How we got here

The old van was on it's last wheels. It had a cracked head gasket, and the garage told us that it would get Bryan back and forth to his office in town (a few miles away), but no more. So we started saving. Surprisingly, the van lasted for over a year and we squirreled money away the whole time. Then the van finally died and we had it hauled away. We looked to see how much we had managed to save... not a ton, but certainly more than we had ever saved before.

Which is when the wheels started turning...

couldn't we manage with one vehicle and use that money for something special? Bryan didn't think we could do it, and I had my doubts, but we did, and continued to save in the meantime. Which is when the idea for this trip started to take shape. I bought books, talked to folks, searched the Internet. At first I envisioned the trip I should have taken when I was young and single and the trip Bryan did take inbetween military enlistments and college. Three months, a backpack, train pass and lots of walking from village to village, eating bread and cheese along the way. (which is why, by the way, Bryan isn't coming along: been there, done that times 100!)

Not a reality when you have three kids and are thinking of safety and covering alot of ground. I researched train passes, camp grounds, car rentals, car leasing. Camper van rentals, youth hostels, hotels, bed and breakfast, home swapping, work vacationing... I got quite an education to say the least!

What has taken shape is five weeks visiting six countries, in our own car, staying primarily at rental apartments (called "gites") outside of the major cities we hope to explore. Surprisingly, just about any "cheap" option became prohibitive when times by four.

Transportation:
We feel pretty good about what we paid for our plane tickets. No matter how you slice it, flying four people over the Atlantic Ocean is pricey. We watched the flights for about five months and bought when we saw the price dip below the average. We have continued watching, and have not seen cheaper tickets yet.
Traveling in Europe:
Four Eurail passes would have cost several hundred dollars more than a four week car lease, plus the inconvenience of being locked into a train schedule that does not take sleeping time into consideration. Taxis, bus and other expenses would increase this category. We do need to add fuel and tolls to the total lease option, but we feel that we will at the very least come out flush. I expect that the added safety and convenience will also be huge.

Lodging:
We are four traveling: three females 9, 15 and 40 yrs old and one 12 yo male which means we are looking for youth hostels with family rooms (putting my son alone in a male dorm is not an option). The average family room (IF they are available) is 95 euro which is about $135 a night. Many hostels do not take reservations, so questionable lodging seemed risky.
Campgrounds seemed like a good option. We love to camp and have taken several extended camping trips here in the US. Plus, everything I read about European camping seemed wonderful. I researched camper van rentals, but found them too expensive for an extended stay. No problem I thought, after settling on a car lease - we would car camp. Great idea, but what shot this option out of the water for me was the amount of gear we would need to bring with us to be relatively comfortable and for cooking for four. I am also thinking that a few rainy days could potentially push us over the edge. A week camping is fine, but five or more weeks could be too much for us. Many folks could swing this and save some money, but I know our limitations and decided to opt out.
This led to apartment renting. It is highly recommended for an extended stay in many of the books and websites I visited and several agencies were listed. Our average apartment rental is 70 euro a night. We set our own curfew, have our own bathroom (!!!) and a kitchen for meals. We have rented these through an on-line service, and am trusting the information listed to be accurate. They are supposed to be equip with the basic comforts and necessities. We will still be bringing towels, sleep sacks and pillows. We will share our findings while we are there.

Food:
A major consideration. Depending on who you are talking to, you can spend a fortune to a pittance on food in Europe. My hope is that by shopping in our local market, eating in our rental for breakfast and picnic lunches/dinners will leave some money for a few restaurant meals each week. Again, we will be keeping close track of our expenses here and will share our discoveries.

Our flight leaves on April 12th and we will be home on May 17th. We are still fleshing out the details, and will share our discoveries as they arise!