by Ted Sherman

Created on: March 04, 2007   Last Updated: May 16, 2007

Hey, not only young'uns. My spouse and I, age 60 and 70, traveled through Europe for three weeks without any guide or schedules. We went where we wanted and when we wanted, whether it was a four-day stay in Paris or a one-night gambling session in Monaco. Our baggage for each of us was a small wheeled fabric suitcase and a backpack. We used cabs, trains and buses. In some cities, we just walked until we could drop off our gear when booking a hotel.

We didn't do the young adventurers' routine of sleeping by the side of the road or in a youth hostel. First, we couldn't risk rising in the morning dew with all kinds of aches and pains; and second, if we tried bunking in a hostel full of party animal students, it could've been fun, but we knew we'd get no sleep.

Because we didn't know where our wanderings would take us from day to day, we did no advance booking. We found hotels for each night by using Rick Steeves' great catalogs, which lists economical little hotels where he has spent at least one night. In London, the room was so small, with a double bed against a wall, we had to walk on the bed to get to the bathroom. Every hotel stop was a different kind of adventure.

In Paris, we had a second-floor room with windows that allowed us to look into the classrooms of the Sorbonne, just across a narrow street. In Brussels, our room had big bay windows that overlooked one of the ancient city's most interesting and busy main intersections. In Amsterdam, we had the entire first floor, two-bathroom apartment, with the main canal and a lovely Dutch garden just outside our door.

At none of the one- to four-night stops did we pay more than $80 a night, and for several, less than $50. Some hotels included full breakfasts at no extra charge. Of course, this adventure was nearly ten years ago, so I wouldn't expect the prices to be as low today.

We had a wonderful sense of freedom, and can certainly recommend a freewheeling trip through Europe to everyone. And we don't mean just young Americans.

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