First time RS person, taking the Italy and then France tour

Get a money belt. The key is that it is not noticeable. A fanny pack is like a huge red flag to bad persons - here is the good stuff.

What you need for money is a debit card to get money from machines and a credit card for purchases. The credit card should be a chip-card. These are increasingly common. Look around for a card which does not charge for foreign transactions. We use the Chase Sapphire card. The card comes with a charge of $99/year, but has been worth every penny. They were very good about forgiving a false charge.

For getting money from machines, get a card that does not charge for withdrawals. We use the Schwab Bank card. I put $5000 on the card a couple years ago, and used it on all trips to Europe. All cards are on networks. Bank machines have signs saying which networks they are part of. Schwab is part of the Plus network, which is pretty common.

Read thru the Rick Steves site on packing. He has a ton of info. Remember to pack light. And it's important to realize that if you don't bring something that you need, they have stores in Europe. Yep, those Europeans buy stuff too.

Start looking for flights TODAY. Look on various sites. Get a feeling for prices. When you see a good deal, go with it. I have a subscription (free) to Scott's Cheap flights. You can subscribe, and get more specific information.

As to clothing, our usual approach is to bring what Rick suggests. The only thing we have learned is travel undies. We get washable camping undies, and take 2 pair or 3. We wash them out as we shower, and they dry quickly. You do not want to take 10 pair undies. We got our undies at a camping store. They are expensive - $20/pair. But they last, and are easy to work with on trips. Any stuff you take should be easy to wash out - no dry-clean-only on our trips.

We do try to look nice. We don't want to look like the standard American, with his stomach hanging out (gotta lose those 20 pounds). I take a sport coat, and wear it a lot. My wife favors scarves and a light coat.

I forgot to mention, that you should read "Europe thru the back door" and the RS Italy books. Rick's philosophy of unpretentious low-profile travel is one that I share. These books have a lot of information, and will answer many of your questions. You have plenty of time, so get reading!!

Congrats on signing up for tours. You will enjoy yourself. I got the impression you were traveling solo and I highly recommend the single supplements if you haven’t already signed up for them.

Don’t buy a money belt. You are going to get two as part of your tour kits from Rick Steves.

Money. Two credit cards, two debit cards. You need a back up. You have enough time to explore what fees your cards charge and see if you are fine with current cards or want to explore lower cost options. I use Charles Schwab investor checking debit card for travel. No atm fees and no foreign transaction fees ever.

Have some ideas for free time in advance.

Re: your extra 3 days between tours, I personally would stay in Rome. You will have lots of time in Paris on the second tour, and three days in Rome barely scratches the surface. Or, if you feel like you're maxed out on big cities and want to do something more low-key during the interim, you could explore the possibility of day trips from Rome; Tivoli, Orvieto or Ostia Antica are all close by.

I want to address the flight question immediately, because you should be looking (not necessarily buying, but definitely looking and information-gathering) NOW. I'll go back and consider your other questions later.

First: What is your home airport, and what are your planned travel dates? There may be someone here who can provide some targeted tips for you.

Second: You should not look for two one-way tickets. If you are flying traditional airlines, that will cost you a fortune. What you need is called a "multi-city" ticket. The old term was "open-jaw". Just about any airline website will let you choose one-way, round-trip, or multi-city as you begin your search. Then you say you want to fly from your home to Venice and from Paris back to your home. Often (unfortunately, not always) that cost will be about mid-way between the cost of a RT ticket to Venice and a RT ticket to Paris. If what you see looks disgustingly awful, you can take a look at flying into Milan or Rome instead of Venice. From where I live that is often hundreds of dollars cheaper, but that may not be the case for you.

Third: You have some time before your first tour but not a lot. You need to start gathering information on fares so if a really good buying opportunity shows up, you know that's what you're looking at and can jump on it right away. Fares go up and down a lot (more from some origins than others), and you won't know what is a really good price until you've done real-world research with your home airport and your travel dates.

You are not traveling during peak season, especially for your outbound flight, so that will help, but autumn is often a prime time for snagging great fares to Europe. There might be a fabulous deal out there right now. You need to figure out when you want to fly. Having a bit of flexibility can be very helpful if you want to minimize your flight cost. (If your budget isn't super-tight, that's fine, obviously.)

Go to a reliable website to see your options; I use Google Flights; some others like Kayak; there are additional flight websites, and you may already have a favorite. Explore flights available from your home airport into Venice (or Milan or Rome if Venice is awkward or super-costly for you) and back from Paris. Figure out which flights/connections are best for you and which dates within your acceptable range are best. Set a fare alert for each of your favorites if your website allows it. (I'm not sure, but I think some may only allow alerts on round-trip flights.) I do not rely only on the fare alerts. With hundreds of dollars potentially on the line, I do a manual check when I first think of it each morning and before going to bed each night.

Keep a record of the fares you see for easy reference. My goal is to buy on a fare dip, though I would act right away (once my travel dates were firm) if I saw a price that was obviously good. The trick is knowing enough that you're pretty sure the fare is so low that it's much more likely to increase a lot than to drop a lot. Sometimes a low fare is obvious; other times that's something you can identify only after watching fares for some time.

Buy directly from an airline website--or at least check here before using some other source. If something goes wrong (such as if your flight is canceled), it is usually much easier to address the problem if you can deal directly with your airline rather than go through a third-party.

Airlines are now selling "basic economy" tickets to Europe. BE fares are not directly comparable to other fares; checking a bag adds a lot of cost, and there may be a fee for selecting ordinary seats, not just premium seats. You may have to go rather far through a pretend-purchase to see that you're looking at a BE fare. Google Basic Economy and the name of your proposed airline to find a chart that lays out clearly the difference between BE and regular Economy tickets.

You definitely should have multiple credit cards with you, and a second ATM card is highly recommended. The back-up cards must be carried separately from the others. No sense in having extras if they can be stolen (or lost) at the same time as the primary cards, right? There are different philosophies about how to handle the extras. I leave my extra cards locked in my suitcase in my hotel room. On days when I'm changing hotels, they are in a money belt. Others use the in-room safe. Some may carry all their cards with them in a money belt or other pouch worn inside their clothing.

I have a no-fee ATM card, so I make a lot of small ATM withdrawals. That means I don't ever have a lot of money at one time, and I can assure that I don't end up with a lot of large currency notes out of an ATM. Lots of other travelers prefer to simplify matters by making infrequent but larger withdrawals, and that's almost certainly the way to go if you have a fee-charging ATM card. If you choose larger withdrawals, you will not need to have your primary ATM card accessible all the time. It could go in your money belt if you wear that every day (I do not), or you could lock it in your suitcase or an in-room safe. Personally, I wouldn't put both ATM cards in the same place.

There are credit cards that do not assess fees when used overseas. Not all of them have annual fees. I think there's a free United Mileage Plus card out there, as well as one with extra benefits that does charge you an annual fee. Do not assume that all airline mileage cards charge no overseas-usage fees.

When paying for something with a credit card or withdrawing money from an ATM, you will sometimes be asked whether you want the payment/withdrawal recorded as some specific amount in US dollars or in euros. The answer is always euros. If you choose dollars, the bank, merchant, hotel, or restaurant gets to choose an exchange rate that generates extra profit for itself. That is guaranteed to hurt your wallet a lot. The term for this practice is "dynamic currency conversion". You do not want it.

Plan to show up in Venice at least 24 hours before your tour starts. Allow more time if you can. Your arrival day is likely to be jetlagged, and many of us are severely sleep-deprived after the overnight flight. There may be some lingering physical issues even on Day 2, plus you might run into a flight delay. You're paying a lot for the tour; be sure you're ready to enjoy it fully when the time comes. There is tons to see in Venice. If you are not pressed for time, there are many other interesting places in that part of Italy. You could easily spend an extra week seeing places like Padua, Vicenza and Verona before the trip.

Watch Rick's pertinent videos, starting with Travel Skills I, II and III. They can be watched right on this website.

Q: I've seen the advice to get a money belt. Is an (American not English!) Fanny Pack, worn in front, under a loose shirt acceptable?

I am prepared to be shouted down for this, but I have lived in Europe all my life and never owned a money belt. Neither has anybody else I know.
I can perhaps see the benefit if you are travelling from location to location with cash for the rest of your trip, but not otherwise. Would you wear one when walking around your local big city? Just carry enough cash and cards for that day (and possibly 1 piece of ID).

Q: What kind of ID do I need to bring? Credit/Debit Cards? Seems like I should pare it down to the minimum with maybe copies of others.

The only valid ID is your passport, which of course you need to bring. Sometimes you need to carry it, otherwise leave in hotel room.
Carry one credit and one debit card, plus cash. Leave others in room. If there are two of you, each carry different cards so if on misplaces theirs, you still have a source of funds.
Assume you will be paying smaller amounts in cash (obtained from an ATM), bigger bills by credit card.
Make sure you always have some of the local currency on you. Never assume a place takes credit cards without checking.

Q: I have prescriptions. I assume just bringing more than enough in the original bottles would be good. Plus maybe backup copies of my prescriptions.

No issue.

acraven is right. Buy directly from the airline site. In 2017, we used cheapflights.com to get a flight from England to France. We bought thru the cheapflights. We did not realize that $25 of the $70 flight was the cheapflight fee.

Don't use cheapflights. They are not cheap. But use cheapflights to find the flights, then buy from the airline directly.

On the money belt: We use them. We've never lost anything. I also carry money in a wallet, in my FRONT PANTS POCKET.

There are some places which are know pick-pocket places. We haven't ever been robbed. What we have had is situations in which we left important packages on trains, cars, etc.

Thank you for your replies. And especially Chris for his/her advice on money belts from someone that lives there. I'm leaving from Portland OR and I will get online to start getting a feel for airline prices.

Well, I am going to disagree with Chris. Simple reason: He lives in Europe, and OP does not. If you live there, you know what is dodgy, and what is not. You don't hang out in tourist locales. Tourists do.

If it is the case that the RS tours give you a money belt, use it. At least for the first 2-3 days. After that, whatever. But when you are in a new location, it's sensible to be a little over-cautious.

Q: I've got more diving into Rick's site to go but any advice on airlines? I've heard ~ 90 days in advance was best to book international flights. And should I do one way flights to get me to Venice first and back home from Paris later? Or book everything as part of one trip.
It is not too early to shop for flights. It appears that you would be looking for a multi-city (aka open jaw) flight from the US to Venice and home from Paris on one ticket purchased directly from the airline. After the first tour ends, you might want to book a one-way flight from Rome to Paris.*

Q: I've seen the advice to get a money belt. Is an (American not English!) Fanny Pack, worn in front, under a loose shirt acceptable?

I have always used a money belt, and have had no problems. Please be sure not to wear the money belt while going through airport security If you do, you will be flagged for extra searching.

Q: I have a basic nerd preference for simple dark clothes and comfortable athletic (New Balance) shoes. I've seen Rick's site's advice to wear other clothes and shoes at least sometimes (though athletic shoes might be good sometimes). Anyone want to add to it?

Simple dark clothing and shoes will allow you to blend in better in your new surroundings. We always have one pair of waterproof shoes when we travel to Europe.

Q: Anyone have any favorite travel clothes (male)? I probably should get some in cotton/non-mix that's easier to rinse and dry overnight. Any favorites?

We like Eddie Bauer free dry shirts and pants. The fast drying nature of these items makes a big difference when washing or after a rainy day.

Q: I have 3 extra days between the tour that ends in Rome and when the next starts in Paris. Rome will be my first tour so I will have minimal travel/language skills by then but I would appreciate advice. Of course I may be collapsed and recuperating from the Italian tour but I have hopes. :)

My advice is to stay for awhile after the end of each tour. Some tour members leave on the morning the tour ends, often getting up very early to do so. We prefer to have a leisurely breakfast on the last morning of the tour, and say our goodbyes to our tourmates and guide. Having to leave early on the last tour day sort of breaks the magic spell that surrounds the tour experience.

Q: Do I spend the extra 3 days in Rome or Paris (or mix)? (Yes, there are a huge number of other possible places as well and if they are in reach of minimal travel/language skills I will consider them. :)

I would spend a couple of extra days in Rome after the first tour and one day in Paris before the next tour starts.

Q;. If I'm in Rome/Paris on my own I would appreciate suggestions on possible activities that's not in the RS tours.

Look at the tour itineraries and consider getting the RS tour books for Rome an Paris and see what interests you.

Q: What kind of ID do I need to bring? Credit/Debit Cards? Seems like I should pare it down to the minimum with maybe copies of others.

Take your passport and also make a copy of it. Two general purpose credit cards (not AMEX or Discover) should be fine. We use cards that do not have foreign transaction fees. Also, we take two debit cards, with the primary one having no ATM fees.

Q: I have prescriptions. I assume just bringing more than enough in the original bottles would be good. Plus maybe backup copies of my prescriptions.

Sounds like a good idea.

Q: Any suggestions for the free time on the Venice-Florence-Rome or the Paris tours? I'll probably be collapsed with exhaustion in the free times but I'm feeling ambitious. :)

For Venice-Florence-Rome: just walking around would be nice. We were on the Paris city tour in 2012, and often extended the museum visits that were included. Note that the Paris tour includes a six day museum pass. The nice thing about the pass is that you can revisit museums.

@Bob: Thanks for the tips. Yes, I agree, just walking around will be great/scary just in itself. Remember, you're "talking" to someone on their first trip. The large disconnect of that is plenty. :)

"Take your (Passport (?)) and also make a copy of it. Two general purpose credit cards (not AMEX or Discover) should be fine. We use cards that do not have foreign transaction fees. Also, we take two debit cards, with the primary one having no ATM fees."

I assume there was a missing "Passport" there. Will be checking with cards I have access to what their policies are. I don't expect that to be pleasant. :(

You've got lots of time if you find out that the policies of your ATM and credit card issuers are not customer-friendly. You an shop around for something better.

Edited to add: With all due respect to Chris, it's quite easy to deal with a lost or stolen ATM or credit card when you're at home. I've done it several times; piece of cake. It's a totally different matter when you're overseas. Some card issuers will not send a replacement card to you when you're away from home. Others will do so but advise that it may take 10 days or so. And that's only after you manage to get in touch with them. (Be sure you travel with a regular contact number, not just a toll-free number.) Some small credit unions often have great no-fee policies but not 24-hour-a-day telephone coverage for reporting a card loss. Losing a card is simply a totally different situation when you're in a foreign country.

And do not assume that a front pocket is safe because you'll know if someone takes your wallet out. We've had posts on this very forum from experienced travelers who did not notice when a wallet was lifted from their front pockets. The pickpockets are highly skilled professionals. Even someone who has traveled a lot is an amateur by comparison.

OK, I see you've got 2 posts going. I posted on your other cross-posted thread!

Hi!

You have been given a lot of good advice so far. :) I recommend that you watch Rick's 3-part tv shows on travel skills as well if you haven't already. I've linked the first of the 3 parts below.

However, for the time between tours, I suggest you stay in/near Rome, but I would get out of the city. Venice, Florence, Rome, and Paris are all big cities and you will be 'going, going, going' during your time there. I would take a 'break' and stay in a small town (Orvieto would be my pick) for a little downtime between tours. Just strolling around and enjoying the scenery/atmosphere will be a nice break. It's an easy trip to/from Rome, where you could train back to and then head to the airport to fly to Paris.

Here's the tv show, part 1: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/european-travel-skills-part-1

The others are on this website under the 'Watch, Read, Listen' table and scroll down to the bottom, under Travel Skills. :)

Good Luck!
:) Gretchen

Thanks Gretchen. Yes, I posted here and in each country I was taking a tour in. I've since learned that's not a good idea.

Instead of a money belt, my husband prefers the hidden wallet, https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/hidden-pocket. He always loops both straps over his belt.
People on this forum have given you such good advice, so I won't add anything else.
I think Rick Steves' Tours are great for first time overseas travelers because we are taught to be independent in each city, whether on foot or on the metro, etc.
Don't overthink what to do on your "free time." You'll be given lots of suggestions. Sometimes it feels good just to wander, people watch, soak in the architecture of the city, or linger over a meal. Just be in the moment.
And as someone suggested, the Scrapbooks are great for getting a "heads up" for each tour/city.
Enjoy!

rhickey,

In Rome, I visited a lot of the main attractions and thoroughly enjoyed them.

It's great to plan and use your time as best you can, but some of my best and most memorable experiences in Rome were happenstance. It's okay to be a free spirit.

I met so many lovely people, had great laughs, had a coffee date with an Italian who then walked me half around Rome, lol, befriended a waiter at a local family restaurant, got escorted by a city worker to a merchant I was trying to find, got lost a wee bit my second night and met up with a couple of Italian military who set me in the right direction, made friends with a merchant near the Vatican where he and his family own a big store - I met three of his eight siblings, lol.

I saw, listened to and was mesmerized by the professional street musicians outside the Pantheon. They were really something. I also caught them at Piazza Navona and Campo de' Fiori. The skylinewebcams of Italy sometimes catches them. When I hear the lead singer's voice, it brings me "right back" to that very first time I heard them - came out of the Pantheon and they were setting up. They played for almost two hours, I think.

I am returning again and I plan to add Orvieto. I have done a lot of research about the beautiful Umbrian town. As someone above mentioned, try to visit Orvieto. It's a little over one hour by train.

Girasoli's observations are excellent. The best memories often come from interactions with people you meet. If you are not already the gregarious type, it helps to try to break out of your comfort zone and meet new people.

Thank you, Bob. That was nice of you to write.

Thanks Girasoli. I agree. Just compiling suggestions for things to do if I feel like it while probably just doing wandering/people watching. :)

At least this way I get to feel virtuous about all the things I intend to do. :)

:) rhickey, you'll have a good time, I'm sure.

• Unless I'm wrong, some eateries/restaurants may charge to sit at table inside or outside - not 100% sure about this now. I thought "coperto" is included for all and not extra. So, if you're grabbing a quick espresso in the morning or a slice of pizza or gelato, keep that in mind. If you want to treat yourself to a nice dinner, you can leisurely sit at your table; you don't get rushed. And, as is customary in America, you won't get the "check" with dessert or coffee. lol

If you don't have a big appetite or don't feel like eating "7" courses, lol, you can look at the menu and choose - dishes are ordered separately -
L'antipasto
Il primo (first)
II secondo (second)
Il contorno (side dish) - veggies, potatoes (for ex.)
Il dolce (dessert)
Vino (wine)
Espresso (after dinner coffee) served in a tiny mug.

*Tipping is not customary in Italy. Americans may find it hard to "break the habit we are accustomed to, but you get used to it."

But, if you prefer because you received extra special attention and feel like rounding up a euro or so, then pay the bill but give the (extra) tip to your waitstaff person. The cover charge = coperto) is usually included in the "bill."

Acqua Naturale (Water) is not automatically brought to your table. Ordering it will bring you "bottled water" you get charged for. Always a good idea to check your bill before paying --- once in a while? "the addition" may be incorrect. No ice is the norm. If you like "coke," it will almost be as much (or more) than a glass of vino or house wine, lol.

Frizzante (Fizzy water) is very good.

Italian dishes are very different than "Italian-American" restaurants. They don't recognize "spaghetti and meatballs" as a dish or "Fettucine alfredo." And pizzas are different too. When you order a pizza, it's individual - it's (roughly) between a small/medium sized American pizza.

On your tour, your guide will give you all the ins and outs & tidbits, but it's nice to have a little heads up.

Autogrill - Roadside snack bar
Pizza al taglio - Shop that sells slices of pizza cut by how much you want
Tavola calda - Informal restaurant, like a cafeteria as you often order buffet-style
Osteria - Informal restaurant, like a diner
Trattoria - Medium-priced restaurant that’s often family-run
Ristorante - Restaurant

Hey rhickey,

You stated this is your first trip abroad to Italy and France. So, I was sort of browsing stuff here and there. Got to thinking about this: https://www.takewalks.com/paris-tours/

I'm not suggesting you take their tours, but if you browse their itineraries of Rome and Paris, you can get good ideas maybe of what you'd like to see while in those cities (aside from your RS Tour.) The tour company gets a lot of very good to excellent reviews. Also, there is https://theromanguy.com/italy-travel-blog/ < Again, a very good guide/tour company. They have a YT channel also to "walk you though a lot of things in Rome" - very much geared to the new traveler or once in a while traveler.

Hope these help.

Thank you Girasoli, as always, for your personal experience and tips. I saw the Walking tours recommended in other places as well and will look at the blog.

You are very welcome :)

I'll give you a few suggestions on the flight since PDX is my home airport. Delta has a direct flight to Amsterdam and London (though the London flight may be seasonal and outside your time frames). Easy/quick/frequent flights to Venice from either airport. IMHO it is worth every single penny to have the first leg direct to Europe - each stop along the way adds to the potential travel drama of missed connections, delays, etc. You should buy an open jaw ticket (called multicity on search engines) from PDX - Venice, then Paris - PDX, and buy the one way ticket Rome - Paris separately (plenty of low cost options, but check the fare and baggage rules). I use Google flights to track prices - I'd suggest you start now and set up alerts for when the prices drop - the last fare sale I saw from Delta went out until about February. The only challenge is that return flights to USA often leave pretty early - so you will probably have to figure out how to get to the Paris airport very early in the morning (two hours ahead minimum, I'd suggest three because of security).

I'd also suggest you arrive a full day early to Venice for jet lag purposes (plus, Venice is amazing). If it were me, I'd spend all the between days in Rome and take day trips (Pompeii for example), then fly to Paris the morning the tour starts (you'll have plenty of time there). As for the free time on the tours - the itinerary is detailed and tells you what you will see. Check out guide books from the library (other than RS books) and see if there are things that interest you that are not on the tour. Research those options and see if they fit in the overall schedule.

You're correct that you may feel exhausted during your free time - and I highly recommend that you listen to yourself in those times. Give yourself permission to relax (it is vacation!) and take a break if you need to. My first RS tour was 17 days in Italy - and about half way through (in Florence) I hit the wall. I bought some snacks and wine, and set up shop in the lovely garden area of our hotel to read, write in my journal, and gather my thoughts. I felt a little guilty about missing some sightseeing, but I was much refreshed for the rest of the trip.

PS last thought on airfare, if you have decent credit, the Delta American Express card is offering a 50,000 mile bonus (with a specific spending threshold, easily achieved when you are planning a trip). Those miles amount to a future domestic fare, plus you get the added help of free checked bags and reduced price access to airline lounges. I can PM you a referral code if interested.