Lauras Italy Blog – Tuscany to Rome

It’s midnight and we’ve been on the go since 8 a,m, Tomorrow we go to Rome–our time in Tuscany is over. Today we were in Siena, it was even more amazing than I expected! I have taken lots of photos but the internet here is so limited it is hard to send. I also have a few videos and a lot of information typed–once we get to Rome I’ll try to find better internet and send some.

It’s been amazing to be in Tuscany and I’m eager to share it with all of you!

Laura’s Italy Blog – Rome to Tuscany

Arrived Rome at 9 a.m. Sunday; left the airport with the group at 10:15. We drove out of Rome and towards Assisi and stopped en route at a small restaurant for pizza and bathroom. Then another drive to arrive at Assisi-all told about 3 hours from the airport.

Assisi is an ancient walled city made famous by St. Francis. Narrow, brick and stone streets lined with tall stone buildings built on a steep hill. The Bascilica is almost at the top of the hill and has an amazing view of the region. I quickly walked through the cathedral and then had time to enjoy the charming town. There are lots of little shops and ristorante to explore and I made my first Italian purchase for this trip! Then back on the bus at 4 to continue to our villa in Tuscany. We arrived after dark so did not get to enjoy the countryside. Checked in and had 15 minutes til dinner at 8:30. By 9:30 I was worn out, full and ready to sleep.

The villa was a family home until about a century ago. Quaint, unique, lots of mis-matched hallways and turns. The room is quite large with an entry area and antique dressing table; double sink bathroom with bidet and one of the longest tubs I have ever seen. Enjoyed a soaking bath to rid me of the 36+ hours in the same clothes! .

This morning I was up at 6 a.m. to dress, eat and we leave at 8:30 a.m. for Florence. I’m looking forward to the day; we have half day of guided tour and then a half day to explore the city on our own.

Top 10 Reasons to Use a Travel Agent

Here’s an open letter to those who are debating whether to use a travel agent to book their next trip or to go it alone on the Internet:

1. You’ve Googled “Mexico Vacation” and come up with 17.8 million responses. Need a little help editing those choices?
2. Remember when you used that website to book your hotel and when you arrived, you spent your beach vacation overlooking a parking lot?
3. How many hours were you on hold with the airline when your flight was cancelled due to weather problems?
4. Did you really mean to spend your honeymoon at that resort whose one pool was filled all day with screaming children?
5. No one explained to you that in July it’s winter in Rio, so you showed up with nothing but Hawaiian shirts and a swim suit.
6. How about the time you needed a restful vacation and you ended up in New Orleans during Mardi Gras?
7. Who knew that when you booked that “villa” in Tuscany, it would be a small room with a kitchenette, no air conditioning and a 2 mile walk to the nearest store? Funny, it sounded much better on the internet.
8. Yes, I guess that hotel must have used a telephoto lens when they took pictures of those guest rooms that you saw on their website.
9. Yes, I guess that “ocean front” resort forgot to mention that it was on a coral cove and the nearest beach was a van ride away. So much for those long beach walks you planned for this trip.
10. It was definitely odd that there were no cab drivers at the airport at 3 a.m. when you finally landed in Costa Rica, but booking a transfer to your very remote hotel would have been a good thing to do when you purchased your airline ticket and hotel.

Best of all, a qualified travel agent not only does not cost you more for your trip, but often can either save you money or access promotional perks not available to the consumer.

What is an upgrade on a cruise?

Getting a cruise upgrade is very confusing so we would like to help explain exactly what an “upgrade” is. When a cruise ad on TV says “2 category upgrade”, we immediately assume that means you can buy an inside room and get upgraded to a balcony. From inside to outside to balcony. . . that logically seems like 2 categories.

In reality, though, there are many categories within a room class. There are only a few classes of rooms: inside [or interior] which means it is on the interior walls of the ship and has no window to the outside; outside [or ocean view] means it is on the exterior walls of the ship and has a window which can range from a port hole to a window obstructed by a lifeboat or to a full picture window; balcony [or verandah] which has a balcony space accessible from the room; suites range from an oversized room with sitting area [commonly called a mini-suite] to 3 bedrooms plus dining room, living room, verandah space that could be larger than many homes.

Back to that “2 category upgrade”, that means that if you pay for the least expensive inside room [located in the least desirable part of the ship], you will get moved up to an inside room with a slightly better location. OR, if you purchase an outside room with a port hole, you might get moved up to a room that has a full window. Most cruise lines have 4 or 5 categories of each room class, so be sure to look at the details before

This is one example of when a good travel agent can be invaluable as they help you determine which room and which category room will provide the best value for what you desire from your cruise. They often will have access to additional promotions or insights that will provide additional perks and benefits to you.

Arrive at the airport early!

The airport boarding lounge is not the most exciting place to spend your early morning hours, I know. But it’s so much better to be sitting at the gate, waiting for the flight time than to be biting your nails wondering if you will clear security in time to make the gate before the door closes.

Just this month alone we have had 2 circumstances of clients who have missed flights as they didn’t heed our advice to get to the airport a minimum of two hours prior to your flight departure time for domestic flights and 3 hours for non-stop international hours. You cannot predict how many back-ups may happen, security issues, etc.

Also, flight departure time is not the same as when they close the boarding process. Typically, at least 15 minutes prior to departure, the airline personnel close the flight for boarding, which means if you arrive after that point, you’ll be looking for the next flight because you missed this one.

So please accept the advice to allow for the unexpected circumstances, get to the airport with time to spare, and start your vacation without the drama of a missed flight!

“When is the best time to book my trip?”

There is no simple answer to the question as it varies according to the trip you are seeking. Cruise lines have their itineraries available to reserve up to 18 months in advance and usually offer discounts and perks for early booking.

Hotels and resorts have prices available approximately 12 months before travel,
but airlines do not have rates available until 10 months prior. You can
deposit on the land portion and then add the airfare when it opens. But, airfare often is not priced at its best rate when first opened for booking, so we can guide you on the fares as they are posted.

The exception is on peak travel times like holidays and spring break; the best advice is to book those as soon as the rates are known. It’s a common fallacy that Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holidays are less expensive. I mean, isn’t everyone staying home at those times? Actually, those are the most heavily booked [and usually highest priced] times for travel, especially to tropical destinations.

The best rule of thumb is that as soon as you have an inkling of wanting to take a trip, give us a call or drop an email. If it’s too soon to get down to specifics, we can watch for the locations you’re interested in and let you know as prices start coming through. We can also keep an eye out for any early booking specials and help you take advantage of those. In the meantime, you’ll have more information to guide towards the right choice.

“I booked my vacation on the Internet to save money”

How many hours did it take you to research where you were going, find the reviews that line up with what you wanted, compared prices to get “the best deal”, then go through the process of putting it all together and paying for it?  Never mind the research to be sure you know where to go once you get there and what companies are best to work with at a certain locale.  

It’s not at all unusual for it to take 5 or more hours for all that leg work and in many cases, you spend even more time. 

Do you realize that you can fly to most beach destinations in that length of time? 

Do you realize that the time you will spend with us, answering questions, considering our suggestions and giving us feedback is only a fraction of that?

Have you multiplied your average hourly income against the number of hours you spent trying to put together your trip?  Depending upon your income, your “best deal” probably got less valuable when you take that into consideration. 

Factor in the activities that we can help you discover in your destination, the personal relationship we have with suppliers, hotel and resort managers and destination specialists. . . we can take the load off you.  We also provide you the benefit of double-checking documentation  and being your advocate, both before, during and after your trip. 

Best of all, our services do not cost you more, and in many cases, we can get you a better price than is available on the internet. 

So, did you really get the best deal or not?