I booked a 17 Day Italy tour for September. I wanted to arrive a couple of days early and spend our first night in Milan and our second night at the Hotel Royal Victoria in Varenna where the tour starts. I had no trouble booking a room in Milan, but was surprised that there was a limited number of rooms that were showing available. It could be a marketing gimmick, but with the World Expo in Milan, it may be an accurate reflection of the rooms available. The Hotel Royal Victoria had no openings when I went to their website. I sent them an email saying that I was going to be on a Rick Steves Tour that started at their hotel and they responded that the only had a couple of rooms left so I was able to book one for the night before the tour started. I got the impression that if I would have waited to make that reservation, I would been out of luck.
I also checked out flights out of LAX and ended up booking my flight earlier than expected. I know I probably could have gotten a cheaper flight later, but there were very few seats showing as available on the flights I was looking to go on. I think the World Expo in Milan is going to have a big impact on travel plans so be aware and probably book sooner than later.
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