Travelers embracing the view on the street In Dubrovnik
getty images
Experience Europe the Way You Want
With so many exciting destinations to choose from, Europe continues to attract travelers. In fact, Americans’ desire to visit—and even revisit—has been increasing year after year. The season or time of year doesn't matter because it's always a great time to leap across the pond. Europe is calling!
Before you go, take a moment to figure out exactly how you want to experience your European getaway. Is it by ocean or river cruise, a guided journey, or on your own? To determine your travel style, consider these different travel options and find the one that suits you best.
A couple enjoying an independent travel experience in Europe
insight vacations
Independent Travel
If you prefer traveling with your own family or group of friends and being the boss of your itinerary, then independent travel may be the perfect choice for you. Blazing your own path doesn’t mean you have to be totally self-sufficient. You can have it all—a personalized vacation and the assistance of a knowledgeable travel professional—by turning to an agent to take care of the details for you. Just let the AAA Travel Agent know where you want to go, what you want to see and how you like to travel, and they’ll do the rest. AAA Travel Agents can book your airfare, rail passes, ferry tickets, rental cars and lodging, as well as offer insight on local attractions that align with your interests. Some operators like Brendan Vacations, a AAA preferred partner, even offer self-drive tours.
Pros
Create a completely custom travel experience that you control.
Enjoy the freedom to go at your pace and budget.
Travel with people you already know, or go solo.
Things to consider
You’ll need to get yourself to destinations and navigate unfamiliar roads, cities and rail stations.
Language barriers may be challenging for some travelers.
Tipping and baggage handling will be up to you.
Guided tour of Roman Temple Evora, Portugal
Guided Tours
Tour operators offer a variety of itineraries, including those with specialty themes for wide-ranging interests and activity levels. There are even small-group options for 16 people or less. Perhaps the biggest perk is that all the logistics for your guided journey are taken care of, creating a worry-free experience—from delivering bags to your room, to getting VIP access to events, to snagging priority tickets to must-see sights. Plus, you’ll have the resources of a AAA preferred partner to help you in case a problem crops up.
Professional tour directors make sure your vacation runs smoothly, and local experts lead the way to give you a more immersive experience.
Receive great value by seeing a lot of sights within a short period of time. You’ll skip lines and enjoy the camaraderie of others in your group.
All the logistics are handled, so you won’t have to worry about things like getting your luggage to the next destination.
You may want the ability to spend more or less time at some attractions or towns, or skip them altogether.
Traveling by motorcoach will be part of the experience.
Plenty of free time is built into many tours but not necessarily at specific sights.
Interactions with locals may be more limited than if you were traveling independently.
Portofino, Italy
oceania cruises
Ocean Cruises
Many of Europe’s famous coastal cities are accessible by ship, including Barcelona, Athens, Amsterdam and Venice, so there are plenty of incredible itineraries featuring history, culture and iconic sights. Unpack your suitcase—once—and effortlessly arrive at each jaw-dropping destination. The ship transports you in style to each port, onboard chefs prepare your meals every day and your floating hotel provides a comfortable place to rest your head at night. All these benefits make ocean cruising a popular choice and a great value for European vacations, especially for first-time visitors, as you’ll get to see a variety of cities to determine which you like best, and plan for a return trip.
Enjoy a fun, efficient and low-stress way to see the highlights of coastal European cities and regions.
Unpack once and have the ship’s many amenities always at your disposal.
Sleep well while the ship sails to your next destination, making each day a new, exciting experience.
Interactions with locals will be limited since you’re eating and sleeping on the ship and touring mostly with other cruise passengers.
Due to limited flexibility to spend extended time in ports, you may need to narrow down your must-see list.
Itineraries of 10 days or longer are better suited to experience the best European destinations.
A family viewing the sights from a Uniworld Rhine River cruise
uniworld
River Cruises
If you’re looking for a different way to travel, a river cruise is a fantastic way to visit inland Europe’s richly historic cities, bucolic villages, and Old World architecture and charm. Every day is a new port and new adventure as you disembark right into the heart of the city, taking full advantage of immersive, destination-rich itineraries. Unpack once for your entire journey, and then enjoy the extraordinary views all around you. These small luxury vessels (which often carry fewer than 200 passengers) welcome you with well-appointed accommodations and dining on local cuisine. They provide a great value, as onboard entertainment, meals, beverages (including soft drinks, beer and wine with onboard meals) and most shore excursions are included.
River cruises provide a relaxed and immersive way to visit Europe’s spectacular regions and cities.
The small-ship experience is mostly all-inclusive and has generous staff-to-guest ratios. Plus, most staterooms have balconies.
Ships dock in the heart of towns, which makes exploring convenient.
Vessels may have limited facilities and entertainment. The ship isn’t the attraction; the destinations are.
High or low river levels could make boarding a bus or changing vessels necessary to continue to some destinations.
River ships may need to tie up next to each other (called “rafting”) while in port, which can limit your cabin view and cause temporary privacy issues.
No matter which style of travel you prefer or where you want to travel in Europe, AAA Travel Agents are knowledgeable in all types of international travel and can help you plan the best vacation to fit your interests, your pace and your budget. Europe is trending, so book your trip now.
There are many great ways to see Europe. To plan and book your European vacation, contact a knowledgeable AAA Travel Agent today.
