I have been in touch with a number of people who are travelling alone in Italy and it would be very helpful if we had the information from others about their experiences travelling alone - the standard of the hotel room, where to eat, or not, etc. <BR>Care to email me?

as a student (20-21) i found it difficult to actually remain alone while traveling alone in italy, everybody is very friendly and other lone travelers tend to "hook up" and travel together

Great lili <BR>That wasn't what I meant exactly. <BR>Single rooms are sometimes broom cupboards and single people often have to pay more for them. That type of problem.

I've just returned from Italy, and have had a great deal of experience travelling solo throughout, in the past several years. On this most recent trip, I had good experiences with single rooms in the 90.000 to 120.000 range - in every case I got a queen size bed. I did find I got a smaller room than some couples I met, and not the best views. As far as dining experiences, where to start? Easier if I have specific cities or towns. Ask away!

Thanks Nutella <BR>Could you possibly send me a list of the hotel were you stayed and describe the single room etc - also anywhere you had a problem.

Helen, is there any reason why you would prefer that willing parties share their information exclusively with you rather than posting it here so that it can be of use to everyone? Isn't that the point of the forum?

ofcourse that is the point Vlad <BR>and you are very right. <BR>However I didn't think it would be of general interest to have a list of hotels and rooms in this manner - if someone is going to Rome they usually ask for a recommendation in Rome etc and that is it - they don't care if a hotel in Pisa was bad. <BR>I have also found that some people, women in particular, don't like to put all their personal journey details on the board.

Also, the fact that Helen runs a commercial travel service, as she has indicated in the past, may have something to do with her quest for knowledge.

I am not sure if "italywithus" would be considered a commercial travel service, but she sure would like subscribers. <BR> <BR>Deceptive, but not very, yes? <BR> <BR>The notice below is from her September Newsletter: <BR> <BR>"A D V E R T I S I N G & S P O N S O R S H I P <BR>Please contact us on mailto:[email protected] <BR>Our rates are based on ezine circulation and duration of sponsorship. We are currently distributing to the UK, Ireland, <BR>USA,Canada and Australia. <BR> <BR>Our target audience is "lovers of Italy" in the English-speaking <BR>world!"

Oh you are right - I want as many subscribers as I can get. <BR>I get a lot of ideas from this board and have made friends with quite a few people. <BR>I have never been underhand or dishonest. <BR>I will tell you exactly my how my interest started. <BR>I have been chatting to 3 ladies who are coming over here by themselves and we have been discussing the single room problem - there is nothing hidden. <BR>I thought that maybe others would like to share their experiences. <BR>I am also single and like the idea of being able to help others in my position. <BR>

From the Travel Talk's FAQ: <BR> <BR>"Can I promote my business on your forums? <BR> <BR>No, absolutely not. Fodors.com is one of the few major sites where travelers can come for unbiased, independent information about travel. Since our travel writers can't be everywhere at once, it's important that travelers be able to use our forums to get fresh-from-the-field updates and advice from other travelers. Please respect the integrity of Fodors.com and our forums, and find another way to advertise your business."

You have always been deceptive and hidden, who are you kidding? Maybe you are helpful and have a good service but never once have you honestly described your reasons for asking people for information or for them to email you -- like now, for instance. Even after someone pointedly asked you why you are doing this, you didn't confess to what you were doing until someone posted your business information. Why do people with businesses have to constantly be so duplicitous and unethical on here? I would respect them more if they were just up-front and honest about it.

Christina <BR> <BR>How dare you write to me in this manner? how dare you insult me? how dare you say I am deciptive? <BR>What do you mean confess? What do I have to confess to? <BR> <BR>If I wanted information for commercial reasons it would be the same if I took it off trhe board or received an email. <BR>I asked a question - I didn't think it would be of general interest - if you are single going to Rome you don't care what a hotel is like in Pisa. <BR> <BR>Nutella very kindly replied but didn't give details - 2 ladies said to me last week they prefer not to give their personal holiday details on this board - I thought this may be the same type of situation. <BR> <BR>Now as to my business - for 7 months I have been writing a monthly ezine and I am looking for as many subscribers as possible - I am hoping some day to turn it in some form of business but at the moment it is in the growing stage and develops day-by-day. <BR> <BR>I get a lot of ideas from this board and have made many friends - I am meeting some for dinner next week (in your HUMBLE opinion do you think I should confess that as well?). <BR> <BR>A lot of people enjoy my ezine and I get a big kick out of it - I also enjoy being able to help people just for the sake of it and sometimes I store information because I am curious and enjoy to learn. <BR> <BR>On this board I have never given an answer that promoted anything, or anyone. I had an interest in - financial or other. I clearly state how I get my information and how reliable it is etc. <BR> <BR>Now would you like to tell us your business interest here? Why do you answer questions on this board? And who gave you the right to be so rude and arrogant? Why are there these nasty and negative comments in this thread? Am I standing on someone's toes? <BR> <BR>