Considering a trip to Europe in Oct 25 or Early 2026?

[billymach4]

Please recommend how to?
Should I book a tour via an agency or tour company?
Anyone have experience with Costco Travel?

What if any possible TS Exchange might I be able to make?

Is Oct a good time to travel to Europe?

Will most likely do southern Europe? Italy or Greece?

Please share or point me to other threads where some of these questions have been answered already?

As always. Thanks in advance.

 

[Passepartout]

Bill, Just GO! You can't make a bad choice. Maybe for a first trip, and if you're anxious about it, a guided, small group tour that takes care of the logistics like hotels, some/most meals, transport & sights would lighten your load. Not a big bus tour that moves at the pace of the slowest senior. We have used Overseas Adventure Travel and they have been the best tours EVER. www.oattravel.com/

Rick Steves also offers small group tours.

As you know, we go worldwide pretty much independently, and have for years. But now, as we age, the bags are heavier, and the stairs steeper, so we have slowed down.

European TSs are not what they are in the US, but I know you have Marriott, and they have some nice ones in Spain that would make a nice base.

Looking forward to your planning experience. Remember, There is no BEST. Only what you WANT to see/do.

Jim

 

[jorcus]

Please recommend how to?
Should I book a tour via an agency or tour company?
Anyone have experience with Costco Travel?

What if any possible TS Exchange might I be able to make?

Is Oct a good time to travel to Europe?

Will most likely do southern Europe? Italy or Greece?

Please share or point me to other threads where some of these questions have been answered already?

As always. Thanks in advance.

Are you ok with packing and unpacking just about every night?

 

[billymach4]

Ok by us if we are on the go. Been there done that

 

[billymach4]

How is January in Southern Italy Greece. May push out to 26

 

[Passepartout]

How is January in Southern Italy Greece. May push out to 26

It could be chilly- likely dry, but definitely jacket weather. If you're gonna do that, consider a cruise, round trip from Venice and back or a more leisurely one (couple days in) Venice to Athens/Greek Islands and extend in Athens a few days.

Alternately, LOTS of Brits winter on the South Coast of Spain/Portugal. You can easily do those independently with a (rental) car. Oh, and the flights are waaaay cheaper.

 

[ABCTravels]

You should absolutely go to Europe and going in the winter is far more pleasant than the summer crowds.

I have been in Capri/Naples/Pompei in late January and it was cold! As it is the off season, some of the things we wanted to see were closed/limited hours and it was absolutely way too cold for anything beach related. If you wanted to visit central or northern Italy (Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice, etc) then it's fine to go in the winter. I lived there for a year and you get to see things without all the crowds or the summer heat. Venice often floods in December, so bear that in mind, but you will still have a wonderful time.

October is a fantastic month to visit Greece- probably the absolute best in my opinion, it's when I went. I did 4 days on a bus tour and 4 days independent travel to an island and then some independent time in Athens. Water in the ocean was still comfortable for swimming and the day temps were comfortable.

We have used this tour company for several day trips in Scotland and my friends used them for a full vacation in Ireland if you want to look into it for Europe: https://www.rabbies.com/en/europe-tours/tour-italy
They keep a very steady pace and pack the day full, so bear that in mind...but you see a lot!

Another option is to go to a single central location and just visit there for a few days on your own pace (maybe doing day trips) before moving on to another location. Say you flew into Rome and visited there for a few days, then train up to Florence for a few days then flew to Athens for a week in Greece.

We have also taken trips in places where we simply hired a driver for the day to take us out to areas where we would not be comfortable navigating on our own.

There is no wrong way---just what is right for your traveling party at that time. I love Europe and think you should absolutely go!

 

[billymach4]

You should absolutely go to Europe and going in the winter is far more pleasant than the summer crowds.

I have been in Capri/Naples/Pompei in late January and it was cold! As it is the off season, some of the things we wanted to see were closed/limited hours and it was absolutely way too cold for anything beach related. If you wanted to visit central or northern Italy (Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice, etc) then it's fine to go in the winter. I lived there for a year and you get to see things without all the crowds or the summer heat. Venice often floods in December, so bear that in mind, but you will still have a wonderful time.

October is a fantastic month to visit Greece- probably the absolute best in my opinion, it's when I went. I did 4 days on a bus tour and 4 days independent travel to an island and then some independent time in Athens. Water in the ocean was still comfortable for swimming and the day temps were comfortable.

We have used this tour company for several day trips in Scotland and my friends used them for a full vacation in Ireland if you want to look into it for Europe: https://www.rabbies.com/en/europe-tours/tour-italy
They keep a very steady pace and pack the day full, so bear that in mind...but you see a lot!

Another option is to go to a single central location and just visit there for a few days on your own pace (maybe doing day trips) before moving on to another location. Say you flew into Rome and visited there for a few days, then train up to Florence for a few days then flew to Athens for a week in Greece.

We have also taken trips in places where we simply hired a driver for the day to take us out to areas where we would not be comfortable navigating on our own.

There is no wrong way---just what is right for your traveling party at that time. I love Europe and think you should absolutely go!

Appreciated the advice

 

[beejaybee]

In the past we've had RCI exchanges to England (several), Scotland, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Switzerland, France, Germany and Hungary. We also stayed at Fitzpatrick's Castle outside of Dublin Ireland when we owned a week there.

My suggestion to you is to see what European timeshares are available and plan your trip around that. You'd be surprised at what you might explore nearby. For example, we booked a timeshare in Gemund-Schleiden, Germany that was off the beaten tourist path. Using it as a hub, we spoked out on day trips to the Vogelsang Nazi Training area, an open-air folk museum, the delightful village of Monschau and into nearby Belgium and the Netherlands. Driving in Europe is not difficult so don't pass on a timeshare that is in the countryside.

Good Luck! Happy Planning!

 

[sponger76]

How is January in Southern Italy Greece. May push out to 26

I visited Rome the last week of December two years ago. I know that more central Italy, but i was quite nice. It was a little chilly at night and in the mornings, but not terribly so. I thought it was a great time to go, the crowds weren't as bad and with all the walking I was glad it wasn't warmer. A few years ago I visited Athens in early August. Still very warm and very crowded. Not sure how much colder it gets there in winter but my guess is it's at leas as pleasant as Rome was.

 

[GrayFal]

Marriott Marbella (Spain) is a really nice resort and a great home base, a few nights in a Barcelona Marriott, Then head further south to Greece.
Or, consider a 14 day Mediterranean cruise from Rome that visits Greece, Montenegro Croatia - get a taste of the area without having to pack/unpack. We have done these in October/November so the temps are 70-84 It’s tough to do tours when it is above that temp for me. Book tours thru Viator, Tours by Locals and other independent venders for better, small group experiences

 

[ScoopKona]

Italy is the easiest country to visit -- by far. It can also be one of the hardest to visit. It's really up to the traveler.

The hard way: Load four steamer trunks into a manual-transmission rental car which is useless in the city center. And then deal with the near-constant traffic jams on the Autostrada; only to arrive at a hotel without elevators and have to lug everything up to the fourth floor. And then repeat that every day until you fly home. (People who travel this way stick out like a sore thumb. So they're also targeted by pick pockets and purse snatchers.)

The easy way: Pack light, take trains and don't be a slave to an itinerary. Practice hub-and-spoke traveling so you're not checking in and out of a new place every day. Don't try to cram three weeks worth of travel into a seven day package.

 

[CanuckTravlr]

Just be aware that in order to enter the EU in 2025, Americans and Canadians may have to complete the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) application. There is a small fee and make sure you use the official site. They keep pushing the effective date out.

 

[stmartinfan]

We enjoy doing Europe in the spring or fall, good weather but fewer crowds. We've done completely independent travel where we drove a rental car or used trains and have stayed in hotels as well as VRBO apartments in lots of city centers. We've also done tours, like one that combined sites in Instanbul and Athens with a cruise in between the two cities that visited several islands. Both ways are enjoyable…just depends on the destination and your travel style. We did a small group tour of the highlights of Italy in 2025 with Insight Tours and a big advantage on that one was the immediate admission to museums that would have required standing in long lines as independent travelers. They also had a local guide join us at several places, like the Vatican, so we had an expert each time in addition to our regular guide. We spent a few days on our own in Paris after that one and encountered the waits at museums there, primarily because so many people are traveling again. We were able to book a time by going to one of the sites that resell admission slots on line. Could have avoided that if we'd booked a few months ahead, just didn't know before we got to Paris how much more sightseeing we'd want to do!

We booked the Italy tour via Costco. At that time Costco used Insight and two of its partner agencies who operate at different price points. The tour participants were not all Costco members, but as I recall we got a discount booking via Costco, and of course rebates from our Costco membership and Costco affiliated credit card.

It seems like you might want to make some decisions about the basics…where do you want to go, how long a trip, when to travel, independent vs. tour, so you can start to narrow down the options. Despite what some will preach on this site, there's no “one way” to travel, just the way you're most comfortable with.

 

[billymach4]

We enjoy doing Europe in the spring or fall, good weather but fewer crowds. We've done completely independent travel where we drove a rental car or used trains and have stayed in hotels as well as VRBO apartments in lots of city centers. We've also done tours, like one that combined sites in Instanbul and Athens with a cruise in between the two cities that visited several islands. Both ways are enjoyable…just depends on the destination and your travel style. We did a small group tour of the highlights of Italy in 2025 with Insight Tours and a big advantage on that one was the immediate admission to museums that would have required standing in long lines as independent travelers. They also had a local guide join us at several places, like the Vatican, so we had an expert each time in addition to our regular guide. We spent a few days on our own in Paris after that one and encountered the waits at museums there, primarily because so many people are traveling again. We were able to book a time by going to one of the sites that resell admission slots on line. Could have avoided that if we'd booked a few months ahead, just didn't know before we got to Paris how much more sightseeing we'd want to do!

We booked the Italy tour via Costco. At that time Costco used Insight and two of its partner agencies who operate at different price points. The tour participants were not all Costco members, but as I recall we got a discount booking via Costco, and of course rebates from our Costco membership and Costco affiliated credit card.

It seems like you might want to make some decisions about the basics…where do you want to go, how long a trip, when to travel, independent vs. tour, so you can start to narrow down the options. Despite what some will preach on this site, there's no “one way” to travel, just the way you're most comfortable with.

Happy to see your experience with Costco

 

[Carolinian]

I have always prefered traveling in Europe in Fall and Spring, so it is a good time to go. When I was living in Europe full time, unless I was going to a beach destination, I took my vacations then. The problem I have always had with guided tours is my priorities are often not those of the tour guide. Something I was only marginally interested in, they would spend a lot of time with and something I had great interest in, they would spend little time on. It is better to go at your own pace geared to your own interests. I get book guidebook or two, my favorites being Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide series, and for cities the In Your Pocket series.

There are many sites on the internet where you can shop your own air tickets, and I would check several. For travel within Europe, if you are doing one country, a rental car is a good way to get around or with Italy, point-to-point train tickets are good. I am not a fan of the Eurail passes or their single country cousins. For widely separated countries, if you are travelling light, the LCC airlines are a good bet like EasyJet, RyanAir, and WizzAir.

I have traded into timeshares in both Greece and Italy. I used RCI for an exchange into Rhodes and DAE for one into Corfu. On the latter one, taking a few days travel on different routes between Athens and the Corfu ferry allowing visiting quite a few sights. There is lots to do on both islands for a week. It is also possible to do a day trip into Albania by boat from Rhodes. My timeshare trade into Italy was through DAE for a week in the Spring in Venice, and again it is easy to spend a week in Venice.

 

[Passepartout]

Costco does something right!

(WJW) — Have you ever wanted to take a trip around the world?

If you are willing to pony up $293,000, you can book one through Costco.

While touching on some ‘fun facts’ from this year during an earnings call this week, Costco CFO Gary Millerchip said one of the warehouse club’s largest bookings came with a price tag of $293,000 for two people.


The 150-day around-the-world cruise started in Fort Lauderdale with stops including in the Galapagos and Easter Islands, he said.

The two guests stayed in the owner’s suite cabin. And their package included not only a shipboard credit of $13,000 but also a Costco shopping card worth $25,000.

Costco does offer several types of travel services, including cruises, hotels, car rentals and flights.

Another fun fact – in 2024, Costco sold enough rental cars to fill every U.S. Costco parking spot 8.5 times, Millerchip said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

[billymach4]

Really appreciate all of the suggestions so far. Please keep them coming in.
I actually would rather do this trip in 2025. However I have my TS plans pretty much set at the moment. 2 trips next year.

Also DW had a surgical repair on her left hip. Not a hip replacement but a repair to the labrum and ball joint on the hip. She needs to get better for our Aruba trip in May.

Understandably she is not in the mindset to think about a trip to Italy or Greece.

I am focused on those destinations first since that has been on her wish list. Once I get those boxes checked then I can consider France, Spain, UK, etc.

I am really not seeing many Tours of Greece in the winter months. None. It seems they have a season from April to Oct.

All things considered above I think my trip plans will most likely shape up for April of 2026.

My plan is to rent my weeks in 2026 and do European trip or 2. Perhaps a cruise? We shall see?

 

[Passepartout]

@billymach4 Check out Untours. They rent apartments in places Americans want to visit. They are full apartments, like TSs, but rent by the week. They DO have a place in Nafplio Greece as well as urban apartments all over Italy.

 

[PcflEZFlng]

Just be aware that in order to enter the EU in 2025, Americans and Canadians may have to complete the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) application. There is a small fee and make sure you use the official site. They keep pushing the effective date out.

And as for the UK, which so many of us transit though on our way to Europe, their ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) becomes effective 8 January for non-Europeans. I'm transiting through London next month, and have already obtained it.

 

[WinniWoman]

Please recommend how to?
Should I book a tour via an agency or tour company?
Anyone have experience with Costco Travel?

What if any possible TS Exchange might I be able to make?

Is Oct a good time to travel to Europe?

Will most likely do southern Europe? Italy or Greece?

Please share or point me to other threads where some of these questions have been answered already?

As always. Thanks in advance.

We just did a 16 day tour to Sicily and southern Italy. We left Oct. 21. Came back Nov 5th.

Only other time we’d been to Europe was Scotland in 2012.

I researched tours and with help here on TUG as well I chose Odysseys Unlimited. They do small group travel- only 12- 24 people max. I recommend checking out their website, but also ask for their catalog.

A lot of meals were included- more than on your typical tour- , and the thing I liked was we did not live out of a suitcase. 6 nights in the same hotel in Taormina (including the extra night we went), and 5 nights same hotel in Sorrento.We did have 3 nights in Matera and 2 nights Lecce.

We didn’t want to do the driving, deal with public transportation like the buses, the tickets to sites, logistics of navigating everything, etc. Heck, our tour guide even paid for the public restrooms we used throughout the trip. Lol! We covered a lot of ground and if we went on our own we would have never been able to do all this.

The great thing about this tour in particular is all the knowledge the tour guide (and there were additional guides provided at certain sites) had about what you were looking at.

Then we went to our local travel agency and had the agent book it and also she booked the flights.

The reason she booked the flights is because we went a day early and Odyssey will not allow their airfare that way, so they give you a “ land only” price for the tour.

Oct the weather was a perfect sunny 70 degrees every single day.
As we hate to be too hot Oct. was the perfect time to be there. Even November. . And less crowded, though there are always a level of crowds at the different sights.

BTW- because there is so much Greek influence in Sicily (and other cultures) we felt we got a good taste of Greece by just being in Sicily and Southern Italy. Ancient Greek theater in Taormina. Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, etc.

Good luck!

 

[x3 skier]

Just about every trip to Europe I have taken (except when I was working there) has been in Oct or Nov. Airfare was cheaper, places to stay were cheaper and less crowded in tourist sites. Weather from Copenhagen to Rome was pleasant just about all the time.

I and my late wife always traveled independently. We would use local walking tours both free and paid in major cities like London Walks for insight into the City. Just about every Major city I have been to has such operations and quite a few have bike tours as well. https://www.freetour.com/ There is the ever present HoHo buses but I prefer the local transit buses. Travel Zoo has some great deals at times although they are going to a subscription site. Www.Travelzoo.com.

Enjoy the planning.

 

[billymach4]

We just did a 16 day tour to Sicily and southern Italy. We left Oct. 21. Came back Nov 5th.

Only other time we’d been to Europe was Scotland in 2012.

I researched tours and with help here on TUG as well I chose Odysseys Unlimited. They do small group travel- only 12- 24 people max. I recommend checking out their website, but also ask for their catalog.

A lot of meals were included- more than on your typical tour- , and the thing I liked was we did not live out of a suitcase. 6 nights in the same hotel in Taormina (including the extra night we went), and 5 nights same hotel in Sorrento.We did have 3 nights in Matera and 2 nights Lecce.

We didn’t want to do the driving, deal with public transportation like the buses, the tickets to sites, logistics of navigating everything, etc. Heck, our tour guide even paid for the public restrooms we used throughout the trip. Lol! We covered a lot of ground and if we went on our own we would have never been able to do all this.

The great thing about this tour in particular is all the knowledge the tour guide (and there were additional guides provided at certain sites) had about what you were looking at.

Then we went to our local travel agency and had the agent book it and also she booked the flights.

The reason she booked the flights is because we went a day early and Odyssey will not allow their airfare that way, so they give you a “ land only” price for the tour.

Oct the weather was a perfect sunny 70 degrees every single day.
As we hate to be too hot Oct. was the perfect time to be there. Even November. . And less crowded, though there are always a level of crowds at the different sights.

BTW- because there is so much Greek influence in Sicily (and other cultures) we felt we got a good taste of Greece by just being in Sicily and Southern Italy. Ancient Greek theater in Taormina. Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, etc.

Good luck!

Thank You

 

[billymach4]

Just about every trip to Europe I have taken (except when I was working there) has been in Oct or Nov. Airfare was cheaper, places to stay were cheaper and less crowded in tourist sites. Weather from Copenhagen to Rome was pleasant just about all the time.

I and my late wife always traveled independently. We would use local walking tours both free and paid in major cities like London Walks for insight into the City. Just about every Major city I have been to has such operations and quite a few have bike tours as well. https://www.freetour.com/ There is the ever present HoHo buses but I prefer the local transit buses. Travel Zoo has some great deals at times although they are going to a subscription site. Www.Travelzoo.com.

Enjoy the planning.

When you say "wife and I traveled independently" you are implying that you did not rely on a guided tour plan?

 

[ScoopKona]

When you say "wife and I traveled independently" you are implying that you did not rely on a guided tour plan?

Neither Italy nor Greece need guided anything. Or an itinerary, honestly. Two countries where if you were teleported to some town at random, it will be beautiful and have great food and coffee options. It's the reason these places have been popular for the entirety of recorded history.

The people who create a by-the-minute itinerary in their quest to see absolutely everything, ironically see nothing. You can spot these people a long way off if you go there (and pay attention to your surroundings). These people are invariably miserable. They're rushed. And they're just one delay away from their entire itinerary unraveling. And then what? They don't have a plan B because they didn't do any homework. ChatGPT did the work. And these people couldn't point to their location on a map.

Spin the wheel a few times on Earth Roulette. You'll see. My favorite places aren't on the tourist radar at all. That's why they're my favorite places. Very hard to go wrong in either country:

Random Vacation Generator in Italy - Earth Roulette. See where it takes you!

Random city in Italy. Random place in Italy - Earth Roulette

earthroulette.com

Random Vacation Generator in Greece - Earth Roulette. See where it takes you!

Random city in Greece. Random place in Greece - Earth Roulette

earthroulette.com