1

Given that you are a first-time poster, please confirm that you have read this thread:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2153476

Second, when your sister-in-law gave you all that info about Greece, did she take into account that it's winter? Doesn't sound like it.

Have you ever been to a city before? How do people get around in cities in your country?
walk, bus, metro/subway/underground, bike, taxi

Easy. You arrive. You hang out and explore. When you feel like you've seen it and are ready for something else, you move on.

2

Thanks for that thread. I have not yet read it but will now. I'm just overwhelmed. We were considering cutting out Santorini since it will be winter. She was just giving suggestions based on what she did.

As far as the two questions, I'd like to set up a general itinerary so I can buy plane tickets and whatnot ahead of time. I've always had the impression that you should buy plan tickets well in advance for lower prices. Also, as far as transportation, I guess I'm just concerned about getting around in cities where I don't know the language. This will be my first solo trip I'm rather nervous about it.

3

Looks like I've already made a few mistakes!

4

I realize it's all new and daunting but let me assure you, that is the least of your worries. E.g. 60million people visit Paris every year- very few of them speak French. I've travelled in China, Arabia, Bulgaria, Greece, Thailand, Burma, and a host of other countries where i can't speak the language or even read the script. It's not a problem at all, especially when you are visiting the 'must-sees' e.g. you are on a well-beaten tourist trail with lots of locals catering to the foreign crowd and they will speak (some) English.

That's smart, as indeed plan tickets do go up in price and will be expensive when bought last minute. At the same time you don;t want to lock in every movement as then you'll be a slave to an itinerary that may not be to your liking once you get there.

looking at your draft trip, it makes sense to book your travel from Greece to Rome (and I doubt you can fly straight from Santorini). Then spend 2 weeks in Italy and book your travel from Italy to Northern Europe. Within those two weeks in Italy, you play it by ear and buy local transport.

Alos note that few people on this board believe in 'must-sees'. You must see what ever interests you. Of course any guidebook or Google will tell you the top ten sights for any city. But your trip will be more interesting and fulfilling if you seek out attractions that particularly appeal to you.

you also do NOT need to make a blow-by-blow plan for every day like you did in your Day 1 in Athens. What matters is that you enjoy yourself. It's less important whether you manage to tick off 15 items of a list. So if on your first day you discover that yu spent 4 hrs in the national museum and then have along leisurely lunch with nice food at an outdoor cafe and you have no time left to see the Hadrian's Arch and teh Acropolis- guess what, that's just fine.

5

Yes, I've been told that I should be flexible with my scheduling. I'm more or less trying to make a rough outline of what I might like to see about about how long it will take so I can get the travel dates down.

I am also very nervous because, like I said, this will be my first time traveling alone. The extent of my solo experience in a foreign country was me spending a few hours walking around Cuzco and talking with some locals when I was 16. A 2 month trip is a pretty drastic difference. Making a plan (even if I don't follow it) will let me feel more comfortable with housing, transportation, activities, food, etc. But I have to plan things out rather quickly! I'm leaving for Israel in a bit over a month!

Will 2 weeks be enough time in Italy? I realize I can't see everything but I don't want to sell myself short either.

Based on the advice in the thread you posted, should I perhaps stop off in small towns for a night or two between the bigger cities? (Can you stop in small towns via the trains?)

6

AS MTL says....don't worry so much ;-) A rough plan is ok,but not something you are locked into.

Its off season.....no need to book any hostels in advance.

Just arrive in a place,use the public transport (this will be detailed in your guide book)..go to a hostel and check in.Explore the city..if you like it,stay longer.If not,go somewhere else.Its really easy....that's how you decide how long to stay in each city!

Then repeat at next destination.

7

BTW personally I would leave out Santorini.

If you want to have the very cheapest flights,book Istanbul-Athens and Athens-Rome in advance.But even there you will be able to get a pretty cheap flight at short notice in January if necessary.

How long do you have for this trip in total? Only two weeks for all that travel in Italy is very little...are you planning on seeing the rest of Western Europe as superficially as that?

8

I agree with the others .. this is your main problem at the moment. Don't make the mistake of over-planning as a way to solve the emotional issue. There really is no way to resolve this nervousness because it all has to do with uncertainty and lack of knowledge. The solution for this is simply to get started and familiarize yourself with what travel is all about. No shortcuts, get out and start, and the nerves will go away once you start learning a few things .. or simply learn to have a bit of faith in yourself.

The nervousness and over-planning creates artifical dilemmas, such as "how long should I stay somewhere?" The correct answer already given: stay as long as it takes to do what you want. That's all there is to it. You can decide ahead of time to visit a city for one day to visit the one museum you want to see, or visit with an open plan and stay until you want to move on.

There's nothing wrong with having rough plans. I always have several, the further into the vague future, then more lmans I have. But in reality, I make final decisions probably only a week in advance. My longer trips take shape as I'm moving around. It's something you can learn to do.

9

Some simple advice.

1. Take your time, leave something to be desired for. What's wrong with staying somewhere a week if you like it, spending your time enjoying the small, unspectacular things a city and its surroundings have to offer? They give you the feel of a country, its history and its people. Chances are that the cities and countries you haven't visited will still be around during your lifetime.
2. Have a map and a train timetable or, in 2012, put Google Maps and www.bahn.de (the site of the German railways, but having the timetables for all EU countries) as shortcuts on your desktop. Google Maps is the perfect place for wondering how it would be in cities and villages you have never heard of. Activate the Wikipedia button for a glimpse of their mysteries and attractions. Use bahn.de (or national railway sites like trenitalia.com) to see how they can be reached, and which city is a good base for exploring. (E.g. Pisa is just one hour from Florence.)
3. Enjoy! Everything can go wrong, but in real life most things work out as planned. And there is always a Plan B.

10

Thank you guys. This has been really helpful. I guess I should be more flexible. Am I trying to do too much in one trip? If not, what do you think is a good estimate for my total trip time so I can buy a flight home from London?

I guess the nervousness is my main problem. Hopefully having a travel group in Israel will prep me a little bit.

I thought of a random question overnight. Is it okay to give my camera to someone to take a picture of me (at say the Colosseum) or should I be concerned about someone running away with it? (I'm clearly really unprepared!)

These are all really great ideas though and it seems you are all in general agreement. Thank you!.

11

About handing over your camera: there are thousands of other tourists around main sights like the Colosseum or Eiffel Tower, and most of them have no interest whatsoever in running off with your camera. It never hurts to offer to take a picture of the person taking yours either, especially if that person is on his own too it may give you the chance to have a small chat.

Don't worry too much about travelling solo, you'll find lots of other solo travellers around who are more than willing to share a few stories or perhaps even spend some time sightseeing or having a meal and/or drink with you.
Oh, and there's a chance you'll only become more nervous as your departure day comes nearer. Don't let that spoil your trip - it's really very, very easy to strike up a conversation in hostels etc.

12

On the length of your trip...as long as you can,until your money runs out anyway ;-)

13

I don't really have a time limit

What's your nationality?
The answer would tell us what's your time limit in the countries you quoted.

14

I'm from the US. I'd still like a rough estimate so I can at very least buy my flight home. I don't really want to stay more than 2 months so maybe a bit into March.

Thanks Aribo, that's encouraging to hear.