A quick guide for planning a bucket list family trip to Europe

I know that planning a large-scale family vacation can be overwhelming, so I have compiled 10 easy-to-follow steps that will ensure a smooth trip-planning process and an amazing family vacation!

This week we are talking all about how to plan any of your dream bucket list vacations successfully! I will discuss Europe specifically, but the principles that we talk about can be applied to planning any trip that you have in mind. 


I’m excited to break down the basics of planning a bigger bucket list-type trip with you! 

Below are my 10 simple steps to planning your next dream vacation! (I will be referencing Europe specifically as I am currently planning a family Christmas trip to Europe.)

1. Talk to friends or family who have been on a similar (or the same) trip

  • This is a great way to find out the best places to visit, and the sites that you can skip.

  • Get food and activity recommendations!

  • This can be a great starting point to get a general idea of what you want to do.

  • I also like to check out travel blogs to learn about the must-do items where I am traveling. 

2. Ask your family what they want to see on the trip

  • After you gather a general list of things that you might want to do on your trip, ask your family (or those traveling with you) for input!

  • This can be tricky if you have a lot of people traveling, but it can also be fun to include others and hear more ideas.

  • For example, I asked my kids where they wanted to go on our Christmas trip, and my son told me all about a Porsche museum mini Stuttgart, Germany, so now that’s added to our itinerary!

3. Choose trip dates

  • Knowing the days (and how many) you’ll be gone is super important in the travel planning process. 

  • The number of days that you’ll be gone will determine how many cities or sites you’ll be able to visit, so it’s helpful to have a timeline to plan with.

4. Use Chat GPT to plan a possible trip for you (and get ideas)

  • We decided to do this to get more ideas for our Europe Christmas market trip, and we were super impressed with the results!

  • AI (artificial intelligence) is so smart and might even think of things you hadn’t considered.

  • For example, you could type “Plan me a two-week vacation to European Christmas markets in December that will visit Paris and Berlin. We also want to use trains as transportation”. You’ll be amazed at the results!

5. Use Rome2Rio

  • Rome2Rio.com is a great website that tells you how to travel from one location to another.

  • It works especially well in Europe, although it does work all around the world!

  • This website will show you flight, drive, and train times between cities. This is super useful when planning your trip, as you’ll need to know how much time to set aside for traveling between destinations.

6. Look at Google Maps

  • Once you know the general places you want to visit, hop on Google Maps and look around at other cities around where you’ll be visiting.

  • Next, look up these cities. Maybe you’ll find a hidden gem!

7. Compare itinerary options

  • Pick your top 2 or 3 itinerary options and compare them. Figure out which route makes the most sense logistically and money-wise.

8. Book your flights

  • Once you know where you want to go and when you can figure out the best flight options!

  • It’s always such a relief to have our flights booked since it gives us locked-in dates to plan on.

9. Book Accommodations

  • This step always takes me a lot of time, especially if you’re planning a multi-city trip.

  • While planning our family’s trip to Europe, I looked at hotel and house options on AirBnB, VRBO, hotels.com, and booking.com.

  • Since our family has 6 people, I typically look at AirBnB and VRBO the most.

10. Choose activities for each city

  • Be aware that this step can be very time-consuming.

  • I typically start by searching “Best things to do in [city]” and see what the internet has to say.

  • As I research the city, I make a list of everything that sounds interesting. Then I narrow down our options from there.

  • I usually make a spreadsheet for each trip we go on where I list the date, hotel, and activities in order to keep everything organized.

  • Be sure to check if any activities need reservations, and how far in advance you can make them.

Lisa Andrews