Ah Trini Travelogue Trinidad & Tobago's most travelled blogger through 99 countries. Create and Re-Engineer your life for travel.
Hola mi amigas,Well then I think we have the 4 that are going to Italia for 9/10 days.I am pretty sure you all know each other, since everyone has met at one point or another.So tentatively, I am planning the trip from the 17th to 27th of July…. We leave on a Thursday night, because it will be cheaper… call in the sick the Friday JWith a three month window, you have enough time to plan and ask for your time off.I travel with a specific “highlight” itinerary in mind…
http://www.hillmanwonders.com/italy/index.htm
Please see the travel index map there…..now we won’t be able to do all the Gold Wonders (Yellow dots) listed here, but I would like to do as many of them as possible. Beth can tell you from previous travel experience with me, that this won’t be a walk in the park. I sleep very little on the road (wake before dawn or at dawn and sleep by 11 or so, unless we’re drinking…lol, but I try not to drink much on the road, since it kills my traveling…I can drink at home, where time isn’t something to see). However, I am an excellent travel partner, so be prepared and I push the limits, we can sleep on the trains, between cities and when we get there. I have been to Milan and Napoli and Venice years ago… but I would like to do it with my camera and new photoshooting skills.
Personal note here…this trip should work because Beth and I have traveled together, Amanda and Andrea are BFF’s and the BFF’s love me and trust my judgement J Beth is a great traveler, easy personality and makes good decisions and more importantly… GOES WITH THE FLOW … we have no set patterns or itinerary and we have a 9 day Italian Travel pass and if you look at the map below, the BFFs… well I know you girls will go with any flow…but we’ll have dinner etc twice before we all go so I can gauge the group dynamic… and see if there are any issues…. But I am almost 100% sure, everyone will get along….9-10 days is a long time to spend with people who you are not accustomed to spending that time with.
http://www.mapsofworld.com/europe-country-groupings/western-europe-map.jpg
You will see that side trips to Croatia, etc are possible with the Ferries. So a thought to think about J So things to work on from now
- Budget –
- Flight will be about $895 – $1100, unless we get a special discount flight, this is the expected fares.
- Hotels, we can stay at budget hotels or so, but in Europe, you get small rooms, with little amenities…I also have special rates with the Starwood/Marriott/Hyatt chains as you know, however my first travel love is the Starwood
- This is the Italian Index of the hotels… don’t worry about the prices, I get better rates and this is just a rough guide..to help in your travel planning, always better to overbudget expenses than underscope. FYI – I don’t do shared hostels OR open floor hostels. Sharing a room with 3 people in a hostel is hell on earth… I don’t care what people say… those people are hippy, non bathing students … I am not doing that…sounds harsh, but this helps me keep my sanity on the road, anyone have issues with that, should bring that issue up VERY early in the schedule – but from my experience it is better to spend a little more to be very happy than cheap out and be very miserable.
- Visas/Passports – All Canadian residents, have no issues – just make sure you have your passport.
http://www.voyage.gc.ca/dest/report-en.asp?country=136000
See section 4 of the documentA Canadian passport is required for Canadians intending to visit Italy, and it should be valid for at least three months beyond the date of the expected departure from this country.Canadians may be asked to prove the reasons and duration of their stay, as well as proofs of sufficient funds, accommodation and/or a return ticket. Travellers should have more than one source of funds (i.e., cash, traveller’s cheques, credit card, client card with a four or five-digit PIN code).Tourist Visa: Not required (for stays less than 90 days)
Business Visa: Required
Work Visa: Required
Student Visa: Required - Railpasses : http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/eurail_italy_saverpass.htm
Best way to travel…although there was a mixup on my last trip with the saverpasses – so the options for the saverpass… where we all have to travel together or everyone gets their own travel pass are listed… the saver pass saves everyone between $50-$70 per person … since Beth and I will have the same flight plan, because of the possibility that the BFF’s will be there previously a week before… we should discuss the options.Italy Saverpass
| Price List: | ||||
| 1 adult 1st Class |
1 adult 2nd Class |
1 Child 1st Class |
1 Child 2nd Class |
|
|
|
||||
| 3 days in 2 months | $225.00 | $179.00 | $113.00 | $90.00 |
| 4 days in 2 months | $251.00 | $202.00 | $126.00 | $101.00 |
| 5 days in 2 months | $280.00 | $225.00 | $140.00 | $113.00 |
| 6 days in 2 months | $306.00 | $247.00 | $153.00 | $124.00 |
| 7 days in 2 months | $334.00 | $272.00 | $167.00 | $136.00 |
| 8 days in 2 months | $362.00 | $294.00 | $181.00 | $147.00 |
| 9 days in 2 months | $390.00 | $315.00 | $195.00 | $158.00 |
| 10 days in 2 months | $416.00 | $338.00 | $208.00 | $169.00 |
Italy Pass
| Price List: | ||||
| 1 adult 1st Class |
1 adult 2nd Class |
1 Child 1st Class |
1 Child 2nd Class |
|
|
|
||||
| 3 days in 2 months | $265.00 | $211.00 | $133.00 | $106.00 |
| 4 days in 2 months | $296.00 | $239.00 | $148.00 | $120.00 |
| 5 days in 2 months | $329.00 | $265.00 | $165.00 | $133.00 |
| 6 days in 2 months | $360.00 | $291.00 | $180.00 | $146.00 |
| 7 days in 2 months | $391.00 | $318.00 | $196.00 | $159.00 |
| 8 days in 2 months | $424.00 | $345.00 | $212.00 | $173.00 |
| 9 days in 2 months | $456.00 | $371.00 | $228.00 | $186.00 |
| 10 days in 2 months | $489.00 | $397.00 | $245.00 | $199.00 |
| Rail Protection Plan | $12.00 | $12.00 | $12.00 | $12.00 |
