Our 3-Week Europe Itinerary with 5 RV Families

Our 3-Week Europe Itinerary + Honest Review of Every Stop (Cruise + Land Extensions!)

Why We Went: The Heart Behind This Trip

This entire three-week adventure started the way most great RV stories do — gathered in a Clam tent at the Fulltime Families Rally in Madison, Florida. Five families, all full-time RVers, all committed to raising kids who learn through real-life experiences instead of just textbooks, started talking about worldschooling.

One family mentioned a cruise that lined up perfectly with my 40th birthday… and within a couple of hours, we had all booked it.

That’s the beauty of the RV community:
We’re spontaneous.
We love adventure.
We say yes.
And we’re always looking for ways to help our kids learn by experiencing the world firsthand.

This trip became just that — a world history class come to life, shared with families who have truly become our people.

Now, let’s dive into everything we did — what we loved, what we’d do differently, the surprises, the wins, the lessons, and the magic.

🛳️ The Cruise: Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas

We LOVED having the cruise as the “middle” of our trip. It gave us structure, a built-in break from paying for food, and the perfect mix of rest + adventure — especially with kids and friends.

Here’s the full breakdown of each stop:

🇮🇹 Stop #1: Naples / Pompeii — Our #1 Favorite Day

If you take any advice from this blog, let it be this:

Book a PRIVATE group tour of Pompeii. And go early.

It was unforgettable — the guide made history come alive, and the kids were totally engaged. This was worldschooling gold. Every single one of us said this was the highlight of the entire cruise. Our friends Joe and Tara from World Share arrange the whole thing for us RV families. They are on the 100 day cruise, you can follow their journey here.

🇮🇹 Stop #2: Sicily / Messina — Just Okay… But the Gelato? LIFE-CHANGING

Messina wasn’t our favorite port — but it did deliver one HUGE surprise:

🍨 Dubai Chocolate Gelato — the BEST gelato we had in all of Italy.

Here is the Google Maps link because you MUST go.

🎉 Sea Day — My 40th Birthday!

Our only sea day happened to be my birthday, and honestly? It was perfect.

I got a massage
I spent the day with friends
My friend Erin decorated our cabin door
Our room steward made a towel CAKE
We had a special dinner that night

It was simple, fun, relaxing, and full of love — exactly what I wanted for 40.

🇮🇹 Stop #3: Pisa — Iconic & Worth It

To visit Pisa, we had to skip Florence. And honestly?

I don’t regret it.

We got the iconic pictures, the kids loved it, and it was such a fun memory with friends. Florence deserves its own trip someday — but Pisa was perfect for this one.

🇫🇷 Stop #4: Cannes — A Total Surprise!

Cannes was such a vibe — like LA but in France.

Highlights:

The red carpet
The celebrity handprints in concrete
Beautiful waterfront
Great shopping and cafés

MUST TRY:

A fresh chocolate croissant
Macarons from Ladurée (almond flour = GF-friendly!)

🇫🇷 Stop #5: Marseille — Our Least Favorite Port

We try to stay positive, but… nope.
This one wasn’t for us.

Long shuttle ride
Crowded
Not very walkable
Felt industrial

⭐️ Final Cruise Thoughts

Booking this cruise with friends was everything.

The balance of land + sea was PERFECT.
Having meals covered during the cruise saved us so much money.
And the memories made onboard — especially with the kids — were priceless. We highly recommend Royal Caribbean, food, customer service, and entertainment is all top notch!

🇮🇹 Rome Before the Cruise — 3 Nights / 2 Days (Wish We Did More!)

Rome was incredible and deserves more time than we gave it.

What We LOVED:

Colosseum — biggest regret: not getting a guide or audio tour
Pantheon — got lucky with a last-minute guide
Not Boring Tours Golf Cart Tour — so fun with friends!
Trevi Fountain — go EARLY (we went at 7:30am in October)
Evenings in the piazzas — absolutely magical courtyards that make Rome so special, especially at night!

Our kids loved connecting everything towhat they have been learning through Drive Thru History (highly recommend for homeschool history!) Its fun and they learn a lot! History comes alive!

Friends did the Vatican and said it was cool, but VERY crowded.

🇪🇸 Barcelona After the Cruise — 3 Nights

We were glad we saw it, but this was our least favorite city stay of the entire trip.

What We Loved:

Sagrada Família (audio tour = must!)
Beautiful weather
Unique architecture

Challenges:

We stayed too far from the Gothic Quarter and the airbnb was a walk to the train station.
Dinner happens super late (8–9pm)
Morning subway commute = CHAOS
Hard to find a taxi that fits five people in the morning

Taxi Disaster:

When we went to make our tour time of 9:30am, at the Sagrada Familia the train was jam packed and no 5–6 seat taxis were available!
We tried squeezing into a four seater taxi — but they would not allow it.
So, Rob squeezed onto a PACKED train while I took the girls in a taxi.
We got there at the same time… barely.

Park Güell:

Pretty, fun photos, but skippable if short on time. I'm sure the actual house inside is cool, but we didn't pay extra to go inside.

Cable Car Fail:

We took the WRONG one — only half the route, not the one to the castle. By then we were tired and pivoted. This is the one you want, but you can buy your tickets there, no problem!

Lesson: Double check which cable car you board.

🇵🇹 Lagos, Portugal — A DREAM (Wish We Stayed Longer)

Lagos completely stole my heart.
Hands down our favorite land stop.

What We Loved:

Relaxed, beachy vibe
Gorgeous white cobblestone streets
Amazing food
Walkable town
Our Airbnb had a HOT TUB overlooking the water
Chill, peaceful, stunning

Must-Do:

Kayaking through the caves — breathtaking!
- BUT I accidentally booked the wrong tour (not the Benagil caves).
  Still amazing, but double-check when booking.

I truly cried when we left.
Next time, we’re staying longer.

✈️ Portugal → Paris Travel Logistics

We were 3 hours from Lisbon with a 5:45am flight, so we booked an Airbnb near the airport for one night — smartest choice ever.

🇫🇷 Paris — 2 Days Was the Perfect “Taster”

Paris was magical — I’m so glad we squeezed it in. This is the one place our daughters were begging us to go, and we got to surprise them while on the trip that we were ACTUALLY going to take them to see the Eiffel tower!

Must-Do:

Seine River Cruise at sunset
AURA Invalides — stunning light show
Arc de Triomphe at night
- Don’t go UP the Eiffel Tower
- Go up the Arc instead for cheaper tickets AND a skyline WITH the Eiffel Tower in it ✨ Costed our family $16 per adult, kids were all free!

Louvre Tips:

Get the audio guide (we didn’t — big regret)
Mona Lisa is small + crowded
You need MUCH more time than you think. If you only have 24-48 hours in Paris, Id skip this and wait till you have more time to soak in the history and art.

🌍 Our Must-See List from the Entire Trip

Pompeii (private tour!)
Colosseum (audio guide or tour)
Pantheon (audio guide or tour)
Trevi Fountain (go early!)
Pisa (take the train, it was pretty easy!)
Cannes + Ladurée
Sagrada Família (audio guide)
Lagos cliffs (beautiful place to take family phots and spend a beach day)
Kayaking
Seine River Cruise
Arc de Triomphe
AURA Invalides

💡 Mistakes We Made (Learn From Us!)

Not booking enough audio/ tour guides
Not double-checking the cable car in Barcelona
Trying to use silicone water bottles (tasted like a tire)
Staying too far from the Gothic Quarter in Spain.
Not giving Rome more days

🧳 Packing + Points Hacking Lessons

Points Hacking:

The RIGHT way:

Save points
Wait for a transfer bonus to partners
Check availability FIRST
Make an account through that partner + Only transfer points you need
Book immediately

The WRONG way:

Booking through the credit card portal
Transferring points without checking flights
Not accounting for bag restrictions

Packing Wins:

Cotopaxi backpacks
Bringing a Rolling carry on suitcase
Bought a second in Spain (lifesaver and cheap $35- so cheap)
Packed light and felt great- bring laundry detergent strips and ways to hang clothes