Using RS travel consultants?

Absolutely make advance reservations once you have studied and planned. You have plenty of time to read the book and peruse every thread on this forum and on others because, at the beginning, "you don't know what you don't know". Over time, all of the information will start to "settle out" in layers and you will be able, with confidence, to make choices about what is important to include, or less so, and can start mapping out your itinerary and firming up your budget for accomodations and excursions, tours, or entrance tickets/passes. It is overwhelming at the beginning, but the more you read and correspond on the forums, the more savvy you will become.

I would suggest reading up on this forum and the TA forums. You'll find answers to a lot of your questions and will be able to plan the exact vacation you want to take. Booking hotels and arranging transportation is very easy to do. Thousands of people do it every day and come back to tell us of their wonderful vacation. The first thing you need to do is decide on which cities that you want to see. After that, it's all very easy. I would suggest the big 3- Rome, Florence and Venice. Three weeks will give you plenty of time to explore these cities and the surrounding towns. Donna

Hi Lisa. Is this your first time traveling to Italy? I agree with Donna about planning your trip around the "big three" - since you have the time, I'd say at least 3 days in Venice, 4 in Florence, and 5 in Rome. If you plan to take daytrips from these cities, build those into your city stays (i.e. 4 days in Florence + 2 daytrips = 6 "days" in Florence, or 7 nights. How many full days will you be on the ground in Italy? Is it 21 full days, or 19 full days plus 2 days of international travel? This will help you determine how much time you have for stays in cities and travel between cities. You can't see all of Italy in 3 weeks but you can see a lot without feeling rushed.

It sounds as if you're saying that you have two choices: 1. Use the consultants or 2. Go without reservations. As pointed out, you're certainly capable of making reservations yourself, using the RS book and all the contact info in there. That said, I would encourage you to use the consultants to help demystify the process. It sounds like a little bit of hand-holding might be appreciated by you, understandably. Happy travels.

Read the book. Study the book. Tear out the sections that apply and carry that section with you during the day. Read here and ask questions. Book your hotels ASAP from the book, they fill up fast. Canceling a hotel ahead of time is easy, getting a reservation is not. Start booking now and change your mind later if you want, it's usually a 48 hour or 7 days tops to cancel. Minimize travel days. End with at least five full days in Rome. Use the guide for restaurants as you go, you'll eat well. Be your own tour guide using the book. You'll meet others doing the same and feel like you are in a traveling club.

Since you are going in March you will certainly have the freedom to choose some of your hotels along the way. If you are looking for some sense of order to your trip, then make some plans for the big cities and leave the rest to chance. Are you flying out of Rome? If so, I would land in Rome and take a train immediately to Florence, spend a few days there, then pick up a car and explore the Tuscan countryside for a few more days. There are lots of villages and hotels and you certainly can find something at that time of year. I would then drive to Venice, making stops along the way and leave the car there. Explore Venice (make reservations for a hotel here) and take a train back to Rome and finish up there (with hotel reservations) If it were me I would spend the most time exploring Tuscany, including Pisa and Lucca. You can also take a day trip to Cinque Terre from La Spezia as it will be cold then, but you can still see the beauty of these towns and the Mediterranean Sea. I am not a big city person so 2 full days in Florence and 3 in Rome are enough for me. I would spend more time in Venice and take a day trip to Burano, but the car in Tuscany allows you the freedom to find lots of little towns on your own. They are all wonderful!

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. To answer some of the questions... We are flying in to and back out of Rome and will be in the country 21 days (not counting flight time). I can't imagine being able to go back again, which is why I planned the stay for so long, so I want to see as much as possible while there. I've only made it through the Venice section of the book, but have 7+ months to study the rest. The info sent is greatly appreciated. =)

I used the consultants to help with transportation and they were able to find easier pathways and the money saved paid for the call. This was after I had read and visited web-sites. It is very efficient and costs less than a meal. They can even weigh in on whether you need advance reservations - differs by where and when.