Trip for 5 from NJ to Italy...budget question
 

I am just starting to think about our family vacation next summer and really want to take the kids (will be ages 17, 15, and12) to Italy. I was there in 2000 but it was with a tour that was quite rushed and I didn't feel like I truly got to immerse myself in the culture. We have a budget of about 9K and would be flying out of Newark, Philly, or JFK and would hopefully be about a 10-14 day trip. Can anyone help me determine if a trip to Rome, Venice, Florence, and Siena would be feasible on this budget? I would love to get to the Amalfi coast, too but I don't know that that would be too much to tackle for this trip.

14 days hard to do more than Venice, Florence and Rome with possible sojourn to Siena - forget Amalfi as it takes a day to get there from anywhere on your wish list and is super crowded in summer. Research trains - cars are useless in cities - Venice obviously but Florence and Rome have banned private vehicles from city centers and trains are much faster. Maybe rent car in Florence to tool around Tuscany for a few days. anyway for loads on trains check Acquista il biglietto con le nostre offerte - Trenitalia and for lots on what to expect once on them - www.seat61.com- great tips booking discounted tickets on trains; www.ricksteves.com and BETS-European Rail Experts.

How about fly into Venice - 3 nights
Train to Florence - 3 nights
Siena and area - 3 nights
Rome - up to 5 nights

Try for 14 days for sure to do all that.

Is that five total or just you and the Kids? In any case $9000 is very little for 5 (or 4) if that includes airfares. Say you are lucky and can get R-T (preferably open jaw) for $900 each - spread over 14 days you'd only have a little over $60 per day per person.

And with 10 days (which would = 7.5 days on the ground) you'd have time for Rome/Venice or Rome Florence but not much more. That would get you a little over $90 per day pp - still not a fortune but a lot better than $60.

ps: to get Pal's 14 nights would mean a 16 day trip - even harder on that budget.

Yes, I was only considering what you could do in that time - budget seems low for even 10 days and air fares in summer can be really high.

Yes, we need to know if it is 4 or 5 people (two adults or just you)?

And confirm that needs to cover the airfares??

If that it the total budget, I think you need to shorten the trip (or raise the budget).

Do those 10-14 days include the two travel days (over and back)? In either case, I'd forget the Amalfi coast, which is not only hot and crowded in summer, it's expensive, and your budget is slim for a family of 5. You don't have extra cash to move people all the way south.

There are some simple ways to economize, of course (never let the kids order a soft drink, buy multi-city air tickets...), but I can't see 9k working even if that excludes airfares. Try totting up what an average day would cost you - accommodations (not easy with 5 people - you'll need at least two rooms or a huge suite or big apartment), train fares for 5, meals for 5 (even if you live on pizza and grocery store sandwiches and water), entrance fees to sights, local transport, the odd gelato or afternoon drink, cheap souvenirs. It adds up fast, and isn't fun when you're counting every euro.

My husband and I take a lot of 10-day trips in Europe, including to Italy. We consider ourselves to be thrifty travelers and do a load of research before making plans. We live in Europe, so don't have long-haul flights to pay for, but still we normally spend about 4k for such a trip, And that's for just two people - and hardly any gelati or snacks and very, very few souvenirs.

>>I think you need to shorten the trip<< . . . AND cut down to one or at very most 2 destinations. Transport around in-country adds up quickly.

didn't see StCirq's post. Ditto.

Oh - jeeze louise :)

The thread title clears up the number of people. It IS five . . .

Actually transport by train can be very cheap if book far enough in advance - if they take only two trips - Venice to Florence and Florence to Rome but yes to rent a car or do more trips out of question.

OK & thanks - 5 people. I see airfare JKF to Rome nonstops around $650pp (so 9000 - 3250 = 5750 left for lodging, food, local transportation, entrance fees, etc.)

$575 per day for the family on a 10 day itinerary. Stretching that out to 14 days is only $410 a day, so you'd have to be really economical in finding an apartment or inexpensive rooms to make your budget work on the longer trip. Possible but we'd be talking apartments, grocery store, picnic style, free tours, kind of a trip. Not hotels and restaurants or too many paid activities.

Airbnb or hotelworld.com Shop markets, grocery stores. I would skip Venice if trying to save money and concentrate on Tuscany/ Rome. I am on a lot of military travel forums and you would be shocked at how much an enlisted person can squeeze out of a euro. Check out The Beehive hostel in Rome. Scott's cheap flights, my niece gets cheap flights from NYC into Milan. Look at Pisa also. Bravo for doing this for your family. Don't give up.

Hostel for a family?

I think what I will do, based on the responses, is save up for the next summer (2020) so we can do it right. We do tend to travel frugally but I want this one to be different.

I think that's what I'd do as well. You don't need a fortune but with a family of five, more $$ is better :)

Who knows what the kids will be focused on in 2020. Don't give up so easily. We saw many flight deals this summer from NY/NJ. Google flights is a good source. Also check out Scott's Cheap Flights. Some of the info there is free, but our family found several deals from his premium service ($39/year). Often these are error rates (that will be honored) or deals that might be available for a day or two. I would forget hotels. In Italy, airbnb continues to be fairly unchallenged as it is in other European areas. We had a nice, spacious 3BR apartment last fall in normally expensive Rome for 7 persons for about $150/night via airbnb. Assume you can find flights for $500 each (and there were many under that in 2018 for those fortunate to be near NYC airports as you are)), that leaves $650/day for 10 days. Even for five people, that does not mean "frugal" travel, at least not my definition of frugal. You certainly don't have to consider hostels or starving. There are many inexpensive options in Italy. Visit a local market and put together some meals in your own apartment; enjoy great affordable pizza. Even with some rail travel or a car rental, there should be room for splurges.

Hostel for a family?

Yes, some are very nice like the Beehive in Rome. A family I know just did hostels in Japan. Airbnb is better with laundry and full kitchen. Whitehall is on about Scott's travel. My husband just subscribed to the 39.00 deal.

Maybe kids would like to stay in hostel and mingle with others their ages but I don't think adults would care no matter how neat.

Pal - lots of adults of ALL ages stay in hostels. Sometimes I wonder . . . never mind. :unsure:

The cost of airfare is the same if you stay 2 days or 200, so if the balance
only allows to a week, go for a week.

You say you want to a cultural immersion, so rent an apartment near a supermarket, and commute to the attractions.
Find a base in towns and places that have not yet been ruined by Rick Steves and mass Chinese tours

For example, you can rent a three bedroom apartment in Laspezia for about $US1000 for seven nights,. Florence is about 2.5 hours by train, Cinque Terre is easily reach by train or ferry.

An overnight in Sienna would not blow your budget

Based on your $9K budget you should have money left over to splurge on time near or in Rome.

The Beehive is not a typical hostel; it's a hostel and hotel. In the year 2000 (!) when I was a young lady, some friends and I used their apartment rental service and we were very happy. I don't know if they still are doing that--times change--but at that time it was very economical.

https://www.the-beehive.com/#about-the-beehive

If you don't move around too much, $9K is doable for a family of five if it doesn't include airfare.

Leely, we loved the Beehive. They had cross-pollinate where they had other places they recommended in other cities. They still have apartments. We had a group and had the rooms with shared bath but we were only ones using them and they had a sink in every room. I used a Hostel in Galway during a multi function event weekend and it was very fun. We had a shared room first night but got a private room next two nights. The best thing was they had discounts on all of the tours. We had one great day tour for 20 euro. The evening living room had a very diverse group but in the morning the breakfast room had many families. I would still try for apartments in a couple of bases with day trips. Check out Flixbus also.

Hostel for a family? Sure, why not?

But the idea to save for another year so you can have more the trip you dream of, is the best idea.

Hostel for a family or older folks - how many have Suze and Janis stayed in? None this millennium I suspect - yes older folks do stay but most would prefer a private room in a proper hotel.

You suspect (seriously) wrong. But what else is new . . . .

You do realize that MANY hostels do have private rooms -- right???

Most folks including you I suspect want an en-suite private room - with WC/shower - if hostels provide those then they are not hostels in the traditional sense.

Things are changing. Ours in Galway had private bath with two beds. We had shared laundry, living room and nice kitchen. Shared bath in Rome but we never saw anyone else. In Galway one of our roommates was a young Doctor, the other a college student travelling to meet her mom. I was with my girlfriend. We were just not finding any hotel rooms due to two festivals in town. I also love how Universities in UK and Ireland open their dorm rooms up for use when students are not in residence. I wonder if Italy does that?

There have always been hostels with private rooms or family rooms. I'm surprised you do not know this PalQ.

I'm also not sure how you think you know what I need in a bathroom. We really aren't that close.

Yes I've stayed even long ago in private rooms in hostels but never saw an en-suite one - anyway... many folks do not want to share WC/showers with others.

None of that has anything to do with the question asked here PalQ. You're way off topic, again.

Pal - you are so full of it.

First 'Families don't stay in hostels', then 'Adults sure wouldn't want to stay in a hostel', then 'I doubt j or s have ever stayed in a hostel', then 'If a hostel has private rooms it isn't a hostel', then 'Oh yeah, yeah, I know hostels have private rooms - I've even stayed in one' . . . and yet another thread is sent off track . . .

Since the Beehive in Rome was specifically recommended by someone who stayed there, I don't see how your anecdotal, ancient history info about hostels is relevant. The Beehive offers private rooms with private baths as well as dorm rooms. It says all over their website "this is not a party hostel."

https://www.the-beehive.com/

Give the kids two scenarios - the frugal one of 2019 or the hopefully less frugal one of 2020. See what they say. I would be very surprised if they vote for 2020.

“Who knows what the kids will be focused on in 2020.” So true. Families are full of stories of the trips that never happened.

Well current budget is just not enough even for hostels - trip expenses add up with visits to caffes for gelatos, museum fees, restaurants, etc.

I would go with a frugal trip in 2019 and who knows maybe you will be able to do another frugal trip in 2020. I agree with a previous poster to ask your kids what they would want. As a young adult (and now) my vote would always be to go as soon as possible. With nine thousand for 5 people and finding the right plane ticket for around $500-600 (maybe less, maybe some tickets can be had with airmiles), I think that is plenty for my budget. By Jove, I might even have enough money to buy a coffee mug with a drawing of lemons in Ravello.

with 5 will they need or want separate hotel or hostel rooms? If so could be hard to do on that budget.

$575 per day for the family on a 10 day itinerary.

They have decided to wait.

But I feel they do have the budget for a decent trip if they went for 10 days instead of 14. Even if they had to give say $300 for an apartment to sleep everyone, that's still $275 per day for eating and walking around money. That's plenty for a frugal to mid-level trip.

Well if they stay in family-friendly hostels whose rooms seem to rival a hotel in basic amenities they could stay 14 days - the difference between 10 and 14 huge in seeing what they want - Venice, Florence and Rome with nice day trips possible too, like to Siena from Florence - just about an hour by bus..

I know they've given up this year's trip, but I can say that we take plenty of trips on a low budget. We always rent apartments and use a lot of public transportation. 9K for 10 days sounds quite doable to me.

Fair enough, but just some comments.

First, there are excellent airfares for next summer from the NYC area to Rome, some as low as $520 per person round trip.

Second, look at VRBO or vacation rentals. Here's one between Florence and Sienna, for example - https://www.vrbo.com/872948ha or a unit with a pool also in Tuscany - https://www.vrbo.com/1112680ha - both for $100 to $130 per night. A five-passenger van picked up at Rome airport would run around $650 for ten days, and food cost would be based on whether you shop in the street markets and cook things yourself, vs. eating out. Either way, it wouldn't be a huge burden.

So your budget might not be that jeopardized, but it might mean a slightly different approach. I happen to like this style - stay outside the big towns and commute in (using local buses or trains, or park the car on the outskirts for the day) but staying in a house in a village, shopping in the street or public markets... well, to me that's a lot more fun than forced marches through museums. But your values might be different.