# Mulit-week Europe Trip



## ecwinch (Mar 28, 2009)

I need to put together a plan for a multi-week Europe visit in summer 2010  for my daughters HS graduation present. Was going to have the duration  determined by what good timeshare trades I could put together, plus about 7-10 days of hotels. In total, I was thinking 5-7 weeks, with at least 2 weeks in the UK and 2 weeks on the Continent.

 This would be for a total of 5 people - me, DW, DD, High school graduate DD, and one of her friends. Her friend would only be coming along for 2-3 weeks of the trip, so I need mostly two bedrooms.

Given the timeshares I own (Marriott, Wyndham, WorldMark, and 2 other weeks).  Here are some things I am doing:

Currently have on-going searches in II for a number of resorts with my Worldmark points.

Have a search going on in II with my Marriott HHI for Marriott Disney Paris.

Have a search in RCI with my spring break 2010 2BR Royale Beach/South Padre week. So far it has not been a great trader in RCI. Really strong in II.

I was thinking about the following:

Making a deposit into DAE. Not sure what would be the best week (other than Marriott) that would work.

Making a WM deposit into RCI.

What would you add to what I am doing? Or if you where in my shoes, what would be your plan?

Any and all suggestions considered....


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## Keitht (Mar 28, 2009)

I don't think deposits with DAE are ranked in the way they are with RCI & II.  I believe it's simply deposit a unit and take a unit.  Size, quality etc is not measured.  If that is the case then using top quality resorts may not be necessary or beneficial.  Note that I'm not suggesting depositing dog traders, and I suspect DAE probably does have a minimum standard that they accept.


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## beejaybeeohio (Mar 28, 2009)

DAE will work just fine for you with your Texas Trader or Worldmark.  If you put a Marriott in, let me know, so I could grab it because they are rarely deposited w/ DAE.

The availability in Europe is the real plus of DAE and if you ante up for the new "gold" membership, you will have some very nice resorts to choose from.  We are looking forward to our week in Spain at WIVC Villacana 2 bedroom, that we used a studio South Africa resort for exchange.

Since you are going to do hotels, my recommendation would be that you stay in one in Paris, because unless you specifically want to do Paris Disney, it's far too far from the city IMHO.  Can change your search to another Europe Marriott?  Also, I have recently seen Paris hotels as exchanges or extra vacations on RCI, so that is another option to check out.

For your 2 weeks in the UK, you could hotel it in London and then go to the English countryside and onto beautiful Scotland.  On the continent, consider Austria- lots of timeshares and it is a beautiful country.


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## Janie (Mar 28, 2009)

Hi there:

Sounds like a great trip!  I did something similar for my DD's graduation, but just a two week trip:  one week in Paris and one week in Amsterdam.  Both trades were through RCI.

Putting this together in this timeframe with what you own will be ambitious, especially since you need 2 BRs, which are pretty rare in Europe.   Some places are probably just out of the question, either because there are no timeshares, or no 2 BRs.  

Where were you hoping to go?

Here are a few thoughts:

-You'll have your best shot travelling in early summer:  June and early July.  Getting 2 BRs during prime European school holidays (late July/August) will be very, very difficult.

-You're starting late for getting anything really good in RCI.  I started a full two years in advance, with ongoing searches entered at the earliest possible moment.  I don't think your Texas week will cut it for this search:  you need a top-notch trader.  If WM does better, by all means deposit that.  But do it immediately.

-Many of the British resorts in RCI feature larger units.  Again, your best chance will be in June or early July, with an ongoing search.  Scotland and Wales seem to be easier trades than England.

-If you're hoping for London, I would say it's a very very slim chance, and you should look at renting a flat instead.  Try:

www.holidaylettings.co.uk
www.VRBO.com

-Through RCI, you will probably be able to get a larger unit in southern Spain. Your Texas week might possibly pull up one of these on an ongoing search.

-Hungary is also a pretty easy trade in RCI.

-You might try for one of the Mondi resorts in Germany or Austria:  Some of them have 2 BRs, and they are very nice properties.  RCI only.

-II doesn't have a lot of options in Europe, and very few of those will offer 2 BRs.  I think your best chance is with the Marriott preference--the Disneyland property, and perhaps Marbella?

-Can't comment on DAE:  I've never used them.


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## ecwinch (Mar 28, 2009)

beejaybeeohio said:


> Since you are going to do hotels, my recommendation would be that you stay in one in Paris, because unless you specifically want to do Paris Disney, it's far too far from the city IMHO.  Can change your search to another Europe Marriott?  Also, I have recently seen Paris hotels as exchanges or extra vacations on RCI, so that is another option to check out.



Thanks for the pointers about DAE. I will definitively be checking them out. 

In terms of Paris, it's teenagers, so of course they want to see Mickey,. Though we may take a night in a hotel also.


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## ecwinch (Mar 28, 2009)

Janie said:


> Putting this together in this timeframe with what you own will be ambitious, especially since you need 2 BRs, which are pretty rare in Europe.



Wow - I thought I was on top of the ball by starting 15 months out. 



Janie said:


> -If you're hoping for London, I would say it's a very very slim chance, and you should look at renting a flat instead.



Good point, I was thinking of that, with a 1 or 2 day hotel stay as a backup.



Janie said:


> -Through RCI, you will probably be able to get a larger unit in southern Spain. Your Texas week might possibly pull up one of these on an ongoing search.
> 
> -Hungary is also a pretty easy trade in RCI.
> 
> -You might try for one of the Mondi resorts in Germany or Austria:  Some of them have 2 BRs, and they are very nice properties.  RCI only.



Thank for those tips. I will check them out.


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## vacationhopeful (Mar 28, 2009)

Wow, 5-7 weeks.  That is a truly long time for a road trip.  Will you be buying a car for the household with delivery in Europe and shipping it home?  

I agree, the earlier in the summer you start, the better.  Europeans have 5+ weeks of vacation and in August, everything is packed at vacation points and reduced or closed in the cities.  Plus, many places still don't have air conditioning installed ... I remember this from August in London years ago.  The opera/ballets are not in season also.


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## ecwinch (Mar 28, 2009)

vacationhopeful said:


> Wow, 5-7 weeks.  That is a truly long time for a road trip.  Will you be buying a car for the household with delivery in Europe and shipping it home?



No - but I might look into it.  

We usually take a 3-5 week vacation in the summer - this year it is a 6 week tour of the Western US. Europe will be a little longer due to the cost of airfare, and all the places we want to see.


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## Carolinian (Mar 28, 2009)

Consider a canal boat in the UK.  Those are a lot of fun and would be a real adverture for your daughters.  DAE can often get those on request through one of their trading partners even if they don't have one in inventory.  Another place that DAE can get on request inventory through a trading partner is the French Riviera.

HTSE is also affiliated with UKRE (United Kingdom Resort Exchange), and while I have never tried that, it may help add another possibility for exchanges.

Schloss Grubhof in Austria has some 2BR and is a real 13th century castle.  It is also close enought to Salzburg, Innsbruck, Bertesgaden, and Munich for day trips.

There are a couple of resorts at Hinterzarten, Germany in the Black Forest with 2BR units.  These come with free week long rail passes that allow you to see much of the area by rail, even as far as Basel, Switzerland.  Erlenbruck seems to come up for trade most often.


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## ecwinch (Mar 30, 2009)

Carolinian said:


> Consider a canal boat in the UK.  Those are a lot of fun and would be a real adverture for your daughters.
> 
> There are a couple of resorts at Hinterzarten, Germany in the Black Forest with 2BR units.  These come with free week long rail passes that allow you to see much of the area by rail, even as far as Basel, Switzerland.  Erlenbruck seems to come up for trade most often.



I was thinking the same thing about the canal boat. Great idea.

And thanks for that Hinterzarten tip. Thats another great one.


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## beejaybeeohio (Mar 30, 2009)

*Castles*

With your daughters loving Disney, southern Germany/western Austria timeshares could provide an easy day trip to Neuschwanstein (sp?) Castle, the model for Disney's Cinderella Castle at his parks. Also in Germany is Legoland.  

Do they like the Sound of Music?  If so, the SOM tour in Salzburg would be fun for them,too.  Near Salzburg is a saltmine tour that would provide a mini-thrill ride experience for them.


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## vacationhopeful (Mar 30, 2009)

There is a 1,000 yo salt mine near Krakow, Poland going down 450 feet.  At least there was an elevator to bring you back up.  Plus, Krakow has a DaVinci without the crowds, glass, and lines.  Krakow has the youth and flavor of the college town that it is.  Plus, to see the old wooden churches in the villages before they all rot away or have vinyl siding installed on them.  

But the minimum age for the concentration camp tour is 14 yo as it is too unsettling.  I thought it was unsettling, esp as the two of us were the only people walking around the old Polish Army base section during the first hour it was opened on a late November day. 

Just suggestions,


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## ecwinch (Mar 31, 2009)

BJB - the castles are a great idea. My DD is into musical theater, so that would be great to.

Thanks


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## Carolinian (Apr 1, 2009)

Neuschwanstein is a 19th century fantasy castle of mad king Ludwig of Bavaria.  There is a much older, more authentic castle just down the hill from it, that you should also see.

Hohensalzburg castle on the hill above Salzburg is also an interesting castle as is Burg Hohenzollern, the ancestral home of Germany's imperial Hohenzollern dynasty, south of Stuttgart, which is also interesting, largely authentic in design but heavily restored in the 19th century.


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