The road to Europe!

Let me tell you, organising a Europe trip for 7 people is not easy. It will be worth it in the end I'm sure!

What I have learnt so far:
- Many travel agents don't listen to what you want.
- When you finally find one that does listen to you, they don't care after you've given them business.
- I am yet to find the perfect travel agent (can someone I know become one!??)
- Having a big fat lonely planet guide to Europe on a budget is a big help
- Double check reviews. Just because one website says a place is great, doesn't mean it's right.
- Reviews are useful and I should contribute to reviews when I come home
- Organising a big trip is stressful, but is a great learning experience

Here is my itinerary so far (some people are doing a few different things):

Dubai
Paris
Amsterdam
Berlin
Prague
Vienna
Croatia (Dubrovnik, Split)
Italy (Venice, Florence, Rome)
Switzerland (Interlaken, Geneva)
Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Ibiza)
London
Greece (Mykonos, Santorini, Karpathos)

I am super excited but a bit stressed because we still need accommodation for a few places. Hopefully it will all be organised soon.

If anyone has any ideas on what to do in these places - do let me know!

The countdown is on....

WELCOME to my very first travel blog!

This year I embark on my first 'real' trip overseas. 

I say real because the only other time I went was when I was in year 4. On this holiday I went to Greece and only Greece. While it was a wonderful 2 months soaking up the sun and eating amazing food, I probably didn't appreciate it as much as I should have. Plus, the majority of the time I was on the Island my family is from...so the rest of Greece - other than Athens and Rhodes - was never seen.

2013 is the year of Europe. I'm 22 and ready to appreciate the history, culture and of course, food that these countries have to offer. I've been waiting SO long for this to happen. I really wanted to go four years ago when I finished year 12. However, I decided to go straight into uni and boy was I jealous when all my friends were taking the 'gap year' and travelling the world.

Anyways, I'm excited. We have nothing planned other than some return flights and tickets to the French Open and the Wireless festival in London. It's kind of daunting but also exciting. I love that we don't have to be so rigid like when on a tour of some sort. 

The point is, this is my travel blog. More for my shocking memory than anything else. It won't just be for Europe planning or for documenting. I might also post about previous holidays (around Australia of course) and try to remember the wonderful times I have experienced.

To be honest, any holiday is wonderful. Whether it be a drive to the coast for a few days or a 2 month Europe trip.

I think this sums it up perfectly.