The Big European Adventure


By Franklin Hu


Have you ever wondered what going on a package tour of Europe is like? I went on a Western European tour for 17 days from September 16th to October 2nd. This is a day by day photo diary of that trip. This tour was organized by Fun Travel World of San Francisco. (415) 788-7244. They organize tours for chinese Americans. What this means is that everyone on the trip speaks Chinese! Unfortunately, I don't speak Chinese. But my Mom accompanied me on this trip so she could translate. Let's start our tour of Europe!

Please note: Contact your local travel agent if you want information on tours to Europe - I'm just a tourist like you!

Planning the trip

One of the great things about going to Europe on a package tour is that you don't have to do much planning at all. In fact, I decided to go to Europe only 2 weeks before I left. As a software consultant (temp job), my job can end at any time. I had planned with my Mom that we would travel to Europe if I ever got the time. My job ended at the end of August and so I said "let's go!". All you need to do is call the travel agency and say I'm coming and pay for the trip. The cost of this trip was around $2200. This includes $1100 airfare to Europe and $1100 for the land package. The only planning you need to do is simply choosing what trip you're going on.

Getting a passport

There is one legal detail you have to take care of. You must get a passport to leave the country. I live in Seattle, so it was easy for me to go to the passport office. To avoid the lines, I went early in the morning before the office opened up so there were only a few people ahead of me. It usually takes a few weeks to get a passport, but if you pay an extra $40, you can get your passport in 3 days. So I paid about $100 for my passport and 3 days later I got my passport in the mail.

Packing for the trip

The other detail you need to take care of is packing for the trip. I opted to buy a large duffle bag with wheels that I found at Costco. It only cost $30. It is important to get something with wheels because you need to drag your luggage around some times. I stuffed 7 shirts/pants and all the underwear that I had. You will find it practically impossible to do your laundry during the trip, so bring all that you will need. My Mom brought along some laundry detergent, so I did my laundry in the hotel sinks.

Click on the links to view the European Adventure

Trip route map
European Adventure Week 1
European Adventure Week 2
European Adventure Week 3
Best of Europe

If you are interested in travelling in the US, check out the big RV adventure. This is a 2 month cross country trip I took in my RV.


Click here to visit the RV Adventure Home Page
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