Planning and Enjoying a 25-Day European Itinerary from London to Rome, Part 2

This is the second part of a two part blog piece.  The first was published this past Tuesday.

I saw the majority of sights I had wanted to, but definitely less than I thought I might get to during my initial planning. The city cards afford the luxury of skip-the-line access for most included sites. 
For others, you are asked to make timed reservations in advance.  In Rome I saw the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica in this manner.  In Milan, I pre-booked a ticket to the Duomo which did not offer skip-the-line access. However,
I hadn’t noted that my scheduled afternoon fell on a “free admission” Sunday and therefore it was extremely crowded. I did not get to visit the inside at all, as I was out of time and had to make my next train connection to Venice.   In the bigger cities, it makes sense to note which attractions or museums are open evenings or might have a scheduled night each week when they are open later, to maximize your sight-seeing time.  Churches are usually open bright and early in the morning if you like to get an early start.  Most city viewing towers have late night hours.  Weather can affect your day too and some cities offer more variety or “plan B” activities for rainy days. It’s best to try to tackle any activities that require nice weather sooner, rather than later if you get a nice day.   Some museum or attraction reservations can be changed, others not.  I wanted to change the day and time of my visit to the Vatican museum, so I arrived very early one morning to ask, and was permitted to join the first tour leaving at 9:00am.  Other museums or tour companies might want to change your time for you, so you’ll want to be sure to regularly check your email.  The Anne Frank house is currently undergoing a renovation project and emailed me on the day of my visit to ask me to come a few hours earlier than scheduled, which I was able to do.  I would have been very disappointed to miss it.  I actually hadn’t seen that email, but my husband did and called to tell me.

I planned to see a few cities while in transport in between one destination and another.   On the way from Amsterdam to Paris for instance, I made a stop at Brussels to connect by train to visit Bruges.  The same for Milan while en route from Interlaken to Spiez to Venice.  I found both of these days to be very rushed and therefore not as enjoyable.  When it came time later in the trip to potentially visit Pompeii on the way from Cinque Terre to Rome to Naples to Sorrento, I decided to forgo it. I’ll just have to schedule it on another trip.  Traveling with even a small piece of luggage slows you down and leaving it at a baggage drop or left luggage station or locker costs money and is not always convenient.

I spoke English on each day of the trip.  I also learned basic phrases in French, German and Italian and quickly learned to use them to get the answers I needed.  (Good morning, Do you speak English? Excuse me, Thank you, Please, Where is…?) The locals were polite and very helpful whenever I asked and often went out of their way to personally take me in the right direction. I had practiced and prepared to use translate apps on my phone but never found the need to.   I always tried to first resolve an issue by politely asking others and it worked well for me.   At times I was able to help other travelers asking me questions, and in one case got help from a Spanish speaker in Florence.  I asked in Italian if he spoke English. He said no but asked if I spoke Spanish “Habla Espanol?” “ Si, un poco…Yes, a little.” I replied.  He was able to help, and showed me on the map where we were - which was not at all near the Accademia Gallery where I needed to be.

I was very comfortable traveling solo and loneliness wasn’t an issue for me.  Texting and phoning home was easily done. Everyone wanted regular updates on how I was doing.  I waited until I could connect to wifi to share my photos each day.  Chatting with others nearby was easy too, the same as if I were at

home.  I joined some day tours that were conducted in English or purchased electronic audio guides when offered. Many were included with the attractions contained in the city cards.   Popular, familiar music was often played in the background and I had TV in some of the hotels as well.  It was a thrill to be immersed in the collective sound and transition of each predominant language being spoken along the way, from English to Dutch to French to German to Italian.  And the cities I visited were also full of international travelers, many asking questions in English of one another or chatting in English as the common language.

I was fortunate in that I did not have a firm budget from the start to strictly adhere to, though my aim was to be as thrifty as possible for the most part, and spend all of my reward points first. My estimated cost projections worked out well though it was easy once there to splurge on something such as a meal or excursion that was slightly above cost.  At times I spent less than anticipated, as some cities naturally cost less for travelers.  I tried to mix in a variety of planned museum days, nature and scenery as well as indulging in some completely unplanned experiences.  If I spent more money than intended in one place I challenged myself to find free or low cost activities to keep myself entertained later on.  I did not shop or visit gift shops until the end of the trip, as I did not want to add any bulk to my backpack or pay to ship items home. I did enjoy regularly going in grocery stores and buying snacks or picnic treats, and I did get a few things from a funky thrift store in Amsterdam near the Rembrandt House.

Planning a trip of this scope took a fair bit of time.  Once I planned my dates, I did feel a bit under pressure to get things fully organized before departure.  And seeing so many cities in one trip meant less time to savor the planning process in advance in as much detail as I might have liked.  I was able to watch some movies, travel DVDs, YouTube videos and read some essays regarding the relevant locations. Some aspects of planning were quite labor intensive. I found researching rail travel and ordering online tickets in advance to take much more time than I anticipated.  I wasn’t prepared for how many online accounts I’d be starting with new passwords to keep track of.  Some people might not want to be bothered with this type of legwork and might prefer to pay a knowledgeable agent to handle such details for them.  However, the time spent planning saved me money and made for smooth travel and my being able to “hit the ground running” in each new city.

One good piece of advice I read before the trip was not to plan everything, every meal, every detail and excursion before the trip begins and wait until you arrive to see what might unfold.   I did very little research on food and restaurants, as this was not a priority for me but I enjoyed many tasty meals.   I found that, since I was traveling in the off-season, I was able to wait and book excursions and tours as I went along, at discounted rates.  During the busy season that philosophy might likely have resulted in frustration and disappointment, or in my desired lodgings being all booked up.  I did wait in a few unexpected lines but was mostly able to enter major sites within minutes, which I know impacted my trip very positively.  And I was able to book the hostels I wanted for prices I was comfortable with.  Most advice you read about Europe does recommend traveling in the shoulder season such as April and November, and avoiding summer crowds and heat. By going in March, I know I avoided high prices, heat and crowds, but I also missed warm weather activities and opportunities to simply relax in gardens and outdoor spaces.  I would definitely like to return when the weather is milder.  In the busier season attractions are open longer hours to meet demand, so you have more potential hours spread out across the day to schedule your sight-seeing.

The physical stamina required for sustained travel should definitely be an important consideration for longer trips. I was away for 25 days.  There are towers and hills to climb, cobbled streets, stairs everywhere and hours spent
on foot each day. Tours from a moving vehicle are not the same as walking around neighborhoods and taking in the atmosphere at street level.  Over three weeks your endurance can be taxed.  I would have liked to rent a bike in some cities, but was trying to avoid anything where I might accidentally injure myself.  I did sometimes find relief by hopping on buses after tiring, labor intensive attractions involving lots of stairs (St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, Notre Dame in Paris).  I found that I slept unusually well throughout the trip without my usual fussiness over mattress quality.  After a good night’s rest, I definitely looked forward to each day and every new destination as if it were the first. Ignoring packing advice I had read recommending against bringing extra shoes, I had a total of four comfy pairs, including boots, simple flat sneakers, walking shoes and flip flops. Each pair was worn regularly and it helped me to rotate them day by day as needed.   Flip flops are essential in hostels and useful in hotel pool areas.  To save space in my backpack, the boots could be clipped to the outside. This did not cause any issue on my three flights in terms of baggage restrictions, or at least in the enforcement of them.  However, in one left luggage station, they wanted to charge me for an extra bag for the boots suspended outside the bag. So, I carried them with me that day instead in my smaller day pack.  I would have spent as much money to leave everything for 6 hours as I did for my previous night’s hostel.

I did not experience any major safety issues though there were times I felt more vulnerable than others.  Next time I would make more of a concerted effort to fully research street view directions for each place of lodging in advance, even phoning or emailing for clarification or photos, if necessary.  Some were tricky to find even with descriptive printed directions and using mapping apps.  On multiple occasions, my mapping directions had announced that I had arrived at my destination when I did not think I could possibly be in the right place.  In one spot I was completely stumped and it was only when a few young men with backpacks came by, and I trailed along behind them, that I found the hostel.  Emerging from cavernous train and Metro stations will likely land you in large bustling squares, with unmarked streets or in far corners of the station, opposite where your written directions begin. You don’t want to seem lost or unsure in areas potentially frequented by thieves and scam artists.  With hostels particularly, some simply encompass floors of rented space in an apartment building, with a small plaque on the outside wall.  Others have big neon signs that can easily be seen from a block away. I would also recommend arriving in new destinations before dark unless you plan to take a taxi or bus safely to the door of your hostel or hotel. Some of the younger women I lodged with told me they didn’t go out at all at night.  I didn’t think it necessary to go to such extremes but in some cases when out at night, I changed my plans while headed toward destinations that were not well lit, had complicated routes or seemed too far from the transportation I’d need to get back later on.   Also, I found it very helpful to take photos of street turns or prominent landmarks as a virtual trail for getting myself safely back the same way I came. Or, I’d make a note on my phone of such details.  I used lockers in hostels when they were provided and chose to carry my cash and valuable documents along with me throughout the day. I did also use a money belt some of the time.  I did not bring jewelry and, when out at night, I sometimes wore my jacket hood to blend in if I started getting unwelcome attention.  Once I found a compartment of my backpack to be unzipped after a long walk through the train station, though it was only where I stored my toiletries and none were missing. I brought my handbag and documents and phone with me absolutely everywhere and slept with them protected against me at night. For the most part I was always traveling with tourists doing the same things I was, though I know there were likely pickpockets present who blended in with the crowds.  In Amsterdam, I descended into the Metro for a one stop ride to the Central Station only to find it was essentially deserted of other passengers that early in the morning. I was then approached by a group of men hanging around on the platform who became overly friendly. I stood my ground confidently, and was polite to them, but firm in not wanting to socialize. In larger cities I found the stations to be bustling early in the early morning, full of commuters and other travelers.   Another time in Rome, my leg slipped all the way down in between the gap while I was trying to board a packed Metro car.   Everyone nearby immediately helped me up to safety, in what seemed like less than an instant. But it was definitely scary.

I had an indescribably wonderful time on this trip and look forward to more in the future.  I can see the value of both independent travel as well as the benefits of potentially taking escorted tours where the planning is taken care of for you.  I found Europe to be fairly tame for tackling on my own.  I know that solo travel can be more challenging in some regions of the world than others.  I feel like I honed my travel skills on this trip and could definitely build on that in the future with the confidence I’ve gained.

Recommended Resources

The library’s print and electronic collections are excellent for travel planning.  They include: practical travel guides, magazine articles, language learning resources, travel essays, novels and films set in international locales, foreign films, instructional travel planning DVDs, music, foreign language materials, and nonfiction on world art, architecture, literature, biography, cooking and social issues.

Take advantage of the library’s digital collection too for most of the above.  I was able to download a few TV shows while in Rome for my flight home, using hoopla. And I downloaded a nice set of essays on Paris for the start of the trip.   The only two devices I brought with me were my iPhone and my iPod mini.

Ask a librarian anytime, to help you locate our resources.

I purchased print copies of 3 travel guides to bring with me for London, Paris and Italy, and discarded them as I moved from place to place. I ripped out sections I didn’t need before I left.  I used copies of library books to decide which ones to buy.   These were a chore to lug around, but easy on my eyes and invaluable for times when I needed to preserve the power on my phone and external battery.  I considered this to be money well spent.  On a trip with family and checked luggage, I’d bring copies of library books and save the money.

I used hundreds of free online resources in my planning - these were the ones that were the most efficient and which impacted the success of this particular trip:

The Points Guy 

Solo Traveler 

The Man in Seat 61

Price of Travel

Hostelworld

Tour Vacations to Go

Citymapper

Wolters World

Italy Travel Skills with Rick Steves

France Travel Skills with Steve Smith

- Laura G., Lawrence Branch