Hi all!

Ok, I'm leaving on my first solo trip to Italy in about 10 days (I've been to Italy twice before but with my husband) and, as is to be expected, I feel pretty scatter-brained!

Please tell me if I'm forgetting anything! I've made copies of my passport and license (and I've also emailed it to myself) and I have the addresses of the places I'm staying (right now working on getting directions from the train station).

I know there's a lot more I have to do but I just can't wrap my brain around it . . . any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!

TIA!
~Ahissa

get a translated license if you will be driving.

call your credit card and ATM companies to let them know and to check on your daily limit, then call back and confirm (learned the hard way).

get the sister bank to your bank in Italy so you can use them if possible

dont put the copies of your passport and license in your luggage (found out the hard way too). But do put your hotel info so your luggage can be delivered if necessary.

take a converter and plugs if necessary

Thanks so much SeaUrchin!!! That helps tons!

~Ahissa

When I travel alone I never carry all my money/cards in one place. I split it up into a couple different bundles so I'd never lose the whole thing, should something go wrong (i.e. I'll stick $100 in a Kleenex travel pack and hide in a pocket of my suitcase, take 2 credit cards and carry them separately, like that).

also now days we have to weigh our luggage and our carry on.

keep your husbands name and phone number in your purse in case of an emergency.

remember the liquid rule for your carry on.

like suze, I put some money in carryon and some in my purse. I don't have the nerve to put any in my suitcase!!

take a money pouch if you like to wear them.

hmmm, still thinking.

Suze and SeaUrchin,

You guys ROCK!!!!! Please, keep 'em coming! I'm taking notes

Thanks!
~Ahissa

have the name and address of your hotel on a card with you in case you get lost and need directions or a taxi.

For the plane, wrap up your toothbrush in plastic or take a new one in a package and anything else you don't want touched by a TSA'er when they inspect your luggage. I watched as one grabbed my toothbrush by the bristles, ugh.

take a little notepad with you on your daily treks to take notes for directions or anything else.

check times and daily openings of places you want to visit before you trek over to them, guess why I suggest this, lol.

Ahissa~ SeaUrchin must be my long-lost sisters! We do lots of things similar.

When I check into the hotel I grab a business card and make sure I have taxi fare in the local currency. That way you can never get "lost" and if you get tired you can easily get a taxi and go back to your room.

I use a 3x5 spiral notebook. I keep it with me to jot down addresses of places that look interesting. You think you'll be able to find them again, but... Also for new words I learn in the language, things I want to remember to tell my Fodor's friends post-trip, etc.

One of my best tips is IF things are going sideways or you feel upset for any reason, take a deep breath and find a cafe. Have a glass of wine (or coffee or tea) and re-group. One time in Paris I was soooooooo lost and tired I was almost in tears (turns out I was only a few blocks from the hotel & that was before I learned the carry the hotel business card trick!). A little pitcher of wine in a sidewalk cafe made things look much better.

I like to carry a small flashlight. I put my watch around it at night and place them both together on the bedside table. That way, waking up in a strange place in the middle of the night, you can easily get some light and see the time.

Nice, I'm getting some good stuff out of this as well.

I love "if things are going sideways"! I am going to keep that in mind always. Not going backward or forward but sideways!! You are a genius.

That so explains my last solo trip to Rome, things were going sideways most of the time. I have never been so discombobulated.

It could be one reason too that now I dont like traveling solo in cold weather, it was so cold I couldn't sit outdoors and sip wine and watch the world, I had to hunker down in restaurants by myself.

It is so clear now, thanks suze.

Oh and I did think of what a friend who travels solo does, take a scented candle and maybe a loved ones photo for the nightstand. I take the candle sometimes and I do bring in fresh flowers (when they are available, another reason to travel in warmer weather). The empty room seems more inviting when we add personal things.

If I'm staying in a hotel room, I fix up the dresser as a mini-kitchen and focal point. Buy a souvenier dishtowel or scarf, put it on the dresser, buy bottled water, wine, crackers or nuts, fresh flowers, set out the brochures and maps you gather, books, etc. (the candle would fit in here) It really does make me feel more comfortable and secure.

Solo Sister !!

OMG!! Suze and SeaUrchin . . . I wish you two could come with me!!!! Such great advice and really so common sense, we overlook them Thank you both for taking the time to send me some pointers . . . now, I'm not afraid of going 'sideways' while in Italy - - nothing a carafe of wine can't fix!

Thanks again!!!!
~Ahissa

My pleasure... It's all just little things, most of which I learned the hard way or have developed over the years. It's fun to share with others who have a similar style and appreciate the ideas. Now just don't get me started on packing tips -haha.

Oh no Suze . . . now I HAVE to know your packing tips!!!! Spill the beans lady!!!

Thank you!
~Ahissa

Oh nothing so special really, but I am extremely focused when it comes to packing right/light and what clothes I take. This is only particularly funny imo because as far as the trip itself, I'm NOT a planner at all... no daily or weekly itineraries, rarely even a guidebook in sight.

My secret trick & method is, I hang any clothes I'm considering for a trip in a separate place a week or so ahead. Then meditate on things (not really), adding and removing. I use the same 24" roller suitcase each trip, so know how it packs. I am a "folder" not a "roller" -haha.

The other thing I am a bit compulsive about is toiletries and cosmetics. I take EVERYthing I normally use at home, but in teeny sizes, just enough to last the length of the trip.

I set my outfits aside like Suze does - I also wash everything at that time (whether it's clean or not) so it's all nice and fresh. I always buy new pieces of clothing at least 2 weeks before so I have time to wear them once and make sure they're comfy, and find a replacement if they're not.

On toiletries, I'm the opposite of Suze (sort of)... I take ONLY those items I normally use at home. For example, I don't take foundation because I only wear it occasionally.

Make sure you have enough cash in local funds to pay for a cab or airporter for your return. That way you're covered if your husband (or whoever) can't pick you up or your flight gets changed, etc. and you need to get other transport.

I keep some money separate also but never in anything that might get thrown away (no Kleenex packs for me - I'll forget). I've used an empty lipstick tube before - it worked pretty good.

hi toedtoes~~ you misunderstood my toiletries statement. i take only what i normall use at home also, same as you. but in small sizes. for instance, i take my day cream and my night cream for my face, but rather than toss in two big jars, i downsize into two tiny containers just enough for the two weeks or whatever.

also i don't hide money all over the place because you're right(!) i might forget. but i've been using specifically the kleenex packet idea for awhile, so now, for me, i wouldn't ever forget that.
;-)

Suze - I was just playing with semantics. You said you take EVERYthing you use at home, so I said I take ONLY what I use at home.

Suze, SeaUrchin and ToadToes,

Thank you ALL SO MUCH!! This advice has really helped me put my head on straight! I can't wait to start my solo trip in 7 days and this advice has done wonders for me

Thanks again!!!
~Ahissa