Travel Planning

Tag: Rome

  • How to get a Wonderful Trip Itinerary

    How to get a Wonderful Trip Itinerary

    Wonder how I go from your initial travel survey to a wonderful trip itinerary?

    Getting from our initial contact to your completed travel itinerary takes a lot of work!  (The majority of the task is my job to make your complex travel planning easy.)  After you submit your trip planning survey, we’ll take these steps to work together on your dream trip itinerary:

    1. Trip planning kick-off call
    2. Initial trip proposal(s)
    3. Multiple email iterations
    4. Calls as needed
    5. Final itinerary ready

    Let’s look at an actual travel planning survey that was submitted early in 2015 for a 20th Anniversary dream trip itinerary through Italy this August.

    What is the objective of your trip? Any special celebrations or milestones?

    Italiano: Collage di varie foto riguardanti la...
    Italiano: Collage di varie foto riguardanti la cultura dell’Italia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

    Pleasure, celebrating 20th wedding anniversary

    Do you have a specific destination(s) in mind? Why?

    Rome, Florence (Tuscany – wine country) and Italian coast/rivieria

    Do you have specific dates? or a flexible window to travel?

    Mid/Late August – somewhat flexible (our anniversary is in August which is the reason for the timing/date….as an option we could consider July but I suspect pricing/availability will be about the same given peak travel months).

    This section provides a glimpse into your lifestyle and past “travel personality” so we can collaborate on a memorable experience. Where have you previously vacationed? What did you like or not like? WHY? I want to hear whatever you’ll share.

    • Personal trip through Western Europe out of college.
    • Vienna/Budapest with my wife
    • Australia – Sydney/Adelaide
    • Multiple trips to Hawaii, Mexico and around US.

    And, what types of trips have you taken?

    • All-Inclusive Resort
    • Hotel
    • Theme Park
    • Escorted Tour
    • Independent Tour (Multi-city)
    • What will YOUR trip feel like? What do you envision yourself doing? Exciting with lots of activities? Group tours? Time to explore on your own? relaxing on the beach?

    Interest in this trip is both site seeing as well as taking in Italian culture (food, wine, etc)….plus relaxation for part of the trip (e.g. beach town on Italian coast/rivieria). As far as site seeing, I am open to both group tours as well as exploring on our own.

    Do you have a preferred hotel/resort/cruise line/air line? Loyalty program member? Any “must haves” such as ocean view or balcony room?

    No must haves. Would like to stay in moderate to nice accommodations (nice, but does not need to be 5 star).

    ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

    That was the beginning of the trip planning process or “trip genesis.”

    What happens next in planning your trip itinerary?

    So after we discussed the trip survey, I went to work designing the “trip flow.”  When I  design a custom trip itinerary, I work out the “trip flow” first which includes:

    • number of cities visited
    • number of nights in each city,
    • order of cities visited
    • required pre/post nights due to air schedules to begin or end the in-country portion of the trip itinerary

    We review the trip flow prior to getting into the hotel and tours, etc.  By focusing on the trip flow, my clients clients and I stay focused on designing the optimal trip WITHOUT getting distracted by how nice a hotel looks, or which tours are “must do’s” as this fun stuff will come next.  NOTE: the tours can be the most memorable part of the trip.

    Montalcino, Toscana, Italia
    Montalcino, Toscana, Italia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

    For this particular trip, staying in Tuscany was mandatory as touring wineries in the Montalcino area was KEY!  Visiting a beach town in  Cinque Terra was also highly desired for relaxation after heavy sightseeing.   There were stays in Florence and Rome to take in the “must do” sightseeing.

    We started getting some traction and agreed on the number of nights in each city.  To make the whole trip itinerary work, there needed to be one longer travel day from Cinque Terra down to a Rome (FCO) airport hotel to finish up the trip.  It was also decided to visit Venice as a day trip from Florence.

    Now it was time to make this happen by selecting hotels, train, tours, and transfers.  My client had already booked airline tickets to coordinate with the start/stop dates of the trip itinerary.

     

     

    So, want to see the final trip? Click on the itinerary calendar below to get the whole trip (Zoom in and scroll around if you want to really take in the details.).  Be sure to see some pictures of my travel guests enjoying their trip in Italy below the trip itinerary calendar. Want a custom planned trip for yourself?  Don’t hesitate to contact me today.

    Sample Italy trip Itinerary (click for enlarged view)
    Sample Italy trip Itinerary (click for enlarged view)
    Cinque Terre
    View from Hotel Pasquale Monterosso al Mare on Cinque Terre coastline
    Cinque Terre
    Cinque Terre
    Cinque Terre Hiking
    Cinque Terre Hiking

  • Europe in the Fall/Winter: 6 Reasons to Love Late Season

    If a summer getaway to Europe isn’t in the cards, read on for the advantages of a trip to Europe in the late season for a local experience at a lower price. The months of November to April are some of the best times to visit Europe.   What will you experience in Europe in the Fall or Winter?  Think shopping in Rome, snowboarding in the Austrian Alps, sipping hot mulled wine in Vienna’s Christmas markets, or ringing in the New Year in Amsterdam!

    English: Christmas Markets in Prague
    English: Christmas Markets in Prague (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

    1) More Affordable

    Starting in October, airfare and hotel prices begin to drop, as well as guided tour prices. Relax in comfort as you experience the Autumn colors, festive markets and blossoming cities of the continent, and with savings on summer prices.

    2) Less Touristy

    Enjoy your vacation sans the summer tourist crowds. Enjoy shorter lines, easier access to popular sightseeing spots, and a more local experience.   Refer to one of our past featured posts on  European touring.

    3) Cooler Weather

    Hotter cities like Rome and Athens cool off by October, making it more enjoyable for sightseeing. Italians actually prefer to vacation in Rome after summer, when the tourist crowds and hot weather have simmered down.

    4) Skiing and Boarding trips

    Stay in Hopfgarten, a village in the heart of the Austrian Alps, and spend  time skiing and boarding!  Mix it up with sleigh rides, ice skating, paragliding, aprés ski, and day trips to nearby cities Salzburg and Innsbruck. Start your tour in London or Hopfgarten. An unforgettable rail journey through the snow-covered Alps on Switzerland’s Glacier Express.

    5) Festival & Holidays

    Experience the Christmas markets in Germany and Austria with hot mulled wine and gingerbread, or a visit to Germany’s famous Christmas markets for festive shopping and traditional fare. In February, experience the world famous Carnival in Venice or celebrate St. Patty’s Day in Dublin.

    6) New Year’s Eve

    Ring in the New Year somewhere unforgettable! How about Paris or Amsterdam New Year trips? Plan a winter trip with a  departure over New Year’s – spend it in Venice, Berlin, Prague, Barcelona, and other great cities.

     

    What do you think about Europe in the “off” season?  Doesn’t sound off to me!

    PS, An email from Contiki inspired this post.

  • Google For Ideas, Plan with a Pro

    What can planning your vacation with Daydream Excursions give you that  you can’t get from Google and the Internet?

    Intelligent buying decisions.

    Google or “the Internet” is great for ideas, but planning with a real Travel Professional provides:

    1) Sense of the flood of travel information for you to select the RIGHT travel products to create your optimal vacation experience.  Is that travel promo on the Internet what you really want?  Will the Internet tell you if it’s the right trip for you? A “good deal” on a horrible vacation is NOT a good deal at all.

    Travel Ad
    Travel Ad

    2) All of the components that make up your entire vacation experience  (booking a cruise, tour, or resort is merely the beginning of the process).  For instance, if you’re going to Rome, will the Internet tell you how to visit the Vatican without waiting in a three-mile line?  Perhaps, but Daydream Excursions makes it EASY for you by taking care of all those behind-the-scenes details.  I strive to understand what kind of experience you’d like to enjoy on your trip and then make it happen for you.

    STORY ONE:  Someone told me that he is booking his own trip to Atlantis, Paradise Island, for under $2,000 for the entire trip.  Really?  Try eating in Atlantis with OR without a meal plan and see what happens to my frequently-mentioned, “total cost to come home!”

    3) A single point of contact, travel concierge, or “vacation guardian” across ALL of  your trip elements.  Who are you going to contact with ALL of your questions or last minute changes??  ME!  Is the Internet running your vacation through a series of quality checks and making sure that everything is OK before you leave?

    STORY TWO:  A honeymoon couple traveling to Hawaii for an Island-hopping custom honeymoon wanted to do a shark cage dive off of the North Coast of Oahu.  Right before departure, the tour operator informed me it was best to change the time to decrease the chance of the tour being canceled due to rough seas.  I was able to advise my clients one day prior to leaving and make the changes with their approval- and they did not miss their dive!

    4) Time for you to evaluate your options in an interactive and relaxed manner.  Online, you are presented with “click to buy now!”  When working with Daydream Excursions, you can book individual travel elements when YOU are ready.  (If  any travel components need to get booked right away, I’ll courteously let you know.)   Are you asked to pay the full cost upfront for a vacation that may be months away?   I can usually just take a reasonable deposit on your trip.  (No high pressure sales tactics here!)

    DON’T click now!  I’d love to have a conversation with you first…
    Related articles
    Enhanced by Zemanta
  • Mediterranean Travel: Cruise vs.Tour Throwdown Part 1

    Mediterranean Travel: Cruise vs.Tour Throwdown Part 1

    First time visitor to the Mediterranean?  Past Cruiser?  Well, then cruising wins…maybe!  Read on to understand why.

    Sagrada Família church, Gaudi's masterpiece
    Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia Image via Wikipedia

    If you’ve always wanted to visit the Mediterranean Sea (actually means “Inner Sea”), experience the comfort
    and familiar surroundings and conveniences of a cruise ship:

    • familiar accommodations and creature comforts
    • familiar cuisine
    • same staff each day
    • no language barriers
    • convenience of unpacking only once

    A great first time itinerary is a round trip from Barcelona for a “Western” Mediterranean itinerary (focus on Spain and Italy).  Port calls can include:  Villefranche for Nice or Monte Carlo, Monaco,  Civitavecchia for Italy, Livorno for Pisa and Florence, and perhaps Naples.  Some considerations for a cruise:

    • your time ashore to explore these great destinations is limited (OK for your first time in the Med.)
    • you may not get a chance to experience life in the evenings like the locals (also OK for your first visit)
    • pace and duration of the excursions may be long as Rome and Florence are far from ports
    • limited exposure to culture and local dining

    Note: there are many round trip itineraries from different lines, and many voyages begin and end in different cities to provide the opportunity to visit even more ports.  Also note that some lines include either evening or overnight port stays to take in the cities like the locals do as the sun sets.

    Plan to maximize your time ashore.  There are some longer port calls!  Civitavecchia, port call for Rome is normally 12 hours.  What will you do in those twelve hours?  The city is about 1’15” from port.  If you take the tours offered by the cruise line, you may be crowded on a long caravan of buses.   You will “see” many sights for sure…breeze by photo ops.  Will you have time to leisurely tour the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and Colosseum?

    English: Trevi Fountain Panoramic
    Trevi Fountain Image via Wikipedia

    More considerations for your shore excursions:

    • Is there a better way to spend your twelve hours in port (maybe 8 hours for touring)?
    • There are other tour operators that offer a more in-depth tour with far fewer people featuring less time waiting.
    • May even be less costly to to get the most out of your limited time

    Another question, why are you in Europe?  Consider staying a night or two either before or after to experience a wonderful city that offers so much – Barcelona in this example voyage!

    Some experiences to take in during a pre/post stay in Barcelona include:

     

    Have questions?  We’ve got answers! dave@daydreamex.com

    Next time, we’ll explore Mediterranean touring.

     

    Enhanced by Zemanta