My 3 sisters and I would love to send my aging parents to Switzerland. It's been a dream of my mom's for as long as I can remember. We all have limited budgets. Do any of you have any tips for frugal travel to Switzerland? The best airlines, hotels, agencies? Any help you might have would be very appreciated.
Get Rick Steve's books on Europe (from the library) and see what he likes in Suisse/Schweiz. He's reliable and frugal-- you may have seen his travel shows on public TV. I have yet to find him wrong. His language books are also good, and fun. He has tours too, but I've never tried one, so can't say how they are.
I know you want to get 'the best' for your parents but the best is not frugal so research on your own (save money by 'not' using an agency. I learned that first hand the hard way for a trip to Nevis instead of going with my gut feeling to plan and book on my own). Search for 'out of the norm' tourist food and lodging and if your parents are at all adventurous and capable they would have a blast with the 'off the beaten path places' where they will see the 'real' Switzerland ;-)
Switzerland is totally landlocked and unless they can go ashore for more than a few hours, they might struggle to get on a train or airplane and visit Switzerland for more than 5 minutes; no offense meant :-)
The best way to send your parents to Switzerland is on a cruise. Your parents will also visit several other countries and also Switzerland. Also be willing to pay for several shore excursions when they disembark the cruise ship.
The food they serve on the cruise lines is the best that they will ever get. They don't have to worry about where they will sleep, or eat. And all the entertainment is provided for them on the ship.
Now is the best time to book a cruise because of our poor economy. And you will be splitting the cost of the cruise, airfare and shore excursions 3 ways. My husband and I have already been on two cruises and plan on going on more.
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