Hello,
my wife and i are (hopefully) traveling to italy In october. We have traveled a lot but recently i injured my back and Im not able to lift anything heavy, i.e., a suitcase. Does anyone know if there is a porter service we can contract with to assist us with our luggage in several cities? I know organized tours use them but we travel independently.
I know there are porters in Amalfi at the docks but we need help in several other cities and locations. thank you in advance
Dan
When would you need them? Drivers take care of luggage as do hotel staff. Are you considering using trains? I would not use them as you have to take care of your own luggage. Renting a car is preferable if you have a back injury.
It is spotty. We have hit train stations that have a sky-cap/porter service at the curb that will put your luggage on a rolling cart and take it to the platform for an appropriate tip. We have used them. We have never used them for boarding a train. There are people around who might offer to help your board a train but most are suspicious that actually maybe pickpockets looking for an opportunity to score. If you need that kind of service, I would check with the hotel, there might be able to recommend a driver who would take you to the train station, park, and assist you with boarding.
PS At the moment I would not count on an Oct trip to Italy. We were scheduled to go the first couple weeks of Oct and the trip was cancelled earlier this week.
Legal porters in bigger stations (Rome, Milan and Florence) wear a ki-point t-shirt and work for a fixed tariff they must tell you in advance, not for appropriate or inappropriate tips. Those working this way most probably fall into the second group described by Frank. Even if they are good guys just looking for tips, they are illegal immigrants and you shouldn't use their services.
