I am going to be doing a series of blog entries over the
next few weeks on my amazing trip to Italy.
I now know firsthand why you need to visit this wonderful
country!
My first thought is to start at the beginning.
Blog Entry #1 - The planning process
We had the idea of going over to Italy and bringing our
family with us. Everyone said yes to
join us right away but all of us hummed and hawed when we would go, how long we
would stay and what we would do.
I would like to give a few pointers on the decision making
of a trip.
-You, as the host (travel guide) need to set the date and
the length of stay before inviting your family.
-You need to research and get a little idea of what you will
do while visiting and give everyone an idea of what to expect. (Allow me, as your travel expert to help you
find ideas and book your travel for you!)
-Write up a sample itinerary to get them excited about what
they can expect if they choose to go with you.
-Getting everyone’s opinion just leads to chaos and a stressful
planning time.
-Book your flights as far in advance as you can. We were searching for the apartment rental
and time was ticking. Unfortunately, the
prices of flights went up after we booked the apartment.
May I suggest you book flights first, (through me,) and
then find the apartment, there will always be a lot of apartments to choose
from, and their prices are usually the same, (low season pricing and high
season pricing.) but flights change on a daily basis.
(Our flight tickets in June were $1300.00
per person, and when we finally booked them in August, they were $1700.00!
(That’s what happens when you are
waiting for everyone to decide!)
Okay, so we have booked our flights and accommodations and
have given a fun sample itinerary of what we can expect during our
adventure! Now on to the flight…
The Flight
When booking long flight legs, I may have a suggestion, or
two.
-I have an injured back so sitting for as long as we have to
be is stressful knowing my back will cause some pain. I have a physio ball and it literally saves
my pain! It’s a tiny squishy ball and I
can fit it in my carry on (back pack). I
put it behind my back while sitting and it’s like I am getting a massage the
whole way to Rome!
-Get up frequently to stretch (make sure you don’t care what
people think of you putting your leg over your head!) You need to think about how you feel not what
others think.
-Planes can be a little chilly at times so make sure you
pack in layers. Bring socks, a little
blanket, a hoodie, and pillow for the most comfort. (And make sure you have a
hot man sitting next to you to snuggle up with!) If you are still cold, there is not a
problem at all in asking the wonderful flight attendants to create a hot water
bottle for you (usually out of the empty bottled water containers.)
-We prefer to leave Western Canada for overseas at night
time so we can sleep most of the flight.
Save getting used to the other time zones for when you are there. You will be rested for staying alive during
their day and fall asleep at a normal time the first night you are there.
(Coming home is a different story).
There are two ways to fly to help manage your comfort.
-Non Stop Direct Flights
-One to three connecting stops
The nice thing about connections is you get to walk around
at the airport, perhaps have a drink and something to eat.
This was very helpful for us as
we had our elderly parents and antsy young adults travelling with us. It gives the grandparents a chance to
stretch, relax and unwind with a drink and allows the kids to run around buying
gifts and taking silly pictures!
Bring books, puzzles, magazines, crib board, homework – to
keep you busy on the flight!
Nonstop flights are just difficult, unless you can manage to
watch 12 movies as I did on my way to Australia! Anyway, back to Italy…Sam and Hayley saying goodbye...to themselves?
Stay tune for part 2…The Arrival!