Questions for daughter traveling to Italy

[woodsprite]

Our daughter is traveling out of the country for the first time ever. She's going with some classmates for an internship abroad for just over 3wks and seems like she's getting very little guidance from her professors. She's received her passport and today she received a few guidelines.

She's flying Air Berlin, and they've been asked not to check luggage, so they are very limited in what they can take. She's allowed one 21x15x7.5" that weighs no more than 20 lbs (including her laptop) and she's allowed one other small bag (purse or shopping bag to carry books, etc.) She's supposed to take clothes to work (excavating mosaics), clothes to tour (The Vatican and other museums), clothes for class and a bathing suit. She'll also be in areas from the mountains to the beach, so she'll need a jacket of some kind and rain jacket. Oh, and a water bottle.

I just can't see getting all that to fit in a 20lb carry-on. I know she can wear some of the heavier items, so she'll do that. Just seems like they're expecting to get a lot in those bags.

Does anyone have any tips for traveling in Italy. We were told don't take traveler's checks (more trouble than they're worth apparently). Can you use debit cards (Visa)? We were told that you don't want to use a cc internationally due to charges. Meals - are they expensive there? Only breakfasts will be provided.

I'm feeling lost trying to help her since we've never traveled outside the country, and have only flown once since 9/11.

[elleng]

1. FIRST, it will be a great trip! (My favorite country.)

SECOND: Pick up a Rick Steves book that discusses the practical things you mention, like packing etc. AND remember, she can buy whatever she needs that she didn't pack. Clothes for class should be same as those for touring and just about anything else she does.

Debit cards fine, and if you'd like, she can buy Euros here. (AAA sells them, as do others, like Thomas Cook.)

Haven't been in a while so don't know about prices generally, but EVERY meal will be good, and quick, small places shouldn't be expensive. Sandwiches fantastic!!! and salads!

Buon viaggio!

[Major Nikon]

2. You are generally better off using a CC/debit card

You can check with your card issuer for exchange rates which are often the best you'll find. When traveling overseas, I order a small amount of local currency from my local bank. You only need enough to get by for a day or so. Once you get there you can use a debit card to withdraw cash. I use my debit card for most everything. If she has a smart phone, get a currency converter app. Check with your cell phone provider to find out what the rates are. Text and data can get quite expensive, but calls shouldn't be too bad.

For the laptop, you'll need an adapter. Check the specs on it and it should say something like 110-230v, 50/60 hz. If so you'll only need a plug adapter and not a heavier transformer adapter.

[Turbineguy]

3. Be careful of

good looking young men who offer to help you at the ATM. You may find your bank account emptied 20 minutes later. But it should be a wonderful trip.

[Major Nikon]

4. I've seen many banks overseas that have ATM closets that are lockable from the inside

I generally like to use those or the ones inside bank or hotel lobbies.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

6. She should be sure to notify her card issuer of her travel dates, or she may find her card blocked

for "usage outside normal patterns." In other words, if there's suddenly an attempt to use her card in Italy, the bank will suspect that someone stole her card and left the country.

Using a smartphone overseas can be tricky and expensive. Her phone may not work in Europe, depending on who her carrier is. In any case, international roaming, especially for data, costs an arm and a leg. Better to buy a prepaid phone for calls within Italy and not use her American phone for either voice or 3G/4G data, not unless she wants to face a whopping phone bill the next month. In any case, unless there's some sort of an emergency, e-mail should be sufficient for keeping in touch. I simply use the wi-fi function on my phone instead of the cellular data function.

(The first time I went overseas--for a year--e-mail and cellphones didn't exist, so I had to communicate with the folks back home solely by snail mail, and you know what? We both survived. Being 7,000 miles from my family with no immediate means of communication was a maturing experience.)

All laptops that I know of are dual voltage, but you definitely need a continental European plug adapter, which has two cylindrical pins. (The UK uses yet another style of plug.) AAA and most electronics stores should be able to help you with that.

I second the recommendation for the Rick Steves travel guides. They're aimed at beginning travelers and are full of explicit instructions for the little things that other travel guides forget, such as what bus to take to reach such-and-such a sight.

[woodsprite]

10. Being a mom, I'm just hoping she budgets better than on previous trips

and actually drags herself out of bed to not miss breakfast or transport to the excavation sites.

And, of course, I want her to have a good time, behave, make friends with the people in her travel group (13 girls, 2 guys) and stay safe. Their professor is not going with them, but is meeting them at the JFK ticket counter, seeing them off, then on the Italian side they'll meet up with the organization sponsoring their internships.

[Major Nikon]

11. I've used my phone all over the world

My carrier has pretty good rates if you sign up ahead of time. The trick is to use your phone very infrequently.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. And NEVER use cellular data overseas

It costs a mint when you roam. When I bought my phone a couple of months before going to Europe, the salesperson warned me about this.

No long phone conversations, either. I normally make local calls from my hotel room, but in one case, I used my U.S. cell phone to make a long distance call to another city in the same country, and the ten-minute conversation raised my monthly bill $20.

[Major Nikon]

13. Some carriers allow you to buy data up front

Its not a bad idea because sooner or later you'll wish you had it. For $30 I can buy a small amount of data that is more than what I'll use. It's not as big of a deal in places like Rome where English speakers aren't hard to find if you don't speak the language. However, get away from the big cities in places where you don't speak the language and data access can be a godsend.

[A Little Weird]

5. Sounds challenging

I don't know anything about Italy but I found these two sites helpful when I went to Costa Rica:

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/pack-light.htm

http://www.onebag.com/

I would definitely take comfortable shoes. And you can probably look up on the airline website how big the "small" bag can be - I think I ended up using a fairly good sized backpack and they were ok with it as long as it fit under the seat (but that's been several years ago).

It sounds like a really cool trip - I hope she has a blast!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. Clothes for class and clothes for touring?

A skirt and a variety of plain-colored T-shirts that match it. There are very comfortable sandals available--she should select them for comfort rather than fashion. A foldable hat for working outside on hot days is a must, too.

Check the TravelSmith catalogue or the AAA Travel Store for space-saving accessories.

If she buys a souvenir that turns out to be too big to pack, she should look into mailing it home.

[woodsprite]

8. They had told her that she'd need a sleeved shirt, a longer skirt and head covering

to tour the Vatican and a few other places. Not sure whether Teva thong sandals would be acceptable footwear or not for that. Her 20th birthday is in a few days, so I told her this trip is a good 20th bday present I'll take her out and get her a printed gauze peasant skirt and some tops that go with it. If it's the crinkle gauze, she won't have to find some way to press it wherever she's staying. She was going to take a sleek, business type skirt, but I think that would be to difficult to keep nice looking. They're doing a 13th century monastery in Rome (the only place they'll have wifi). For the rest of the time, they'll be in a few bed and breakfasts, internet access will only be available at the local pub/restaurants.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. A long crinkly skirt is great for traveling

and a long-sleeved T-shirt or crinkly gauze tailored shirt can serve as the required "long sleeves" for touring churches, etc. Either that or a lightweight cardigan. (I think the prohibition is against entering churches with bare arms, so a lightweight sweater would work.)

[Laura PourMeADrink]

14. What shocked and surprised us is there are NO LAUNDROMATS

That we could find, anyway. The biggest mistake we made when we went to Italy was taking too many clothes and not taking ones that were more wrinkle free and lightweight. Mostly because we had to rinse stuff out in the hotel and hang on the balcony. sometimes they wouldn't dry. We never stayed in a hotel more than two nights so we didn't really have enough time to have the hotel send our clothes out for cleaning.

So, lightweight, little ironing - you are on the right track.

I have found that you can fit more in a suitcase if you are rolling clothes

But, she doesn't have to look frumpy when she does go out to dinner or on a tour. I think the skirt idea is great and she can even layer t-shirts. Or a jogging suit would be cool too for less formal.

Italy has gorgeous, high-fashioned people and I am guessing she doesn't want to look like a scmuck. : &gt

I actually only brought one pair of shoes that looked good for casual and dressy and they were extra comforable for walking - Ecco's. Don't think you have to go the burgenstock route

Hope she has a great time !!!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

15. Here's a cool website - travelfashiongirl.com

http://travelfashiongirl.com/functional-and-fashion-packing-list/

[greatauntoftriplets]

16. I'd try packing the single suitcase and figuring out what goes in it before she leaves.

A sort of dress rehearsal. That really is a tiny bag for three weeks and considering the variety of clothing she's been asked to bring.

I see that others have posted about Rick Steves' excellent books. Another good source are the Lonely Planet series.

I hope that she has a great time. Italy's beautiful.

[woodsprite]

17. Thanks to everyone for their great info! I've been sharing it all with my daughter.

The packing 'dress rehearsal' is a great idea!

Right now she's agonizing over the bag she wants to get. I told her to opt for a soft back-pack type with zip compartments for the shoulder straps. We found one that was very close to what size specs she was given. It had shoulder straps, plus a carrying handle (so you could carry it like a regular suitcase. The only size that was out of whack was the depth (9" vs 7.5&quot , but it came with cinch straps to tighten down on what was packed.