Before The Trip Itineraries

How to Plan Your Fall Eurotrip (2014)

How to Plan Your Fall Eurotrip

In 2014, there was a flight price mistake/deal on Slickdeals for one way tickets from New York to Milan, Italy and Prague to Hong Kong for only $150. So I swooped on the deal and after my one year contract at work, I set out on my solo journey. Below is my itinerary:



Fall Eurotrip Itinerary:

Nov. 6 – New York
Nov. 11 – Milan, Italy
Nov. 13 – Venice, Italy
Nov. 15 – London, England
Nov. 18 – Leuven, Belgium
Nov. 24 – Prague, Czech Republic
Nov. 27 – Hong Kong
Dec. 9 – San Francisco

As you can see my itinerary is a bit strange as the route goes all over the place. This was mainly due to the fact that I was meeting up with a friend in England. In a future expedition, I’d probably plan my trip to hit adjacent countries.

I know many people leave their Eurotrips open-ended since it’s very easy to get around out there. However, I wanted to have everything planned out as A. I wanted to get the best deals on places and transportation and B. I was worried that an unplanned itinerary for a solo female traveler would be risky.

Below are the flights + hostels/hotels I purchased before the actual trip.

Transportation and Stay I Purchased:

– Flight to New York: Points via United Airlines

– AirBnB for one room, 2 double beds in Bronx, NY (Near Dyckman station): $242 for 4 nights ($60.50 per night, split with a friend for $30.25 per night)

– Flight to Milan, Italy (and Prague to Hong Kong all one way): Priceline flight price mistake for $150

– New Generation Hostel Urban in Milan, Italy: $30 for 2 nights. I booked a shared room with 18 beds (but it ended up being a room with 4 beds).

– Generator Venice in Venice, Italy: $59 for 2 nights. I booked a shared room with 16 beds.

– Flight from Venice to London: $30.85 via Ryanair

– Bus from Stansted Airport in London to Victoria Coach Station in London: $19.93 via National Express

– Bus from London to Brussels: $20.21 via Megabus

– AirBnB for a shared room in Leuven, Belgium: 
$87 for 4 nights

– Flight from Brussels to Prague: $40 via Ryanair

– Apartment at Vlkova Palace in Prague (with 3 beds – excessive but oh well) – $94.22

– Flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco: $481.10 via Philippine AIrlines

——–
TOTAL: $1133.31

My piece of advice is to use Google Flights to find the best flights as well as theflightdeal.com for flights, and a mix of Google Hotel Finder, Expedia, and AirBnb to research places to stay.



Packing List:

Europe in November is COLD! Check out my post on the packing list that got me through the trip. I was surprised that I packed pretty well.

This trip really opened my eyes to life and perspective beyond my own bubble, which I will write about more in my individual city/country posts. And in total, I didn’t spend that much either. I’d say that New York and England were my biggest spending points. I would keep an eye out on flight deals on Slickdeals, Google Flights, as well as theflightdeal.com for an opportunity to pounce on!

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2 Comments

  • Reply
    Sharon
    August 12, 2015 at 11:05 pm

    Hi
    I’m another Sharon, bit older than you guys as my son graduated last year and my daughter is off to university in September.
    I’m currently blitzing the house to put it for sale before I go back to school ( work with autistic kids and kids who don’t speak English). Planning to take a gap year and travel. Destinations Asia (Vietnam,Cambodia Laos, Thailand), Cuba, Morocco, Iceland, eastern Europe. Still planning and dreaming as not sure how long it will take to sell up.
    Scary but exciting.
    Tips gratefully received. Keep in touch

    • Reply
      Sharon
      August 13, 2015 at 2:49 am

      Hi Sharon! Thanks for your comment 🙂 That’s great! You know, I interviewed ANOTHER Sharon who travels the world with her family and makes money online to do it fulltime –> https://mewanttravel.com/sharon-gourlay-on-being-a-digital-nomad/ Maybe you’ll find it useful. I read your Gravatar profile – loved hearing your story. Southeast Asia and eastern Europe are definitely affordable; I know people spend $650/month or less living out in Bali or Chiang Mai (including rent, food, etc.). Life is too short to not live your dream – go for it 🙂 Good luck and stay in touch!

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