!!

Comment below the travel destinations that made your family’s wish list. Also, Contact me with any questions that arise while you are planning a European family vacation itinerary.