Going to Italy in March i have paid for the Airfare and have saved(without the wife knowing) $4200 more with most likely anothre $1000-1500 saved without hitting into normal funds.

Will that be enough to enjoy ourselves? The hotels I have booked come out to 1285 euros and another part of the stay is at a sister in laws family villa.
We need train tickets from rome to bologna then to venice with day trips from bologna to florence and other surronding areas. Also going to book 2 tours in rome via ICON.

Will I have enough?

It would help to know how many days you're going to be there. And how many people are going. And how fancy you like your meals. And whether the 1285 for hotels is supposed to be subtracted from your savings.

Assuming a ten-day trip (and that hotels are paid for), you're talking $500 per day for expenses, not counting hotels. That should be way plenty.

Your train tickets are going to be in the 5 to 40 dollar range, per person per trip.

the hotels ned to be deducted from my amount
In italy on march 3rd til the 19th.

2 people and knowing my wife food will be rather cheap she is a pizza fiend.

I think that will be enough.

What a fantastic surprise for your wife!

How wonderful! You have plenty. Even if you went to a simple restaurant and had pasta or chicken with wine you might only spend 40 euro. You can eat cheaply in Italy.

5200 minus 1285, divided by 16 equals 245 per day. That should be plenty for 2 people. If you find you're over budget one day, you can skimp on meals to make up for it. Likewise, if you're coming in way under, you can splurge. You're doing fine. Have a great trip!

Hi R,

Train schedules, farea and tickets are at www.trenitalia.com

Look for 29 and 39E specials on ES*.

Even with $4200, you will be fine.

Enjoy your visit.

I haven't repeated the calculations, but if your funds allow you 245USD per day net of room rate, and flights, then I'd suggest that you upgrade the rooms in the hotels or hotels altogether.

Unless you're eating in smart restaurants every evening, and you have "complete" meals at least three times a day, that is a generous budget. Of course you have to factor in attractions and suchlike, and I'm ignoring shopping as I don't see this as an holiday expense. Shopping is something one does at home or abroad so where you do it is irrelevant.

Of course, you could always just save the money and put it towards another trip.

That should be plenty, especially if you are planning to eat cheap. I wouldn't use the extra to upgrade the hotels, though. I would want to use it for shopping.

You've missed a key point of Italian vacation budgeting - gelato.

This should not be part of the general fund, the food fund, the shopping fund or the entertainment fund. It is most definitely its own line item.

For two people, figure, oh, 10-15 euro per day. Or that much per person, if you're like us.

HI Reckoning,

I have watched you plan this surprise journey for your wife and just wanted to wish you well.

What a beautiful gift, she will enjoy it so and the memories will last forever.

The first time I went to Italy I had $100 a day for food/museum entry/whatnot (paid for my hotel separate) and I had plenty left over. If you watch where you eat, you will be fine.

Yesterday I booked our train tickets online for our upcoming trip, it was easy to do it online (you just print out the confirmation letter that is sent to your email address to show the conductor)and I got the 39E pricing (for 1st class, 2nd class is 10E less).

For my first trip, when I knew I needed a certain amount, say for the train, I set it aside in a separate area, and then took my remaining budget, and divided it by the total amount of days I was traveling.

You will be surprised, as long as you are not going on expensive shopping trips every day, you will be fine, I came home with $500 less over.

I don't know how much your day trips will cost you, etc. But let's just say that the trains and day trips cost about 300E, after deducting your hotels, with the 4200E saved and another 1500E more to save, you will still have 4115E left over for 17 days, that is 242 E per day for dining, etc. I think that is doable again as long as you watch it.

Note that I did include your travel days, as you will need taxi
money, food, etc.

Have a wonderful adventure, can't wait to hear how the surprise went!
Tiff

oops, sorry I did figure out your budget with Euros and not dollars. I apologize I thought your opst stated E (my mind is mush with all the planning of our trip, ha ha)

Regardless even with the conversion from $ to E, I know you will be fine, food in Italy is good and not terribly expensive.

Thank you all so much for all the help I feel better now!!

As for upgrading the hotels I'm gonna stick with the ones I have via all GREAT GREAT help you all gave, I choose the Daphne Veneto and i must say they are UNBELIVABLEY helpful, and in Venice I choose Locanda Orseolo and they seem like great people also.

Now all I need is the perfect resuarant to splurge for her 40th birthday dinner in Rome! Have to find the picture perfect setting.

Oh and as for any extra mone I'm sure it will go to shopping and shopping and oh more shopping from her.

Again thank you all for everything this has been fum planning this and making a powerpoint presentation to suprise her with.

aaaahhh Powerpoint..how romantic...

(just joking)

Your budget is generous and your surprise is a fantastic one! You might wait to let your wife help choose some things (like the b-day restaurant or extra tours, for example) after you arrive?

Hi R,

>....making a powerpoint presentation to suprise her with.<

Calm down, friend.

All you have to do is give her the plane tickets 2 weeks in advance.

Your passports are valid?

Gee, ira, why should he calm down? He's excited about the trip he's planned! And his presentation will show his wife just how much time he has spent planning a wonderful trip, something she will surely appreciate. Go for it, Reckoning!

That seems like more than enough money to m. Enjoy yourselves and buon viaggio!