Preplanning the Vacation of a Lifetime
Trip Start
May 11, 2010
1
12
Trip End
May 27, 2010
Monroe, Michigan
Monday, May 10, 2010
To start with our family is not rich neither are we poor for that matter. I am a Skilled Tradesman and teach part time as an adjunct at a local college. Cheryl, my wife works for the township. Zachary, our son, completed his Bachelor's Degree in English and is now preparing to enter a Masters degree in Computer Science. Erin, Zach’s girl friend, graduated in the field of Speech therapy and has received a scholarship for her Masters degree in the same field. She is an incredibly intelligent, interesting and beautiful young lady who blended into our family so perfectly that we could not bear not to share this vacation with her.
Since our son Zachary entered college we have not had a vacation in 6 years. We simply worked and placed the money aside for a future vacation after he graduated. I thought that our vacation would be to Florida or California or anywhere else there where palm trees, which was our typical idea of a vacation. Any location that consisted of palm trees and sandy beaches for a couple of weeks, allowing us time to relax from the daily grind of living, is vacation to us. Then, in 2009, Zach asked if we would consider vacationing in Europe? Of course that had always been a dream for a history buff such as I. It seems for the past several years, since I have been able to trace our family genealogy back to 1349 in Wales, I have devoured historical and historical fiction novels. Anything from 5th century Dark Ages to 15th century High Medieval and Renascence periods were an interest. Books such as: "The Agony and the Ecstasy" by Irving Stone, “Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett, “The Bruce” and “William Wallace” by Nigel Trantor and multiple dozens more.
Once I began planning this vacation I thought it an exercise in futility. Who were we to think that we could have such a luxury as a vacation such as this? I tried making every excuse imaginable to avoid spending this money that we had accumulated by not taking vacations. I had the money earmarked for many things like paying off the accumulated student loans or building a new garage or possibly adding another Harley Davidson Motorcycle to the stable. What pushed me over the edge to seriously planning this vacation was due to the fact that Zach and Erin’s educational demands of Master’s Degrees would not allow a trip until 2013 at the earliest, if we didn’t go now, we probably never would!
The first trip commitment was scheduling the Mediterranean cruise, originating in Venice, and building the vacation around the cruise schedule. Next I had to locate hotels that had Quad Rooms (Rooms having 4 beds). I found the Hotel Abbazia in Venice and booked 3 nights prior to the ships departure and then purchased online tickets to the museums we wanted to see in Venice.
Next we had to decide where did we want to go, and what did we want to see in Italy after the cruise? Pisa and the Leaning Tower or Milan to visit the Duomo and Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting of “The Last Supper?” or Florence where the 14th Century Renaissance began and what about Rome with the Colosseum, Forum and Vatican with a side trip to Naples and Pompeii and we can’t forget the Amalfi coast?
First I thought that one single day in each of these legendary cities would be enough to see the major attractions but that was unrealistic. I finally decided to spend two nights in Florence and two nights in Rome then return to Venice for one night before flying home from the same airport at which we arrived; The Marco Polo airport. Once those decisions were out of the way all that was left was to find hotel rooms and pre-purchase admission tickets to the museums that we wanted, or at least I wanted to see! By the end of February 2010 the vacation was finalized and I revealed our itinerary it to the rest of the family. Needless to say they were excited!
Preplanning the Vacation of a Lifetime
Planning for this trip began in December 2009. It was in an attempt to reprise a portion of a trip that my Son, Zachary made during his "Study Abroad Class" while in Junior College and to reward him for graduating from the University of Toledo, Ohio. This vacation took much planning and preparation and the purposes of writing this Blog is to:
1. Record it for our family to share with other family members and for future reference.
2. Allow future travelers and readers of this Blog to learn from our successes and mistakes.
Costs:
First, be realistic in the cost of European vacation for four. This was our budgeted cost per person:
$60 Emergency Travelers & Cruise Protection Insurance
$1000 Flight to Venice, Italy (Round Trip)
$250 (4 nights x $250/night = $1000 / 4 people = $250 Venice, Italy)
$52 Vaporetto (Water Bus) 3 days pass
$1000 Mediterranean 7 night cruise
$150 Cruise Excursions (Ephesus, Santorini)
$60 Transportation (High Speed Rail per person 2nd class: Venice to Florence)
$125 (2 nights x $250/night = $500 / 4 people = $125each Florence, Italy)
$70 Museum Entrance fees (Florence, Italy)
$60 Transportation (High Speed Rail per person 1st class: Florence to Rome)
$175 (2 nights x $350/night = $700 / 4 people = $175 Rome, Italy)
$80 Museum Entrance fees (Colosseum, Forum, Vatican Museum, Rome, Italy)
$50 Taxi (Rome, Italy)
$60 Transportation (High Speed Rail per person 2nd class: Rome to Venice)
$600 Food (8 days)
$3,848 Total per Person x 4 = $14,492
The actual cost was $3,175.00 per person, or $12,700.00
Emergency Travelers & Cruise Protection Insurance
Insurance for a trip of this magnitude is very cheap for what you get. Coverage is all inclusive including reimbursement of all expenses if your trip is cut short for personal illness or death of a family member that would require you to return home immediately. Cruise insurance can be purchased through the cruise line and once booked total trip insurance by a 3rd party carrier will offer total trip insurance.
Airfare
Flights from Detroit to Venice, via Amsterdam can be had for as little as $700 if you watch the fares closely and schedule during the off seasons. Schedule seats near the center of the plane because you get private monitors where you can watch a variety of movies and play video games for the long 8-9 hour flight. The rear seats of the plane did not have these entertainment systems.
Hotels in Europe
Hotel costs can be drastically reduced if 4 people are traveling. Four can travel for the cost of two or three because Europe is full of nicely furnished, large quad rooms (4 beds). You get lots of room and great views. These are not 5 star hotels but they are at least 3 stars or better and most include breakfast, which can save a great deal in food expenses. In Venice and Florence we stayed in newly renovated 14th century Monasteries in great locations. In Rome we stayed in a modern hotel at the edge of the Ancient Forum and within easy walking distance to the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Nuova and the Spanish Steps. Most hotels in the Forum area cost about $1000 per night so our Quad room for $350 was a very reasonable.
High Speed Rail Transportation:
High Speed Rail 2nd class or coach is just as good as 1st class, at least for the routes that we traveled. Each of our trips were short and saved 30% by riding 2nd class instead of 1st class. Venice to Florence was 2 hours, Florence to Rome was 1.3 hours and Rome to Venice was 3 hours.
Taxis and Public Transportation:
In Venice use the Water Buses (Vaporetto) it is cheap if you buy the 3 day pass. Single trip passes are expensive. Water taxis cost about $100 per hour and Gondolas are very expensive. If you really want to save money on transportation in Venice then walk everywhere.
In Florence or Rome use a registered taxi. They really are cheap and dependable. Steer clear of public transportation buses because you can easily get confused at your jump-off points and pick-pockets run rampant on buses.
Packing and Luggage:
Pack light! One roll-on suitcase and one small carry-on bag. I would advise not using backpacks unless you are 20 something and in good shape. I purchased a Rick Steves' back packet and then packet it and then tried it on...impossible! It is a nice bag and well made with plenty of room and features but I will gladly sell it for less than I paid for it $75 and I will include shipping! Be sure to visit the Rick Steves web site for excellent travel advice.
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/packlight.htm
Use Neck Wallets for Passports and quickly needed items like Vaporetto tickets.
Use a Silk Money Belt for cash and credit cards. Don’t skimp here, cheap ones will stick to your skin which is very uncomfortable. Purchase these items through Rick Steves web site or eBay.
Travel Books:
I read several books about Italy, Venice, Florence and Rome but none are as good as Rick Steves travel books. You will save money by following his tips. We easily saved over $1000 by using his advice and guide books. The link below is to Rick Steves Guide Books
http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=catalog&parent_id=155
As you proceed through the vacation throw them away or tear out the important sections to decrease the weight of your luggage and allow more room for souvenirs.
Cash:
We took $1000 Euros in cash and divided up among the four of us. You can get Euros at any bank but it takes about 3 days so plan in advance. We also each had an ATM card and I took two different ATM cards. ATMs are everywhere in Europe.
Tickets and Passes:
I used the following web site to schedule all of our tickets in Italy. It is a one-stop web page that will sell and confirm your tickets to all of the sights in Venice, Florence and Rome.
http://www.tickitaly.com/galleries/museums-venice-italy.php
I must admit that I over scheduled far too many museums at the beginning and had to cut them back considerably. You just can't see everything in Rome in two days but you can experience a great deal in a short period of time if you plan well.
