First Trip

I wish I had know that it takes longer to change hotels and cities than I thought it did. I wasted a lot of time on our first trip trying to see too many different cities and a lot of the time I could have spent exploring was spent getting from one area to another. I do think people have the tendency to try to put too much on the agenda and instead of seeing a lot of things in one or two areas they end up seeing very few things in a lot of areas. This is okay if that's the way you wish to travel but I have learned that it's much more enjoyable to take my time and just pick one or two areas to explore in the two weeks that I'm in the country. Donna

I agree with Donna about trying to pack too much into too little time, especially regarding hotel searches. If you book before you go, you'll cut down on a lot of search time. Also, using a few cities as hubs and daytripping from there is a good strategy. I wish I had known to pack less and take more money. Traveling by regional train (much less expensive) takes a lot longer than using the fast trains. Everything else depends on your likes/interests, travel style, and how much time you have.

For us, slower is better. We now plan nothing for every third or fourth day. And we have learned to pack about 1/3 of what we packed for the first trip. One carry on size bag is all that we now take whether it is 3 days or 30 days. That was our single biggest headache problem on our first trip - 60 to 70 lb of luggage, multi shoe changes, heavy cotton clothing, etc., etc. Now wife takes about 18 lb and I take closer to 25 because I get the guide books and some misc stuff. BUT that goes away on the next trip because we now have an ipad. Use the search box, this subject was beat to death about six months ago. A frequently asked question with lots of answers. PS. Learn to go with the flow. Everything takes longer. AND do not expect anything to function like it does in the US. That is part of the European experience.

Hi, You didn't mention how long you;re going to be gone, or how far, but my first trip to Rome involved too many changes of clothes and shoes as I packed for "what if" instead of packing for what I had planned. I went without hotel reservations and accepted the offer of a salesperson at FCO, wound up in a good pensione right on the Via Nazionale. I was lucky then and now I'd plan ahead for the big cities accommodations. Take earplugs and a sleeping mask. READ several guidebooks, jot down what sounds interesting, and buy the one that works best for you. Rome is a wonderful place to visit for a week or 10 days, with a day trips or one other area, if you are limited on time. Relax and don't try to run all over the country trying to see all the "top ten" sights.
Planning is fun!

Jess, As this your first trip, I'd suggest reading Europe Through The Back Door as that will answer a lot of questions. It would be a good idea to read the "Rail Skills" chapter several times, as the aspect of changing trains was something that I found most confusing prior to my first trip. Since then I've been on a few trips that involved five changes, so it's good to be "up-to-speed" on that before you depart! I agree with the others that it's not a good idea to try and visit too many cities in a limited time frame. Be sure to allow adequate time for travel between locations. In most cases this will be at least half a day, which includes time checking out of Hotels, getting to the station, the trip to the next city and then finding and checking into a new Hotel. Happy travels!

adult daughter and I went for about 3 wks this past fall. Staying in only 4 main areas was a good move. #1 thing is I wish I'd seen this blog earlier while trip-planning! It's a gold mine. I would have enjoyed Florence more, for example, by learning there were opera singers in the piazzas at night (we spent the last 5 days there, were museumed and churched out after rome and Venice, and longed for a cleaner, quieter place than we found Florence to be) Posters on blog have all sorts of great ideas for places accessible by train that I wish I'd visited: Orvieto and others. I'd have spent less time wandering shops and more wandering elsewhere. I also wish I'd visited more towns while in Cinque Terre; the tourist crush on trains and in Vernazza bothered us and we really liked Monterosso, so we stayed put there except for hike to Vernazza. Would visit all 5 towns via train, even if too tired to hike the whole trail, if I were to do it again. I would have read up more on places like the Palatine in Rome.
Finally, I would have spent a bit more $$ and stayed more in the historic center of Rome so we could easily wander great sights late at night or very early in the a.m. We stayed nr Termini in a place recommended by RS that was a true comedy of errors for us and other guests (our other lodgings were all ok) Overall, we had a great trip! A little more research on my part would have made it even better. Have a wonderful time!

- Changing locations takes a long time and you will lose half a day or more each time. - There are great restaurants other than those in the guidebooks and they aren't expensive. Figure out where the locals hang out. - You need fewer clothes than you think. Really. - Be willing to change your plans if a better opportunity presents itself. (It's OK to skip a museum and sit in a piazza. It's a vacation -- enjoy!) - Don't buy a lot of stuff for people at home. They won't appreciate it and you'll spend time and money adding weight to your baggage.

My suggestions: Travel as light as possibleand only carry what will go into a 21" rolling bag. Even then, you might only wear half what you take. They have washing machines and clothes dryers in Europe. Stay three or 4 days in one place, then move to the next destination. Make sure some of your accommodations are in small townseven if close to the big metropolitan cities. Stay in B&B's or hostels whenever possible. Live like a Bohemian, and grab all the gusto you can. Get outside of your shell. Try to frequent restaurants with predominantly locals at customers. If you're a foodie, checkout Chowhound.com and popular travel books for places to frequent.

This is all great advice, thanks everyone. I am in the very beggining planning stages because we are not yet sure when we can go this year. I have read both Rick Steve's Italy and europe through the back door. I want to read the Rome guide book as well. Unfortunately I think we will only be able to get away for 8 days on the ground. I am thinking based on suggestions that maybe we just stay in Rome the entire time, mostly exploring the city and maybe a day trip or two max.
I've never traveled with just a carry on but I really want to try it, as long as I can convince my husband too.

8 days in Rome is a good idea, if you can add a day of two I would suggest splitting time with Florence
carry on luggage is nice but as someone who travels a lot I don't think it's really that big of a deal to check a bag for longer trips

I wouldn't call 8 days a long trip. It is totally doable in a carry on. The size of your bag is not as important if you are only staying in one location, but once you start moving around, taking trains, etc. you will be happy to have a smaller bag. I travel with carry on only no matter how long my trip is. I don't mind checking a bag on my way home, but I do want my bag to arrive with me when I start a trip! If you are only going to Rome, I suggest you find a place to stay in a quiet area. We were on a busy street and it was noisy all night. If you are going in warmer weather, get AC. You might want to consider an apartment for a longer stay.

See "Tricks for Packing Light" topic on the Graffiti Wall is you have not done so already. My wife and I have gone to Europe for the last 10 years for a month and each take a RS 21" roller bag. No problems. If we find we need something new or something forgotten, Europe had plenty of places to buy anything you could get in the US and more. We take 3 days worth of quick dry under ware and pants and shirts and do washing in our room sink ever 3rd night. I have mostly ExOfficio stuff - more expensive but well worth it. We are also going to Italy (RS 14 day Village Italy Tour) and I look forward to returning there and to CT. aloha charlie