6 key strategies for planning a European trip

Gone are the days of traveling on a whim. Now, preparation is essential There’s endless adventure around every corner — food, wine, shopping, art and more. Most of my European travels take place between September and May. I rarely fight the high-season summer tourist crowds. But I just sent my niece across to Europe with a Eurailpass to backpack across the continent like I once did. My, how times have changed. The old days of hopping on trains at will, arriving in town, searching for a spot in the hostel and visiting museums on a whim are past. Europe today may have places where that is possible, but the hot cities and popular towns are packed, hostels are booked in advance through the Web, trains need reservations, buses are limited and some of the best museums require advanced booking. Almost every museum, train, bus,... [read full story]