First Trip to Italy Help!

Without knowing what you have done or haven't done, it is a little hard to tell you how to be more prepared. Got your money belt? Know a few Italian phrases? If you don't have Steves' guidebook for Italy and/or Rome. Go and buy it. Watch some travel DVDs from your local library to have a better feel for what to expect. Steves', Europe through the Backdoor, is a good read also. What do you think you don't know?

PS ---- Michael's posting below triggered another thought. In general you will find Europe a bit more worn than the US. After all it is a few years older. Don't equate worn, seediness, etc., with unsafe or areas to avoid. Some of the best areas in Italy may look a little seedy by American standards but don't let that put you on the defensive. And you cannot pack too light.

Expect graffiti everywhere in Italy. It's just a fact of life there (and it is an Italian word, after all.) So many first time tourists to Italy are surprised by that. Expect it and accept it. They just don't have the resources to stay on top of it and in many places it's considered a semi-acceptable form of expression. (There's 2,000 year old graffiti in Pompeii.)

Here are a few examples from photos I've taken, from all over Italy: Italian graffiti

Do you have tickets for any of the sights you want to see that it's good to book ahead of time?

You say you have a timeline, does it have free time on there? Or spots if you want to stay say at a museum longer?

One thing I found useful was reading this on the Rome Buses before my trip last year. I knew ahead of time how to use the bus signs and where the buses were going and when I got to Rome, it was a breeze for me to get on the right bus.
http://www.roninrome.com/%20transportation/bus

Angie, the one thing I would suggest is to look online at your plane reservations a few times before you travel. The airlines often adjust travel schedules and you may or may not be informed. We usually book on United on our points up to 333 days out. Our scheduled flight times (occasionally including flight plane numbers) change a few times before we actually travel. Once, our second plane departed before we even arrived on our first plane. These mostly slight changes are usually OK but sometimes, you need to call and coordinate the changes. Just check once in awhile.

Second, make sure that your passports are current and will not expire anytime close to when you are traveling. Third, organize and count out any medications that you will need to take with you. I usually pack medications for an extra 5-7 days just in case. Never pack your medications in any luggage that you intend to check. Along with my medications and toiletries in my carry-on bag, I always pack an extra set of underwear. Old Army habit. You just never know.

Finally, pack light. On many medium-sized train stations with multiple train platforms, you change platforms by either walking down about 25 stairs to a tunnel under the tracks or up 25 stairs to an overhead walkway. Then its the reverse when you get to your new platform. Not much worse that watching a older person with 2 roller bags or one large roller bag and a few shoulder bags trying to get to their next train on a different platform. Elevators? Sure. Do they work? Maybe. Often, they don't. It's sad.

Thank you everyone!

Our flights have been booked and seats have been selected-do I need to check with any other aspects with the flight ahead of time?

Our hotel rooms are booked and I have checked with the hotel that they are expecting to see us.

Our transportation between cities (Rome-Florence, Florence-Venice)-are booked and we have the tickets

For the most part-we have a plan on how to get to the airports-hotels and vice versa.

Our itinerary-is mainly booked on what we would like to see-museums-I still need to make some reservations. We plan on getting the Roma Card and Firenze Card once we arrive in the cities.

Money-we plan on getting cash euros when we arrive in Italy-I have read this is better than getting the euro ahead of time.

Am I missing anything else?

I would start not getting too worked up if things don't go exactly as planned... Its Italy... Roll with it!

(And pack light)

Let your bank and credit card companies know of your travel plans so your cards don't denied overseas. Have a clear understanding of foreign transaction fees and ATM fees so you don't get surprised when you get home.

Leave a copy of your itinerary (flight numbers, hotel names etc) with someone here in the states.

May can be VERY warm in Italy so pack accordingly. Even if the hotel has air conditioning, it might not be turned on. There is a national law (to conserve energy) about not turning on the air conditioning until June. Although I have definitely been in Italian hotels in May that DID have the air conditioning turned on but this is hotel dependent. I have a small travel fan I bring with me for these instances.

Have you looked at your passport expiration dates? There needs to be a six month cushion AFTER you return from Italy.

The six month cushion on your passport is only a recommendation. Not a requirement. You can return with an expired passport as some have reported.

I recommend buying Euro (Italians say Arrow, which covers plural too) here at your bank well before you fly to Italia. I always have enough Euro on me for food, drinks, taxis, and a few days' time for me to locate a bank ATM I want to use. If my lodging wants payment at check-in, then I have that amount in Euro on me too.
For immediate use, those Euro are in my RS neck wallet. I wear a scarf around my neck to hide the ribbons. Euro for lodging is in my RS money belt that i tuck inside my undies.
I think it's smart having Euro ready to go when you land. I pay the same exchange rate here at my bank that I pay at bank ATMs in Italia. Buying and handling Euro here helps make the money familiar to you and you will feel like a pro when you land.
Landing in another country is business enough to manage, having Euro ready helps you adjust to the change with ease and faster, you are more in control and can focus on doing what needs to get done.

I've never had trouble getting euros from an ATM at any European (or other) airport. There is often an ATM in the baggage carousels area. There are always ATM's once you are through customs. If you are worried about it, take $100 with you and change it to euros at the airport. The exchange offices are always open. That will get you to your first hotel and they will tell you where the nearest ATM is - usually only a few minutes' walk away.

I found it very helpful to know about the trains (what to expect at the station, how to find my train, etc.). I don't remember where I found it. Try Ron-in-Rome's website. That's a good place to read up on what to expect anyway.

Learn basic Italian phrases. It goes a long way toward good will and good service if you start by a polite, good morning, sir, or good evening, madam, in the local language. It also helps to get around when you know the words for entrance, exit, toilet, etc. And learn the difference between scusi and permesso. Both mean excuse me, but the first is when you apologize or want someone's attention, the second (and more important) means "let me go past you" and you'll need it in the crowds. If you say scusi no one will understand what you're apologizing for.

I also prepare directions for getting to the major sights I plan to visit . . . which bus, metro, etc. and walking directions. It was enormously helpful to have Ron-in-Rome's directions for the Vatican Museums, complete with photos, so I couldn't (and didn't) go wrong.

Angie, the roninrome.com site is enormously helpful.

About euro: I don't think twice about getting my first euro from an ATM at the airport, but for a first trip, I would suggest that you order a hundred or so from your bank. Order various denominations so you can get used to the money - a couple of fives, tens, twenties, a fifty and a hundred if you order €200. After a long flight, you might not be up for dealing with unfamiliar currency.

When paying bills, shopkeepers appreciate your paying with smaller bills (don't change a €100 by buying a coffee). Hotels and many restaurants are fine with accepting the larger bills. The euro vary in size and color by denomination.

I have also never purchased Euro before a trip. Many people have strong feelings about this either way but in the end, you should just do what makes you comfortable. ATMs are plentiful in Italy, including in the airport, and that is where you will get the best exchange rate. But people do like the comfort of having cash on hand and I get that.

Do you know how you are paying for your initial transportation from the airport? If you are planning on taking a taxi, I think most Italian taxis are cash only (I haven't been to Italy in 4 years so someone correct me if I am wrong). If you are, for example, taking the Leonardo Express from Fiumicino, you can purchase your tickets with credit cards.

I also suggest you do a test pack about a month ahead of time. Someone here suggested that you start to pack on paper which I found excellent advice. Develop a packing list including clothing, toiletries, extras (charger cords, etc) and include a list of things that will need to be done at home (stop the paper, pay bills ahead) before you leave. Pull all the clothes you plan to take and try on different combinations to make sure everything works like you think it will and that everything is in good repair. Try packing all that stuff in your chosen suitcase. That means the day before you aren't in a panic because you can't get your stuff to fit and you are not trying to decide if you need to hem your pants because you have changed your shoe choice! I also have a staging area where I put my suitcase, the packing list and start gathering things up a month or so ahead such as my liquids bag, passport, money belt, laundry kit, extra zip lock bags, etc.

I also fall on the side of getting some Euro ahead of time. I do understand I am paying more for this, but for me it is so much less stressful to have enough local currency to pay for transport from the airport to the hotel and to cover meals on the first day. I felt much more able to figure out the ATM machine on Day 2!

I echo studying the Ron In Rome website - tons of great info! WRT Euros, Do what makes you feel comfortable. No need to start a trip worrying. Personally, I have traveled to Europe MANY times over the years for pleasure and work. I never bring money, just my debit card, and 2 Visa cards as back-ups (although, I often have a few Euros left over from a previous trip). ALWAYS call your bank/credit card company before hand to alert them to your travel (some cards you can do this online).

I like to get an idea of what I want to do for each day prior to my trip. But I like to keep it loose, so I can change based on weather, whim, or any other circumstances. I also like to find a few recommended restaurants in the area of my Hotel. In a few weeks, I will be going to Rome with my Daughter, and although I have been a lot of times, I booked a hotel in an area i have not stayed before. I have done my research, and found 4 or 5 restaurants that were recommended in close proximity to the hotel. I create a small MS Word doc where I keep info like this, and print it out prior to my trip and bring with me (it has info on my hotel, restaurants, any reservations i may have made (this time coliseum and vatican reservations), etc.).

I would also suggest for whichever is your first city to visit, to research how to get to your hotel, so there is no guess work. Ron in Rome highlights all the choices in detail for Rome.

Happy travels!

Glenn