Southern Italian Beach

Ciao Belli,

So you are finally taking the plunge. You are finally going to Europe.

This to many people is akin to planning a young girl’s wedding. It doesn’t happen often, it is expensive, requires lots of planning and has to be PERFECT.

Many of the reasons a trip to Europe or anywhere can end up being even a little bit disappointing is because there is perhaps too much stress and anxiety about it in people’s minds. There are some myths about European travel that can adversely affect your travel pleasure and make you feel ridiculous pressure to make it perfect.

A Trip to Europe Does not Have to Happen Only Once.

Oddly, some people, if they were truthful and were asked after a couple of cocktails might tell you that while more than one wedding per lifetime is a distinct possibility, a trip to Europe happens only once so it had better be good.

This is the exact opposite of the correct way to look at your trip. If you go with this viewpoint, everything becomes way too important. You have to see EVERYTHING because this is your ONE and ONLY chance.

This is a great way to stress everyone out and have a terrible time. You rush from city to city wildly snapping photos so you can enjoy them when you get home. Sometimes you don’t even remember what you saw until you get home and see the photos.

With this particular way of seeing things, your trip is a disappointment no matter what you do or see. And you end up having to take a vacation after your vacation because your time off was so stressful and exhausting.

When starting to plan your trip, take the viewpoint that you will be back. In fact, it might be good to start thinking about your next trip while planning this one.

In any case, going to Europe with the idea that you are not going to ultimately miss out on anything gives control of your trip and your pleasure back to you.

You can choose to linger over a cafe in a beautiful piazza or spend time chatting with the locals. Go ahead! These are the things you most remember later with a smile.

Trevi Fountain

You Don’t Have to Plan it Down to the Last Detail

I know that there are those who have a hard time with this and if you cannot have a good time without doing so, please go ahead. You don’t have to though.

The best trips I have taken have been very open. The only things planned ahead and scheduled were the plane trips and the hotels or B and Bs.

A few Summers ago I traveled to Florence, Italy by myself. My husband met me there after a few days so I had time to do whatever I wanted to. I even wrote an article about travelling alone with more tips.

I had no idea what I wanted to do there except for experience Florence, see some great art and buy some high end leather handbags to sell.

I spent the three days alone riding around on my bike, popping into tiny cafes, delicatessens and pastry shops. I ate dinner on my balcony overlooking the Arno with my dinner in my lap. I sat and watched the lights come up on Brunelleschi’s dome and the high end apartments across the river.

Most of the time I spent just looking and when I saw something I wanted to see more of, I went. It was the best trip I have ever had. I can’t wait to go back.

Everything Does Not Have To Be Perfect

In fact, it is better, sometimes if it is not. You never know what adventures you can have when some bad luck strikes.

Case in point: The first time I visited Italy after we bought our house, I was planning on spending a full day in Rome before catching my plane home the next day. I found out that morning that all of the public transit was on strike (Be aware that “strikes” are planned in advance and this information is made public. I once asked an expat who now lives in Italy what the transit workers were striking about. What were their demands? the answer was that there were no demands, they were just striking. Apparently they all decide they want a day off and they strike. This may or may not be true but I have never gotten a better explanation.)

In any case I was on the outskirts of Rome and I knew taxi fares would be expensive. Instead of being upset, I spent the day beside the pool and started writing my book “Chasing La Bella Vita“. I love this book as it is a taste of Southern Italy and a romance. I might not have ever started it if I had not given up my plans for the day.The book was fresh in my head and I was still under the magical influence of Southern Italy. It was the perfect beginning.

Another case in point was when we got our bags snatched in Rome. (Here is what to do if that happens to you.) Ok, that sucked. But we met some really great police officers, we found out what to do when your passport is stolen and we had a wonderful lunch on the tree lined Via Veneto watching beautifully dressed Italian men and women parade by.

Our plans for the day did not include that area of town and we would have missed it had our bags not been snatched.

My point is, life does not stop when you travel. it goes on and sometimes barriers come up and have to be handled. The overcoming of barriers is what makes it fun.

Air BNB Florence

It Doesn’t Have to be Ruinously Expensive

I have heard about weddings that, because they are being paid for by someone other than the bride (i.e. her father) end up being ridiculously expensive.

Money gets horribly wasted on things that you could have done without and not missed, or done a lot cheaper if you had educated yourself before hand.

The same is true with travel. Here are some money saving tips.

Travel in the off season.

If you travel only in Summer, you hit the crowds and the prices go up tremendously. In travel you have the high season which is Summer, the shoulder season which is the time around April and May before school gets out and right after school is back in in September. Then there is the low season which is normally when the weather is not as good and kids are generally in school.

Many places in Italy get oppressively hot in the high season and it is much nicer to go in the shoulder season. In April and May, in Italy you get some beautiful clear and warm days. Sometimes you get rain but you take an umbrella.
Sightseeing is much more pleasant when you are not sweltering in the heat waiting to make your way to the front of a line or fighting crowds on the metro.

You don’t have to stay in an expensive hotel.

If you are travelling with family, a hotel room can get awfully close. Why not get a great apartment with several rooms and a kitchen for less than the price of a modest hotel room?

Air B and B has sprung up giving travelers a fabulous alternative to spending the earth on hotels.

When I was in Florence, I found an apartment with two bedrooms, two large bathrooms and a good sized living area and kitchen. I paid only $125 per night. This was way less than a high end hotel. I had a balcony overlooking the Arno and a gelato shop down stairs. What more could you want? It could have housed my whole family had they come with me.

You don’t have to take taxis everywhere.

Learning the metro is fun and exciting and a metro card that lasts you all day in Rome is about eight Euros. As in any big city, be particularly aware on the metro and in crowds or train stations as there are thieves who covertly steal your wallet or snatch your bags. Use a cross the body handbag and keep it in front of you while in crowds. Never set your bags down and take your attention off them. They will disappear.

Antipasti Di Stagione

Don’t eat at restaurants near the monuments or tourist areas.

Go a few blocks in. The food is way better and a lot less expensive. You will also get more of a flavor of the city you are in rather than a Disney experience with a lot of other tourists.

Also check out a rosticceria (A place where they roast things). For a few Euros, I bought food that lasted several meals. I had chicken with mushrooms, peas, potato croquettes and desert. I had a fridge thanks to my Air BNB find. And my hostess had left me a bottle of wine. For the price of a meal at a fast food restaurant at an airport (Ew!) I had several meals that were home grown, home cooked and absolutely delicious.

You could spend thousands of extra dollars on taxis, restaurants, and hotels. Instead, do your homework and go on the cheap. You will save money and have a much nicer experience. If you look online, you can find a million ways to expand your experience and save money at the same time. You would be amazed at how little you have to spend.

Happy Kids at Trevi

You don’t have to make everyone happy all the time.

I recently traveled with a friend and her kids. Her son was very picky about what he ate, what he saw, and what he did. She really thought he would have an awful time and it was only the prospect of spending three weeks sweltering at an aunt’s house in LA that he figured the lesser of the evils was to accompany his mom to Southern Italy.

When he got there, he discovered pizza and stromboli. He discovered the beach and the warm water. He discovered the markets and hill towns where he could wander by himself without fear.

His assessment post trip? This was the BEST trip he had ever taken and could not wait to go back.

Before your trip, sit down with those who are accompanying you and find out what is the most important thing they want to see or experience. Then make those things a priority. There are usually one or two things and then you have time to improvise and wander aimlessly.

Let us hope that when you do get married, you do so only once and live happily ever after. Let us also hope that you see that there is no trick to being able to travel often. You just have to get used to the idea and work out some strategies. If you need help contact me. I have a ton of experience and can help you.

Have fun!

Gratuitous photo of my beautiful son

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