By now your itinerary is just about planned out to where you feel quite comfortable with it. You know where you want to land, so you can start looking for the best airfares. If you don't have a passport, you should apply for one now. And it may be time to start thinking about shoes made for walking, because you'll probably be doing more walking than you're used to.
Start Looking at Airfares for your Overseas Flight
You can start checking for airfares sooner--although we've found searching 3-4 months before your flight is a pretty good bet; the airlines are starting to discount in order to reward early bookers and yet there's still time to wait if prices aren't to your liking. The airline computers are constantly revising the pricing based on the latest demand, so the cheapest prices might turn up anytime--but you might not want to wait that long.
Apply for a Passport if you don't already have one
This is when you should get your passport. Yes, it's a long lead time, but expediting your passport application is expensive, and you can do without the stress of waiting for the thing to arrive at the last minute.
US citizens don't need special visas for travel to western Europe at this time, unless planning to spend more than 90 days in a six month period in Europe.
Shoes! Start thinking of Comfortable Shoes That Look Good
You're going to do a lot of walking in Europe. Many historic city centers are pedestrian only, and parking can be pretty far away.
Shoes are heavy. You don't want to schlep six pairs in your luggage. I try to get comfortable walking shoes that I can wear anywhere, in a color that fits with all the clothing in my suitcase, so I don't have to lug good shoes for the two times I'm going to splurge on a meal.
More Vacation Planning Information
Next we'll look at budgeting, transportation, and hotel reservations.
< Return to Index -- Go on To 2 Months Before Your Vacation >
