What this trip is: This is a 10 day ladies only group trip of the heart of Western Europe, including Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Netherlands, Brussels, Belgium, and Paris, France. We will start the trip with 2 days in Amsterdam, Netherlands, before heading to Rotterdam to see the historic Kinderdijk windmills for a day. From there we will continue on to the land of waffles, chocolate, and fries, with a stop in Brussels, Belgium. We will end our trip with 4 days in Paris, giving us time to explore the city or take a day trip to Versailles. Our itinerary will include all the classics- biking, boating, and walking through history. It is sure to include many pastries along the way.
The target dates are July 30- August 8, 2026. This trip has a minimum of 5 and a limit of 15 people. The minimum age is 21. The price is $1660 + airfare and food. The registration deadline is March 2, 2026.
Goal: The primary goal of this trip is to explore the culture and history of Western Europe. The secondary goal is to have fun doing it. I cannot promise you that I won’t make any mistakes as a tour guide, but I can promise that I will be responsible to solve it. You can just relax and enjoy the ride! Along the way you can anticipate a millennia of history, flocks of bikers, and a daily dose of pastry dough.
Itinerary: Depart for Amsterdam, The Netherlands on July 30 and return home on August 8 from Paris, France.
Day 1: Head to the airport and start your flight. Typically, it takes 2 days to get there and one day to get home.
Day 2: Arrive in Amsterdam midmorning/ early afternoon. Once we are checked into our lodging we will head out for an evening canal tour, which will hopefully help us kick some of that jetlag by giving us something to stay awake for.
Day 3: We will start our morning with a bike tour (classic Netherlands’ style) and, Lord willing, the afternoon will include a stop at Anne Frank’s house. As it is a popular museum, tickets are hard to get, but if we manage to win the lottery, it’s well worth it. The rest of the day will be spent with free time to roam the streets and do some shopping.
Day 4: An early morning train ride will get us to Rotterdam, where we will be staying for the night. From there we will catch a river boat to Kinderdijk, a historic region with beautiful windmills to enjoy and canals to walk.
Day 5: Our day will start with another morning train ride, this time to Brussels, Belgium. We will keep our time simple with an afternoon walking tour of the historic city and free time to explore. Chocolate, waffles, and fries are all on the menu.
Day 6: We will start with a slow morning, to catch any last minute sights of Brussels, or perhaps do some laundry, before jumping on an afternoon train to Paris, France.
Day 7: A full morning walking tour will get us oriented to the city and an afternoon river cruise will round out our day well.
Day 8: Another iconic day in Paris, this day will include a visit to the Notre Dame, an afternoon of a museum of your choice (The Louvre anyone?), and an evening summit of the Eiffel Tower.
Day 9: You have a choice- a full day trip to Versailles, or a relaxing day in Paris. It’s up to you!
Day 10: Fly home and savor the memories as we go.
What to Expect of The Netherlands, Belgium, and France in August
Weather: Summers in North Western Europe tend to be on the exceptionally pleasant side, with temperatures ranging from 60s to upper 70s. You can expect it to be wearing layers and pack for a chance of rain.
Crowds: Paris and Amsterdam will be packed. Everything else will be busy, but hopefully not chaotic.
Food: We will be doing our best to enjoy the variety of popular food that each destination has to offer. For this reason, I will not be able to guarantee food allergies or preferences can be accommodated for. Please let me know if this applies to you, but be aware that you may want to bring your own snacks along to ensure you have something you *can* eat at the time when you need to eat.
Difficulty Level: Moderate. We will not be summiting any mountains, but we will be walking in cities, on concrete and up steps. Since we will be relying on public transportation to navigate and learning about our surroundings via walking tours, you can expect to walk at least (probably more) than 7 miles a day, every day.
For this reason, it is essential that:
1. You must have a clean bill of health to travel and be able to keep up with the group.
2. You are physically active before the trip to reduce fatigue as much as possible
3. You pack appropriately. You will never need an uncomfortable pair of shoes. And chafing is a real possibility.
General Safety: While each of our destinations are typically very safe, you still need to be aware of your surroundings and responsible for your belongings at all times. Furthermore, in order to navigate as a group, we will implement a buddy system and limit wandering off to agreed upon locations and times. For more information, you can read the US State Departments’ view on each country’s Safety, especially noting the tab under ‘safety and security’.
What to expect from me: If you don’t know me well, you can read about me here. If you want to learn more about my travel style, click around on my page or find me on instagram @tripsbycamille where I’ve reviewed many of my previous adventures. I have been to 30+ countries and counting, the majority of which I have had a significant role in planning. I do enjoy figuring out the details, but I also love the travel itself. Sometimes things don’t go as planned but my favorite part is when they go better than planned.
So I keep planning and going because I love the surprises that travel brings. I’m excited for the opportunity to share these surprises with you and want to thank you profusely for even thinking this is an idea worth reading about.
What I expect from you: I expect that you are adults. For this reason (and my own legal liabilities) you must be at least 21 to join the trip. I am agreeing to coordinate but I’m not agreeing to be a chaperone or a maid. The trip is designed for women over 21, with the physical health needed to participate in the agreed upon itinerary. If you aren’t sure, please check with your doctor. I would love to have you join, but it is a goal of mine to not have to learn the in’s and out’s of any other country’s medical system. I ask that everyone is considerate and responsible, that you ask for help if you need it, chip in where you can, keep track of your own travel documents, and you don’t wander off without telling someone.
My 2 cardinal rules are: 1. You may not die. 2. or get incarcerated.
I always say that travel is a gift. It’s an incredible privilege and my hope is that we can all keep this in mind as we go. Gratitude and grace go a long way about half way through the trip when you find a new toe blister and you don’t know where the nearest bathroom is and maybe your travel coordinator is handling an emergency. So, I am asking that you bring your gratitude and your flexibility because we’ll all be going together.
Luggage Policy: If you haven’t traveled much internationally you are going to be surprised by my next statement, but everyone will be allotted one carry on suitcase and one hand bag/backpack. First, because we will be traveling by public transportation, taxi, and train. Full sized luggage is incredibly inconvenient in these situations. Second, because historical buildings typically do not have elevators, and you do not want to be lugging a full sized suitcase up any narrow, winding stair cases. You will be very thankful for packing light, even if it means you have to decide what you will wear before you get there. In light of this, I will make laundry facilities available to you about half way through our trip, if you need to do any laundry.
Note: Some people in my past groups have opted to carry large backpacks rather than pull a suitcase around. So far, every single one of those people have regretted it, mainly because this results in you carrying that backpack in the summer heat, for an hour or more, depending on the commuting situation. For this reason, I do not recommend it. What I do recommend, is a suitcase with spinning wheels.
Additionally, I recommend that everyone pack a ‘daypack’ sized back pack or crossbody to use for carrying water, clothing layers, etc. A drawstring backpack, while handy, will not be comfortable for all day wear.
Cost
$1660 plus airfare, food, and souvenirs. Should this change, you will be given adequate warning.
What Is Included
Accommodations: We will be staying in double occupancy hotel rooms, allowing for you to share a room, but not a bed. (Although Europe likes to push the twin beds together, which I have no control over, but at least you don’t have to share bedding.) If you are wanting your own room, that is an option for a fee as well. All of our hotels will include breakfast.
Transportation between cities: Anything that can be booked in advance, including airport transfers from the airport to hotels and trains between cities (i.e. Brussels to Paris). Spontaneous taxis, public transportation within cities, etc, are not included in the trip price as they are difficult to calculate in advance.
Tours and Experiences: Boat and Bike Tours in Amsterdam, The Anne Frank House (Lord willing we get tickets), Kinderdijk boat and entrance fee, Walking Tours in Brussels and Paris, Seine River Cruise, and Eiffel Tower ticket are included in the tour.
Trip Planning Fee: Itinerary formation and distribution, tour management, hotel, tour, and transportation bookings, day of problem solving, daily restaurant selections, and navigation.
What Is Not Included:
Specific Transportation: Your international flights to Amsterdam and from Paris, as well as public transportation are not included. It is impossible for me to guess how much tickets will cost from each of your homes, or to calculate how many bus rides we will be taking, so I am not able to include that in the price. However, I am happy to help you with booking, if you have any questions, and will be helping you purchase public transit tickets upon arrival.
Meals and food: Hotel breakfasts are included, but the remaining lunches, dinners, coffee shop stops, scones, etc are not included in the price. This is to allow you maximum control over your food budget and preferences. The internet recommends budgeting an additional $45-$80 a day to cover this cost, although I would keep in mind the rising price of food. I am not opposed to getting groceries for breakfast some days, or packing lunches, if the group wants to cut some corners.
Sim cards: The easiest thing most people do is pay their phone company for international calls during their trip. Getting an esim is also a feasible option.
Souvenirs.
Optional Tours: Day trip to Versailles ($28), Museums in Paris, and any other activities you decide to add as we go.
Travel insurance (including health insurance). Given the events of 2020, I do recommend travel insurance. I have found World Nomad’s Travel Insurance to be reasonable in the past, although I haven’t needed to file any claims yet.
Sign Up
You can sign up by following this link SIGN UP and completing the trip application.
The Payment Plan
If you have read all the way to the bottom of this page, I’m assuming you are pretty interested in this trip. Hooray! If you are ‘in’ and ready to make it official here’s the plan:
- Follow the link to Sign up and confirm your spot.
- The registration deadline is March 2, 2026 and the registration fee is in the form of a $100 non refundable deposit that will go towards the cost of your trip. If, for some reason, I need to cancel the trip, I will refund the money to you, no cost.
- You may choose the pay the entirety of your debt at the time of registration or in installments, half by March 2 and the remainder by April 1.
- Pack your bags because…
- Summer 2026, we will head out on the adventure of a lifetime!
NOTE: Payments are accepted via check or electronic payment options. I will share my accounts to receive payment when you sign up. This trip is non refundable and any travel insurances that you wish to purchase will be additional costs to you. Prices are subject to change, with adequate notification to participants.
There! That’s the whole thing!
If you have any questions, email me at: tripsbycamille@gmail.com or contact on my socials.
Trips by Camille 