Untroddenways

I was going to visit my daughter in Venice from Sept. 21 to Oct. 1. She is a student there and has a holiday during that period. It turns out that I cannot go. Anyone have suggestions for a 20-year-old on a limited budget (her main concern) for a safe (my main concern) trip. She speaks a little Italian and less French. She knows about European trains and budget air (Ryanair, etc.) but any information about accomodations and places where she would be comfortable (and would be safe) would be greatly appreciated. This board has helped my intrepid daughter and my worried self before. (And you were absolutely right that Venice is safe.) Thanks again!

kleeblatt

Send her some good travel books that she can use for reference. I'm sure by Sept. 21, she'll have found some fellow students to travel around with her.

What a lovely age to experience Europe! She'll already be accustomed to the European way of life and will know what to expect.

BTW, hostels in Switzerland are very good.

suze

Switzerland would be my suggestion too. Take the train to/around Geneva (you can do this from Venice by overnight train or by day train) then work her way back along the lake. There are excellent budget lodgings in both Lausanne and Vevey, where I would choose to base instead of Geneva proper. It is incredibly safe and can be reasonably inexpensive going backpack style and even her little French will be helpful in this french-speaking part of the country. Switzerland is so incredibly 'organized' it is a very easy and fun country to travel thru solo.

MaureenB

STATravel.com is a good resource. They specialize in student travel, and offer several packages throughout the year for seasonal activities geared to her age group. If she's studying in Venice, she will meet other students and make friends to travel with. I know when my daughter studied in Florence last smester, she often traveled with a student 'agency' in that city, comprised of young people who would also gather at spots in town to socialize. She had no problem at all finding weekend get-aways, traveling on her own to visit others. You daughter should keep her eyes open for such an agency in Venice.
Does your daughter have friends who might be studying in other cities in Europe this semester? It might be easy and enjoyable to go see them, stay with them, and get to know other cities. I hope you encourage her to get out and get familiar with Italy while she's there. It's a wonderful experience.
Also, the students use hostel.com and other similar websites to find inexpensive housing.
But, are you sure you can't go to visit her? It's the chance of a life-time. I'm so glad I was able to meet my daughter at the end of her semester, and travel with her for two weeks, to see Italy through her eyes. Memories we both will always cherish. Go, Go, Go!

suze

www.rivieralodge.ch
is the hostel in Vevey, Switzerland, right on the lake less than 5 mins. easy walk from the train station

WallyKringen

Bern, the capital city of Switzerland, an interesting very historic and very alive modern city located centrally on major train lines, has c ouple of youth hostels where I'm sure your daughter would like it and find new friends. And trips galore in the region.

http://www.jugibern.ch/english.htm

LoveItaly

Hello Untroddenways, where did you and your daughter plan to visit?

And what interest does your daughter have? In Italy a 20 year old woman would feel capable of making her own decisions as to where she wanted to travel to predicated about what her interest were. I don't mean that in a critical way but it does seem to me that your daughter would be able to plan her trip on her own.

Regarding sending her books, my experience with sending packages from the US (where I assume you are) to Italy is that it would take a least a month for the books to reach her. Doesn't your daughter have access to the internet? I would think she does and consequently she would have access to all kinds of travel information. Also in that your daughter is a student I would think that other students in her school would have good thoughts as to where she could travel to predicated upon her budget. Anyway, I hope your daughter does have a good trip during her time off from school and I am sorry that you can not join her.

Untroddenways

Thanks for the recommendations for Switzerland, and Suze, Riviera Lodge looks truly great! All of your links are really helpful. Since yesterday my daughter has already joined up with several companions from her program. I may yet get to visit her later on for her other holiday, and I would appreciate information on places to stay in Italy. We both like history and art, so Venice and maybe Florence or Rome. I have used this board in the past to find reasonable inns and B&Bs in this country, and I have always been given great advice! I would welcome any and all suggestions for places to stay that are convenient to public transportation to and in Florence and Rome as well as Switzerland advice for my daughter. I guess you see what I want: realatively inexpensive, clean, and easy to get to. Thanks so much.

MaureenB

As I said previously, definitely visit her. If you're interested, I wrote trip reports on each city that my daughter and I visited last May: Rome, Florence, Venice, Santa Margherita Ligure and Nice. If you click on my screen name above, you can find them. Each report gives details on our little hotel/B&B which we liked in each city, plus restaurants and activities we enjoyed. Make it your goal to get there!

suze

My reason for suggesting small-ish towns in Switzerland was I think it is possibly easier, safer, even less stressful, traveling than larger cities in Italy - especially if she ends up going solo. Traveling with a couple friends then I'd see no problems with going to Italy.