ideas, and tips for our next trip

As far as credit cards, we avoided using them as much as possible to escape foreign transaction fees. We withdrew cash at ATM's and paid cash for nearly everything. We researched our lodging alternatives on Tripadvisor and found wonderful places that were less expensive than standard hotels. In some places, if you are staying 3 nights or more, you can find apartments to rent directly from the owner, for less than you would pay for hotel rooms. Plus you can save more (and eat local) by cooking for yourselves with those wonderful Italian ingredients instead of dining out every night.

Gary: We feel much the same as you. Got back less than a month ago from first trip and will make second in spring 2012! Thanks to advice on this helpline, we used a Capital One card when we needed a credit card (mostly train tickets). Cap One has no fees! Also used a Charles Schwab account for ATM as "Chuck" has no added crazy fees and a more generous daily withdrawal ($500) than most. Watch Trenitalia's site for promotions on fares. We saved a bundle with seasonal promotions I found out about early in the trip allowing advanced booking. We spent less on lodging than most people. Stayed in B&Bs except in Rome where we had a great small apartment for 130 euro per night. Otherwise we paid 90 euro or less every night. (I think that's pretty reasonable.) Happy planning! (That's at least 1/3 of the fun!) Laurel

We did the exact opposite of Lola and used a credit card whenever possible because we had a Capital One credit card which doesn't charge foreign transaction fees. And we had a Cap One Money Market debit card which also doesn't charge any fees. We're planning our third trip to Italy now (for May 2011) and are renting apartments to save money. We're also researching less expensive restaurants to go to that have authentic regional food.

Bank of America's partner bank in Italy is BNL, which claims to have over 1,500 "bancomats" (ATM's) throughout Italy.

British Airways Chase Visa CC just dropped their foreign transaction fee, so that's a good CC to take as well. I just read that Bank of America has an extensive ATM network in Europe and if you have there ATM card you'll save fees. I have to look into that further myself. Home exchange is the ultimate way to save costs, if it is something you would consider doing, its fabulous. My experiences have been outstanding!

Like Michael, I have Capital One. No fees at all, never had a problem using them. Just let them know ahead of time where you are traveling, so they don't freeze the card for unusual activity. I went to Italy in February for Carnivale in Venice - packed, high season, lots of fun. But it wa low low season everywhere else and I got great prices on hotels. Also most sights weren't crowded. And gelato tastes good even when it's cold and raining. Just have a hot chocolate afterwards :-)

Credit Unions don't charge foreign transaction fees either. I opened a new account at a credit union specifically for foreign travel. I also have capital one cards but I always like to have multiple backup options.

Hi Gary. Do you have an idea of where you'd like to visit on your 2nd trip? We may be able to offer some specific tips based on where you plan to visit? The tip about staying in B&B's &/or apartments is a great tip. That's what I try to do as well. I research accommodations on TripAdvisor as someone else suggested; I find the reviews on TA to be very helpful. I find B&B's to be more personable and I enjoy the interaction with the owners. I use a credit card on which I earn miles/points and I'm hoping to have enough miles to fly business class for our next trip to Italy in 2012. I charge pretty much everything here at home to earn the points. We put $10k down on a car & instead of writing a check to the dealer, I charged it for the points. A family member recently had a big expense & was going to pay by check but I asked if I could charge it & then he gave me the money. You get the point. This is how we've traveled the last 2 trips to Italy. The only down-side is that once you have the points, you generally have to schedule the air travel 11-12 months in advance to get the dates/flights you want. I also participate in on-line consumer surveys which are tied to my airline credit card & I earn miles for participating in the surveys.

Been to Italy 7x now. Can't wait to go back. We use the Capital One (no annual fee) credit card. No big fees for transactions. I only use this card when I travel Even making deposits on tours or hotels, I use the Cap One card here in the US when I know the money will be in Euro. For cash, we switched to Compass Bank, no ATM fees anywhere in the world. We used Wells Fargo for years, but when we started to travel, moved over to Compass. Can't imagine how much we've saved by doing that! Italy hasn't been cheap. We save money by shopping in the grocery stores for supplies for lunch or snacks. Eat at cafe - take away or pizza stands - take away for lunch. Carry a reusable water bottle and refill instead of buying bottled water and tossing the plastic. Laundry always in the sink. I don't do guided tours.(that saves a TON of money right there!) We explore on our own. Use Venere.com for hotels - easy to shop for location and prices. RS hotels are over rated and crowded, as everyone follows the book.

One thing we're doing to save money for our planned third trip (in May) is that we are staying places that do not require a rental car. We will be relying on public transportation and walking. Another bonus with doing lots of walking is that you're less likely to gain weight from all the gelato, pasta and wine that you'll be enjoying. I actually lost a couple of pounds on our last trip! We're renting apartments in Rome and Verona to save money (right in or right next to areas of interest). Near Campo de' Fiori in Rome for 85E a night (thru vrbo.com) and in Verona for 90E a nt. Orvieto for 75E a nt. We prepaid our small hotel on the Lido in Venice which we got for 54E a night (!!) because it's nonrefundable. We're staying on the Lido because it will be our third time to Venice and we want to experience something a little different and save a lot of moolah at the same time. It's a ten minute ferry ride from the main islands. I would not recommend the Lido for someone who's visiting Venice for the first or even second time.

I go to Europe every summer for 3 to 4 weeks. I have been using RS guide books to find hotels and B&Bs. I have never found them overcrowded or overrated compared to any other hotel or B&B I have stayed in anywhere. I have stayed in non-RS recommended places, having found them on this board, and RS's are certainly comparable. So, do not dismiss using his recommendations in your research. Happy travels.

Ive used Steves lodging places many times and also dont think they are overrated.He tells it pretty much like it is.They are no more crowded then other places.

Hmm. I'm not sure how a hotel can be "crowded". If a place books up quickly, isn't that a good sign? This reminds me of that old Yogi Berra line - "Nobody goes there anymore - it's too crowded." :-) I've found the RS recs for lodging to be pretty good. His restaurant recs, on the other hand, are more uneven. I've had better luck asking at the front desk of my hotel or talking with the owners of the apartment we're renting to find a good place to eat. And then you also get directions on how to find it.