travel agent or plan myself?

First ask what a travel agent would be able to do? They make money of selling products, like a tour. If that is your interest, and while I have never been on one, look at the Rick Steves tours found elsewhere on this site: https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy and deal with them direct.

If you want your own itinerary, most of the travel agents out there just will not be able to help. You may find a travel planner, ideally one well versed in Italy, that may plan for you, for an hourly fee. Travel agents make little to nothing off booking you an air ticket, hotels, or suggesting restaurant and arranging entry to sights.

But, you can do it yourself. Pick up "Rick Steves Europe Through the Backdoor" at the library, bookstore, or Kindle, it is a great "how-to" of planning and travel. This forum is a great resource for questions, most are helpful, a few impatient with new posters, but do not let that scare you away.

Come up with a few cities you are interested in. I will start by saying, in 10 days, choose three to start, with one being a smaller town. When you have an idea of where you want to go, come back. If you are talking November 2023, you might want to get on it. November will be a good time, still some decent weather, crowds have declined, easier for a first time than in June through August.

Happy 40th!
Where in northern Italy are you going? What are your interests? Have you traveled to Europe before? Do you want to pack as much in as possible, or take it slow and easy? Are you moving around or staying in one place?
These might be some questions to ask yourself. If you have a plan for what you want to see, and how much time you want to spend, you will find planning it yourself, can be fun.
Check out various websites and YouTubes and forums to get tips and you will soon feel more comfortable doing it yourself. You can even watch videos on how to buy train tickets, how to find the right train platform, etc. Even hotels themselves have YouTube videos you can watch.
Your library probably has guide books that will help too.

On the other hand, many people don't want to be bothered with logistics and such, and find it less stressful to have a travel agent work out the details.

We just finished up 13 days in Venice, Florence, Siena and Rome. Ask any questions you like.

Others here have tons of experience to share. And even though I've been to Italy several times, I read this forum daily!

Have not been overseas since I was a kid. Interested in Milan, Verona, Florence, Vincenza, northern Italy and coming from Maryland. Love history, culture/museums, shopping and food! Didn't plan to rent a car. Have never traveled in Europe (though my husband lived in Italy as a military kid). Don't speak the language. So many hotels to choose from and can't even decide what city to fly out from. I'd like to do this myself but need some encouragement I guess.

It’s pretty easy to DIY
you’ll get plenty of help here as far as lodging, transportation etc

Probably no need for a car at all
Trains are fast and easy

Booking.com is a great place to search lodgings-you can trust the reviews there
I use it almost exclusively now-nice to have all reservations in one place plus I get some good discounts

Have you come up with an itinerary yet?

From Maryland you’ll most likely fly out of Dulles
There really aren’t many flights to Europe out of BWI

A useful website for you to venture into doing your own planning is Trenitalia.com, the national railroad. The train system is excellent and very comprehensive, especially in the North. Tips for searching the site:
- You can set it for English if you prefer.
- Use Italian names of cities and towns, and note that many places have more than one train station.
- If you’re looking for a morning trip, search for the day before, then scroll down to the next day (the one you want). (There’s also a Trenitalia app, on which you can just set the time you want and it doesn’t change it due to the time change.)
- There are various categories of trains; the Regionale trains never sell out, and are always the same (low) price, so no point buying in advance. For the Freccia (high speed) trains, you may be able to get discounted tickets by buying in advance, but then you’re locked in to a particular time.

You can do this yourself, for sure. Having said that, you may find that for this first trip, the peace of mind using a travel agent is worth it to you. Don't feel sheepish if you do - it's your trip! I second the previous suggestions to read Rick Steves books, consider an RS tour, etc. I also highly recommend picking the brain of friends and family who travel to Europe. This has been invaluable for us, to hear the kinds of things we didn't even know to ask. I plan my trips in this order (but your process, and others', will likely be different):
1. Where do I want to go, and when
2. price the plane fare. If using miles, buy ASAP. Otherwise start looking at carriers and costs, so you know a good deal when you see one. If saving money isn't top of mind, consider splurging on business class. If you can, get Global Entry to enhance clearing customs and give you pre-check for domestic travel.
3. Hotels. We like to be close to center of town, and don't mind taking a taxi/ride share from the airport or train station to get there.
Use google or something to start looking at hotels to get an idea of price and amenities. Use RS travel forum and RS books re hotel recommendations. We have booked direct with hotels on line for years with excellent success. In my experience, hotels are less likely to misrepresent themselves on line, than VRBO type lodging.
4. ground transportation. We walk or use mass transit/taxis rather than renting a car. Trains work great in Italy.
As Rick says, don't try to do it all in one trip - plan to return another time. Have fun! You can do this!

If you want your own itinerary, most of the travel agents out there just will not be able to help.

This is far from the truth. There are many smart, experienced travel advisors that specialize in custom itineraries. Some even have geographic focuses and the market for Italian travel is well served.

There are pros and cons on both sides, but your decision should at least be made with correct information.

My disclaimer is that I have not used a travel agent for Europe trips. My reluctance would be that I would want someone who has actually been to the area to give me advice not someone who is depending on getting a commission from hotels to make their money. Most of the people who give advice on this forum have actually traveled, lol!!

"Interested in Milan, Verona, Florence, Vincenza, northern Italy"

To me if you have just 10 days and you are going in November with less daylight to work with, your wishlist is too long. Does your 10 days include your travel days? You'll be traveling on day 1 and arrive day 2 (unless you can get a daytime flight out of DC which are probably rare). Your return flight will eat up your last day. IF 10 days is the total time, you really only have 7 solid touring days. I'd probably stick to the 2 bigger cities and do day trips.

Your travel style might also be different from mine!

Here are daylight hours for Milan on Nov 1 from www.sunrisesunset.com

Twi: 6:31am
Sunrise: 7:02am
Sunset: 5:12pm
Twi: 5:43pm

These are the steps we follow in doing our own itinerary which has worked for 6-7 trips:

1) Plan the cities that you are going to. I would stay 2 or more nights in each
2) Set the dates.
3) Go to booking.com and look for hotels. Once you find a hotel, see if the hotel has a direct webpage, which may save you money
4) Unless you are going long distances, I don't think you will need to do the trains ahead of time. We were in Italy S-O 2022, and did trains 1-2 days in advance. No problem with getting a train.
5) Don't do restaurants in advance. Ask at your hotel for advice
6) For tourists in Italy, knowing Italian is not necessary. All tourist locations have front of house who speak English, possibly better than you. Now and again you will find a non-English speaker but this is rare.

Since this is going to be your first adventure in Europe, I’m going to ask you a very basic question as a starting point—do you have valid passports that will be current 6 months after you return? If not that is the very first thing you need to do. The backlog is huge.

Everyone else has given you great planning information. Also buy Rick Steves Italy guide book for ideas. On this website there are traveling tips. Keep asking questions. And “no” I would not use a travel agent.

Happy 40th Anniversary!

If you want your own itinerary, most of the travel agents out there just will not be able to help.

This is far from the truth. There are many smart, experienced travel advisors that specialize in custom itineraries. Some even have geographic focuses and the market for Italian travel is well served.

Perhaps in some markets, but as I noted in my response, that would be a travel planner, not a travel agent. In my entire state, I doubt there is a single one, except for specialty markets. If you can find them, great, I am sure they are out there, it requires some searching, but walking up to the local travel agency is not the way to go, if you want a custom itinerary, smaller hotels, and other services.

Thankfully my passport is good through Sept 2024 and my husband's is even longer so we should be good to go as far as that is concerned. I chose a 10 day trip only because I was worried about food and a medical condition that I have that could be rough (TMI) but I could make the trip longer.

Welcome, you're definitely in the right place! Wait, did you mean November 2023? I would get cracking on airfare over the next few weeks if you can nail down a few destinations. There is a good recent RS thread on current airfare trends & how to find deals. ALWAYS book directly with airlines! When you have issues, they can help. Look at 'Multi city' to save yourself 1/2 a day getting back to wherever you start. I think you could fly to Venice & out of Florence & do Verona as a day trip. Here's the thread on trending air fares - https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/transportation/airfares-dropping-for-the-time-being

How active are you & how much walking can you stand on cobblestones? What about a semi rest day to stop & smell the espresso mid trip? Jet lag is no joke, you might need a slower first day. In our mid 60's, we personally like to do one major museum or destination in the morning & actually sit down & eat lunch, then something like a walking tour in the afternoon, just something to think about. We book 1/2 day tours with recommended players, for example we usually take an Eating Italy walking food tour the first day we, it helps us get our bearings & zoom in on places we might like to return to eat. This is the type of 'tour' we find most valuable, though there are many others. https://www.eatingeurope.com/florence/

"Milan, Florence, Venice Verona" - That's a fairly manageable list. Unless you're really keen on seeing the Last Supper in Milan, I would skip Milan except to fly back if that's the best route. (Oops, I thought you said Venice, not Vicenza! In which case the next poster has it right, it's doable it that order.)

The collective wisdom of the RS Forum is amazing! The main page of RS has a search function, try 'Forum northern Italy trip report' or 'trip itinerary' to see what pops up. That's excellent advice above about RS tours (even if you just review the itineraries for what you might like to do), and will give you an idea of how long to spend in each place. Once you narrow that down, you can look on the Forum for recommended hotels & transport, and start a new thread IF your searches don't give you what you want. (I'm working on a search for NY 2023 right now, there's such a wealth of information on the Forum, I've got 5 days nearly sorted just by looking at old threads.)

Check these out for some ideas - https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips

https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/venice-florence-rome

When I begin looking at going anywhere in Europe, even if I've been several times, I visit the library & check out a number of books with photos of the area. There are great picture books too, look at them. I like the older Eyewitness guides, great 3-D pics of sights. I also browse the library book sale section, if I find older guide books, I snag them & rip out the parts I want to take along.

I wouldn't worry about trains quite yet and no need to fly at all on this kind of trip, you can easily take trains between Vicenza, Verona, Florence & Milan.

Good luck and let us know how it goes! (PS, Longer trips are almost always better, be sure you buy travel insurance,)

I think Milan, Verona, and Florence could work for a 10-day trip, with day trips from Verona to Vicenza and Padova (I added that one, but I think you'd enjoy it, and it's easy to get to from Verona). You'd get at least a taste of each city and it's all easy to do by train. If you want to see more of northern Italy (Turin, the Italian Alps, etc.), I'd suggest saving Florence for a future trip.

I think you could self-plan a 3-city trip - you've got plane fare (make it an open jaw trip, flying into Milan and out of Florence, or the reverse if you prefer), 3 hotels, and several train trips (which means the first one will be confusing but after that you'll have the hang of it). You might want to start with the Rick Steves Italy guide; he covers all of these places as well as some helpful details about transportation in the cities.

Paul, These days most travel agents (they'll go by travel advisors, not fee-only 'travel planners') don't work from storefronts and often have clientele all over the country that they service remotely. Not at all hard to find with a bit of asking friends and/or google.

Interesting - the OP states that she's overwhelmed with planning a trip 3 months away, and so receives lengthy, detailed responses that she most likely finds overwhelming.

There's no shame in using a travel agent if you can find one well versed in the area you're visiting. If you're in a Metropolitan area , it may not be that difficult. Check out the travel dept. at the auto club if you're a member. You may have to pay a fee - only you can determine whether it's worth it to you. They may also be able to help with flights that best fit your itinerary.

In the meantime, download the digital version of the RS guidebook on Amazon and use it to identify the cities that you find more appealing. It will also inform you of the transportation options between cities.

Finally, with any type of medical condition, make sure you have medical evacuation coverage.

Happy anniversary! We have found over the years that the process of self-planning helps us to better know the areas where we're traveling, more so than if we purchase a package or a tour. We start with where we'd like to go and how many days we have, then we figure out the most logical way to travel from place to place. We frequently have to pare down the number of places given the time we have, especially since we like to spend at minimum two nights and preferably at least three per location. Also, we try not to overly schedule the trip with tours or activities planned for every minute. Rather, we see if there's places that require tickets and get those in advance if possible, then come up with some possible things to do or places to see per location. That gives us the flexibility to pivot if an opportunity presents itself. Enjoy!

For train travel The Man in Seat 61 is very helpful. I, too, use Booking.com to find hotels. If you decide to take on the planning for this trip be sure to come back with your questions. And, happy anniversary!

Some inspiration here:
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy

But keep in mind most of us feel these itineraries are too fast paced, OK as a tour group but not as DIY travel
Try to stay 3 nights minimum in each location
A 3 night stay really means just 2.5 days in that location for sightseeing, etc

A 10 night trip for me would be no more than 3 locations
Anytime you can lengthen your trip if even by just a few days— do it!

I never use a travel agent, but I do a lot of research.

Over the years, I have planned many trips where we did it ourselves, others where we took group tours, others where we took a cruise combined with land trip.

Always compare several tour companies if you do that. Recently, I found that Gate 1 or OAT are hard to beat for group tours.
Group tours are almost a must if going to a Third World Country like Egypt or a country like China or Russia.

Do it yourself requires planning all your lodging, transportation, local tours or sites, etc. Even your restaurants should be checked out near where you are lodged.

No matter what type of travel, always research what you want to see where you go. Many sites require advance bookings. Further, you need to know what you want to see prior to planning the other details of your trip.

Thank you for all the great responses - I am realizing that my itinerary is probably too big and longer stays in less cities is better and more relaxed. I definitely don't want to feel "rushed" from one place to another. Lake Como looks like a must visit too - perhaps I should use Milan as my home base for several day trips since that's the city I will fly into? Maybe Florence isn't feasible on this first trip, although I suppose I could do a day trip by train. Definitely have to include Verona/Vincenza on this trip so my husband can visit his childhood stomping grounds but that should be a day trip I believe.

Don't decide anything until you do some thorough research. Milan has its fans, but it may not be quite the experience you were looking for if you were envisioning historic charm or a small village. I usually only recommend a day there, and this is just if you are interested in seeing the Duomo and the Last Supper. I'd rather stay in Vicenza myself, and I've only watched an episode of House Hunters International about it.
Try making your airfare search "multi-city" as you could fly into Milan and out of Pisa or Florence, but the fast trains mean that if you fly round trip, it still can work out just fine.

Laura, re: food and medical. Without TMI, if your medical problems are digestive tract, you will find you have less problems in Italy, also in France. I mentioned this to our South of France guide last year. She said that Americans often tell her they have less problems. She thinks it because of fresher food, less preservatives, no GMOs.

If you have allergies, translate them into Italian. You can either write cards to show waiters or makes notes on your phone. Google Translate will work good enough to communicate what your allergic to. If it’s complex, post on the forum and one of our native speakers can help you.

Are for your itinerary, Venice is a must-do for me. (I’ll be there for the third time next year.). I’d skip Milan. Maybe you can use a map and Rome2Rio to get a feel for distance and travel time. As someone noted above, book trains on Trenitalia. Their app is easy to use. Don’t book thru Rome2Rio.

You may find that RT to Milan is your best flight choice. If that's the case don't split your stay in Milan- head right to your first destination- that could easily be Lake Como and that's a perfect place to get over jet lag. Then continue on to Verona- day trip to Vicenza from there. Then back to Milan for 2-3 nights- you will need to be in your departure city night before flight.

You could actually stay in Vicenza for 2 nights then back to Milan for final night if Milan is not a priority

Something like this
RT IAD to MXP (not sure if there is a direct in November- we have actually driven to Newark to get a direct flight, where in Maryland are you?)
Train to Lake Como- 3 nights- this is easy- we'll advise if that's your plan
Train to Verona- 4 nights with day trip to Vicenza
Train to Milan- 2 nights or whatever you have left. Most don't spend a lot of time in Milan but if you want to see Last Supper it is absolutely worth it- you will need to book these tix as soon as they are available. The Duomo rooftop terraces are also worth it.

Or Lake Como 3
Verona 3
Vicenza 2
Milan 1

Use Google Flights to check your flight options- search for multi-city- advanced search- open jaw- into one city out of another.
You may decide to skip Milan and fly home from Venice- that would also be easy enough. You could still fly IN to Milan but go right to Como, after Verona head to Venice, fly home from there. If you do go to Venice give it 3 nights.

Always book with the actual airline and do purchase trip insurance.

All very easy train travel.

I’d leave Florence for your next trip
A day trip won’t do it justice.
It’s at minimum a 2+ hour fast train ride each way -too far as a day trip

I am in Towson, Maryland. My options for nonstop flights to Milan are Dulles Airport in DC or Philly Airport. Both Easily 1 1/2 hours from me. Thanks for that detailed suggestion for itinerary - very helpful. Wish I could do Florence but maybe I need to be more realistic on my first trip. All of these comments are helpful - and the links for more info as well. Glad I found this site (got the RS book today and watched one of the videos).

If you decide to use a travel agent, make damn sure the travel agent is BONDED.

I've planned a dozen trips to Germany. I feel that I am an expert at planning trips to Germany and German speaking countries, but I don't know how my experience and expertise would transfer to Italy.

1. I speak enough German to get around easily, and
2. I think you can't go wrong directly booking a hotel in Germany, no matter how inexpensive it is. The Germans just have a very high standard. I've never had a bad accommodation.

Italy, eh. I don't know.

I can tell you that in Germany I never booked with a booking website, like Booking.com, and I have saved beaucoup money that way. Any town with hotels listed on Booking has at least as many fine places for less than the ones on booking, sometimes a lot less. They are less expensive, for one, because they don't pay booking 15% for the booking.

I've also found that, although Booking says the hotels have to give you their best rate when you book with them, there are ways to get around that. Some hotels have two tiers of rooms, standard and deluxe. Although they show the standard rooms on their website, they only show the rate for their deluxe rooms on Booking. I'm also not sure that if you book the deluxe priced room, you actually get a deluxe room. I know of a small pension somewhere in Germany that only has one deluxe room on their website, but booking lists only deluxe priced rooms and says, "only three left at this price."

Sometimes places offer you a package deal on their website that they don't offer on Booking. I once stayed in a hotel in a Black Forest spa town, and for the exact same price as a double room for two nights on Booking, I got a package deal for 2 nights that included entrance for two spas in town. Another time in Germany, I got a room and halb pension for a week as a package deal on the property's website for the same price as just a room on Booking.

Honestly I don't really use Booking.com anymore since 2 years ago my account got hacked and someone made a reservation in my name in Italy. And they weren't very helpful in getting me "unhacked" either. I usually look on Trip Advisor for information and reviews and then I go to the hotel site or sometimes Expedia.

Hey OP, I think you've answered your own question about how to at least start planning, you don't sound overwhelmed, but rather enjoying the process of figuring it out! Even if you decide to use a travel agent, whatever they're called these days, or to go on a tour, you will be much better prepared.

So, you originally said, "Milan, Verona, Florence, Vincenza," IF these are the places you've already decided to go, more or less, flights depending, I would stick as close to it as you can. You mentioned art, so I'm going to guess museums, in which case don't skip Florence! IMO, sit down with a RS map (others have mentioned Rick has a planning map, someone else will know) and look at distances & timing. Each hotel change involves luggage, getting to train station, travel, finding next hotel, blah blah. Some say you lose 1/2 a day traveling between destinations, others drop their bags & just get going, it depends upon your style! Your trip is in November, but you didn't say if it's early or late Nov? The lake district can get socked in with rain, so maybe review the average temps & rainfall in each place. We tend to stick to cities that late in the year, wander outside if the weather's good, head indoors to amazing churches & museums if it's not great. BTW, in N Itlay, it tends to be warmer to the west of the Apennines, meaning Florence.

"I am realizing that my itinerary is probably too big and longer stays in less cities is better and more relaxed. I definitely don't want to feel "rushed" from one place to another. " Congratulations.....Go to the head of the class!
This is one of the hardest ideas for first time travelers to come to terms with. There are enough "must sees" in Itlay to make your head swim. You can't do them all. Use this forum as your "travel agent". There are literally dozens of well informed members here who will gladly share their valuable experience.
Brad

Lake Como looks like a must visit too

Hmmmm. I'll question this location for a November trip? We admittedly haven't been there during an edge-of-winter month so it would be good to hear from travelers who have. It just doesn't strike me as enjoyable a destination as in a warmer month but, Forum Folks, what say you?

Our experiences with booking.com may be different but I'll weigh in that I've used that site for years now without incident.If nothing else, It's been a great tool for sorting accommodations by price/amenities/locations, even if a desired hotel has its own booking site, and I've been able to accrue some special rates/extras over time.

Yes, I was wondering about that myself after watching a RS video. Has anyone been to Lake Como in November and do you think its too chilly for a visit? We are talking about late Oct/early Nov of this year. If it is, I certainly could eliminate it from my itinerary and add another destination.

This is getting harder each day. Now I have discovered that there are no direct flights to Milan in oct/nov except JFK and New Jersey and I am in Maryland. What is the experience with having to change planes and making connections?

evanslaura, it is really no big deal to have a connection. Those of us who have traveled a lot tend do to have certain airports we like to avoid, such as London and Paris. When you book the itinerary, the airline gives you what they call a "legal connection time" -- meaning they expect it a reasonable amount of time to make the connection. You can always choose an itinerary with a longer layover if you are especially nervous about it.
My personal rule is to never have more than one connection, but overall I choose based on the schedule. I tend to avoid making a connection in the US, because I want to get as much of the flight over with as possible.
And since you now know you will need a connection anyway, perhaps you can flight out of BWI and eliminate the need to drive all the way to Dulles or Philly.

Have you checked flying from BWI to Milan? A quick look showed direct flights.

You've gotten really good responses. We like to travel independently and have made several trips to many European destinations on our own. The internet as really made it easy to make arrangements yourself. It takes planning, but for us looking at options making the choices is half the fun. We've never been disappointed. We prefer to stay at agriturismos and B&Bs. Hotels seem cold and indifferent in comparison. We still correspond with some of our hosts.

Since you want to use public transportation, it may take a little more work. Italy has excellent bus and rail transportation, but some of the less traveled and rural areas have limited service.

I'm glad you've decided to either throttle back or add time. We used to try to cram in everything and with this being your first trip, the temptation to do so will be strong. However, over many trips we now lean towards quality instead of quantity. Also, moving from one place to another, especially using public transportation is a major time suck.

Congratulations on your 40th! We just celebrated our 53rd. It started with a high school trip to Europe when Deb was 14 and I was 15. We became close on the trip and on this date, August 10, 1966 we shared our first kiss in Florence, Italy. We've been going steady ever since.

Where are you seeing flights from BWI to Milan?

I’ve never seen that
Quick check on google flights shows only flights with 1 or 2stops

We went to Milan last Sept. We changed planes in Charles de Gaulle Airport. It was fine. It gave us the opportunity of having a coffee. Changing planes is no big deal. There are no direct flights because demand to go to Milan is not high enough.

No direct flights to Milan from Baltimore. It occurs to me to ask another question: if its easier for me to fly direct to Rome, what about this itinerary: Rome, Florence, Verona, and return via Milan? Is that doable in 10 days or so?
Can't tell you how anxiety ridden I am about trying to plan this - I can do a layover but planes are so frequently significantly delayed or cancelled. Also, how long should a layover be to account for flight delays? Many choices either have layovers of 50 minutes or 3+ hours. Didn't seem like great choices to me.

No direct flights to Milan from Baltimore. It occurs to me to ask
another question: if its easier for me to fly direct to Rome, what
about this itinerary: Rome, Florence, Verona, and return via Milan? Is
that doable in 10 days or so? Can't tell you how anxiety ridden I am
about trying to plan this - I can do a layover but planes are so
frequently significantly delayed or cancelled.

Millions of people make connections every day, it is really nothing to be overly concerned about, but yes, if you can fly direct to Rome that would work, if you are limiting it to Rome-Florence-Verona. That way you know at least your starting leg will be fairly straightforward.
If your departure flight is not super early, you can even come from Verona on your last day. And if you are having to connect anyway, check Linate airport as well as Malpensa airport (LIN and MXP), as Linate is much closer to the city.

Have you done a detailed itinerary yet? Nov is getting closer.

You need to do an itinerary on a day-by-day basis. If you want Rome-Florence-Milan, how many nights in Rome? Florence? etc.

You seem overwhelmed with the many things that can go wrong. Here's the skinny, Minnie: Mostly stuff does not go wrong. Connections are not missed - if they were frequently, the airlines would go out of business. Instead of assuming that disasters will occur, simply assume that they will not. Mostly they don't. We've been on 6 trips to Europe since 2011, and one issue arose on one trip. So, we don't worry about disasters. They don't happen.

Laura, I'll just echo the folks above who are advising no big worries about connecting flights.. We've had to make connections many times for destinations to which there are no direct flights from our city (MSP) such as Italy or Belgium, or some domestic locations that only have smaller or regional airports, such as Grand Junction, Colorado or Santa Fe, New Mexico. We've booked them as well when a connecting flight best suited our preferred departure/arrival times and price.

For Europe, we do like to book flights that give us more versus less time to make a connection whenever possible, and which connect through U.S. airports so that we go through immigration at our final destination versus a connecting E.U. airport.

Hey there Laura! Ok, a few things to add- Rome is really it's own, very unique experience. It really needs 3 nights MINIMUM and it sounds like you were only adding it to be able to fly direct? You had a manageable itinerary, what would you skip to add Rome?

Keep it as simple as possible, you really will be fine!! NO 50 minute layovers. a 3 hour layover in Europe isn't a bad idea at all, you won't be as stressed it sounds like.

Just make your bookings to N Italy, multi city, not sure what your final idea was about destinations but seem to recall something like Milan, Verona, Vicenza & Florence. It's a manageable trip! Book into Milan & out of Florence, or vice versa. It's really going to be fine!!!

OK, the dreaded missed flight - Here's what happens if you miss your connecting flight - The airlines has to get you on the next flight! It's just that easy. I seem to recall in the past 10 years of 3x yearly trips with a change inside Europe, I've missed my flight maybe 4x. That's 1.2%!!! Seriously low. Social media makes $$ out of clicks, they exaggerate everything. There will be FAR fewer tourist end Oct, so transits should be easier! How often do you fly? Maybe this is a place to park your overall anxiety about this big anniversary trip? Talk to hubby, work it out, slow down, but book those flights! HA. CONGRATS you've cracked most of the big questions, you can do it!!

To add to what Paul asked about an itinerary. This process keeps me organized:
I do a paper itinerary by day, laying out what I want to see, entrance fees, days closed. I include hotels with addresses and on travel days train numbers, travel times, station (some cities have more than one). I note time to walk/tram/taxi from hotel to train, then to the next hotel. My paper itinerary also includes an "A" list of things I want to see, then a "B" and "C" list if I have free time. Plus I make a note of recommended restaurants.

I also do a "To Do" list by category, eg flights, trains, hotels, sightseeing, so I check off when I have made reservations. This may be a little overkill but I know what I have and haven't done. As I get older I find I can't remember everything. Oh, I also bookmark websites by town as a reference.

Then, I put all the planned information in my phone calendar. That tells me if I overbooked, booked too close together, didn't allow transit time or forgot eating time. By seeing my itinerary on a calendar, I know if it's workable. I also put all the hotels' phone numbers and addresses into my phone's address book just in case I need contact them. And make paper copies of all confirmations and tickets.

This process helps organize my planning and gives me something quick to look at. Just be sure if you change plans, change your calendar. After your trip it gives you a refresher when you're trying to remember where and what you visited. Organization and flexibility are the keys to not being overwhelmed.

Enjoy your trip. You will be fine.

I am carefully reading all your responses - thank you!! - and it has been very helpful. I'm prone to anxiety as I'm sure you can see but your comments and suggestions have alleviated some of my concerns. I'm getting closer to zeroing in on flights and itinerary. Since I'm going to have one stop no matter what airport I choose, I'm feeling pretty comfortable flying out of Baltimore and changing planes in Atlanta. There is a 4 hour layover and a 1 1/2 hour layover - not sure which to pick for my comfort zone since so many flights get significantly delayed nowadays. Flying in and out of Milan is the most economical - I'm going to stick with my original itinerary and save Rome for another time. Milan, Verona, Vincenza are definite. Still trying to decide what to add to that for a comfortable 10 day trip. Maybe Varenna? Florence?

Because I don’t want to have an anxiety meltdown, I’d opt for the 4 hour connection. You are covered if something happens (and have time for snacks and potty break). To me 1 1/2 hours is just too close if there are delays. You’ll lose time deplaning then boarding the next flight. Atlanta airport is too big, even with the tram, if you’re running late and have to sprint to your plane.

We prefer to do the US to Europe leg first so we are in Europe if any problems arise
There are way more options onward if you are already in Europe

If your flight from BWI or Atlanta is delayed or missed you will be stuck in US til the next day
You are also traveling in the wrong direction going from Baltimore to Atlanta

I think I mentioned above we have actually driven to Newark to take a direct flight and you would be about an hour closer than we are
It’s maybe 3 hour drive?

More options for direct to Europe from Newark

There will also be more flights to Europe from Dulles -you may have to change in Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, etc ( United)
But at least you are IN Europe and the airlines will get you to final destination.

Atlanta is one of the busiest airports in the US-if not the busiest, it’s the last place I would want to transfer thru.

Just looking at random dates late Oct-early Nov
I see RT Dulles to Milan thru Frankfurt on Lufthansa/United for less than $700 -that’s a deal!
Return is thru Brussels or Zurich

Ah! Also similar flight from Philly which is a super airport to fly out of-closer than Dulles for you

You are correct - I don't know how I missed that nonstop out of Newark - in looking at so many flight options, I missed that. I certainly could drive (about 3 1/2 hours) or take Amtrak. I've never been to Atlanta airport and didn't know it was a zoo. I heard London Heathrow was a zoo so I was avoiding that. Have you been to the Newark airport for a European trip?

We’ve flown out of Newark several times-most recent was this past April

Amtrak is an option but check the cost and times
The train times never worked out well for us and the cost was comparable to parking at Newark
Plus you’d still have to pay to park at Amtrak -(unless you get dropped off)

If you decide to go from Newark PM me and I’ll give you info on best parking options

On my last trip, I used the tripit travel organizer website. It took all the hotels, flights, etc and put them in one place. It monitored my emails and would ask if it should add something to the itinerary. It seemed to make things a bit simpler.

If you are closer to Dulles, or it's easier to get there, consider going from Dulles to Bologna with a layover in Amsterdam, then an hour (or hour and a half ) train to Verona. It's Delta/KLM airlines (our preference for going to Italy) and the Amsterdam airport is the one we always try to get for a layover.

Bologna to Florence train is less than 40 minutes.

I didn't know which dates to look for for you, but the round trip Dulles to Bologna was $850 for dates in November.

We always choose the 3 to 5 hour layover if we possibly can. And paying just a little more to save time and stress.

November and December are our favorite times to go to Italy, but we don't go to places in Italy that seem more for summer and scenery. This December we are flying into Bologna.

Hour and a half Bologna to Venice by train. Just so you can see what a great transportation hub Bologna is. I'd choose it over Milan any day.

With the short amount of time to plan this trip it is definitely a plus to work with a travel advisor. We used one on our last trip to Italy just because I didn't have the time to devote to planning. But I normally do all my own research.

Yes more money but it will save you in the end of not making costly mistakes. If you can push your time to 14 days---10 is barely enough.

If you do have to connect through Atlanta for any reason just remember---it may be the busiest airport in the world BUT it is also the most efficient. I am fortunate to have it at my fingertips.

Happy Anniversary!!

Milan, Verona, Vincenza are definite. Still trying to decide what to
add to that for a comfortable 10 day trip. Maybe Varenna? Florence?

OK, I'll just throw this out and will cheerfully accept any flying 🍅 pitched from our other friends here if they think I'm all wet. :O)

As this trip is causing you some stress, would it ease some of that if you did almost all of it from a single base, thus reducing the number of hotel changes?

For instance, from a base in Vicenza (note spelling) you could day-trip to Padua/Padova by (cheap!) train in as few as 17 minutes to see the UNESCO mosaic sites. You could day-trip to Verona by train in as little as 26 minutes. Venice? Just 47 minutes away by rail. Brescia? You could be there in just an hour. There are more that I'm sure the other folks can suggest.

But you get the idea? A base would also allow you some flexibility to work around weather and whim. Raining? Choose a sightseeing location with lots of indoor attractions, assuming it's a day they are open. Train tickets can be purchased day of the adventure. Just the above trips to some captivating places would leave you time to explore Vicenza itself, and a city of arrival and/or of departure the day before your flight home, if desired. In other words, there's a number of places you could "taste" from a base if that sort of trip appeals.

IMHO, I'd save Florence for a future trip that includes some of the easily reached Tuscan locations from that city + Rome.

One base means:

One round-trip plane reservations
One hotel or apartment to choose
Only two episodes of lugging luggage onto and off of trains
One check-in
One check-out
One town or city to get to know well

One base is definitely one excellent way to relax and enjoy Italy!

I think 2 or 3 home bases would be best for a 10 day trip? I like not having to change hotels much but one hotel might be risky if you end up not liking it. Perhaps Milan for a few nights and then off to Verona for several nights? Aren't there good day trips from those cities or would I be spending too much time on a train?

I think 2 or 3 home bases would be best for a 10 day trip?

There's a wealth of information on the internet that can help you make a good decision on where you choose to stay. You can see photos of the accommodations and read a number of reviews. Chances are someone on this forum has stayed at places you are considering and can provide you with a first hand experience. I would not base my decision on the fear I might make the wrong choice.

I like Kathy's idea. We went to Europe the first time in 1966 on a high school tour and it was one of those "It's Tuesday, so it must be Belgium" type of trips. We've made several trips to Europe as adults, starting in 2002, either changing locations frequently, as much as every two days to trips where we worked from a home base and unpacked once. Our most recent trips have been using a home base and we've really started to appreciate this method.

As a fun experiment, I suggest you sit down one evening and plan your trip in detail using a location central to where you want to visit. Milan may or may not be that home base. Actually, I'd recommend staying in a smaller town and do Milan as a day trip. Moving from one location to another is a major time suck. You'd probably use at least one day's worth of time in your limited stay just checking out, traveling, then checking in, especially if you stayed in 3 different locations.

I chose Vicenza as a base because it's right in the middle between Verona and Venice, and a very short hop to Padova. Brescia is just an hour away. So, there are [edited] 4 day trips right there from that location can be done in an hour or under, one-way, by rail. Bassano del Grappa is also just about an hour o.w. by train.

Doesn't mean you have to choose the same but a central location was what my pointed little head was thinking.

Milan is an interesting city; worth a night or two if arriving or departing from there if you enjoy what she has to offer. If flying into Milan, you'll be coming into Malpensa airport: it's nearly a hour outside of central Milan by shuttle bus or rail.

I think this is definitely worth considering so thank you. If doing a RT through Milan, I suppose I could save Milan for the end and just hit the train for Verona or Vicenza if I wasn't already exhausted...

Sure, you could do that.
Lotsa possibilities. Padova could be good base too, and under an hour to Verona from there. Matter 'o fact, I'm looking at that one as a base for one of our own future trips.

Just be realisitic with those 10 days, OK? If travel on either or both ends is included in the count, you won't have 10 full sightseeing days. For that you'd need at least 11 nights on the ground in Italy.

@evanslaura, check your messages when you get a minute. :)

Good day,
I did not read your extensive comments so I apologize up front for any redundancies. Being "unseasoned" if nothing to be afraid of, but it is something to be aware of and to plan for. My suggestion is to plan one activity per day. Research your one activity, learn all of the ins and outs, and be sure and enjoy every minute of it. For the remainder of each day, post activity, I would make a point of having nothing planned other than exploring and being open minded. You might choose a different area each day to explore but I wouldn't plan beyond that. I am not certain exactly where you are going but the area between Milan and Venice is great. I have visited there quite a few times and you never run out of things to explore.
You will have a great time.

Hey there, just checking if you booked your airfare?? HA. That's the biggie. I followed @Pam's advice elsewhere about tracking prices on Google Flights, plug in destinations & you can get an email if price changes, but October isn't far away!

I think 2 or 3 home bases would be best for a 10 day trip? I like not having to change hotels much but one hotel might be risky if you end up not liking it. Perhaps Milan for a few nights and then off to Verona for several nights? Aren't there good day trips from those cities or would I be spending too much time on a train?

Once you narrow down your stay (personally I would limit it to MAX 3 hotels but less moving around with just 2), you can do a search on the RS main page, "Forum, (Town Name), Hotel & there will be some great recommendations. GREAT progress!! BTW, day trips can get sorted out along the way, you can rip out bits of the guide book you need & study it on the flight!! HA.

Getting back to the original question,

Should I use a travel agent or is it better to try to do it myself?

The "trouble" with travel agents is that they don't work for free. They want to get paid by someone, and that is usually commissions for booking hotels and train tickets. So they want to sell you a rail pass (instead of cheaper regional passes and discounted tickets) or book you into In-ter-con-ti-nen-tal hotels, which pay them a commission.

Good for them; not so good for you.

I once met a woman who had worked as a "travel advisor" for a company had a "fee based" service. Members paid a flat fee per year, and the advisor would book whatever accommodations and travel tickets the member wanted, regardless of commission, because she was already paid for the service.

Unfortunately, after talking with her for a few minutes, it became obvious that she was not well versed in German Rail tickets or how to get economical accommodations in Germany.

So, if you just happen to think a rail pass is more convenient, or if you want to stay in expensive (luxury) In-ter-con-ti-nen-tal hotels with 24 hr room service and shoeshine machines on every floor, you might as well go with a travel agent. However, if you happen to have limited financial resources and want to spend less per trip so you can go more often or for longer trips, then there is no other way but to make the effort to find out how to DIY.

Yep, I realized that and decided that I would do everything myself. It's a bit short notice but Nov is "off season" so I think finding nice, local, and reasonably priced hotels shouldn't be a problem.

One thing I find helpful in trip planning was using an excel calendar to plot possible itineraries . I figured 14 hours a day not in your hotel. Then I’d note travel time (hotel to hotel) and remaining time for exploring or sightseeing. Moving from one city to another could be 30 minutes from hotel to get on train, possibly more if it’s a big train station, 2 hours on train, then 45 minutes to hotel, checkin, regroup etc.
Decide if you want to spend more time in the place before you leave, or get an early start and have 8 hours in the next destination.

Putting this all on a calendar makes you assess whether you are spending too much time moving from place to place and not enjoying Italy.

I almost exclusively use booking.com for hotels, B&Bs or apartments.

Booked my Flights! Whew. RT nonstop to Milan from Newark International airport (easy to take amtrak to Newark).
Tentative itinerary: Arrive in Milan and head immediately for Lake Como 2 nights; train to Verona for 3 nights (day trip to Vincenza from here); Train to Venice for 3 nights; train from Venice back to Milan for 2 nights then fly home. I added Venice to my itinerary after my sister said it shouldn't be missed. Suggestions for travel insurance would be helpful - Medicare useless overseas. Next step - hotels....

YAY! Well done, especially on getting a direct flight! And frankly figuring all that out would have taken some thought & time whether or not you used a travel agent....

I would stay in Varenna on Lake Como, easy to get in & out, spectacular views! Ask others about Milan, Venice etc for hotel ideas. Always interested in hearing how things work out if you write a travel report after your trip, bon voyage!

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/lago-como

Medicare does have a supplement that covers actual hospital stays overseas, (check with your provider!) but not all the other stuff surrounding an illness, like evacuation insurance, lost bags, etc. I have an annual 'Geotreker Choice' policy, they also have single-trip insurance. As with all insurance, read the fine print.

I think you can get advice from a travel consultant and then make the bookings by yourself. You will likely have to pay for the consultation, but should save more $ down the road.

I subscribe to the following website/newsletter, though I have not hired them for anything. Try to browse their website to see if they offer any service that you desire:
https://italysegreta.com/

Good job booking your flights!!

For Milan hotels, I’ve stayed twice at Hotel Gran Duca di York. (Which I always want to type Duca di Yorka, lol). Exceedingly nice staff. Terrific breakfast. Minutes from the Duomo, right across the street literally from the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana if that’s important to you, and about a 30 minute easy walk to the Last Supper.

The Last Supper is closed on Mondays. Watch their website for when tickets become available if you want to visit. I paid the extra 8E and got the guided tour from the venue and it was excellent.

You’ll want to get your Duomo tickets ahead of time as well but only a couple of days out that time of year.

So glad you are letting us know your progress!

Without knowing what you plan to do in Milan, I wonder if you need two nights there --- one night could be added to any of your other locations. We have spent several one-nights in Milan, including at the Brera hotel near the main train station and at a lovely historic hotel with a nice restaurant near (but not at) the airport with a shuttle to the airport. Milan's airport is quite far from the city, so getting there for your flight is always something to consider, especially if it's a morning flight home.

Yes its a 10am flight so do I need a hotel near the airport or just be sure they have a shuttle? I thought there might be enough to see in Milan for 2 nights?

Not many hotels will have a shuttle from Milan-it’s too far

Take the Malpensa Express train at 6 am should be fine
Takes just about an hour

Hotel in Venice-check Hotel Ala
Perfectly located at a vaporetto stop-no stairs or bridges
It’s a forum favorite and the only place we stay in Venice

Thank you! Always looking for hotel suggestions and thanks as well for the info about getting to the airport. It's those "little" things that I don't know about !

To me there is definitely enough in Milan for 2/nights, 1 full day!!

I made this list for a friend of a friend a few years ago --- I believe that she immediately booked a tour! Does this list help or overwhelm?

An asterisk means it's one of my own interests and I'd be happy to share with you anything I know something about.

Things to think about when planning a trip to Italy

Apartments*, hotels, B&Bs, agriturismi (farm stays)

Architecture*

Art in churches*

Art in art galleries*

Artisans

Base + day trips* vs short stays + traveling between them

Beaches

Castles*

Ceramics*

Churches (Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance*, Baroque)

Cities, towns, countryside

Communication & technology

Cooking classes

Famous sites (Pantheon*), famous things to do (gondola ride), famous things to see (the David)

Festivals (food*, religious, historical)

Food crafting (various cheeses*, balsamic vinegar, meats, wine)

Food markets* (street, indoor, specialty shops)

Gardens

Hiking

History of art classes*

Jet lag (how do you plan to cope with it?)

Kids*

Language classes or tutor

Major tourist sites (strategy for coping with popular places?)

Money & credit cards

Museums* (subjects? major? minor? Need tickets or reservation?)

"Must-sees" vs your own interests*

Music (concerts, church music, opera)

Nights (list your nights in Italy)

Palaces

People-watching

Photography*

Restaurants (street food, fancy, local food)

Reservations & tickets

Ruins* (Greek, Etruscan, Roman)

Scenery (mountains? coast? lakes? orchards? fields? )

Season, weather (heat, rain, cold OK?), what time of year?

Shopping

Special interests* (World War II, truffle-hunting, street art, etc.)

Time (estimate of how long something really takes)

Tours and/or do-it-yourself*

Transportation (walk? train? bus? rent car? private driver? taxi? tour?)

Unique places?* (e.g. Venice, Alberobello, Matera)

Vineyard visiting, wine tasting, wine areas*

That’s a great list Jean
I’d add just one thing -under G

Gelato

Half the fun is planning! Try your hand at it...might be fun!

Whoa! that is a long list lol. Might take me a few days to absorb that! Thanks,.