Grand Europe ABD

[Plutofan]

We just returned from the first Grand Europe ABD. We had a great time. Our adventure guides, Dusty and Marco, were awesome. They really made the trip special. Well worth the money....

 

[jimmymc]

Looks like a busy trip, glad you had fun!

 

[SnappySerape]

I'm glad to hear it was a great trip! I have this trip planned in September. Are there any tips you might have?

 

[MELSMICE]

We just booked for next June. Would love some tips as well.

 

[Plutofan]

Pack your patience at the airports. Going through customs and security can take a very long time depending on when you are flying. Fly as early morning as possible to avoid the longgggggg lines.
Find out which airlines partner with each other. If we booked directly through Delta then they wanted like $2K per passenger to fly home from Rome. I was able to back door the same flight for $1K per passenger by using KLM's website.
If possible avoid flying Lufthansa unless they really get their act together.
Singapore Airline is a great airline to fly.
If you bring a CPAP machine then check in small bottles of distilled water in your checked baggage or order if from Amazon and have it delivered. We never expected that you could not find it in most of the countries. In some counties they only sell it at pharmacies. Our guides were wonderful. Our guides went to 20 different places in three counties to try to find distilled water. They finally found it for us in Italy...
Be sure to tip the guides well since they go way beyond...
Get trip insurance.
Make sure you do the extra activities. My wife missed a few that we went on and she was disappointed.
Be prepared since European hotels are not the same as US. It seemed to be a common occurrence to have issues with hot water. It might have just been bad luck. Our guides went as far as contacting the utility companies to try to get someone to fix the issues....The hotels were in great locations and where high end.
Consider buying some Euros and Sterling now since the exchange rate is so low as long as you know you are going. It could go lower but the rates are great right now.
Make sure you get a credit card that does not charge you foreign transaction fees.
If you do not need to take calls while you are in Europe then call your cell phone provider to block calls. If someone calls you and leaves a message you will be charged like 25 cents per minute. Typically you can still use internet and get text messages.
If you need to be able to take calls then get a one month all inclusive international pass. Be sure to have it canceled before your new cycle starts or you will be charged multiple months.
Go with the flow because things always happen on trips. Even though I had an international plan I could only call two people in my contacts in some countries. So in England and France we had to call a family member in NH who then would conference call our guides in England/France who were in the same hotel when we had issues. Really strange but it worked...
Again your guides are there to make your trip wonderful so definitely treat them well and utilize them whenever possible.

 

[aggiedog]

Sounds like a great trip.

In Europe, many people use WhatsAp, which will use internet to call. When we travel and I need to contact locals, I've found that works much better than traditional phone calling. It also has a message feature.

 

[MELSMICE]

Thanks for responding and for the tips! A few specific questions:

1. ABD suggests taking one piece of luggage and one carry on. Is this a suggestion or are they strict about it. We typically take a checked bag. A small carry on suitcase that would fit in the overhead and an under the seat personal carry on.

2. Did you bring a backpack and refillable water bottle? Will we need a backpack? If so, are there any that you recommend?

3. Was daily footwear sneakers? Did you bring other shoes and wear them or did they sit in your suitcase?

4. Do any of the hotels have laundry service?

5. We are going in June. Did you bring a bathing suit?

I didn't realize that there could be extra activities. Would love to hear what they were.

 

[Plutofan]

Check the international luggage size requirements since they were smaller than US for carry on and check in.

We took a back pack but did not use it much. The guides bring a back pack with water and snacks.

Bring a pocket mirror to see the ceilings in Rome. Easier than looking up all the time.

We just brought sneakers. There are several meals you can dress up but not required.

I would just bring enough clothes rather than laundry service. It can be extremely expensive and you do not have much time. You run the risk that that they will lose it. It happened to us in Germany.

We brought a bathing suit but never had time to use it.

I do not want to give away any of the surprises.

You might consider getting to London early to catch a play in London since you are right around the corner to the theater district.

Thanks for responding and for the tips! A few specific questions:

1. ABD suggests taking one piece of luggage and one carry on. Is this a suggestion or are they strict about it. We typically take a checked bag. A small carry on suitcase that would fit in the overhead and an under the seat personal carry on.

2. Did you bring a backpack and refillable water bottle? Will we need a backpack? If so, are there any that you recommend?

3. Was daily footwear sneakers? Did you bring other shoes and wear them or did they sit in your suitcase?

4. Do any of the hotels have laundry service?

5. We are going in June. Did you bring a bathing suit?

I didn't realize that there could be extra activities. Would love to hear what they were.

 

[MELSMICE]

Thank you!

 

[SnappySerape]

I appreciate all the advice, especially about the CPAP since I travel with one as well. Did you bring a lot of money with you and did you find yourself using it? I plan on bringing cash for the guide tips but I'm unsure about needing spending cash. I've heard that pretty much everywhere takes card or ApplePay so there isn't a big need for cash.

 

[bonnielynn]

We just returned from the first Grand Europe ABD. We had a great time. Our adventure guides, Dusty and Marco, were awesome. They really made the trip special. Well worth the money....

I don't know Marco but Dusty is awesome!!!

 

[OKW Lover]

We just returned from the first Grand Europe ABD. We had a great time. Our adventure guides, Dusty and Marco, were awesome. They really made the trip special. Well worth the money....

They were out guides on our first European trip. Viva Italia - probably 8 years ago. Great guides!

 

[jimmymc]

Thanks for responding and for the tips! A few specific questions:

1. ABD suggests taking one piece of luggage and one carry on. Is this a suggestion or are they strict about it. We typically take a checked bag. A small carry on suitcase that would fit in the overhead and an under the seat personal carry on.

2. Did you bring a backpack and refillable water bottle? Will we need a backpack? If so, are there any that you recommend?

3. Was daily footwear sneakers? Did you bring other shoes and wear them or did they sit in your suitcase?

4. Do any of the hotels have laundry service?

5. We are going in June. Did you bring a bathing suit?

I didn't realize that there could be extra activities. Would love to hear what they were.

1. Those 3 items will be fine. Your two larger bags can go under the bus and the smallest one can ride with you.

2. There aren't a lot of places to fill water bottles. The guides will always have water on the bus and you can grab one before each location.

 

[Mike100]

1. Those 3 items will be fine. Your two larger bags can go under the bus and the smallest one can ride with you.

2. There aren't a lot of places to fill water bottles. The guides will always have water on the bus and you can grab one before each location.

In addition to the guides handing out water bottles everytime we got on or off a bus, the hotels also put 2-10 water bottles in the room each day (the one in Florence replaced them when the room was made up and again at turn down), so there was no shortage of water bottles to the point where I got uncomfortable with the amount of empties that piled up...