Or you could see how much it would cost to buy individual train tickets on raileurope.com and fly between some of the cities. Keep in mind that traveling by train on weekends and off-peak hours (night and overnight) is cheaper than traveling on weekdays during the day. Check websites like kayak.com, mobissimo.com, and easyjet.com for the lowest fares on budget airlines. Whichbudget.com will also tell you which airlines fly between the cities you are visiting.

For example, a flight from Copenhagen to Amsterdam on Sterling Airlines in June is just $97 (I found the fare on Kayak.com). If you take the train to Brussels ($51 weekend fare) and then another train to Bordeaux ($147), you've completed half of your inter-Europe travel for just $295. Getting to Florence and then Athens is more expensive. A train ticket from Bordeaux to Florence costs $369 (flying between the cities is even pricier). Taking a train to Athens is tricky because you have to go through the Balkans or via Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria—and that takes forever. Try taking a train from Florence to Rome and then flying to Athens (the train is $74 and the flight on Air One is $219).

That brings your grand total for the trip to $957. Buying each ticket individually requires more planning, but you'll save money and get to keep Athens in the itinerary! —Justin Bergman

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Westminster, Colo.: Where is the best place for onion soup in Paris?

Budget Travel editors: Specific questions are part of the thrill and challenges of travel (and trip research). I would recommend checking out several different resources beforehand (using both guide books and website searches) and asking for word-of-mouth references along the way. You're in luck, though, as several new guides to Paris restaurants have just hit bookshelves. Among them are guides from restaurant critic Gilles Pudlowski (Pudlo Paris), Gourmet Magazine European correspondent Alexander Lobrano (Hungry for Paris), and Paris food blogger Clotilde Dusoulier (Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris). I also suggest writing your specific request on the boards of foodie websites like Chowhound.com. Who knows? Perhaps someone in Paris with the same affinity for onion soup has already discovered exactly what you're looking for. —Laura MacNeil

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Washington, D.C.: I'm a Cali girl and have been away from my homeland for almost 5 years now. So I had a trip idea to do a 10-14 day road trip from San Diego to San Francisco, with stops at Disneyland, Hollywood, Malibu, LA, Venice Beach, Santa Barbara, San Luis Opisbo, Monteray, and Big Sur. But there seems to be no cheap way to get a rental car, especially for that long. I even tried getting a package deal with car and flight but I can't since the rental pick-up and drop-off locations are different. This is my dream vacation and i think it's going to put me into debt! Any ideas?

Budget Travel editors: Since I'm also originally from California, I contacted some car rental companies about your dream trip.

Hertz and Enterprise responded with these tips.

Although one-way rentals aren't available at Enterprise.com, you can reserve one by calling 800/261-7331. A reservations agent quoted me $648.29 for a 14-day economy rental starting July 15 from San Diego to San Francisco. Hertz.com offered $899.44 for the same time period. Price quotes include taxes and unlimited mileage, but not insurance. If you're traveling before June 30, Hertz.com has a $25 coupon for a weekly one-way rental. Although Enterprise doesn't offer AAA discounts like Hertz, Costco members do get 5 percent off.

I agree that the price is steep. However, Hertz's spokeswoman reminded me that there's no penalty for canceling reservations so if you find a better deal, feel free to cancel and nab the cheaper price.