Ciao Italy!
A COMING OF AGE STORY: SOLO TRAVEL TO ITALY, RICK STEVES STYLE
Hello and welcome to my virtual scrapbook from my travels on the Rick Steves Best of Venice, Florence and Rome in 10 days. My name is Allison Snell and as a 25-year-old woman who has never traveled alone, I wanted to dip my toe in the water by having my first solo travel experience be through a guided tour. But, I still wanted authenticity, culture and the true Europe experience, cue Rick Steves!
Why pack light?I did my best to follow the Rick Steves rule of only brining one bag. I packed and unpacked and repacked and weighed my backpack until I got it just under 22 pounds! I also brought a small duffle that acted as my purse for snacks, electronics and other miscellaneous items I wanted to keep close to me. If I couldn't mix and match my clothing, I just didn't bring it. I also used packing cubes to help get everything as compact as possible and I referenced great tips from Rick you can read here.
PRO TIP: Think in terms of what you can do without — not what will be handy on your trip. When in doubt, leave it out. |
Before my bag was packed and I was headed to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, I was sitting on my couch pouring over my Rick Steves Italy Travel Guide. The complete guide gave me the best recommendations, travel advice and tips including everything from packing light, eating local and seeing each city's top sights. Buy your own here and keep reading for more.
Join me through this scrapbook from start to finish or just scroll and enjoy the beautiful images of Italy - one of the most magical places I have ever seen. Next stop, Pre-Tour Venice! Or, scroll down first to see a few pre-travel tips! Why book a Rick Steves tour? Why book a tour? I asked myself this very question before booking with Rick Steves. I wanted to travel for my 25th birthday, but I knew I wanted to go alone. At the same time, being a young woman, I was hesitant to travel to a new country with a foreign language completely by myself. The next best thing to going alone? Going on a Rick Steves tour with strangers that turn into friends! I was drawn to Rick Steves tours because they offered a small group, the best deals, the 'back door' experience and they took the pain out of planning. If you don't believe me, you'll just have to take a tour for yourself!
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Meet the Famiglia - AKA the Rick Steves Tour Crew
Solo travelers, couples, families and strangers from all around the United States - came together to travel Italy and became a Rick Steves family! Folks joined the tour from California, Kentucky, Minnesota, New York, St. Louis, and beyond!
Speaking Italia!
Whenever I travel to a new country, I do my best to learn a few words and phrases of the native language. I love feeling truly immersed in the culture when I can greet people, order my 10th gelato or ask for directions in the native language. Rick Steves has great Phrase Books you can find here.
- Cheers! (To your health) – Salute! – Sah-loo-tay
- Excuse me (to pass by) – Permesso – Pehr-mehs-soh
- Do you speak English? – Parla Inglese? – Parh-la een-glay-zeh
- Hi / Bye (informal) – Ciao! – Chow
- Good bye (formal) – Arrivederci – Ahr-ree-veh-dehr-chee
- Can I see the menu please? – Il menu, per favore – Eel men-oo, pehr fah-voh-reh
- Where is the train station? – Dov’è la stazione? – Doh-veh lah stah-tzee-oh-neh?
Navigating
Click through this scrapbook in order by clicking the button at the bottom right of each page, or choose your own adventure at random by navigating through the choices at the top of the website! Whatever way you choose to navigate through this scrapbook, get ready for the best adventure.
Keep an eye out for Pro Tips highlighted in pink text, or bolded words that mark key attractions! |