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Our Car in Italy
Liz packs in Rome
TRAVEL TIPS:
Packing
“Traveling Light” is not just a slogan for hobos! Nothing can ruin your day faster than lugging a huge suitcase full of twenty-one days’ worth of dirty clothes through an airport, into a cab, over eight blocks of cobblestone streets to your hotel and up four flights of stairs to the “lift”! We’ve found the perfect size bag for up to three weeks travel is a 24” UNEXPANDED roller upright. The Travelpro "WalkAbout Lite 2" is really a good one we've used for several years. You’ll use the expandable portion soon enough for your purchases, so don’t fill it to the max before you leave home. We go to a laundromat a couple times during our trips to avoid packing dirty clothes around. We’ve had some very interesting times at local laundromats, so don’t miss out! On most trips you can get along with 2 or 3 pairs of jeans, a pair of good black (or pick your neutral) pants, 5 or 6 lightweight knit shirts (long or short sleeved, or sleeveless, depending on the weather) a couple long sleeved sweaters, underwear for 6 days (including socks), and 2 pairs of comfortable shoes to walk in and 1 pair that looks good. We always end up buying clothes, so we make allowances when we pack, knowing we’re going to acquire things along the way. Now if Liz will just stop filling her suitcase with pottery and leaded crystal on the first day and dragging that around for the rest of the trip, we’ll be doing great!
Hotel Selection and Reservations
Liz and I always have our rooms reserved when we get to our destination. I really dislike spending valuable time looking for vacancies, price checking, and sizing up the condition of hotels once we arrive. These days it’s easy to get all the information you need to make a choice on your accommodations by internet. I always check sites like www.tripadvisor.com to get the latest on how hotels and bed-and-breakfast establishments are being rated by people who recently stayed with them. We’ve only been disappointed a couple times, and we’ve made many reservations this way. Be sure to ask to see your room before you actually sign for it at the desk. Many old European hotels vary greatly in their selection of room styles and sizes, even though they may cost the same. Ask to be changed to a room with more floor space, a better view, a quieter (or noisier) location in the building, or on a higher or lower floor. The next room you’re shown may be a pleasant surprise.
I always print out the e-mails I sent and received when negotiating the room reservation and bring them with me in my “Travel File”. This is handy if there is some discrepancy in the bill or the dates of occupancy are questioned.
How About an Apartment?
View from our apartment in Lisbon Portugal
Another great option, if you have at least 7 nights to spend in one location, is to rent a private apartment in the city of your choice and use it as your home base to visit all the points of interest within a 60 (or so) mile radius. We always find this option a better cost option and you get a much more authentic local experience.
When you're dealing with private owners you may not have the covenience of paying by credit card. In both Lisbon and Seville in April of 2008 we had to send a cash deposit to the owner to hold the reservation then pay the balance in cash when we arrived. The fund transfer cost $45.00 at a national bank and took about 3-5 days to finalize. Even so, we felt it was a better value compared to a hotel, considering we had 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartments for the same cost.
The Long Flight
The overseas flight from the US west coast to Rome, Prague or Vienna is enough to make me think twice about taking the trip at all. If you are a little antsy, like me and can’t stand to sit in one position for 14 hours, then here’s my recommendation: break the journey in two and stay a night somewhere around the half-way mark! Liz doesn't really care, she can read for 24 hours straight without even looking up, but I just want to jump after about 6 hours. We meet on the east coast (Liz flies from San Francisco, I leave from Portland) and see the sights in New York or Washington DC, and leave the next day on the overseas portion of the trip. This make things much more pleasant for both of us as then Liz doesn’t have to listen to me complain and her reading isn’t interrupted! We buy our flights from the east coast to Europe when we find a good deal on the internet, then buy our domestic flights to the east coast later, as there are generally more of these available and you can watch for the best price till closer to your departure date.
I hope some of these travel-tested tips will help you prepare for a great trip! We like to hear your questions and comments; e-mail us at comments@kimandliztravel.com.