On top of our first year of official retirement (Gabi and Joe), and the relocation to Oregon-Gabi and Pam have been planning a celebration vacation to Italy and France. Both of them had been to Europe several times, but I had never been (and never expected to go). They started floating the idea last year, after the move, which I thought was plenty for the first year. They asked what countries I would most like to visit and what things I most wanted to see. The choices were limited, due to our newly fixed income, so a grand tour was not on the table. I thought Italy and, possibly France, would give us the most Europe for our 3-week time frame.
No more was said on the subject for a couple of months. Then I received a polished itinerary with dates, flights, cars, hotels, activities all booked and mostly prepaid. Travel is something you can put off, but the planning and booking is done immediately. That's the way Pam and Gabi do it, and the money saved is staggering. Everything on the itinerary happened as planned and I'm looking over thousands of pictures and can't believe we did all this in 3 weeks! You can take my word for it and bail out here or read on and relive it with me. *
Joe
* Notes: Prices and availability change constantly so we couldn't do exactly the same trip again.
Put on sunscreen each day. You may be inside planes & cars and still get burned.
Luggage - suitcases for baggage checking (hotel stuff; lowest problem if lost)
- duffel bags for carry-on overhead (must have rx, toiletries, chargers, etc.)
- lightweight backpack day bag carry-on under front seat (snacks, books, etc.)
Eateries - little coffee, pizza, and gelato shops are everywhere
- Eating out is a daily thing, not just for special occasions.
Pictures - I take pictures everywhere with my iPhone-mostly reminders
