Jboz1

Hello,

I am a novice on this site, just signed up today. My family and I, (wife + 2 teenage boys 17 &15) are in the process of planning a trip to Italy. Very confused and frustrated with which way to go, independant travel or guided coach tour. We want to hit the toursist spots,Vatican, Venice,etc... (1st time overseas) but also do not want to be pushed into optional tours and shops from a commission based tour guide. We would like to spend 12 days in Italy. I have an uncle in Rome wih lots of 2nd cousins all about. My Grandmother was born outside of Rome in a small village. I'd like to hit the tourist highlights, but also spend time with my Italian relatives for a behind the scenes tour. I would very much appreciate and help, advice or suggestion from people more seasoned than I. Looking forward to Italy. One last hurrah before my eldest son goes away to college.

P.S. Since we have never done any type of tour before. We are worrried that our boys will be bored, and not have anyone their age aboard. Any opinions on companies to seek out or avoid???

Thanks in advance...

Jboz

karameli

Hi Jboz,

You might get more answers if you re-post with a more specific title like, "Rome and Venice -- do a tour or DIY?"

That way Italy experts will know to click.

(Unfortunately I'm not one of 'em...sorry!)

Jboz1

Thanks for the advice. Just re-posted

annhig

Hi, Jboz1 - the suggestion that you repost mentioning italy in the title is a good one, but you may still get some replies from nosey people like me.
frankly the advice you get here, including from me, will be slanted towards independent travel because those who feel happier with organised tours rarely spend much time on this site. That being said, if OPs really think that would be the right choice for you, I'm sure they will say so.
If you repost, you might like to mention what time of year you are planning to travel, whether you are going to be staying with your relatives at all, and whether you want to travel outside Rome and its immediate area. THat will help OPs to help you. [oops, i see tht you want to see Venice; that partly answers my last question].
Depending on how much time you are committed to with the relatives, you could do a very interesting trip thus:
Fly [open jaw] into Venice.
Stay 4-5 days [plan on losing one to jet lag].
Rent car, drive to Lake Garda, let the boys spend 3 days wind-surfing, swimming etc.
Drive to tuscany, 3 more days in the countryside [or florence, if you really like museums, otherwise do a day-trip]
Drive to relatives; return car.
spend rest of holiday in Rome. Relatives will probably have a good idea of best sights, etc. etc.If not, OPs here will.
Fly back direct from Rome.
Particularly as you have the head-start of relatives in Rome, I think you will do fine by yourselves, without a tour.
The suggestions made on another thread to another "newbie" to read a few guide books and get an idea of what you would like to visit, is a very good idea.
Also, could you buy/borrow a language tape [assuming you don't all speak italian] to learn a bit before you go?
I'm sure you'll have a great time, especially if you include the boys fully in your plans.
good luck!

rickandpat

My family (husband and I, kids 17 and 14) did Italy for spring break a few years back, and had a wonderful time. I would suggest with kids you not do a tour, unless yours like to get up early to hit the bus, and enjoy scheduled meals. So you don't miss out on the history/stories/architecture/art of the big cities, consider a tour or a private guide for a day or half day. We enjoyed doing that in Rome and Florence, and it really made the cities come alive for us. Mix that up with time to wander and do things that will interest your boys. Read one or two good guidebooks to get ideas on large and small museums, which cathedrals are especially interesting (like the Capuchin Crypt), where you can hear gregorian singing, etc. My personal favorite is Rick Steves - not for hotels or restaurants, those are too crowded because of his popularity -but to help in prioritizing sights, and he includes a lot of practical nitty gritty details. We used trains to get from city to city, buying tickets as we went, and it was easy. And going on your own you can much more easily visit those relatives, which I bet will be the highlight of your trip.

If you do choose to go the tour route, I believe Tauck has tours in Italy geared toward families.

djkbooks

How about a tour that ends in Rome with the rest of your days spent in Rome?

I'm sure others will comment in detail "tour versus independent" travel. Basically a tour eliminates most choices (where to stay, where to go, where to eat, what to eat, when to get up), but that also alleviates you of the research and planning and stress.

A good tour company has years and years of experience planning these things and keeping customers satisfied. If you've never planned a trip to Europe before, you could not only make a lot of mistakes (potentially expensive), and waste a lot of time while there (such as planning a museum visit on a Tuesday morning to a museum that is not open on Tuesdays or is closed for renovations). For first timers planning a trip to a country (versus one city), a tour is far more efficient.

Don't worry about being "pushed" into optional tours and shops. You can always decline - and also research ahead of time what to do on your own with any "free" time.

When picking a tour company, after the itinerary, an important consideration is the quality and location of the hotels. Check the web for reviews. It's better if the hotels are conveniently located for exploring when you have free time.

My brother and sister-in-law took their five kids (13-23) to Ireland and opted for a tour. At first, I thought this was positively nuts, but my brother explained that they wanted to enjoy traveling together, along with the sights, and not worry about driving, directions, itinerary/meal planning, group decisions.

None of the kids were ever bored. But, then, a huge advantage of a tour is the guide - commentary on the bus, everywhere you go, someone with answers to questions. (My brother was especially thankful for that because one of his boys is unbelievably curious and the tour guide, not wanting ever to be stumped, would find out answers she didn't know by the next morning if she could.)