lonelyplanet

Thanks everybody for your comments, suggestions and ideas!

My itinerary is finally ready and I'm very excited about it.

I used to plan my trips all by myself, but this website, all of you, and other people's posts have made planning this trip much easier and enjoyable!

I'll definitely write a trip report when I'm back in July!

lonelyplanet

I cancelled my trip to Italy. I feel kind of disappointed but, at the same time, I feel kind of relieved. I know that the trip wasn't all that rushed, but I had been feeling extremely anxious about it. I was even having a hard time trying to get some sleep at nights because I had put too much pressure on myself upon expecting to plan a perfect trip. I was also worried about running out of money in the middle of the trip and being tired. I think that to visit a place being exhausted, with not much money and with hot weather isn't excatly the way to spend a vacation. That's why I posted this thread in the first place. I was scared of doing a month long disastrous trip. You all made me feel relieved and happy when you told me that it seemed well organized and that it wasn't rushed, but I was still feeling insecure. I still had the feeling that I was going to have a bad time expecting to see "the world in a month". As I wrote on different forum, my grandfather used to say that "cities are like fine prosciutto, you should have a couple of thin slices every now and then to really appreciate it instead of devouring tons of it all the time; otherwise, you'll end up feeling nauseous". The pressure also relies on the fact that I was going to take my mom and I was more concerned about her having a good time than me having a good time. If I were to do the trip by myself, I am pretty sure I wouldn't have even cared or think about the negative aspects of it, but if she had had a bad experience on this trip, I would've felt awful. She's italian, and, for her, visiting her homeland is a dream. We've been to Italy twice, and on both ocassions I was always very excited about going there and never hesitated about the good experience we were going to have. We certainly did each time. However, this time it wasn't like that, so I don't think you should do a trip if, from the very start, you think it's going to be a mistake. I am planning to do almost the same itinerary (I promised my mom I would take her to Italy this year) but without the Campania part. Maybe, I'll do it in September or October. That would mean more money to be spent on meals and shopping and less fatigue. I guess I'll visit Campania some other time. At least, I already know about ferries, hotels and landmarks. It'll be quite easier when I have the chance to visit Campania because I already know how to do everything. I know that this is not a therapy forum where people write when they feel bad about something. I just wanted to share my decision to cancel my trip since you all were very encouraging and helpful with every question I had. I thank you all for that.

nessundorma

You are absolutely right that you shouldn't stick to a trip that you feel is going to be a mistake.

It's good that you cancelled. Trips are supposed to be fun, not pressure cookers.

So now you can relax!

CRAZY4TRAVEL

I agree...trips are supposed to be fun. Perhaps you can reschedule a smaller more managable itinerary. I usually concentrate a trip to one area and promise myself that one day I will be back to see the rest. This May I will do Tuscany and Umbria but already there are places I know I will not have time for...already I have said I will have to see them next time.

I hope you will not be put off completely. Travel is a wonderful life experience.