Fatigue after sightseeing?

Kathleen , no one can answer the question for you, really,, I mean,, if you are tired, scale back plans, if not do as you please.

I always go go go all day,, since I don't do much in evening except a nice dinner , and then a walk if not tired,, or if its still early,, other then that I like flaking out with a good book at the hotel anyways.
Two months is a long time, take care of yourself now,, eat well, etc.. and don't worry.

Never borrow trouble,,that alone can make a person sick I think.

I am very fit 50ish and experienced independent traveler so I infreq. take any type of guided tour and by days end espec. in Italy I am very tired. Italy as many trvelers have discovered is high impact, fast paced country. Making constant decisions and watching out for personal safety is a must.Listen to your doctor. consider taking half day guided tours for at least part of your visit. That alone will reduce the fatigue factor by alot.

When I am sightseeing, I'm always tired by mid-afternoon and I'm not sure why. At home, I'm on the go all day at work and I'm not at all tired after work. Going to an evening event is no great chore, and I never feel the need to lay down and rest after work.

But send me on vacation and I'm tired all the time! I don't know if it's physical or psychological. Indeed, it may the the mental stress of finding my way in unfamiliar surroundings that tires me faster when I travel.

Or perhaps it's the walking. At home, I walk around the office some but otherwise it's just the walk from my house to the car (30 feet) and the walk from the car into the office (30 feet). When I travel, I'm walking everywhere. So maybe taking bus tours rather than walking tours would help.

Anyway, what works best for me is to stop the sightseeing about 2 p.m. and head back to the hotel for a shower and siesta. Then I'm re-energized to go out for the evening. The shower is a MAJOR help in getting rid of the feeling of fatigue.

If I were in your situation, I'd stick with my plans as far as what cities to visit, then take it one day at a time. Cut back what you'll do that day if you get tired. You should be able to see what you most want to see, but cut out lesser sights if you don't feel up to it.

We view ourselves as pretty fit but we find sightseeing to be exhausting. There is two aspects to it -- first, just the physical walking and standing most of the day. You probably do more of that than you realize. Second, it is the stress or concentration that you engage in finding, seeing, studying things. It is the mental work that have to do that you do not normally do at home. That takes energy. We are pretty exhausted at the end of each day. Therefore, in our travel schedule every fourth day is blank. Nothing scheduled, nothing planned. Gives us an opportunity to completely rest both mentally and physically, to catch up on little things like mail, internet and maybe one or two things that we didn't get gone the previous three or four days.

With out knowing your schedule cannot advise you as to scaling back your plans. But I think it is a good practice to always include light days every three or four days.

I was in Italy for 2.5 weeks in September and while I didn't have H1N1, I do have Fibromyalgia (which effects immunity & energy) and I had a foot problem which somewhat hindered my mobility to get around. So, bottom line is that I am tired a lot whether I'm travelling or not. I used taxi's a lot more both because of my foot problem & to help conserve energy. I stopped when I needed to which made me slow down & enjoy where I was. I did remarkably well and I'm glad I went. There's something about Italy that seemed to revitalize my energy reserves and I was just so excited to be there! My husband who is healthy was tired at the end of the day so you'll probably be tired no matter what but this vacation might help you to relax & recover sooner from the flu. Enjoy & have a great trip!

Maybe try for accomodations that are centrally located and near your interests so that you are able to take a break and return to your hotel if a siesta is called for.

Kathleen, Patrick was right, a full 6 hours, and any average person will need a little downtime. An hour or so in the afternoon will work wonders for a great late afternoon/evening of sightseeing/great dinner. The Italians don't do a siesta for nothing, follow their lead, and you should have a great time. Make time to see the small things. walk slowly down a back street, and listen to the children laugh. Stick your head into a doorway, and marvel at what lies inside. Travel at your pace, and in your own way, and you will have a great time. I wish you a wonderful trip. Jeff

There is no better place to kick back and try a slower pace of life than Italy. Much of the joy of Italy is in strolling the streets and soaking up the atmosphere. Give yourself permission to relax while traveling. Also, budget for cabs rather than long walks cross town, shorter visits to museums, longer lingering visits to cafes. In the end, a slower more leisurely trip may be a blessing in disguise.

I always try to take in the sights and tour during the morning, have lunch and then take a nap for a couple of hours in the early afternoon before heading out again. It also does wonders for lingering jet-lag which may compound the situation. Now, having said that, I don't know exactly what your plans are, so I don't know if you have already put too much on your plate to begin with. A lot of people "over plan" and try to see everything possible in just a couple of days. What have you planned for a typical day in Rome, for example?

As the others have said, we need a bit more information about what you have planned. I generally hold up pretty well overall, and find the thing that wears me out the most is long periods of standing. For this reason, larger guided tours are not so ideal, especially in big locations like the Vatican. I'd rather move at my own pace, sit down when I need to, etc.

You may not be able to do more strenuous activities like climbing the Duomo in Florence, but if you pay attention to what your body is telling you, and don't try to push through, I think you will do fine.

Thank you all for the replies. I am in Rome for the first 4 nights, then 2 nights in Assisi, 4 nights in Florence and then one last night back in Rome before I fly home. I'm most concerned at this point about Rome. I definitely want to see the Vatican museums, the Borghese, the Colosseum and the Pantheon. I'm not sure beyond that how much more I should try to plan.

Kathleen, I broke out in shingles a week before my first trip to Italy. I was passed the contagious stage and my doctor said for me to take the trip. I modified my trip by picking one or two "must sees" and didn't push myself. I got in to taking siestas during the afternoon and woke up with more energy to continue into the evening with dinner and a stroll. It worked well (I had pain medication to help).

I did not regret going (I would have been miserable at home thinking about the trip I was missing) and because I missed doing a few of things I wanted to, I took a second trip later in the year to catch those addition things.

Best of luck on your decision.

The Borghese and the Pantheon shouldn't give you any trouble. The Colosseum has a lot of stairs, but as long as you aren't trying to stack a bunch of other things into the same day, it isn't too strenuous. The Vatican is fairly exhausting, so I definitely would not plan anything additional for that day and may want to consider going for a nap afterwards.

With 4 nights, you can easily fit in the items you're interested in. What I would do is make a secondary list of things that would be nice, but not necessary. If you finish the Colosseum and still feel good, you can go to your "Plan B" list.

Sightseeing is tiring - I routinely work 16 hour shifts, and completed a 100km walk in 30 hours shortly before our trip to Europe - and still needed a siesta some days while sightseeing! (of course part of it was the luxury of being able to have a siesta if that was what we felt like doing. we were on holiday after all)
Liz's idea sounds like a good one, to make sure you see the things that are most important to you, but have plan B optional extras for if you feel up to it.

I'm not sure what sort of complications you have experienced, but if you are only 2 weeks out from coming down with swine flu, and have another 2 months to recover, I expect you will be feeling a good deal better by then.

All I would recommend is [1] to make a prioritized list of what you want to see and do in each city, so you don't miss those that are most important to you and [2] remember that NO ONE sees everything they want and the important thing is to enjoy everything you see.

I try to take lots of little breaks like stopping to take photos on those long stair climbs or sitting on a bench or at a cafe to people-watch.

I find a nap really helps, but then I do like a nap. Sometimes when I'm traveling, I feel too keyed up to nap. I guess I'm afraid I'll oversleep and miss something. If I set an alarm clock, I'm able to go to sleep.

I think that you will do fine. It's good to have a list of "must sees" and a separate list of "want to sees". When you are taking care of one of your "must sees", add to that your "want to sees" that are in close proximity, then if you have the energy, knock a few of those out at the same time. Take on your sightseeing in a logical fashion (by area) instead of trying to rush from one side of the city to the other trying to fit everything in.

First of all, you'll be travelling in the cooler and less croweded season. No standing in long lines in swealtering heat. Build each of your four days in Rome around one of your four "must sees" and add on extras as your time and energy permit. Allow yourself the day for the Vatican/St Peter's experience as that will be the most tiring.

Build in frequent rest breaks in scenic areas. A caffelatte in a sidewalk cafe, a gelato sitting on the edge of a fountain. Make use of the bus schedules and budget in some extra for a few taxis. Are you travelling alone or as part of a larger group?