What are you doing to get ready?

[Mamadis]

I am a planner. We are going on the Viva Italia tour 5/29 and I have been planning for months. What are you doing to get ready for your ABD trip? I have been researching and reading about the places we are going, trying to learn some Italian,making a packing list( and trying to obtain the items, ie finding the right shoes, bags, perfect travel clothing, etc.),trying to get into better shape,etc. I would love tips and suggestions on what to pack or other things to do to prepare for the trip.We are also taking our three kids 5,8, and 10. Are there things you wish you had brought or not brought? Are there things you would suggest doing ahead of time? Thanks in advance!

 

[Mamadis]

Ok, I'll start
1. Making copies of my passport, travel documents, etc. to put in my bag, just in case.
2. Notifiying my credit card company to let them know we will be out of the country.
3.

 

[whayes]

3. Make copies of Credit/Debit cards just in case they get lost. Also include the phone numbers for contacting your credit card companies from Italy.
4. Contact your bank (if you have a debit card) to make sure you can use the card in Italy. Find out about your daily limit on withdrawals from an ATM.
5. Verify the baggage restrictions for your airline.

I just got back from a Rick Steves travel festival. We learned about traveling in Europe and how to pack light! One thing they said that was pretty funny is that when their groups go to Europe they see people who packed light and those who wished they packed light.

You can probably tell I like Rick Steves. You might check out his website for other helpful information. www.ricksteves.com

 

[eva]

I'm reading Rick's books on Rome and Venice. I picked up his phrase book too. I've been bothering my DH by saying things to him in Italian. Since we are going to WDW in 4 weeks and our DD is getting married in July, I am sure that I will be a bit behind in my planning for our September trip.

Side Note: Coldwater Creek has some unbelievable sales right now on some great travel clothes. I couldn't resist and bought a few things for the trip.

 

[PatriciaH]

Rosetta Stone
Reading travel books
Watching travel shows
Researching on the internet
I have to find some good walking shoes and travel clothing

I am not as into planning this trip as I normally would be because of all the financial stuff going on right now. It is kind of scary. Also our condo is on the market so we are busy with that now.

 

[eva]

Oh yeah! PatriciaH is right about the travel shows. I have seen Samantha Brown in Rome and Venice, Rick Steve's in both plus Florence, and Rudy Maxa in Rome and Tuscany. These are great ways to see what the books are talking about. Be sure to check out TravelChannel.com too. They have a number of great tips and ratings.

 

[Mamadis]

I found some great travel shoes at Macy's. They are the privo spangle. They feel as comfortable as a sneaker, but are cute enough to wear with a skirt. Also, Chico's is having a 30% off sale on their travel clothing line. REI also has some great traveling shoes and their return policy is awesome if you decide you don't like the shoes. I was there last week looking for some shoes and the sales lady said take home the shoes and try them out. If you don't like them just bring them back. I mentioned to her that I had some shoes from there that I had bought 2 years ago and had only worn twice because they didn't fit well. She said bring them back. They gave me full credit for the return even though I bought them 2 years ago and had worn them.

 

[jlou]

I found some great travel shoes at Macy's. They are the privo spangle. They feel as comfortable as a sneaker, but are cute enough to wear with a skirt. Also, Chico's is having a 30% off sale on their travel clothing line. REI also has some great traveling shoes and their return policy is awesome if you decide you don't like the shoes. I was there last week looking for some shoes and the sales lady said take home the shoes and try them out. If you don't like them just bring them back. I mentioned to her that I had some shoes from there that I had bought 2 years ago and had only worn twice because they didn't fit well. She said bring them back. They gave me full credit for the return even though I bought them 2 years ago and had worn them.

Question about the privos. Do you wear this kind of shoe with no socks? It seems like all the cute shoes you see would look silly with socks. I am used to wearing socks, but just bought a pair of mary jane type sneakers, which again, would look funny with socks. Do you plan to use these as your walking shoes? I'm thinking that I do enough walking in the summer months in sandals that I'd be ok, but I've never gone on a European tour, so maybe some would think I'm crazy to think I can go all day in a pair of sneakers with no socks.

eta: the privos look adorable.

 

[Mamadis]

Thanks. I like the feel of socks too, so I wear a peds type sock. I think they are called low cut liners. I have bought them at department stores, but I think you might be able to get them at either Target or Walmart too.The ones I bought at the department store seem to be lower cut so you can't see them when you have the shoe on.

 

[PatriciaH]

I will check out the shoes. We used to love REI when we lived in MA.

 

[Mamadis]

We are adding a few days onto the front end of our trip and the trip advisor forums have been a great resource if you are looking for advice on specific towns like restaurant recommendations and for things to do on your down time. here is the link www.tripadvisor.com

 

[Beth]

I wish I was getting ready to go.... but I do have a suggestion for those of you who are!

With the crummy conversion rate right now... when you call your bank to give them your travel dates - so that you'll be okay with your debit card - you may want to ask them if they can temporarily "bump" the daily cash withdrawal limit on your card.

$300/day won't get you many €'s....

I actually work for my bank - so I didn't have a problem. I actually called them up on my cell phone while I was standing at the ATM... and they fixed it for me immediately.... but I'm not sure how flexible other institutions may be...

HTH - wish I was going with you all... ABD Rocks!!!

 

[3pirates]

Hi MamaDis!!!

I'm trying to get myself ready. Just now getting to the point where I can thing about our upcoming trip! My favorite walking around shoes are made by a company called Mephisto. They are expensive, but I learned a few years ago when I had an injury that sometimes it is worth it to have the best.

I did buy new sandals...two pairs...that are supposed to be good for walking around in. Other than that, I'm looking forward to learning more about the cities we will visit. I can't believe it is coming up any day! We leave May 28...yep, less than two months away now!!

 

[Mamadis]

Hello 3P,

I am getting so excited I can barely stand it. We leave 5/25. We are going to go to Sorrento for a few days before the tour starts and tour the Amalfi Coast and Capri on our own so the kids can get used to things at a little slower pace before we go full force. I have been trying to get things for the kids to do during the travel times. What does your youngest son like to do and can see if I can pick up some extras for him too when I get my kids stuff since my older son is about the same age.I remember reading on the DIS that there is another couple going on the same tour as ours, but I can't remeber where I saw the post, did you see it? I will try to PM you, but I haven't really done that yet so let me know if you don't get a PM.

 

[3pirates]

Hello 3P,

I am getting so excited I can barely stand it. We leave 5/25. We are going to go to Sorrento for a few days before the tour starts and tour the Amalfi Coast and Capri on our own so the kids can get used to things at a little slower pace before we go full force. I have been trying to get things for the kids to do during the travel times. What does your youngest son like to do and can see if I can pick up some extras for him too when I get my kids stuff since my older son is about the same age.I remember reading on the DIS that there is another couple going on the same tour as ours, but I can't remeber where I saw the post, did you see it? I will try to PM you, but I haven't really done that yet so let me know if you don't get a PM.

I did get (and answered!) the PM. It is so sweet of you to offer to have things for my youngest. When we travel, he likes to have a book, but there is no particular series he is into so it makes it tough. He will have an IPOD, I'm sure. He just bought a Sudoku book but only worked one puzzle so I'm not really sure if he likes them or not. He tends to follow the leads of his older brothers. I'm hoping he'll sleep some, I may try to interest him in books about the area, and other than that...I dunno! Wow, the whole thing is coming up SO quickly!

 

[redzinner]

With the crummy conversion rate right now... when you call your bank to give them your travel dates - so that you'll be okay with your debit card - you may want to ask them if they can temporarily "bump" the daily cash withdrawal limit on your card.

$300/day won't get you many €'s....

I actually work for my bank - so I didn't have a problem. I actually called them up on my cell phone while I was standing at the ATM... and they fixed it for me immediately.... but I'm not sure how flexible other institutions may be...

Beth thanks for the hint about 'bumping' up the limit.

 

[redzinner]

In case anyone is interested there is a free Rick Steves podcast for download on iTunes. It is essentially a self-guided walking tour of several sites in Italy; St. Mark's Basilica and Grand Canal in Venice, Uffizi in Florence and the Colosseum, Sistine Chapel, Pantheon, etc in Rome.