Timing my trip

I'm thinking that August would be a good month to plan this trip. 

Not sure if it fits into the 'high season' prices so I'll have to make more enquiries.  Perhaps late August and some September?

Just read that I can see a 'street view' in Google maps - so I'm wondering whether this spoils the trip if I view beforehand? 

Ah....it's all questions at the moment.

Still thinking........

Step One...My Ideas and wishlisting

Decided to start my online diary in the hope that my random thoughts might someday come together in the mix to become the basis of my dream trip to Europe and beyond.

Been thinking that I should use my Long Service Leave to actually start on my 'bucket list' of all those things that I want to do before I die.

So......
In no particular order (and I'm quite likely to change everything I list here), I'm thinking that I'd like to:

• Cruise through Europe's waterways doing day trips along the way ~ I'd like to do ~ say 2 weeks of this.
• Cruise around the Mediteranean - 1 week
• Catch up with relatives in Northern Ireland - 1 week.
• Visit where my Mother was born - Outer Hebrides (Scotland) - 2 days
• Visit where my Father was born - London - 1 day
• Stay in an Italian village in Tuscany - 1 week

I've already done a mini 'European Vacation' - but did far too much travelling and not enough absorbing of the Countries I visited. It was merely a glance at everything as I raced by taking thousands of photographs.

Next time I plan to do my travelling in luxury and just do day trips in the 'ports of call' ~ hopefully this will enable me to be a whole lot more comfortable than I was last time, when I was constantly lugging my suitcase and backpack with me every second day and travelling to the next bed and breakfast I'd booked on-line (with fingers crossed that it was actually a legitimate place!)

Of course the money for all this is a stickler - and it seems that almost all tours/tour companies expect you to have a 'partner' ~ otherwise the fares are 20-30% extra.

Oh well....That's why I'm starting to plan now. My Sister and Brother-in-law are planning an amazing trip next year and in their research have found sites on-line that cater for travellers who exchange their accommodation with each other.....what a great idea. There are also things like 'farm stays' where you help on the farm in return for food and lodgings. I'm going to look into both those options. I think I may find some interesting alternatives to my plan now that I've thrown the idea out there!