How We Might Structure the Trip

Possible Routes and Driving Options

From our 2025 trip we learned a lot more than we expected, and all of it is helping shape the early ideas for our 2027 adventure. Planning is still very loose at this stage — mostly just thoughts floating around — but one thing is certain: we loved the Austrian Lakes so much that we’ll definitely be returning.

How can we make these destination fit together

Southern France is also on the list this time, especially since we missed it on our last trip. It would make for another great drive, and we’ve also been tossing around ideas about Slovenia and Northern Spain.
We’d really like to explore the eastern side of Italy, particularly the Puglia region, but we haven’t quite figured out how everything will fit together yet.

We’re also considering flying premium economy for the extra comfort. We’re not tall people, but a bit more legroom and recline makes a long flight much easier.

As for airlines, it may be Emirates again with a stopover, or we might look at other options like we did in 2025 — Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa were both strong contenders. If we choose Lufthansa, we’ll most likely start our holiday in Germany.

January: 2026 Throwing My Thoughts Around

Germany: base ourselves around Heidelberg - Bad Wimpfen, Michelstadt, Hirschhorn, Ladenburg

Munich possible base before Austria

Austria: Gmunden, or Mondsee base for 4 nights

Italy: Penne, catch up with friends in Pescara

check out Sorano

Bosnia - Mostar, Travnik - problem is transport

Serbia

Albania

March 2026

Going via middle east is now out, looking at flights best are Singapore, Thai airways. Destination still Frankfurt. Thia airways best airfares, just don't have premium economy where Singapore do

Fuel prices up, war rages on and we're still planning. You have to have something to look forward to

The original plan has changed to the below (at this stage)

April 2026

June 2026 - Update

Trying to get flights from Brindisi back to Germany to match the days of our itinerary was getting too hard. The only flight we can get from Trieste to Bari at a reasonable time is on a Friday and the only flight from Brindisi is way too early in the morning, which would force us to spend one night down there, and doing that threw everything else out. So, plans have changed significantly.

We have now cut out southern Puglia, found better flights to get back home, and changed a few destinations.

I would have liked to have seen more of Croatia, but with their limited transport options and minimal flights made it a little to hard to get back over to Bari. I think some of the other beatiful areas of Croatia will have to wait for another time and become a trip on it's own.

Scouring the web, we found better deals by flying out of Sydney rather than Melbourne, along with selecting Cathay Pacific and having a 9-hour stopover in Hong Kong. It may not appeal to some people, but we'll get out of the airport and do some sightseeing for the day, come back tired, and sleep most of the next leg to Frankfurt. For the return journey, we selected a 3-hour stop as we'll be exhausted anyway.

I said earlier in a post that I would'nt drive again, but after seeing the Grossglockner High Alpine Road in Austria, how could you pass this up? So, we are hiring a car in Salzburg for four days.

We've now decided on staying in Munich for three nights and added nights in Zell am See, Ljubljana, Rovinj, Trieste, and Rome.

Due to Middle East conflicts, we have increased our daily spend to €135 p/day (AU$220) and accommodation costs to €152 p/day (AU$250)