Getting closer - some final questions

Metros - do you recommend just waiting until we get there to purchase
passes?

I assume you mean for Rome, which is probably the only city you're visiting with a metro train system? If so, yes, buy your passes when you arrive. The passes will also work on buses, trams and Rome's urban trains but not those to/from the airports. Rome is relatively compact, though, and an interesting city to see on foot so I'd recommend doing that as much as possible. Individual tickets can be purchased as well: you can buy multiples at one time.

Stefanie, your family will just dial normally. Be careful, though--that $10/day adds up fast! I assume you're already planning to activate only one of your phones. It might be better to have your family send you an email if they need to get in touch with you, which you can check via wifi, which can be found for free at a lot of places in Europe. What can possibly happen that they'd need to call you? I don't mean to sound insensitive, but short of someone having just died, there is no reason for them to interrupt your trip. Go be on vacation!

Our family just used the What's App for communicating with our daughter while on a school trip to Portugal and Spain. She was able to "text us" whenever she got wi-fi. We created a family what's app chat/text. It was fun waking up to her pics and feeling like she was close when she was so far away.

I am headed to Germany, Switzerland, and Italy...leaving this weekend, and we are again going to use the What's App for communicating. My husband is joining me a week later with a work provided world phone, so i'll be relying on wi fi only until he arrives.

Have fun!

My daughter lives in London and while she's there What's App is all we use to communicate.

You can use a video calling feature and get free TOP QUALITY voice phone calls with What's App, as well.

I wholeheartedly recommend it.