WHERE TO START?

Moving to Europe is incredibly exciting, that being said- It can also feel overwhelming. So many places to go and see and experience this amazing part of the world. I remember I just wanted to get into my car and GO THERE (wherever there was...) without a plan. This was a terrible idea and ended up costing us extra in hotels and frustrated travelers. So here is a little formula I have been told when trying to decided what you are going to do during your time in Germany and Beyond that I hope with be beneficial to you.

PLAN AHEAD  When are you able to take leave? What four-day weekends are coming up? Look at the calendar and mark them down. Every opportunity to travel should be taken advantage of. Even if it is only a Saturday afternoon, get out and explore. We are notorious for having great intentions to travel around, but end up just sticking close to home to relax. That is okay, but let's be more adventurous!

MAKE A LIST  What places are within driving distance, which ones are going to take a longer stay, where could you go for an overnight? There are so many options, and this blog is going to help you get a great start with that. Starting penciling in your calendar with what you should be seeing around you.

VISIT THE LIBRARY  We have gone to many places without having a single clue what we were looking at, it can be fun, but at the same time having an idea about a little history or what is really worth your time can be well worth the effort. There are so many travel books at the library to give you this information, so do a little homework and you will be happy you did! Rick Steve's is a great start for your "first trip there" by reading about it, and DK travel has some amazing pictures to really get your travel juices flowing. There is also a book called "Never a Dull Moment" with travel tips and suggestions contributed by the spouses, military members, and civilians who live here in Europe. This can give you a good start of places to check out.

BOOK IT!  We have had great luck using booking.com for our hotel accomodations all over, but there are plenty of options out there. See which ones work best for you. Sometimes staying a little further out of town can save you some money, and riding in on city transportation can be one more adventure for the family.

PACK IT UP and GO! Make sure batteries are charged, you have plenty of provisions, and clean underwear for everyone. You are going to have an adventure so enjoy the ride! I know this isn't a complete list of "HOW TO TRAVEL" but I hope this helps you get your feet wet with traveling around this amazing part of the world.

I was also told there are some amazing "LAST MINUTE TRIPS" at the Nuremburg airport if you can do that sort of thing. Places like the Canary Islands, Turkey, etc. Somebody let me know if you do this! I think it sounds exciting!

Rhine River boat crusie

If you want an adventure with some awesome castles you can check out a plethora of them on the Rhine or Mosel river.

We did the Rhine river this four day weekend. We stayed at Ramstien air force lodging and its 39.00 a night and they take reservations (for leisure) 24 hours in advance.

Then we drove to Bingen (synonymous with "Rudesheim" its the city across the lake) and parked in   "tourist information" parking lot (free on weekends) and went in to get our tickets: 18 euro for adults and i think it was 6 euro for kids, but they did not charge us?

The address for the TI center is: Rheinkai 21 55411 bingen.

The first boat leaves at 930 and there is another one at 1130 (check the sch.) If you have time to waste Burg Kolp is super cool (up the hill fro m the ti office)  and has a really nice park with a killer slide

castles are about every 3-5 min is seemed on the river. you can take a boat, bike car, along the river as well.

We stoped in bacarack (spelling?) its one of my favorite cities, so adorable. You can get off the boat here (buy the ticket don't forget to tell them you want multiple stops) and tour around for about two hours before the next boat or 4 hours.

we got out at "St Gore" love the castle there, not as charming as backarak but still worth seeing

we took the train up i think it was 3 euros? not bad...

on the way check out Oberwesl and rubesheim (by train though) we missed our boat home due to a parade (that they didn't list in English so we had no idea it was cancelled!) In all a fun day!

Oh and one more thing, we saw FRANKENSTEINS castle on the way to Ramstien:

cant find the address at the moment but its on the way up...sort of.

happy travels

Crystal b.

Everyone is welcome

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