Our family spent a month in Europe in the summer of 2018. Our itinerary covered the following places:
- New York City
- Valencia, Spain
- Rome
- Vatican City
- Vernazza (The Cinque Terre)
- Milan
- The Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland
- Paris
- London
It was an epic trip, and though we’d love to go back to all of those cities, it was Switzerland that most captured our hearts.
A year or so ago we started thinking about going back. We have begun planning for a two week trip to Switzerland for next summer, and because I know what goes into planning a trip like this, I thought I would document the planning on this blog.
Our first thought was to spend a week in Germany and then another week in Switzerland, but as Mandy and I have continued to discuss, we’ve decided to just do Switzerland. One reason is COVID-19. Who knows what things will look like next summer, but we feel that there is less risk if we stick with one country.
I plan to write at least two blog posts. In this first post I’ll share my goals for the trip as well as the steps we’ll be taking over the coming weeks to make this an unforgettable trip for the Grisham family. In post #2 I plan to get really specific on the plans that we make.
So first off, what are our goals?
- Adam will be getting ready to start his senior year of high school. It’s possible that this will be our last big trip with the four of us. Wow. Writing that is hard. Now I’m sad. The bottom line is that I want to create a few more memories next summer with my family.
- I’d like for at least half of the cost of the trip to come from points. That would first be airfare to and from Europe. And then it will hopefully include a few hotels here and there. Though not impossible, it’s a little tougher to book vacation rentals with points, so those will probably have to be cash purchases. And then excursions and food will of course be cash purchases. But I’ll feel great if half of the cost can come from the redemption of points.
- All four of us come alive when we travel. It’s our favorite thing to do. Switzerland is going to give us a great combo of cool cities to explore as well as small car-less villages where we can hike and live like locals for a few days.
- Finally, I love helping others plan epic trips like this, so hopefully the reader comes away with some tips and tricks.
And now for next steps. Here are the questions that need to be answered over the next few months.
- What is our budget?
- Where in Switzerland do we want to go?
- What are the best dates for this trip?
- When do we book flights, and what is the best way to pay for these flights with points?
- Once we get to Switzerland, how do we get around?
- What hotels or vacation rentals are our best bets for lodging?