How to plan an independent tour to Europe (Rome, Florence and Venice) for Cheap!

March 2011 was my first trip to Italy for 10 days. It was a wonderful trip and the experience was amazing, something that I definitely would do again with some modifications, I will include the details below.

I have wanted to go to Europe ever since I was 10 years old and I have been told over the years how expensive it was and how really bad things can happen to you if you don't know the country and its culture. So with that said, I began my research of Italy with the following criteria’s: cost, weather, culture, language, food, public transportation, popular sites, safety, exchange rates, U.S banks available in Europe, ATM, and finally, the cost of everything mentioned above.

First, I had to decide where I wanted to go in Italy, how long, and when. I goggled and discovered that the cheapest and least crowded time to travel was November - March.

When: March

Second, I wanted to know where in Italy and who should I book my trip through. I googled "Italy tours" and reviewed a couple of pre-planned tours on some of these tour guide sites (affordable tours, Globus, Trafalgar) but the prices were so expensive especially with the tours and meals included, so I looked into Independent packages where you get some bus tours but they would drop you off and let you tour yourself in pre-selected destinations, a bit more reasonable costing about $2000 for land only, for 10 days with hotels, breakfast and buses. Still I thought this is too much and continue on my search. I wanted to spend less than $1000 for hotels, transportations, land and air. After looking at every single tour group, I finally came across Gate1 on affordable tours website, I saw the pricing on there and as a rule of thumb, its best to go to the actual tour site for a better deal. I went on Gate1Travel and found 10 days independent tour for $599 - included hotels, rails and breakfast every morning, with flights it was $1099. I was ecstatic, in my mind; I am thinking what the catch is? I started looking into it and the catch was these flights were only out of NYC, flights from other cities would be additional costs. So I started my search for separate flights (initially to fly into Rome and fly out of Venice) using Orbitz which turned out to be a deal also with a caveat that flights would come in a day earlier or later, which at the time, I didn't really think to book an additional day at Rome or Venice, looking back that would been a better way to go...so I looked at just connecting flights to NYC from Tampa but ultimately decided to use Gate1Travel for ease. I booked the package deal so that the connecting flights would be timely. It ended up costing about $1300 for flights, hotels, rail passes, and breakfast daily, which was a phenomenal price.

Where: Rome, Florence, Venice

(note: a good trick to getting a better rate when looking on websites that are middle men for other tour sites, is to actually go to their site, this applies to finding good deals for flights also, for example: Orbitz or Travelocity - once you see the lowest flights rate, go to the actual airline's website, it is usually cheaper by $20-$50 and you may even get a better flight time...this is best for those who do not want to do connecting flights or travelling to multiple locations).

Company to book tour: Gate1Travel.com

Third, I wanted to learn everything I could as previous mentioned above. So my research tools included: the obvious, the internet, bookstore, and finally the local libraries.

1.     Internet: Weather, exchange rates, people's experiences, crimes, etc.

2.     Bookstore: I started of by going to the bookstore a couple of hours one weekend, I wrote down a list of books that I thought would be helpful after cross referencing other books available. Some of the books I used were: (note:I am listing the prices so you can see how expensive these books are and why I made a list) Frommer's Italy day by day - $29.95, Frommer's Rome day by day - $29.95, Frommer's Florence & Tuscany day by day - $29.95, Frommer's Venice day by day - $29.95, Conversational Italian in 7 days - $7.95 (which I ended up buying)....

3.     Library: I went home and logged into my local library's website and reserved these books. Now most libraries allow for books to be checked out for 2-3 weeks at time and you can go online and reserve them longer when your time is near expiration. So now, I have these books for research at my own leisure time rather than sitting in a bookstore for multiple weekends, I can read these books at work, during lunch time, on an elliptical at the gym...I would keep a small post-it pad with me at all times in case I wanted to mark the page(s) for later. After a couple days, I had an outline of my itinerary for my trip. I will be including snippets of my day by day itinerary below and what I did to reduce the cost.

So the itinerary included 2 days of travel time, 3 days Rome, 3 days Florence, and 2 days Venice.

Day 1 - Arriving in Rome

6:00 am: Arriving at Fiumicino (Leonardo da Vinci) - Rome's airport

• After customs and gathering of baggage
• Signs will direct you to the trains (treni)
• Buy tickets for a local train and the Metro
• Getting from Metro to Hotel
  Transportation: Buses / Metro Passes: Getting around Rome for Cheap!!

1.     Getting from Rome Airport to Hotel: look for signs of "Treni" - train station bought a "biglietto" is a train ticket (approximately 11 euros) at the airport to go into Roma Termini to catch the Metro line A to the hotel.

2.     Getting metro pass to go from Roma Termini to hotel. I bought Metro ticket good for 3 days - Biglietto per 3 giorni B.T.I. ( 3-days tourist integrated ticket) Price: 11,00 Euros, which were good on buses as well as Metro.

Popular Sites, Museums, Baths:

• Sites I used for info: http://www.rome.info (the price on this site seems to slightly outdated for some things but I still thought it was one of the better sites for actual information about rome), http://www.vatican.va/ (this site is accurate, pricing,etc.)

Traveling to Europe (Italy) - The Checklist!!!

Traveling to Europe (Italy) - The Checklist!!!

What to do before you leave for your trip to Europe:

1.  Notify your bank and request a list of locations that will have ATMs.

Why? to avoid having your credit card and ATM card deactivated and your funds cut off while you are in a foreign country.

In my case, I found that Bank of America (BoA) is a member of the Global ATM Alliance (GAA). The GAA is a group of financial institutions that have created the world's first international ATM Alliance. Which means, when I am using my Debit Card or ATM card I will not get ATM operator fees or Non-Bank of America International ATM Fee. Typical ATM charges runs from 3%-5%(surcharge +/- fees for conversion) of the amount that you are withdrawing. Check to see if your bank is part of this GAA and locate them ahead of time. If you have BoA, Roma Termini has an ATM, I saw it only after I had paid this 5% fee using another ATM.

This is the link to the banking institution that is a part of GAA in Italy for BoA. http://www.bnl.it/wps/portal



• Discover Card is one that is now accepted in some stores in Italy currently, you will need to contact discover card.
• Amex can be used and there is a 3% fee in Italy.
• Mastercard/Visa can be used as well with a 3% fee.

See my blog on debit cards and credit cards overseas




2. Get some Euros upon arriving in Italy, either at the Airport or at the Train station, research shown that the best way to get the best exchange rate is to use debit card at an ATM or go to a bank (in Rome - Roma Termini has ATMs, reference the blog about ATMs, debit cards and creditcards overseas to get details about how much popular banks charge for using their ATM/Debit Card overseas).

3. Make copies of your passport, give copies to a close friend or family, take a couple copies with you on the trip and keep one in the safe and one in your ankle belt / money belt See my blog for What to pack for your trip to Italy.

4. Have a second wallet where you will keep your daily spending, the one that people will see. Keep your bank card in the ankle belt or a money belt.

5. A money belt - this is where you keep your non-spending money as a backup in case your secondary wallet is stolen.

6. Get a guide book with a detached map from your local library - I recommend getting a Frommer's Day by Day (for the city you are going to), this way you can avoid taking expensive local tours. See my blog for Things to do in Rome for cheap and on a budget.

7. Get a US to European outlet converter.  I suggest getting it either at Marshalls, TJMaxx, RadioShack or Amazon.com - its about .56 cents to $4.00 with shipping.  If you get it at the airport, it is $20 or more.

8.  An extended battery for your phone if you are planning on using your phone in Europe.

If you are planning to purchase what you need before your trip, you can save through Online Shopping and get a percentage back through Ebates

How does it work?

You register through Ebates and select the shop you want to purchase from Orbitz (10.5%) to Amazon (%5 back) to Macys(5% back) to Nordstrom(5% back) to Sephora (8% back)and much more, this could be higher or lower, depending on the month.

What to DO and NOT to do while you are in Europe:

9. Don't depend on cell phone as a GPS (assisted gps is not accurate) if you do not have a cell signal or data plan while in Europe.

10. Validate your rail passes before boarding the rail to go to the next city, we saw a group of Americans that did not have their tickets validated at the automated ticket booth and were fined 50 euros per person (I think they negotiated for 125 euros for the group of four as they did not have that much cash on them...so if this happens to you, negotiate for less or hide your cash in your other wallet and offer to pay in credit, which they will not take. I went on a tour in Florence with a college girl and she ended up paying 10 euros b/c that was all she had in cash)...Note: They only start checking once the train is already on route...so its not like they can kick you off the train.

11. If you get lost, get help from officials (policemen, restaurant owners, barista, avoid asking random folks on the street) and do not follow anyone anywhere.

12. Do drink from those "Nasoni" translates to big noses, available everywhere in Rome and save yourself a few bucks.

13. Learn the bus routes if you can prior if you can find information.  You can also reference my blog about Getting around Rome for cheap.

Traveling to Vietnam

Vietnam: A little history, outcome of the War and how children of the War were treated in Vietnam.

This excerpt I am including here came from the PACIFIC RIM LAW & POLICY JOURNAL.

In Vietnam, as in other Asian cultures, the father plays a significant role in a child’s development. A Vietnamese child derives its sense of personal identify, nationality, and race from its father. Because the American fathers of Amerasian children cannot perform the traditional Vietnamese paternal duties, the Vietnamese exclude Amerasians from the mainstream of their society. In Vietnam an illegitimate child does not legally exist because he or she is not a Vietnamese citizen.

Most homogenous Asian cultures disdain racial impurity. Because the Vietnamese tend to regard the physical features of their people as symbolic of their national identity, many Vietnamese associate Amerasians with the dilution of their national character. This phenomenon largely explains the harsh treatment of Amerasians in Vietnam. In Vietnamese society, Amerasians lack basic rights, live in the squalor of poverty, and are deprived of a solid sense of identity. Most face a daily barrage of racial slurs. Furthermore, Vietnamese-Amerasians typically are outcasts and excluded from full participation in education, marriage, and employment".

Some interesting reading about Vietnam

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/Children-of-the-Dust.html

Vietnam is also safer and tourism has increased dramatically over the years, according to http://www.vietnamtourism.gov/, tourism has increased by 63% since 1999, with the most visitors from China, South Korea, Japan and coming in 4th, United States.

Traveling to Vietnam

I have been to Vietnam a total of 3 times for a minimum of 10 days and up to 15 days. I would recommend at least two weeks for the full experience and also because flights are not cheap, you are travelling 8,400+ miles, flying for about 15-24 hours depending on how many connections and what airline(s) you are using and where you are traveling from within the States.  If you are on the West Coast, you will be saving some time as most flights are connected in LAX.

Asian Airlines

I have flown on the following airlines: Korean, Malaysian, and Cathay Pacific. My favorite is Malaysian Airlines. Malaysian Airlines had the best food selection, drinks, desserts, movies, games, comfort, and flight accessories (I got a little bag with toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, eye mask). Korean Airlines had really good food but much more limited, not to the extent that Malaysian Airlines did, less variety and they were not serving as often but still highly recommended if you don't need a lot of variety and don't eat as often as I do, if you are a foodie, these airlines will give you  variety and a pre-asia vacation experience.

As for Cathay Pacific, I was not impressed, food was mediocre, and entertainment was poor.

One of the things I really enjoy in addition to going to traveling to Vietnam, is the flight to Vietnam, all the movies I can catch up on, especially new releases that haven't even made it out to blockbuster, playing all the cool new games, eat interesting foods and drinks.  In addition to all that, Malaysian and Korean Airlines treated me like I was sitting in first class.  And it is important to have a good experience especially when you are flying over 8K miles.

Using a Travel Agency or website for booking?

Now a little background on this, my mom had been to Vietnam two other times prior to me going and each time she would use some Asian Travel Agency in D.C., her tickets typically ranges from $950- $1200.

Prior to my trip, I decided to do some digging on airlines and pricing, just to see if I can find a better deal. I was surfing all the known traveling sites (Expedia, Orbitz, Cheap, Travelocity, Malaysian Airlines main site, Korean Airlines main site, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, you name it and I surfed it). And all these were ranging from $1600+ with 2+ connections; however these were with US Airways, United, American Airlines, Continental, etc. I have flown to Paris on Continental before and the food & drinks, etc. were quiet limited. My mom had mentioned that she flew on Korean and Malaysian Airlines and the food, drinks, desserts, entertainment were phenomenal. Finally, I looked up a couple of Asian Travel Agencies in my area, at the time Philadelphia. I had the Asian Travel agencies get me some quotes, and to my surprise, each of these Asian Travel agencies had better pricing than other those sites, with 3 connections as I was coming from the East Coast. Now you may ask how much? Our flights were $900 (the quoted pricing from others were in the same ball park with the highest being $980. The price also included expediting our Visas. Vietnam requires that you have a Visa in addition to your passport.

TIPS:

Call some Asian Travel Agencies and you will get the best rate, do not use the online sites mainly because of pricing and also because you will be flying with American Airlines or US Airways or United, it is not the same experience as being on an actual Asian Airline. You are going to Asia, start your experience as early as possible and on top of that, you will save money and get treated like you are in first class.

Where to go and what to do in Vietnam...to be continued...

 

Cruising - What to expect on a cruise for those newbies!

What to expect on a cruise for those newbies!

I will be specifically giving you my experiences on these three cruise lines: Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line.

Carnival Cruise Lines are known as the fun ships as they are have much more interesting planned events in the evening than the other 2 ships, late night adult only comedy shows, vegas style shows (no, not nudity but slightly more risque type costumes, pg18 would be a more accurate description).

Norwegian Cruise Lines are known for their freestyle dinning, which means you can eat at any time you want without a schedule than that of Carnival and Royal Caribbean have set in place.  I would recommend this if you are a foodie and just want to do your own thing and just want to relax.  The food choices are much better on NCL than the other two. 

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines are known to be more expensive and the ships are a bit more impressive than both Carnival and Norwegian in that Royal Caribbean would have their are themes throughout the ship such as a Central Park in the middle of ship, the main area of the ship is set up in a way where it feels like you are in the middle of a mall, they also have british pubs, johny rockets, rock climbing wall, a more luxurious setup gym and spa, an adult only pool which looks like you are in Rome.  With that said, Royal Caribbean will always be more expensive than Carnival and NCL. 

Cruising with any cruise lines will have all inclusive food with the exception of these coffee stands where you will need to pay for cappucinos, lattes and sweets (this is a new thing they started doing in the last 2 years), however, you can always go to the food deck and get them for free (the sweets not the cappucinos and lattes).

Drinks: Juices are included, Sodas are extra, you can either pay for it by the can or get a soda card for the duration of your stay on the ship, it is about $50 for 3 nights on Carnival, these details can be found on the Cruise Ship websites as well (Carnival.com, RoyalCaribbean.com, NCL.com).

Royal Caribbean Soda card plan:

Q:	How am I identified as having purchased the Fountain Soda package?
A:	A complimentary Coca-Cola® souvenir cup will be delivered to your stateroom. Upon embarkation, an icon will be placed on your SeaPass Card which indicates your participation in the unlimited fountain soda package.

Pre-planned activities on Carnival and Royal Caribbean, trivia contests, kids camp, couples games, bingo, hairy chest contest at the pool, mixology contest, cards, poker tournaments, tea time for those who enjoys a conversation over piano music and delicious pastries (e.g., scones, cakes, cucumber sandwiches, smoked salmon, and more).  Nightly vegas style shows (on the Carnival Cruise Ships, Royal Caribbean is a bit more family style), family comedy time and adult comedy time at midnight (again, the adult comedy is on Carnival, Royal Caribbean is more family style), karaoke, night club, casino, midbight buffet, miniature golf, shuffle board.

Cruising is really perfect for an entire family, there are activities for all ages, even for folks with kids. Carnival cruise line have a kids camp carnival, there is something similar on the Royal Caribbean as well (so you can leave your kids with the cruise staff as there are plenty of activities for them to enjoy while you go to the spa or sit by the pool or have a couple of cocktails or test your luck at the casino). 

Cost of a 4 days cruise is typically $280 - $350 for an inside room or for less, try a bunk bed inside room that has a pretty decent layout (I was really surprised), I would recommend this if you want to cruise ultra cheap, I typically do not spend that much time in the room on a 3-5 nights cruise but if you are going for 7 days or  more, I would recommend getting a balcony room.  Nevertheless, a weekend of eating out for two would cost the same and comparable to a nice 4 stars restaurant as going on a cruise for 3-5 nights.

Alchohol is not included, you can bring 1 bottle of wine on board per person and drink in your room or pour it and walk around the ship or if you want them to serve it to you at dinner, a corkage fee of $10 for Carnival Cruise lines,$15 with NCL, $25 for Royal Caribbean Cruise lines, (you can also search on the particular cruise line for pricing) will be charged to your sail and sign card (which is a card that you should keep very close to you as it acts as your credit card on the ship, this card is tied to either a credit card that you registered upon coming on the ship or if you opted to pay in cash upon coming on ship) and they will store it for you until your next dinner.  If you want to save some money, then just pour yourself a big glass and bring it with you for dinner.  No one will question it as you could have gotten from the bar before coming to dinner, so this is not something you need to worry about.

Additionally, if you wanted to bring 2 bottles per person, I would suggest leaving one bottle in your checked in bag and carrying one on with you (so if there are 2 of you, put one in each of your bag, make sure your bags are not labeled with the same name, otherwise your bottles will be taken or if you checked both bottles in the same bag, they will keep both bottles till your last night on the ship before returning).  So keep them in separate bags with separate names (doesn't matter if you have the same last name, as long as your first name is different).

Purchasing alcohol at port or on ship.

As soon as you board the ship, you will see that they have all these liquor tasting on their itinerary and you can buy them for half the price of what you will see in our stores, (for example: 2 bottles of Crown is $35), however, you will not get these bottles until the last night of your cruise.

At port, most places will tag your bag, so that any alcohol you buy at port will be kept by the ship until the last night of your cruise, they will bring them to your room.  If for some reason, you wanted to bring it back to your room, that will not happen unless you transfer it into a water bottle or a soda bottle.

Dinner, there are multiple dinner seating times (this is only applicable to Carnival and Royal Caribbean), 5:15 being the earliest with 8:30 being the latest.  You will be assigned to a table and during your booking, you will need to pick a table of 4 or more to share, so if you wanted a private table for your family or if you are traveling with your spouse and you wanted a private table, you need to go to the Restaurant on the first night and request for a change with the Maidre D' or Hostess, this should not be a problem as they always accomodate.

Tipping:  You will be charged an automatic 15% with any drinks you buy from a bar or restaurants on the ship, so you do not need to add more if you don't want to.  Additionally, at the end of your cruise, you will be charged $12 a day automatically to your sail and sign card, unless you go the customer service desk and have this changed, you can opt to not tip with the sail and sign and give the cruise members that you thought deserved the tips most, Cash.  I typically change this day 1 as I prefer to give my room stewards and my servers cash for their hard work.

Here is Royal Caribbean Tip policy: To simplify the service recognition process, Royal Caribbean automatically adds a $12.00 USD gratuity ($14.25 USD for Suite Guests) to each guest’s SeaPass® account on a daily basis. This gratuity is shared by Dining Services Staff, Stateroom Attendants other Housekeeping Services Personnel that work to enhance your cruise. The daily automatic gratuity amounts are recommended and are based on customary industry standards.

Happy Cruising, any questions, send me a comment and I will be happy to assist you as I have gone on a dozen cruises so far.