If you’re reading this it probably means you are planning, or at least contemplating, a trip with your kids. If you’ve not done it before I can assure you it can be some of the most rewarding travel of your life. With some careful planning and preparation, you can plan an enriching trip you and your kids will remember the rest of your lives. Planning a trip with kids can also be a daunting task raising all sorts of questions. How do I keep them busy on the plane? What are the best activities for the whole family? How much do I plan each day? Not to worry! Follow the Tips for Traveling with Kid ..read more

Why you may want to choose a European Cruise Planning a trip to Europe can be overwhelming. There is so much information available and it takes time to do all the research necessary to plan an amazing trip. At Euro Travel Coach, we are all about making the planning process fun and easy and for some travelers, that means taking a cruise! On a Rhone River cruise at Avignon, France Europe offers fantastic cruise destinations for lots of reasons. A European cruise – either a river cruise or an ocean cruise – can be a terrific vacation option for a first-time traveler to the continent or for someo ..read more

The first day of our adventure with all of our luggage “He who would travel happily must travel light.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry In our first year of full time travel in 2017, we were Traveling in Europe for a full nine months. Lots of people asked me how I was able to pack for that length of time. I feel pretty comfortable sharing what I did, and it’s the same way I pack for trips to this day! On that initial journey, we had everything from 90-degree days to below freezing weather. And I have learned a few things over these years of extensive travel in Europe. Let me tell you how I packed ..read more

The stunning Soča Valley “Kindness, tolerance, integrity, modesty, generosity - these are attributes that events permit us. They are our holiday moods, and we are as proud of them as of the fine clothes we have hung away to wear on occasions.” — Ben Hecht Holidays are important to culture and knowing and appreciating a nation’s holidays can be a key factor in enjoying a trip abroad.  In our first year of traveling full time after retiring from teaching in Texas, we spent a couple of days in Slovenia and were surprised that our visit coincided with not one, but two national holidays. When ..read more

4 Days in Paris We are often asked how much time to spend in Paris. My answer is always – as long as you can. You could spend a month, or even years there, and not see everything. There is so much to enjoy in and around Paris that it will never be enough time. But you can see a lot in 4 days, and then plan to come back another time to see more. This outstanding 4 Day Paris Itinerary is a great plan for your first trip to Paris. You will get to see a lot, and it will leave you wanting more. When you return, you can dive even deeper into this beautiful, romantic and cultural city. Paris really ..read more

BEST PLACE TO TRAVEL RIGHT NOW Euro Travel Coach is focused on travel to Europe, so of course I’m going to say that Europe is the best place to travel right now. But what I really want to say is that traveling NOW is important, and I am so grateful that Europe is opening up again. Our visit to Notre Dame, March 2017 We just returned from Europe and got to spend some time in Paris. We hadn’t been back since Notre Dame burned. Looking at its reconstruction reminded me of the reflection I wrote at the time about how it made me feel to see images of this glorious cathedral burning. That reflectio ..read more

The COVID 19 Pandemic has drastically affected all of us and will likely continue to do so for years to come. Our plans of traveling Europe for most of the year and spending summers in Canada were completely thrown into disarray.    From the marina in Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre, Italy in June 2021 But in retrospect the last two and a half years have been pretty amazing. We have had to rely on family and friends for lodging for most of that time which has also been a blessing. We have done some amazing road trips and seen parts of the US we wouldn’t have if we’d been traveling abroad ..read more

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the ETC Team. We hope you are enjoying the traditions of the season with family and friends. Not surprisingly, many of our traditions revolve around food. One of those traditions is my annual multiple batches of Chex Mix. All the ingredients for Greg’s Chex Mix I used to watch my dad make this growing up and I have kept the tradition going in our house even as we’ve traveled across Europe the last several years. It could be a challenge when the “cereal aisle” consisted mostly of five different kinds of muesli. I ended up with some generic brand of Crisp ..read more

The Cinque Terre is one of the most popular destinations in Italy for good reason. The five villages along this beautiful stretch of the Mediterranean coast feature colorful buildings that seem to tumble down to the sea, deep blue swimming holes, and gorgeous views along the coast and the surrounding mountains. One of the best ways to take it all in is hiking the pathways that connect these picturesque towns. Corniglia with Manarola in the background from a high trail in the Cinque Terre The most popular of these paths is the Sentiero Azzurro (blue trail) and it shows up as blue on most maps ..read more

We first visited the Cinque Terre 15 years ago when we traveled through Italy for our 20th anniversary. The 5 towns of the Cinque Terre absolutely took my breath away. I had wanted to go there ever since I first read about these beautiful villages along the rugged coastline of the Italian Riviera. I love the brightly colored buildings tumbling into the sea, the terraces carved out of the hillside to grow grapes, and the spectacular seafood, pesto and focaccia that is unbelievably delicious in this region. Hiking near Manarola On that trip, we flew from the U.S. to Florence, picked up a rental ..read more