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Rome to Venice with

Hi,
Our family just booked a Europe cruise for our parent's 50th anniversary for the end of May this year.
It ends in Rome. From there we are trying to get them to a small town of my father's ancestry outside of Venice, ( Rauscedo if anone's ever heard of it...).

That said, we booked a Ryan Air flight to Venice and just found out about the very restrictive baggage allownces on such domestic flghts of usually around 30kg total and only a few bags.

Since their cruise is approx 12 days and they are older, they will have a lot of baggage, prob at least 2-3 med to large suitcases each and a max weight of between 20 to 50 lbs( 9-22 kgs?)each.
I cannot seem to find a domsetic flight that would let them take anywhere near that much baggage. Even if they were able to cut that down a bit it would still be way over the limits and/or very expensive.

What are their choices? Are there any airlines that allow a lot of baggage?

I've been readung about tain travel, but I cannot find any information on baggage restrictions for train travel.
Will they have the same issue if going by train?

Another key facor is that we need to keep their arrangements as simple as possible as they are in their mid 70's traveling alone, ( we could not afford to go with them ) and have never been to Europe, (a recipe for disaster in many ways I know! ).

Any recommendations / options for teravel ( other than telling them not to take so much stuff ) would be very much appreciated!

Nick

Posted by
505 posts

Greetings!

For the major airlines, within Europe you are generally allowed 20kg per person. Ryan Air allows you 3 bags with a TOTAL of 15kg.

However, you have to pay to check in at the counter (which you must do to check bags) and you have to pay a fee for EACH bag that you check, whether or not you are over the limit. Anything over the limit is charged by the kg, and it can be a good $25 or more per kg.

If the suitcases are large, they're probably 15-20kg each, not total. So you are looking at a very expensive trip.

Trains don't usually have luggage limits though sometimes limited storage space, but if your parents are older, lugging around lots of suitcases could be a hassle and make them targets for pickpockets/thieves especially in a busy station like the one in Rome.

They may either really need to pack lighter. Or if they are flying in and out of Rome, find a hotel or locker/left luggage at airport/train station where they can leave luggage whilst they are in Venice.

Posted by
505 posts

One more point...

With my medium suitcases, even without heavy items, it's generally at least 13-15kg each, so I can see three medium to large bags being 20kg (~50lbs) total.

For ten days, especially in late spring/early summer, you shouldn't need that many clothes. The cruise should have some sort of laundry or a hotel they are staying in...

Kate

Posted by
3 posts

Oh, I failed to mention the Rome to Venice ( to get to Rauscedo as the final destination) is one way. They will not fly back to Rome, just home to the US from MarcoPolo Airport I believe.

Posted by
6898 posts

Note that RyanAir does not fly into Venice. It flys into Treviso which is about 40 minutes away by train. Also, RyanAir does not depart from Rome's FCO airport. It departs from Rome-Ciampino. You'll need to adjust to get to the RyanAir airports.

Note also that the inexpensive airlines (RyanAir, EasyJet, etc.) have steep charges for additional baggage. Below is information directly from the www.ryanair.com website.

''Any passenger exceeding their 15kg personal checked baggage allowance will be charged for the excess at the currently applicable rate of £7.50/€10.00 per kilo (or local currency equivalent).'' That's a killer charge.

Posted by
6898 posts

As for train travel, there's really no limit. I've seen traveler's with 2 large rollers each. The difficulty is getting it on and off the train as others are attempting to get on and off. Not a problem at Rome or Venice. You can arrive a bit early and take your time getting on the train.

A Eurostar from Rome to Venice takes about 4.5hrs and is very scenic. All have luggage racks over the seats. You just have be able to lift them up and down. Also, on the Eurostars, there is space between the seats (they are back-to-back) to place a 20"-22" roller bag. All very easy.

CLICK HERE to see a sample train schedule.

Posted by
215 posts

We went via train from Rome to Venice last summer.
There is no limit on baggage, but you must lift them
into overhead bins. Be aware there are many scam
artists posing as train officials in Rome terminal
who will help with bags then charge an exhorbitant
fee. These guys wear official looking blue uniforms
that are slightly different from the real thing.

Posted by
712 posts

I would try not to take so much luggage. This past Sept. I had one roll on bag and a carry on, and it was still a hassle lifting them, etc. They should plan on having their laundry done on the ship or at a hotel, as someone else suggested. We did that half way though our trip. My sister cruised last year on the Queen Mary 2 and said there was a place to do laundry or they could do it for her. Check with their cruise ship to see what is available.

Posted by
842 posts

So.........when they reach Rome arrange for them to ship all of their luggage home, except for ONE bag each that they will take to Venice. (they should have no problem geeting rid of all that junk that they used on the cruise. If need be, teach them how to pack that single bag the Rick Steves way; only the necessities. And make sure that it is a light bag! Get them a copy of Rick's "Europe thru the Bookdoor", and "Italy", and make sure that they read them!)

Since Ryan Air is going to be a big hassle for them, book them flights on Air One, another lo-cost carrier, or check Lufthansa's web site. They also have some good prices for this trip, but the price will be a little more.

If this is their 1st trip, don't expose them to the Ryan air hassle. We are in our 60's and love Ryan Air, but for their 1st trip to EU, try to keep the trip a "KISS" trip (keep it simple...you fill in the last word!)

And make sure that you help make their airport connections.

Posted by
2030 posts

I agree with Steve above. Ship the cruise clothes home and go with one bag to Venice. Taking an inter-European flight or train trip with more than one carry-on bag is a real hassle. I am younger than your parents and can't imagine negotiating multiple bags or one big heavy one on a train. Lots of lifting is involved, and space is tight. They need to travel light when they hit land.

Posted by
3 posts

Thanks for all the information.
With regard to shipping baggage home, I'd thought about that too but when I checked the UPS site, even for slow shipping, the cost looked like it would be around $500! Am I missing something here? Also, can you just ship the suitcase locked up as-is or would they have to somehow box it up??