April 19th, 2006

An Italy travel agent will be your best resource for booking your travel, planning your trip as well as getting advice and budgeting for your trip to Italy. Travel agents can be located in most cities and towns thought the US, you can also always use the phone book to help find a good agent. However your best bet is to ask a friend (one who travels often of course) as they might have already worked with someone you can trust. Lastly, check with your credit card companies as many of them have travel divisions and can help you plan and reserve your vacation details as well as offering discounts and incentives to various Italian destinations.

An Italy travel agent will give you all the available options for cheap air fare Italy.  The travel agent will help you pick the best times to fly, best departure and return times and dates.  If you are traveling on a budget, the Italy travel agent will be able to recommend alternate date to fly in order to save you the most money.  Very often traveling mid week as opposed to leaving on a weekend will afford you the best discounts.  You will be able to get a lot of information from an Italy travel agent in order to help you pick your best flight schedule to suit your budget and your preferences.

An Italy travel agent can also help you with accommodations.  You can choose to stay in a hotel or rent a villa.  Perhaps you want to do a combination of the two.  The travel agent will be able to help you look at your options and choose which one will suit you best.  You can look at ratings for hotels, see the amenities each place has to offer and make a decision based on that in addition to your budget. 

A travel package is a great way to get budget travel to Italy.  It may consist of air fare, hotel accommodations, meals and tours.  You can often get quite a bit of discounts by going with an all inclusive travel package then by purchasing each individual component of the trip.  It will also allow you to budget you money better.  You will be able to account for the entire cost of your trip then decide how much you want to bring with you for shopping, other tours, mementos and incidental purchases.  An Italy travel agent can assist you with packages.  Travel agents have a lot of experience in what places are good to see, what sights you may wish to visit and where to avoid. 

You will also be able to get handy travel tips from an Italy travel agent.  They can provide invaluable advice on what clothes to bring, what the weather will be like and what types of security measures you should implement to stay safe and secure during your trip.  Because the climate can be different within each region, the Italy travel agent can recommend the types of clothes to pack for the trip.  The agent may also be able to tell you what clothing restrictions there might be.  For example, you can not wear shorts or tank tops into Vatican City.  Tips like these are invaluable and your Italy travel agent will be more than happy to give them to you.

An Italy travel agent will help you plan your trip from the beginning stages all the way through to packing and departure.  The agent will let you know what customs information you will need for entering the country.  Also what etiquette may be expected of you during your stay.  The Italy travel agent will be able to give you travel, accommodation and transportation information.  You will also get tips on safety and local customs as well as dining experiences.  All of these tips will help you make your stay more enjoyable.

Posted in Travel Italy, Italy Tours, Vacation Package Italy, Facts On Italy at 10:05 AM . ( No comments )

April 18th, 2006

The Dolomites, are one of Italy’s top travel spots for international skiers and snow boarders as well as those intrested in day tours.  The Dolomites are a gorgeous area of the Alps features nearly four hundred fifty ski lifts in the northeastern area of Italy.  The Dolomites also offer a hot travel spot for people who want to enjoy snow while not having to endure freezing temperatures that they would normally endure in the United States.  Travel choices in Dolomites varies from buses and taxis to trains and personal vehicles.  The Dolomites is not the only ski town in the area and package tickets for the slopes can be bought for around thirty euros for a day.

Whether a tourist visits during ski season or they decide to forgo the skiing and enjoy the summer hiking, the view from the top of Marmolada is amazing. This highest peak offers an amazing three hundred sixty degree view, and an amazing challenge to ascend and descend.  The 10,972 foot mountain is daunting, to say the least, but the goal of reaching the summit is completely obtainable even by the most intermediate of hikers and climbers.  Pack a backpack with lunch, water, a light jacket, and a camera and a person is set for a gorgeous picnic and view.  The shorter peaks are easier to reach with views that are just as beautiful as those from the summit of Marmolada.

Another thing to remember with the Dolomites, Italy travel is to visit the Balzano tourist center.  This center contains all the information for Dolomites and the surrounding cities and countryside.  There will be a list of hotels, villas, cottages, apartments, and mountain huts to rent or buy that are close to necessities as well as the entertainments.  As with visiting other cities, when visiting Dolomites, Italy using a travel package is advised.  Buying airfare and securing a room with a travel agent or online will help cut costs, and if the choice to rent a vehicle is also in the cards, renting in the same package as the airfare and hotel costs will drive that cost down as well.  The cost will not be as low as most would like to see, but it will help with the amount of spending money one has on their trip.

Italy travel guides are best if they are someone who has lived in the area and does sponsored tours.  These travel guides will be able to give the information needed and wanted without having to read from a book or a paper that lists the information.  The average prices for tourists wanting to rent a residence for their vacation vary from type to type and are charged by weekly use.  If a tourist has a family and would like to rent a house or villa for their vacation, they are looking at roughly three hundred euros for a week, and five hundred for two weeks.  Picking the right place to rent is key when going to Dolomites, Italy to travel or vacation.

The Dolomites are a beautiful and a great place to enjoy skiing and snow boarding when the weather is right.  Beautiful mountains, great views, and a fun place to pick up odds and ends is what Dolomites offers to its tourists.  Thousands of people choose to add Dolomites, Italy to their travel plans in order to either escape the roads and relax or to take a couple of days to ski, snow board, or hike the slopes.  People should pick their travel places wisely, and those with a sense of adventure and no fear of heights should add Dolomites, Italy to those travel plans.  Dolomites will heighten their senses to sun, fun, and relaxation.

Posted in Italy Tours, Information On Italy at 11:25 AM . ( No comments )

April 18th, 2006

When traveling, people are not always sure what type of clothes that they need to bring with them on their trips.  The clothing to travel Italy depends upon which season of the year that a person decides to travel.  The weather in Italy varies, but not by much depending on the area that the plans take the tourist.  Another thing to keep in mind when traveling to Italy is whether or not it is carnival season and whether or not the person is going to visit the Vatican City or any other type of church or cathedral.  There are rules about the types of clothing that men and women can wear when visiting the Vatican City.  These rules are in play due to issues about modesty and respect shown.

If traveling in spring or summer, an array of clothing to travel Italy is advised.  The weather during these seasons is typically warm and sunny.  Packing light clothing like shorts and t-shirts is a good idea, as well as taking a light jacket in case the weather turns south.  If the plans are to take a person to a church or cathedral, packing slacks and a nice shirt is advised as many churches and cathedrals will not allow shorts or tank-tops.  The Vatican City will not allow any one in shorts or tank-tops to enter many of the buildings because of the impact that these buildings have had on religion and on society as a whole.  Fall and winter tend to be chilly but mild.  The average temperatures for these two seasons are anywhere from forty to sixty degrees Fahrenheit.  Pants, long sleeved t-shirts, and decent weight jackets are good clothing to pack to travel in Italy.  Traveling to the Vatican City is a good idea during these seasons because there won’t be extra clothing to back due to the rules and regulations within the Vatican against shorts, tank-tops, and t-shirts.

If the clothing to travel Italy needs to be washed during the visit or before departing for home, there are three options with which to choose from.  The one that most people choose is to take the dirty clothing to a laundry.  Taking the clothing to the laundry will save most people a lot of valuable travel time.  The laundry workers with wash, dry, and fold the clothing and will have it ready to pick up within a couple of hours.  The second choice that some choose is to do their own laundry at a Laundromat.  Italian Laundromats are just like the Laundromats in any other country, and tend to be just as expensive as taking dirty clothes to the laundry.  Finally, the last way to wash clothing taken to travel in Italy is to use the laundry facilities that are on the premises if a house or villa is rented.  Throw the laundry into the machine, and then hang it out in the sun to dry.  This is the most inexpensive way to wash and dry dirty clothing, and it will leave laundry smelling clean and fresh.

When taking clothing to travel Italy, clothing should be chosen wisely.  Travelers need to make sure that they take the appropriate clothing for the time of year that they are traveling during.  If traveling to places that have nightclubs and nice restaurants, nice clothing like suits and dresses should be chosen.  When traveling to the Vatican City or wanting to see the cathedrals, decent trousers and shirts should be taken with due to rules.  An even balance of nice clothing and play clothing should be taken to travel in Italy.  This will ensure that there are the proper clothes for different types of situations.

Posted in Travel Italy, Italy Tours, Facts On Italy at 11:16 AM . ( No comments )

April 18th, 2006

When going to Italy there may be many areas you will want to explore.  Using the Italy travel train (or rail is it is often called) is a great option to save money and still get to see all of the countryside as you tour Italy.  You can relax and watch the scenery through the window, feel comfortable and get to your destination in style.  Most Italy travel train destinations will require reservations because of the popularity of using this mode of transportation.  You will purchase Italy travel train tickets for a particular destination.  If you want to change your ticket before the Italy travel train leaves, you can do so at the station at no additional cost.  If you miss the Italy travel train that you have reservations for, you have twenty four hours to make a new reservation at a cost of three euro.  If, however, you do not get to the station within twenty four hours, you will lose the ticket and will have to purchase another one.

If you do not have an Italy travel train ticket, you can always get on anyway, find the capotreno and pay the eight euro penalty.  The Intercity Italy travel train takes a bit longer but is also much less expensive and does not require reservations.  Check with the agent or at the station for departure times, arrival times and prices.  You may find that the arrival times are similar enough to warrant the cheaper fare.  Often the Intercity Italy travel train is only a half an hour later and is worth the less expensive fare.

If you have a group of three or more using an Italy travel train, ask for a mini group discount.  You will have to make a reservation but you may get up to a twenty percent discount.  Once you have an Italy travel train ticket, you will need to find the track that you will be leaving from.  This can pose quite a challenge.  You will need to know which track you are on by asking around.  It is not listed on your ticket and the tracks are laid out based on final destination.  So you may be getting off somewhere else.  Make sure to budget enough time in your schedule to get to your track on time.  Some Italy travel train tracks are hard to find and not in a common area.  A few minutes before the train leaves, the track number may disappear.  This means your train is ready to leave and you will likely miss it so allow for enough time to ensure you are on the right train.

An overnight Italy travel train can also be a fun alternative, especially if you have never been on one before.  You may need to give the conductor your ticket and passport to keep overnight.  You will have them returned to you in the morning at your destination.  There are a few types of cabins available.  You can choose a private cabin or you can use a cabin that sleeps four or six.  The six person bunk is the least expensive. 

Many trains allow smoking and have a limited number of non smoking seats.  Also, you may be asked to leave your seat if you did not reserve one.  Italy travel trains are usually on time.  It is also best to carry cash for the Italy travel trains.  Although there are ticket kiosks available that seem to be able to take credit cards, they often do not work.  Traveling by train is an inexpensive and fun way to tour the Italian countryside.  It is a great option for seeing many cities in one trip and being able to enjoy the different sides of the culture.

Posted in Italy Tours, Trian Italy Travel at 10:56 AM . ( No comments )