How to Plan a Trip to Europe with Tripmasters

Planning a trip to Europe doesn’t have to be overwhelming or incredibly expensive. With Tripmasters the travel planning process can be almost as much fun as the trip itself! Ok, I may be exaggerating a tad, but Tripmasters seriously takes the hassle out of trip planning.

Are you like me and at least somewhat enjoy the trip-planning process?

Do you want to get the best deals for your vacation dollars?

Would you like to customize your trip to meet your specific travel preferences?

And be able to do all of this in the privacy of your home whenever it is convenient for you?

Then you should definitely give Tripmasters a try!

I have used tripmasters.com to plan tons of European vacations…and I actually took four of those epic adventures! Because using Tripmasters is so easy, and you don’t pay anything until you actually book a trip, it is also a great resource for travel dreaming.

Bonus: Tripmasters actually works with destinations all over the world, so the options go well beyond Europe.

With Tripmasters you create the shell of your trip: flights, accommodations, and city-to-city transportation. You can even add excursions if you choose. All you need to get started is a computer, good wifi, and a bit of wanderlust!

I have recommended Tripmasters to numerous people, so I decided it was about time I wrote an article detailing just how easy and fun it is to use this website. I also created a video, because we all know seeing is believing!

Watch as I show you how to create a 9 day trip to Europe in less than 20 minutes:

See how easy (and fun) that was!

10 Steps to Plan Your Own European Adventure

Now I’ll walk you through 10 easy steps so you can create your own ideal European itinerary. Just log on to tripmasters.com and let the trip planning begin!

Step One: Select Cities and Number of Nights

First, input the airport you wish to fly out of. (extra tip: if you don’t find the flights or price that meets your budget, consider flying out of a different airport and see if that works better.)

Then type in the date you want to arrive in Europe as well as the cities you plan to visit and how many nights you want to spend in each one. As you start typing you will soon see if Tripmasters goes to those cities as the box will auto-populate.

With thousands of cities in Tripmasters portfolio you have so many options of great destinations to visit, but if the specific town you want to visit doesn’t come up, consider flying into a neighboring city. (extra tip: you can sometimes save money if you fly into a neighboring city, so play around and find what works with your budget.)

You can always come back to this page and add or delete cities, change the number of nights, or switch the order of cities on your itinerary.

Step Two: Choose Number of Guests/Rooms and Adjust City-to-City Transportation

Once you move on to the second screen, you will see the kind of transportation Tripmasters has chosen to get you from city to city. A simple click can change these options if you prefer a different mode of transportation.

Next enter the number of travelers and rooms you will need and click continue…then wait for Tripmasters to do its magic and create your itinerary!

Step Three: See Costs and Adjust Dates for Best Rate

You can now see the cost of your trip! Both the per-person cost and the total cost are shown. There are still various items to tweak that could make your trip cost more or less, but this will give you a good idea as to the basic cost of your trip at that specific time of year.

If you have some flexibility with your travel dates I recommend clicking on the other dates at the top of this screen to see how the cost changes by simply moving your trip a day or two. Typically it is cheaper to travel on a Tuesday or Wednesday, so if your schedule is flexible, definitely play around with the dates!

Step Four: Review Selected Flights

Now it’s time to review the departure and return flights Tripmasters has chosen for you. Pay attention to the departure times to make sure they work with your travel style.

I also like to consider the total flight time and length and the number of layovers. You need enough time to get through customs (at least a 60-90 minute layover), but you don’t want to waste too much of your trip sitting in the airport.

An eight-hour layover sounds like torture to me! No matter what anyone tells you that is not enough time to leave the airport, see the sights, and get back through security/customs to make your next flight in a foreign country.

If you aren’t happy with any of these aspects of the flights Tripmasters selected for you, simply click on “Browse all flights.”

Step Five: Find Alternate Flights

Here you can scroll through all the options and configurations of departure and return flights. Use the column on the left to filter the flights by number of layovers, departure times, airlines, and more. Or simply start scrolling through the list of flights, which is presented with the cheapest options at the top.

Typically the first few pages of flight options are very close in price. It may be well worth it to pay an extra $20-$30 for a departure time that doesn’t have you getting to the airport at 4am or sitting at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris for over 5 hours! (extra tip: if you can’t find a flight you like in your price range consider adjusting your travel dates slightly or flipping the order of cities on your itinerary to see if that provides better options.)

Once you find the flights you prefer, click “Select” and move through the prompts that will get you back to the main screen and your updated itinerary.

Step Six: Review Selected Hotels

Now the fun really begins as you explore the hotels you will be staying at!

Tripmasters selects a hotel for you in each of the cities on your itinerary, generally at one of the lower-priced (but still very nice!) hotels. Click on the name of the hotel to see all the details. Look closely at the pictures and amenities to see if the chosen hotel meets your needs.

Keep in mind, many hotels in Europe, especially in city centers or historic areas, may be older or lack some of the conveniences that are commonplace in the United States. Elevators and air conditioning are not necessarily standard in Europe. If these are necessities for you or your fellow travelers, you will want to select a hotel that best meets your needs and travel style.

Step Seven: Check the Location

Even more important than the amenities, is the location of the hotel. Scroll down to the bottom of the hotel listing to see the map and exact location of the hotel.

Do you prefer to have easy access to the airport or train station? Would you like to be in the heart of the action so you can walk out the front door and lounge at a cafe as you watch the world pass by? Is there a specific neighborhood you want to call your home base?

These are all questions to consider so you can determine if the location of the selected hotel meets your needs or not.

Step Eight: Find Alternate Hotels

If the selected hotel is not for you, simply click “Browse hotels” and see what other options are available. You can sort the hotels based on price, number of stars, location, and more.

This is a fun rabbit hole to go down as you start picturing yourself lounging in each of these amazing hotels and considering all the fabulous attractions and restaurants just down the street!

Spend some time researching several hotels and once you find the one that best fits your budget and other needs just click “Select” to add that hotel to your itinerary. Continue the same process for each hotel in each city you plan to visit.

Tripmasters gives you the option to remove some hotels from your itinerary completely (as long as you book at least half of your nights through them). This is a great option if you have friends or family you want to stay with in one city. Or if you have found a fabulous AirBnB option in one destination that you want to book separately.

Step Nine: Review Selected City-to-City Transportation and Make Adjustments (optional, Add Excursions)

Between the hotels for each city on your itinerary you will also see the city-to-city transportation Tripmasters has selected for you. Here you have another option to change or remove this transportation (on the right-hand side) if you would like to make changes.

You can click on the links for the train or flight that has been selected for you to get more details and make adjustments to the times of your transportation, as needed.

I absolutely love taking the trains in Europe! It is such a fun way to travel from country to country, and it is so much easier and more efficient than air travel. And don’t get me started on renting a car in Europe! I’ve got a few horror stories to share and several international speeding tickets that showed up months later in the mail (that’s for another post). But that’s just me!

Customize your transportation in a way that works best for you and your travel companions.

Step Ten: Save Your Itinerary…or Book Your Trip!

By now your itinerary should be shaping up pretty nicely! (And if not, just click start over and play around with different cities, travel dates, and any number of configurations that will help you create an epic and affordable adventure that’s perfect for you.)

At this point, you can save your itinerary and send it to yourself or anyone else to peruse.  Keep in mind, flight costs change frequently and hotels and transportation will get booked up. So don’t expect that a saved itinerary means the exact trip you plotted out will still be available or cost the same amount in the coming days or weeks. Sometimes my indecision has caused me to miss out on the perfect itinerary…but that just means I get to play around on Tripmasters a bit more until I find another great option.

Once you have created the ideal itinerary and are ready to turn your travel dreams into reality, simply click “Continue” to initiate the booking process. The website will walk you through the rest of the process, including payment and insurance options.

With the main components of your trip booked, then you can get to the exciting part of travel planning and researching all the attractions you want to visit, experiences you want to have, and the amazing food you plan to devour! You will also have the option to add activities to your itinerary through Tripmasters up until your trip starts.

At any point in the process, if you can’t figure something out or need a special accommodation, just call the toll free number at the top of the screen.  I’ve found the Tripmasters’ representatives to be very helpful and accommodating!

And if you need any tips on what to see in Paris, Venice, Florence, Rome, Heidelburg, or Lucerne…Traveling Tanya has got you covered!

I hope you will give Tripmasters a try. If you do, send me a copy of your dream itinerary! I love taking vicarious vacations with my followers!

Bon Voyage!

Wherever the road takes you, make it a joyous journey,
Traveling Tanya

P.S. Subscribe to my email list here and never miss out on any of Traveling Tanya’s exciting excursions or travel tips…plus I’ll send you my free Packing List!

Pin It For Later!