Italy Vacation Planning Made Easy

March 23, 2019
Cindi
Italy

Always wanted to go to Italy but not sure where to start? Or think it’s too expensive, or not good for families or a group of friends? Italy offers travelers such a diverse experience – art, history, fashion, food, beaches, mountains, architecture and adventure! With the most UNESCO World Heritage sites – 54 currently – there are amazing, unforgettable experiences around every corner! Besides, Italy vacation planning made easy means you can have your holidays secured in no time!

Why Italy?

The history of Italy is really the history of the Roman Empire, which ruled most of Europe, Great Britain and parts of Africa from about 264 BC until the fall of Rome in 410 AD, all roads really did lead from Rome! This long history, innovative architecture, Renaissance art and the home of the Roman Catholic Church, contributes to Italy being the optimal holiday vacation and we have not even talked about the delicious cuisine, centuries of wine making and cutting edge fashion!

Italy Seduces

Italy is also one of the most romantic countries in the World – it is easy to be seduced! As a consistently popular honeymoon or anniversary destination, Italy fulfills lovers dreams. Not only for couples, families are always amazed at how easy Italy is for kids, no matter the ages. Our 5 year old was given extra pasta or gelato on so many outings. Italians do not mind fussing babies, instead it is a sign of a growing familia. Our teens had the independence afforded in Italian towns and they relished this new-found freedom! Singles too, find kindred souls on bike tours, days at the beach and even at daily Aperitivo (cocktails with small bites). Italy enchants all with La Dolce Vita (the Sweet Life).

For Everyone at All Price Points

Dome at Saint Peter's Basilica — Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Italy

Think it is too complicated, expensive or not possible with a family? We first went to Italy in 1999 as a couple and have been going back almost every year since 2006. Did I mention that my husband is a brilliant engineer? We have spreadsheets for each trip and receipts. Some trips, we were fortunate to use frequent flier miles and stay with family and other times, we paid for everything. Most years, the kids and I went ahead of my husband Joe, for about a week or so. Then he joined us, so the three of us would be in Europe for a month and Joe 3 weeks. On the low side, we spent $2,604.48 and the high side $4,962.03. We’ve planned trips for others in the $1K – 55K range. It really is up to you!

How to Make Italy a Reality

Families find Summer is usually the best time to take vacation. If you do not have kids or school schedules, shoulder season of April, May, September and October are spectacular. Of course, the shoulder seasons have great weather, are less crowded, and therefore less expensive.

Find at least 10 days (preferably a lifetime) and sketch out your trip.

We’ll walk you through it.

Your Trip, Planned

Leave your hometown preferably on a Thursday or Friday evening, arriving in Rome the next morning. Many airlines have direct flights into Rome from the US. I especially like British Airways and Lufthansa.

Rome is a minimum of four days if you begin your European trip here. Remember to plan into your schedule JET LAG!

Arrive Rome Friday morning and have prearranged car service to your apartment or hotel.
Rome – Friday, Saturday, Sunday and depart Monday morning for Florence.
Monday morning train from Rome to Florence. Stay in Florence three nights, departing Thursday morning.
Take train from Florence to Venice for three nights.
Fly home on Sunday if you must but realize that you have only taken off 6 work days.

Have days you can add to your trip? Great! Consider adding the beautifully picturesque towns of Cinque Terre, Siena, Assissi, Montalcino or San Gimignano before heading to Venice.

There, your itinerary is complete. This is just one example of many possible trip itineraries – let us help your family plan the trip that will be memorable for you!

Booking Details

I am biased here, but seriously consider using a knowledgeable Italy travel consultant. Someone that goes to Italy often. It is astonishing how much changed from our trip in 2017 to 2018.

St. Peter's Square, Italy — St. Peter’s Square, Rome, Italy

A good travel advisor will work with you to determine what’s important to you on your hard earned vacation. Travel advisors can save you an enormous amount of time and money. With so much information available, they can streamline and vet the vast amount of offerings. A well traveled travel advisor can suggest and plan things you may have never considered or knew were available. Do you know how to save hours in line at St. Peter’s and the Vatican Museums? Where Italians go for dinner and feast on a scrumptious meal for less than $30 per person, including lots of wine? How not to get scammed? Relaxing is often a goal of a vacation and with a knowledgeable travel consultant, you can enjoy before you even leaving home!

Our Favorite Travel Sites to Plan Your Trip

Accommodations are your largest cost after airfare. Therefore, highly encourage you to rent an apartment. Think how much more relaxing your trip will be with multiple bathrooms…and bedrooms! We like to sit on our terrace having a morning cappuccino and truly savor the moment. When the kids were little, they would be up early and eat while my husband slept. As teenagers, we are the now the ones up earlier! Therefore, no one is being awakened so that we can go to breakfast. Also, having a refrigerator allows us to chill great Italian prosecco for evening cocktails on our terrace! Recommend that you search for apartments that have air conditioning, wifi, and a washing machine. After many trips, we are confirmed terrace enthusiasts. It happens. Think about what is important to you but keep in mind location. Additionally, understand cancellation, deposit, payment and read most recent reviews. We use HomeAway and also Airbnb for accommodations.

Have questions? Let us help. We make trips to Italy possible for so many travelers. Often our clients plan additional trips because they had such a great vacation. Memories are waiting to be made!

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Cindi

Speaker, Educator, Travel Consultant, Advocate & Founder.
Long before founding An Easy Journey, LLC., Cindi Korpacz's career was built in high-stakes information technology (IT) and enterprise marketing.
Managing high profile accounts like the White House, Microsoft and hosting then VP Al Gore at the Executive Technology Pavilion in Washington DC.

When my daughter was diagnosed with multiple life threatening anaphylactic food allergies over 20 years ago, I redirected that executive focus towards solving a life altering problem:

How to navigate a world full of food allergens with total confidence and zero margin for error.

What started with careful family trip planning, expanded into a broad mission to train, educate and advocate for the food allergy community.

Over the last two decades I/we have:

Trained Schools, Colleges & Universities: Led comprehensive training programs on food allergy prevention, cross contact mitigation, and emergency response in educational environments.

Advised US Congressional Representatives: Advocated for critical food allergy safety legislation, labeling transparency, and policy reforms.

Spoken at National Food Allergy Conferences for FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) on advanced strategies for Traveling both domestically and internationally with Food Allergies.

Led Top National Food Allergy Fundraising Teams: Recognized as a top fundraising team for multiple years to advance food allergy research education & awareness.

Founded An Easy Journey, LLC.: Built an award winning, industry leading travel consulting firm that has helped thousands of clients travel all over the USA and World with 0 food allergy reactions. Now, this isn’t a guarantee, but proof that our strategies work in real food allergy environments and situations.

Consulted with Companies on their Food Allergy Training & Protocols to keep their employees and clients safer and less stressed.

If you’re a Company, Educational Facility or a Person/Family struggling with food allergies, Contact Us to discuss your specific challenges and goals. We’re on a mission to make living with food allergies truly An Easy Journey!