The thought of going to Europe for a vacation gets most people excited. It is thrilling to think of visiting multiple countries in a short period of time to see different cultures and lifestyles. Europe is home to many historical sites and interesting places to visit such as old castles, the Alps, Buckingham Palace in England, the Gothic Cathedral in Germany and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Obtain your passport. If you are not a member of the European Union, you will need a passport to be able to tour Europe. If you live in the United States, you can obtain a passport at any of the passport acceptance locations (see Resources below).
Use a tour company. If this is your first trip to Europe, using a tour company is your best plan of action. With a tour company, everything is organized and arranged for you in advance. This means you won't have to figure out how to buy tickets to an attraction or determine directions to the Eiffel Tower from the train station in Paris. You will have the benefit of a tour guide who knows the language and customs. You'll also get group discounts on tickets and hotels.
Find a reputable tour company. If you go with some of the popular tour companies, you can generally assume that they have a good reputation. One such company is Hermes Tours. Two other companies to use are Global Coach Tours and Europe Travel Tours (see Resources). You can visit travel websites to get feedback on tour companies from other travelers.
Read the fine print once you find a tour company for your tour of Europe. Be sure about everything that is included in the package. If meals are included, this could mean two or three meals per day. Beverages may or may not be part of this price. If train tickets are part of the package, determine if they are first or second class and if you have the option to pay extra to upgrade.
Get some sleep and be well-rested before beginning the trip. When you take a tour of Europe with a touring company, the days are action-packed and full of adventure. You'll need your energy. You can also expect to have jet lag for at least 1 day when you arrive in Europe, but you'll still have events planned for that first day with the tour. You don't want to be so tired you can't enjoy anything.
Pack light and be ready to go. You will be responsible for getting your luggage on and off trains and buses, so you must be able to lift all your luggage. If the luggage is too heavy, you'll tire quickly. You can expect to be moving around a lot with a tour, from country to country. This means you might have to transport luggage from one place to another up to three times or more in a single day!
Get organized. Have what you need ready at all times. The tour company isn't going to wait for you while you look for your sneakers or raincoat. There are other people involved. Pack your things so that what you need is accessible. For example, pack a purse or backpack with essential items that you will take with you at all times, such as an umbrella, aspirin, foreign language phrasebook and emergency contact information.
Protect your valuables. Use a money wallet for your passport, credit cards and cash. Don't leave your bags unattended, even for a minute. It takes a thief only a couple of seconds to grab a bag. Secure your luggage on trains by locking it with a bicycle chain lock to the luggage rack. Use the safes available in the hotel if you leave valuables in the room while you are out for the day.
Stick to the beaten path. Stay with the group, especially in rural areas. If you wander away, you may not be able to find anyone who speaks English to help you get back to where you were. If you go somewhere other than the recommended places, you could put yourself in danger and not even know it. You might end up in a bad section of town, for example.
