I have never been to Europe but my husband and I would love to go to Italy. Is it really do-able by ourselves (we do not know Italian) or would it be better to take an escorted tour for our first trip? <BR>

Betty,<BR>I haven't been either - going the first time this summer - but I can say that I've had a blast just planning the trip. I can't imagine just paying some money and showing up somewhere and then traveling with the same people day in and day out. I'm interested to hear the other responses, but I'd be surprised if they weren't similar to mine.

Betty, That entirely depends on what you want and need. I wing it, my parents (who travel a LOT) wouldn't dream of it because they want to be met at the airport, have someone else carry their luggage and not deal with taxis, train schedules and other assorted issues. On the other hand, with a tour group you are with that same group of people for the entire time, things may get political (and conversely, you might meet some nice people) and you do what the tour wants you to do.... no, or little, room for flexibility.<BR><BR>The folks on this board will give a resounding "Wing It" but you have to ask yourself how much of your own planning and schlepping and organizing, etc. you are willing to do.

This is a tough question. How old are you and how do you like to travel in the US? This will tell a lot about how you will do in Italy.<BR><BR>My wife and I avoid the tours and rent cars. This way we can explore where we want when we want. If we need a tour of a large city, Rome for example, we buy the tour that day and see the sites.<BR><BR>We have done Italy a few times and never had any major difficulties on the language as they are better than us and many people know English. <BR><BR>You just need a good guide book and a plan and then go for it. <BR><BR>On the other hand if you are too old to get around on your own you may want to do a tour so they can direct you where to go. The one thing I find wrong with long tours is that the tour guides do so well and do so much explaining that the participants have to do no homework or discovery and therefore get home and do not really know where they have been.<BR><BR>Bottom line: Rent the car and have fun. Half the fun in Europe is encountering some guy that does not speak the language and figuring out how to get your message across. It is sort of like golf.....they always talk about the bad shots and laugh....never about the perfect shots. Europe is an adventure.

Tour or wing it? As previous posters have stated, depends on what you want and are capable of doing. I've done both and just returned from an Italian road trip a couple of weeks ago. I'm pushing 70 but my three travel companions are more than 20 years younger. We spent three days in Rome and walked everywhere, from the Vatican to the Spanish Steps to the Colosseum. Then rented a car and went to Venice, via Siena, then down the Adriatic coast to San Marino, back to Sorrento and finally FCO. I had been to Italy twice before on tours and I saw many things this trip than I did before. True, tours are regimented and rigid, but also very good if you're apprehensive about where to go or what to see and how to get from A to B. With most tours much is covered in a very short time. I believe one must be rather aggressive to drive in Italy and a good navigator is a must. Knowing Italian is not necessary--we rented hotel rooms one night where no one spoke English and we still had two nice rooms, for 37 Euros. However you decide to do it, I'm sure you'll love Italy; nearly everyone does. As we rented a car didn't have much need for the train, but did take trains into Rome from FCO and also from Sorrento to Pompeii and back--piece of cake. Enjoy.

Betty, I have done it both ways in some different countries in Europe. I now think that in Europe it is much better to go it on your own. Not only are tours regimented but they are extremely fast paced. You are in the bus early in the morning and don't get settled in at night until late, with the only down time being getting from one place to another on a bus. Most people sleep on the bus and then wake up, run off, see the site, gobble some food prepared for a tour group (which usually isn't as good as ordering off the menu), and being herded like cattle, get back on the bus, etc. At the end of a typical day you are really exhausted and not really sure what you saw either.<BR>On the other hand, when I started traveling on my own, I found you can pace yourself. If you want to sit at a cafe or sit at a fountain all day in a square you can. If you want to sleep in or take an afternoon nap, you have the comforts of your hotel room. Don't worry about language barrior in Europe either, just learn the basics and you will be fine. Take a little pocket dictionary and a guide book, and enjoy Europe the way the people who live there do. Have a great time.

Thanks for your advice. I think my major hesitancy is the language barrier - how to get around on subways and communicate at hotels and restaurants. My husband and I are both age 48, have no physical limitations, and have traveled extensively in the U.S. and Hawaii. I have done all of the travel planning on these trips. But from what I am reading, many people speak English so it shouldn't be a big problem. I may go for it!!!!

Do "go for it"...half the fun is getting lost and then found!<BR><BR>Be certain to prepare, use sensible precautions like a money belt, bring yoru guidebooks and enjoy the fun. Most folks in the areas where you will be speak some English..it's not a big deal unless you are very old, infirm or are unwilling to take a chance!<BR><BR>Enjoy!

A nice compromise can be a small group trip that has the "security in numbers" without most of the disadvantages of a "big bus company" trip.<BR><BR>If you'd like to know more about a trip to Italy that I planned, organized and lead from visitors to this site and friends, let me know and I'll list some of the threads on this forum with some of the details about how it came together.<BR><BR>What month do you have in mind to go?<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

By all means, if you don't mind doing things for yourselves, then just 'wing it.' Travelling on your own will allow you much so more freedom. You'll have a greater opportunity to interact with the locals and see things at your own pace. Language will not be a problem. Many people speak English and it's really quite entertaining to attempt communicating with those who don't! Learn a few polite phrases in Italian and you'll be fine. Have a great time!

I have finally decided to go for my first European trip BECAUSE of a tour advertisement. It was the price of $1749 from the West Coast, which includes home pickup, staying in the same hotel in Montecatini for six days, and leaving each day for a tour to different Tuscan cities, and then a day and night in Rome and flying home from there delivering me to my home. Also, many meals are included. <BR><BR>I'm sure that I would have never gone if I hadn't seen this brochure. How can we go wrong not having to change hotels, mess with baggage and still seeing a good overall view of Tuscany. It will be the first week in November, which cuts the cost enormously. <BR><BR>I am dreading the same people (possibly with physical limitations) because it is a senior trip, but I will just drink a lot of wine, smile a lot and practice whatever Italian I learn by then......and then put together the NEXT trip from everything I learn from you Wonderful people. I'm just happy to get there the "no worries" way my FIRST time!<BR><BR>

The real plus of a tour is the time savings - you don't have to hunt for the hotel, you don't have to find a place to eat, you don't have to wait in lines at the sights, you don't have to figure out how to get to the train station, you don't have to get to the bus or subway stop to get to the next place. You can see a lot more of a place in a lot shorter time than doing it on your own. You have to decide if that's important enough to deal with the negatives, like keeping a schedule, being with the same people all the time, eating at only the prescribed places, staying only in the prescribed hotels (which sometimes are on the outskirts which means it's hard to get out on your own), seeing only those things on the itinerary....<BR><BR>If you do it on your own, factor in the time-consumption as mentioned above; you'll find your itinerary will be much smaller. Depending upon how much time you have planned for this trip, you could do a land-only trip for the first part (you buy your own plane tickets), get a feel for the country, and strike out on your own after. If you want to see just the cities (Rome, Florence, Venice - an example only), that's pretty easy to do on your own. Train connections are very easy between the metropoli; there are always English-speaking train personnel in those stations (they sometimes have a signs showing what clerk speaks which languages) so buying tickets is no big deal. If you want to travel to a smaller city on a train route, the train clerks will get you the right ticket and the right schedule. English is sort of the common language (Swedes travel to Spain, it's hard to find a Spaniard that speaks Swedish, so everyone has sort of adopted English as the in-between language, especially in tourist areas and those facilities used by tourists like train stations and restaurants near the sights...I think of English as the verbal version of pictographs).<BR><BR>Planning your own trip takes an enormous amount of time and energy, but if you think of it as a chore, then take a tour. If you think of it as your hobby (gardening is a lot of work and time, but if you enjoy it, you don't think of it as a chore), then the planning is half the fun! Oh, and if you have a favorite Italian restaurant owned by people from the "old country", ask them about their country. They'll give you soooo many places and sights and "my Uncle Georgio lives in Townwithlotsofvowels; you must go see him!".

Betty--You have some really good answers here to help you decide which way to go, but the most important thing is simply to go! Life is too short to worry about getting everything perfect the first time. For me and for most of the posters here, a great part of the trip is the planning and sharing with like-minded people. Elvira gave a great answer above--she truly represents the positive attitude that most fodorites have towards their travel. With that kind of mindset, how can you go wrong? Freida is also right, so whichever you do, have a great trip.

Freida:<BR><BR>I'm happy for you that this price got you to "take the plunge". And I will not try to talk you out of it at all. But the price of travel to Europe is very seasonal. And a small group trip in November could provide you the same bang for the bucks - - in fact probably more bang for less bucks - - if you were to have any interst. Plus, not only could you have everything "taken care fo for you", you could have some say in the places you go.<BR><BR>Bargains induce many people to try europe for the first time. And there are many different ways to put together a bargain.<BR>

hi, i don't drive and travel by myself, sometimes organized and sometimes alone. am going now for the lake district by myself. i always find Italy very easy. great public transportation very helpful people and always understand my pantomime when they know no English.

up<BR>

to Freida.<BR>hi. . was on a similar tour with Trafalgar last year and it was great. wonderful people. (I sometimes feel that the people on the group are a price to pay , these time they were an extra bonus). and if you have an option of the Cinqe Terre absolutely take it. it is the best !. the spa and cable car in Montecatini make a very nice free day. have a great time. shula

My wife and I winged it and it worked out great (it was our first trip to Italy and we don't speak Italian but we had been to Europe several times). We started in Venice and over 15 days worked our way through Florence, Rome and Sorrento. The trains were a bit confusing at times but nothing too bad. Just do a lot of reading and make as many arrangements as you can before you leave (we had most of the train tickets and all of the hotel reservations made months in advance). Italy is an absolutely wonderful country...enjoy!

for freida<BR>

Betty. Am about to embark on my second visit to Italy. <BR>We do not know Italian and all the language tapes in the world don't seem to dent my brain! <BR>I am armed with good guide books, good maps and have elected my husband as driver. After all, he hasn't done any of the planning for this trip, I figure he can drive.<BR>I think I would take a tour if I could find one that would do all the things that I have on my list, would leave early if I get bored with a certain stop or stay longer if I don't. That probably isn't going to happen.<BR>Try to plan yourself. Decide which parts of the country you would like to see, how long you would like to stay, what your budget is. Then check out standard tours and compare.<BR>If you feel overwhelmed, you can always take one. But once you start your own planning it kind of just takes off and there you go.<BR>Frieda. If you are so inclined, try one of the spas. The one thing my daughter wanted to do was take a mud bath, which we did in Montecatini, She loved it and it didn't take a lot of time if you can squeeze something like that in. She is still talking about it.