So. You’ve finally decided to do it. You are going to take a tour to Italy! But now, you realize: Italy is one of the most complicated places to travel. Italian vacations are complex not because there are no options…but because there are too many options for your vacation to Italy. It is too beautiful, too many places to see, too many things to do, too much food to try. Each village has its own unique Italian cuisine, which is all “authentic” and completely different. Don’t full your self into thinking there is a “best” or “right”, that will depend upon the village or person you are asking. And all of it is too amazing for words. You want to go to the right Italian cities, the right Italian restaurants, buy the right Italian souvenir. So how will you decide from the literally thousands of options? You could simplify and buy an Italian vacation package [as seen on one of our favorite SNL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbwlC2B-BIg A literal MUST WATCH before your trip to Italy]. But how will you NOT end up being one of those sad tourists sardined into a bus and whisked this way and that? Because in all likelihood…you might only come to Italy one time. Right? Follow our tips to make the most out of your Italian Vacation.
- To get the best Italian vacation you will need to decide what is important to you about your trip—what style of Italian tour do you want? Fast paced? Slow paced? A get away to rejuvenate? Or an Italian exploration trip to discover? Do you want to relax at an Italian beach…in an Italian beach town resort? That’s a true Italian vacation. But if you’re not Italian, maybe you’d rather tick off your own bucket list? Explore. See the big three Italian cities: Rome Italy, Florence Italy and Venice Italy? Or maybe you want to shop? Buy up some Italian shoes at a fraction of American marked up prices? See iconic Italian sites? Maybe you’ve traveled a fair bit and want to see Italy off the the beaten path? You want to cycle Italy wine country? I can tell you, I still dream of my bike rides there. Regardless of what you want to do, the MOST important thing is to decide: what will make your trip to Italy your own personal Italian dream.
- Once you’ve decided the pace or theme of your Italian getaway, research your location and events with an open mind. Let’s be realistic. You will never be able to see and do everything at any one Italian city. You could spend an entire month in Rome, Venice or Florence each and not see everything. But if you back off and figure out what you must do at your particular location to satisfy your expectations, you will begin to make that distinction between tourist and traveler. Your trip will become unique. Tourism is often cluttered with many unrelated events checking boxes and running too fast here and there. Not being present is a key characteristic of tourists. You come back from these trips exhausted. Travel is to experience a version of reality at your travel destination that mimics your real life interests. If you enjoy staying in and resting up…don’t be worried about what you might miss. Let it go. Embrace what you can at your pace that makes you happy. There’s a whole magazine that illustrates this point: www.travelandleisure.com . The two go together. You can’t really travel if you’re worrying about what you are missing. You must be present in the moment.
- Use Expedia. Mark up is real. If you can find it on Expedia you are in a good spot. www.expedia.com
- Do your best to travel from location to location on your own. The trains of Italy are amazing. Use the sleeper option to avoid the cost of a night’s hotel and arrive at your destination at 7 am rested and ready to go. They even serve a light breakfast. Getting from place to place as you sleep and avoiding loosing that precious time on a bus…is the best.
- Finally, choose someone to work with that knows Italy from a local perspective but can also anticipate your foreign expectations. I’ve heard so many disgusted tourists frustrated with their local guides lack of “xyz”….you can imagine. And their guide, was likely doing a fantastic job from their own perspective. This is the worst and most common of both worlds. And in Italy you can be assured, their ideas of customer service do not mesh with many US ideas of what you would expect. You can probably figure plenty out on your own and just skip the guide. But it will never be the same as having a local show you the ropes. We’ve done plenty of trips to on our own. One to Morocco: 3/4 on our own and 1/4 guided. The best part? Being with a local. They know so much more about their culture. They can give you insights into their culture and their people in a way that you will carry with you for a lifetime. We of course loved our trip to Morocco. But we will never know what we missed that first week on our own. Spend your precious time in Italy wisely and see what a local trip planner can do for you to make the most of your next Italian vacation. Get the full experience.