Travel & Leisure: Europe

Why do you want to do this?

I went to Italy with my son last year as a chaperone on his senior trip. I had a wonderful time, but I missed sharing this experience with my husband. I would like to have the four of us go as a family. I feel that time is running out and the kids will not want to have any more family vacations before too long.

What three things will you need to make this happen?

Money. We will need to save about $10,000 for the four of us. This gives us two years to save.

Planning. I will need to make hotel arrangements and create an itinerary. I will purchase the Rick Steves travel book. I plan to read the book cover to cover and begin making arrangements for hotels next year.

Time. Since our school calendar has changed, we will be able to go in early June. My son may still have classes in early June, but we can still go in mid-June.

What is the biggest barrier to your achieving this?

The biggest barrier to achieving this goal is going to be saving the money. It never fails that there is some huge thing that breaks down and needs to be replaced. I am paying my son's college tuition and we are trying to find a way to get him an inexpensive car. My daughter is a sophomore in high school and she will be needing college tuition and a car very soon too.