The 100 Day Itinerary (So Far)
I take a certain sort of pleasure in planning. Crossing items off a list soothes my soul, as does leaving little to the unknown. This trip is entirely about the unknown — so as you can imagine, I’ve had to adjust.
That doesn’t mean we can’t have a plan. It just means we have to embrace a little… spontaneity as Corey calls it. We are leaving next week with 33 days of planned locations and Airbnbs. The rest is more of an “outline.”
Deciding where we wanted to go was actually one of the most complicated parts of our plan. Because giving yourself absolute freedom means seeing a boundary within every choice.
France? Okay, but what about Denmark?
Germany? Sure, Munich or Berlin?
If you read the previous post, you’ll remember that we were hell-bent on Amsterdam at one point. So did it make the list? Surprisingly, no. We were definitely ready to make the Netherlands our first stop, but then we saw the price tag. There’s a reason that Amsterdam has the most tourism out of any other European country… that reason is beautiful canals, architecture, and tulips. But all those tourists need somewhere to stay, leaving little Airbnbs for the rest of us.
I think the drawbacks we found in some places we wanted to go lead us to other under-the-radar places we would never have discovered otherwise. We factored in cost, transportation, wifi connection, and Airbnb options to create our itinerary below. I’ll share a few things that really stood out about these destinations. You’ll see some familiar cities here, but maybe a few not-so-familiar. Check it out:
Stop 1: Paris, France
Length: 14 nights
Accommodation: Airbnb Apartment
What I’m most excited about: Our first walk through the city. The culture shock of being in such an iconic, beautiful city and realizing that this is just the first day of so many.
Budget Bonus: The markets! You can buy cheap bread, meat, cheese, and wine at a market and then find a good spot for a picnic.
Stop 2: GHENT, BELGIUM
Length: 13 nights
Accommodation: Airbnb Apartment
What I’m most excited about: The medieval architecture! I can’t wait to explore some castles and take a cruise down the canal.
Budget Bonus: Ghent is in close proximity to other major cities in Belgium, but not nearly as expensive. We hope to make day trips to Bruges, Brussels, and Antwerp.
Stop 3: Frankfurt, Germany
Length: 2 Nights
Accommodation: Frankfurt Easy Hotel
What I’m most excited about: The cool architecture and the beer!
Budget Bonus: Frankfurt was a great connection between Ghent and some of the smaller Bavarian towns we wanted to explore.
Stop 4: Rothenburg Ob der Tauber, Germany
Length: 2 Nights
Accommodation: Hotel Gasthof zur Linde
What I’m most excited about: The fairytale charm! This place looks like it’s straight out of a storybook, and I hope it feels that way too.
Budget Bonus: We actually coughed up a little more than usual to get a hotel here. Booking.com had some great options!
Stop 5: Nuremberg, Germany
Length: 1 Night
Accommodation: Hotel Continental
What I’m most excited about: Looking for a replica of my Grandmother’s “Nuremberg Angel” that used to adorn her Christmas tree.
Budget Bonus: Nuremberg offers cheap transport to Prague in the form of a five-hour ride in a double-decker bus.
Stop 6: Prague, Czechia
Length: 7 Nights
Accommodation: TBD
What I’m most excited about: Seeing a city unlike anything I could imagine. I love the foggy pictures of Prague’s architecture, castles, and bridges.
Budget Bonus: Prague has nice yet inexpensive accommodations. Here’s hoping we’ll find the perfect Airbnb soon!
Stop 7: Berlin
Length: 7 Nights
Accommodations: TBD
What I’m most excited about: The artistic culture of the city. And learning more about their freelancer visa ;)
Budget Bonus: At first we thought hostels would be the way to go in Berlin. They’re beautifully designed with fun common areas, but they’re expensive for couples since you pay per bed. We’re checking Airbnb for better options.
Stop 8: Italy (somewhere)
Length: TBD
Accommodations: TBD
What I’m most excited about: Well right now, I’d love to decide where we are going to be in Italy. We’ve been toying around with the idea of going to Parma. A small city with close proximity to Tuscany and Florence. **Also where they invented Parmesan cheese
Budget Bonus: Train travel in Italy is very inexpensive. Wherever we end up staying, we’ll be taking plenty of day trips.
Stop 9: Scotland (and Ireland & England)
Length: 1 Month in UK
Accommodations: TBD
What I’m most excited about: When we decided to spend a month in the UK, I knew we had to dedicate a good portion to Scotland. I love the green landscape and can’t wait to explore the Highland hills. We’re also planning to hit the big cities in Ireland and England such as Dublin and London.
Time Bonus: A typical US passport allows three months of travel in the EU within a six month period. However, the rules are slightly different in the UK where one can spend six months within a certain time period. By planning this month-long interlude in the UK, we are adding one extra month of time to our passport.
Stop 9: TBD
Length: 1 Month
Accommodations: TBD
This extra month is completely unplanned. Corey and I are leaving it open to possibly revisit somewhere we loved or try another new city. Our goal is to figure out the next steps of our plan. Who knows, we could end up as European residents one day…
We’re leaving for our adventure in a few short weeks. Between now and then, Corey and I are launching our blog with a few stories on how we planned this move, what we’re doing to get ready, and other tips for people who want to travel and work on a budget. For more information, check out some of the tools we used to plan our itinerary at Airbnb.com and Lonelyplanet.com.
