From Venice to Vienna:  How a Boomer Family Survived and Thrived on a
Journey to Europe and Asia

By Peter Bogdanov

“Wow, you guys traveled together as a family for forty days and didn’t kill each other?  How’d you do it?  Was it really that good, or did it become a nightmare? Would you do it again, and, if so, would you do it any differently?”

These are just some of the questions we faced after

spending five-and-a-half weeks visiting five countries (Italy, Greece, Turkey, Hungry, and Austria) on two continents, taking fifteen planes, nine trains, umpteen buses, metros and taxis, and toting our 20-inch carry-on suitcases to 20 different hotels.

Did we entertain great expectations for what we might experience on our trip?  Absolutely!  Was lengthy research and planning required for months beforehand?  Definitely!  Was it worth it?  You bet!  Would we do it again?  In a heartbeat!  Would we do it any differently? Well…

So, come along.  Let us tell you our story:

My wife and I had traveled in Europe early in our marriage as well as later in life when we ventured there independently.  Together we visited nine European countries in the mid 1970s when, believe it or not, our guidebook was Frommer’s Europe on $5 a Day.  While those good ol’ days (and prices!) are long gone, many wonderful memories were created and re-lived again and again over the years.  Travel, we concluded a long time ago, though it can be a stressful experience, can also serve as the glue that holds two people together (or at least can be as good as Scotch tape!)  And those stories and memories of good times of foreign travel surfaced again and again for years amidst our family conversations.  The urge to travel, we came to see, lingered in our DNA and was something to which we were instinctively drawn, like bees to blossoms.

It wasn’t long before our son picked up this yearning and joined us on a 3-week trip to Thailand and India in 2004.  Then in 2007 he joined a group of American high schoolers who taught English to Chinese students for five summer weeks.  So when we talked about the possibility of going to Europe in early 2008, our teenager became excited about the possibility of joining us. 

How we decided on five weeks, I can't say, but our philosophy in years past has always been, "The cost is mostly in getting there, not so much in staying there."  Well, unfortunately, that philosophy is no longer true.  The weakness of the dollar is certainly making everyone think twice and forcing some to rein-in their ambitious plans.  But, on the other hand, there's always the thought, "We may never be able to do this again," and that seemed to outweigh our more conservative bent.

Having been to Europe several years before was an advantage, for we already were acquainted with the simplicity and value of using the Eurail Pass, a discounted train pass we obtained in the US before setting foot on foreign soil. We used our pass in Italy (Venice, Bologna, Florence, Cinque Terra, Sienna, and Rome) Greece (Athens, Meteora, Thessaloniki), Hungary (Budapest) and Austria (Vienna). We flashed our Eurail Pass to go from city to city, used it for day-trips and overnight trips.  Although the Eurail Pass is good in 20 European countries (if you purchase their Global Pass), it is not honored in Turkey, so we had to make other travel arrangements during our 17 days there.

We debated taking a ferry from Italy to Greece (using our Eurail Passes) but the cost of flying from Rome to Athens was reasonable and gave us more time to see the parts of Greece we were interested in.  We also booked four flights within Turkey (and one leaving Turkey) because the other options (bus, train, car rental) were not as economical in terms of time or money or both.  We mapped out our itinerary beforehand including most of our hotels and travel arrangements.  We also purchased travel books on Turkey, Greece, and Italy, the countries we planned to spend the greatest amount of time visiting.

Because we knew it would be advantageous to keep our luggage with us at all times while traveling, we determined to downsize our wardrobes and crammed our stuff into 20" carry-on luggage.  This meant we could take 4 or 5 shirts, a couple pair of pants, an extra pair of shoes, and underwear for a week.  We each carried a separate backpack which became our second carry on item.  I took a laptop computer so we could make use of the internet, send and receive email, watch movies, and write in our journals.  Between the three of us, the laptop was in frequent use throughout the day. 

I found it best to use the ATM machines in Europe and Turkey for obtaining local currency.  Although I brought a few hundred dollars in cash, I discovered that the commission charges were astronomical for converting US currency into local currency.  These days you can find a lot of good advice from travelers on the internet and we made good use of their tips and suggestions. 

Please check out the links for the hotels and restaurants we visited that are listed under each country.  Here you'll learn more about what you can expect from some of the finest dining and lodging establishments in some of Europe's and Turkey's great cities and towns.

Bon Voyage!