Frequently Asked Questions

One time on a Zurich train, I noticed half the car was full of Americans with the same Away suitcase and thought—why does nobody take the weird, off-radar deals? I’ve seen airfare drop just by shifting your departure by two days, and those city passes? Not a secret, unless you refuse to scroll past page one.

What are some hidden gem destinations in Europe that offer all-inclusive deals?

People totally sleep on Slovakia’s mountain spas, or Greek islands that aren’t Santorini—Ikaria, for example, where you’ll find hotels that quietly include transfers and excursions in the price. My friend landed a Lake Bled package: meals, paddleboard, train pickup, all for less than a Paris weekend, no crowds at breakfast. And yet nobody talks about it while waiting at TSA.

A tour rep once told me “all-inclusive” just means drinks, but out here, it’s hikes and park fees too. I wish more booking sites spelled out what’s actually included, but, like my umbrella in London, I only find clarity when I stop looking for it.

Can you recommend cost-effective multi-city European vacation packages?

London’s rail passes—honestly, why do they never cover what I need? I swear, every time I plan, I end up with a ticket that skips the one city I actually want to see. But then, out of nowhere, I trip over a Denmark-Netherlands-Germany loop on some random last-minute aggregator. Unlimited regional trains, hotels, museum entry, all for less than two budget flights plus a couple of hostel nights. How is that possible? Why is this stuff buried under 50 pages of “top 10 Europe combos” that are basically all Paris-Prague-Venice on repeat? I even called a tour operator (she sounded just as baffled as me) and she couldn’t pull up that combo in her own system. Are these deals real or am I hallucinating?

Cosmos and Intrepid—yeah, they’ll bundle transportation and mid-range hotels, but you’ll be up at 5 a.m. half the trip. A travel agent in Boston once told me she stitched together three capitals for someone by chaining together weird open-jaw flights and random city buses. The downside? Three currencies, no English app support, and apparently she just gave up halfway through. I mean, is this normal?

Are there any lesser-known European tours that include flights for a two-week stay?

Nobody at the airport ever tells you this, but some Turkey-to-Montenegro loop tours will throw in roundtrip airfare from New York if you ask the right way. Catch is, it’s a Tuesday-only charter with a layover in Warsaw that’s supposed to be a “free city tour”—except lunch was just a sandwich voucher and, of course, nothing vegetarian. So, yeah, pack snacks or you’ll end up hangry in Poland.

Gate 1’s rep once told me (while looking like he’d rather be anywhere else) that their Spanish Basque tour includes flights if you book before January. I checked their site—nothing. Not a word. Only found it buried in a forum post from two years ago. Pro tip: screenshot everything before you pay, or the phone agent will just say, “Sorry, that promo’s over.” Learned that the hard way.

Where can I find authentic European travel experiences that aren’t overrun by tourists?

I stumbled into a cooking class in Tirana—literally the only non-Albanian there. No idea why guidebooks always skip these. Google “Europe authentic” and what do I get? Florence vineyard tours or the same Prague Old Town walk everyone’s already done. A professor in Madrid once told me, “Don’t book anything sold in English during peak season.” Fair point, but then I looked around and realized his class was 90% American exchange students. So, take that with a grain of salt.

There’s this weirdly obscure Airbnb Experiences section—if you scroll past all the trending stuff, you’ll find hosts in Romania or Latvia offering glassblowing classes or food tours that actually end up in someone’s grandma’s kitchen. Zero reviews, sketchy Wi-Fi, but honestly, maybe that’s the charm. Don’t expect to upload anything to Instagram in real time, unless you like spinning wheels.

What are the best times to book all-inclusive European vacations including airfare for 2025?

Everyone says January midweek is cheapest, but I chased a Cyber Monday “deal” and then watched the Milan package drop $200 two months later. Expedia’s analytics people (I watched their webinar, don’t ask why) claim the sweet spot is 60–80 days in advance—unless you’re eyeing Italy or Spain, in which case, yeah, good luck, summer prices are brutal even in April.

Here’s something nobody tells you: package prices shift after sunset U.S. time because some back-end system in Europe updates when we’re all asleep. I only figured this out after sitting on hold with customer service at 2 a.m. PST. Also, if you’re thinking of using frequent flyer miles with a bundle, don’t bother. The fine print always says “not combinable.” Why do they even bother putting that in the headline?

How can I make the most of a one-week European tour while on a budget?

People keep saying, “see less, enjoy more,” but honestly, what does that even mean when you’re standing in Vienna, six nights deep, staring at a half-board meal that tastes like cardboard and regret? I thought city bike shares would save me money—nope, just got lost faster. Discount museum passes? Sure, if you actually understand how “pre-booking” works. (Spoiler: I don’t. Reservation? Gone. Vanished into the ether. Did it ever exist?)

Met a backpacker in a hostel kitchen who swore by FlixBus and some weird loyalty card, said it knocked a third off her trip costs. Not that it helped her bakery addiction—she spent more on croissants than on transport, which, honestly, relatable. And TikTok hacks? Don’t get me started. Some museum “free hours” only exist for people with local ID, which I found out after standing in two completely pointless lines at a Brussels gallery. Print your tickets. Or screenshot them. European turnstiles are powered by spite and the tears of tourists with dead phones.