travelers, choose books and movies with your trip in mind, nurture your travel

dreams.

Then, develop a thoughtful itinerary in steps.

Brainstorm a wish list of destinations and put them in in a logical geographical

order.

Then write in how many days you'd like to stay in each place. And then,

tally it up.

This adds up to 32 days.

Now it's got to fit to your vacation time.

I've got 21 days off; that means I've got some serious cutting to do.

Minimize redundancy.

I really don't want to do both the Italian Riviera and the French Riviera.

I'll cut the French Riviera.

Keep a balance between big cities and small towns. This itinerary is pretty

heavy on big cities.

So I think I'll cut Rome.

That'll save a few days.

Greece takes just too much time to get to.

It'll have to wait till another trip.

Rather than spend an entire day on the train, you can save a day of your

itinerary by flying or taking the night train

from Bavaria to Venice.

I still have to cut one day.

I think I could tighten up on Paris. I had given it four, we'll do Paris in three

days. When I add it up, it fits.

21 days.

Now fine-tune your itinerary. Anticipate closed days. For instance, in

Paris, museums are closed on Tuesdays. That's a good thing to keep in mind.

And you can take yourtrip to the next level

by researching and planning for events along the way. Concerts, sporting events and

festivals. It brightens your experience.

Consider building in a few slack days. Two days on the beach midway through

the itinerary; that'll recharge those batteries. And one-night stops are hectic.

Try your best have two nights in a row at a minimum. And, remember, open jaws—

that's flying into one city and out of another; in this case Amsterdam and

London—

saves time and money.

That's efficient.

Finally, be realistic about how much you can cover. You'll always find places you just

can't get to. I really wanted to get to Greece but squeezing it in would rush

my entire trip.

Assume you will return.

Travel is freedom.

It's rich with choices and exciting decisions. That's part of the appeal.

Factor in your comfort level with doing things on-the-fly.

Lots of people have a great trip with nothing planned at all.

Others have a great trip play nailing down every detail before leaving home.

I like to keep a little flexibility in my itinerary.

Perhaps I'll fall in love with Siena

and stay an extra day.

Also, plan thoughtfully to get the best weather and the least crowds. at least crowns

The most grueling thing about travel over here is the heat and the crowds of summer,

especially in Italy.

Check the weather charts.

My rule of thumb: north of the Alps is like Seattle or Boston,

south of the Alps is like southern California or Florida.

I prefer visiting the mediterranean countries in spring or fall and I

travel north of the Alps in summer.

We happen to be here in August and it's hot.

Winter travel is a whole different scene and it has its pros and cons, too.

Museums are empty, flights are cheaper and the high culture—symphony, opera and

so on—is in full swing.

But in the winter it rains more and it gets dark, especially in the north.

And many activities and sights are closed or run on shorter hours.

While small towns, outdoor sites, and resorts can be sleepy,

big cities are vibrant and festive throughout the year.