This adventure will be a truly unforgettable experience, no doubt about it. There is no way to adeuately explain what this trip might be like. But you can be sure it will be an incredible experience. You will find most details here and I invite you to get in touch with me if you have any questions. I'll be happy to meet with you and to put you in touch with boys (and their parents) who have been on this adventure in this past. In fact, several boys from the 2009 trip are planning on returning in 2013.

Transportation to Europe
We will fly out of Asheville, Greenville, or Charlotte to our arrival city in Europe. We’ll most likely start in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, but the arrival/departure city could change depending on airline fares. Since our Eurail passes will  allow us unlimited travel through the 23 countries on the Eurail system, it really doesn’t matter where we land. We are planning on departing from a different city which will help us maximize the use of our Eurail passes.

Trains will take us everywhere we want to go, both between cities and between countries. The train system in Europe is wonderful. Some rides might be as short as an hour and others might be a night train between countries. We will usually ride together in the same car,though in all occasions there will be an adult with every group. Even though it’s possible just to hop a train, with a group we’ll plan on making reservations the day before we travel.

In villages and cities, our usual mode of transportation will be our feet. Additionally, we will use other mass transit including metros and buses. Do expect to walk a lot—a whole lot. It won’t be uncommon to walk one or two miles from the train station to our hotel.

Interested in knowing which countries are on the Eurail system? Here’s some of the list: Austria (including Liechtenstein), Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France (including Monaco), Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Of course we will not be going to all of these countries, but it’s certainly possible to visit five or six. In 2009 we spent nights in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France. We also spent two nights on overnight trains in sleeper cars.

We generally spend two to three nights in each city, and with our Eurail passes it's possible to leave a city or country only to return a week later. It's also possible to base in one city for several days and take the train to other cities for day trips. In 2009 for example we based in Innsbruck, Austria for three nights and took one of our days to take a day trip to Salzburg. 

We will usually stay in small European family-owned hotels or pensions. These are not fancy, but very pleasant and each one different from the last. Amenities will be few, though you never know. There will be no swimming pools. Rooms usually have TVs and phones, though they’ll not be needed as we’ll be gone most of the days.  Most of our rooms will have the  bathrooms in the room, though on rare occasion—the bathrooms will be down the hall in true European fashion. Expect to stay in doubles, triples, and even quads. We will usually stay in hotels in the heart of the city within a mile or two of the central train station. Occasionally we may elect to stay in a pension in smaller towns or villages.

            And on occasion, we might spend the night in a sleeper on the train. We are able to reserve couchettes for an extra fee with our Eurail passes. Couchettes are small compartments on the train that seat and sleep 4 to 6 passengers. The seats fold down to form beds. The doors lock and a train official will awake us in the morning at our new destination.

Here’s another adventure in Europe. Generally, breakfast comes with our rooms. They will usually be simple affairs consisting of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa and some rolls with jam and butter. Some countries customarily have bigger spreads than others. That’s part of the adventure. In any case, it will hold us over till lunch. Lunches will often be purchased in markets and eaten in parks. This might consist of crackers and cheese, fruit, a candy bar, etc. You won’t go hungry. Occasionally lunches will be enjoyed in cafés. Dinners will be eaten in local cafés and restaurants where we’ll attempt to be brave enough to sample the local cuisine. We will make every effort to stay away from American-type fast-food restaurants, but there will indeed be an occasion where we’ll long for something familiar.

All meals are included in the trip fee.

We will do all we can to squeeze in what we can of the local culture. This will include museums and tours, guided and self-guided. We’ll do a lot of walking. I mean a LOT of walking. We’ll take a lot of pictures. We’ll take advantage of every opportunity around every corner. We’ll encourage but not require journal keeping—but believe me, you’ll want to remember every detail. 

How a Day Might Unravel
Some preparations for each day will start the night before as we gather in a café or a park or in a hotel room to discuss options for the following day. We’ll be equipped with a guidebook and information from the locals and will attempt to come to a consensus of what we would like to see. We’ll map out a strategy of our site-seeing priorities and there will be an order to our madness. Generally, once we leave for the day—we’ll be gone all day. Days will be long and fulfilling. 

Boys will be given some very limited free time to explore small sections of some cities in small groups. There will be strict guidelines as to travel distance and time to report back in on those occaions. Parents can elect not to give their son this option.

Again, this will be a group decision. We can stay in a city for two, three, or four days—or leave after a night. It’s completely up to us. It is important that we arrive in a new city by early afternoon in order to find lodging. If it happens that we can’t find a place to sleep (and this could happen), we will then pull out the Eurail map and the schedule and pick our newest location that is far enough away to take the night to get there. And then, we’ll be off for a new adventure. In 2004 & 2009 we never had a problem of finding rooms. Experience has made us smart travelers.

What You’ll Need To Bring
A complete list will be available several months before departure. You’ll be encouraged to pack light since you’ll be carrying this stuff for 19 days. You should  bring a travel pack—which is very much like an internal frame backpack, but you don’t need anything that elaborate.  It could even have wheels on it, though those might not be of much use on city sidewalks. Your bag should be sturdy. In addition to your main bag, you should have a secure fanny pack or daypack to use for our daily expeditions.

We’ll have reservations for the first two nights and the last night of our trip. After that, we could be anywhere in Western Europe. Mark will post our happenings and photos on our trip blog. Every so often the boys will email you and collect any email you might have sent. We are NOT spending hours on the Internet, but this is one time the web will be very useful. Some of our hotels will have an email connection for our use and at other times we’ll take advantage of local Internet cafés. 

Passports and Money
Mark and the other leaders will generally keep your passport for you. You may have it whenever you need it, but it must be guarded with complete seriousness. You will need some spending money for incidentals such as snacks and souvenirs. Everything else is covered in your fee. It would be wise to have some money in euros just in case you need something before we can get money exchanged. Fifteen euros is adequate for this purpose and can be obtained from your local banks given enough notice. For the rest of the trip, you should either have travelers checks in U.S. dollars or if your parents can trust you, a credit card or ATM card. You will pay a commission each time you have to exchange money. ATM cards for cash and credit cards for purchases generally provide the best rates. 

Remember, trip leaders will be glad to keep your extra traveler’s checks, ATM card, etc. for you and give it to you when you need it. However, they will keep your passport, Eurail pass, and return airline ticket. You should apply for your passport early.  If you already have one, make sure of the expiration date.

Mark’s leading the trip. I’ve been running camps and taking kids on trips since 1978, and prior to that I was a camp counselor for seven years. At the moment the two other adult leaders joining us will be Ray Thompson and Ray King, both MTA experienced trip leaders. There's a chance we'll have another adult along as well.

What’s Next?--
Signing up is next. Once we know we have enough to go, planning will move full steam ahead. You'll receive occasional trip updates as plans take shape. We will have a group meeting for Asheville-area boys in late fall to discuss packing and clothing for this adventure. Get your passport. Learn to use your camera. Brush up on some foreign phrases. Pick up a guidebook to Western Europe. Become an expert on a city or two.


                                                                 Ready to sign up? Click for the online application.

Special Note: This past summer while in Colorado several of the boys who were planning on going on the Europe trip discussed the idea of expanding this trip to 21 days. The trip has been expanded from 18 days (as we did in 2004 & 2009) to 19 days. There is a chance as next fall rolls around that we could be enticed into adding another day or two. If the dollar continues to gain ground against the euro these extra days could be added for very little additional cost. We will discuss this as we get closer to making airline reservations next year.

A quote from a participant from our first Europe by Eurail adventure...in 1981
My trip to Europe was one of the greatest adventures of my life. Almost every day was a new city or country. It was an education in history and different cultures. But, most of all, it was an unparalleled education in living and traveling with a group. Our group worked together to chart our travel and plan our activities. No other travel experience allows the participants to have such input; that is the difference between a “tour” and an “adventure.” It is the one trip which I still talk about all the time. There were so many experiences that nearly 30 years later I am always recalling stories from that summer to tell my kids.
-Jay Jalenak, a participant on Mark’s 1981 European adventure. Jay is now an attorney in Baton Rouge, LA.