CTD and I just returned from a two week journey through England and Italy and I thought I would share some info you may need to know before you go! The biggest advice is to go knowing that you are on an adventure and the creature comforts of home will be different. Don’t spend time complaining...roll with the differences !
You will pay for water (still and sparkling) and ice is almost unheard of. I’m a total ice fan, so this is tough for me.
Never ask for a “doggie bag”...in Italy, it is offensive as they feel something was “wrong” with the meal. You may be thinking, “I’ll save some money and eat the rest for lunch”, but it is not worth the cultural faux pax .
You will need to step WAY up into showers...it’s hard for me to understand how the elderly tour Europe with most showers being 12 inches higher than the floor, cobblestone streets and stairs everywhere. We are not exactly elderly and, at a couple of places, I literally needed help out of the shower to “stick the landing”.
There is no tipping...in general, what you see is what you get on the bill.
WiFi is sketchy even in big cities. We were in hotels and homes and never had great connectivity.
Don’t bother with your “workouts”. Most “gyms” are a couple of machines from 1990. You will get plenty of steps in! Not to worry.
Download your favorite shows BEFORE you go. You can not access many Netflix shows overseas.
Stick shift cars...be aware if wanting to rent...subways are better...Also, know that the highways and inner cities have tolls which can add up quickly.
On that note, learn to use the subways, especially in London. The traffic has gotten even worse. We took 2 subways from the airport and walked to our hotel and were told the taxis were taking 3 hours from the airport.
Many parts of Italy spoke little or no English...learn to say please and thank you in the native tongue and kindly ask for English menus. There was usually one server who knew English.
Know the currency and exchange...it may look like a better deal than it really is. We try to carry some cash because it comes in handy with street vendors. Keep in mind, however, that it costs money to “turn it back in”, so no need to carry a bunch. The “change” is a pain because it weighs down your pockets but coins have a larger value overseas...
Graffiti is common on all of the streets...it’s pretty sad that beautiful , old historic places would even be a target for this.
Be smart about watches and wallets. I always carry a cross body bag in the front. Something about a backpack, where I cannot see it, bothers me, especially on mass transit.
Public toilets are few and far between...and some are squatty potties...literally...I have never seen anything like it! My friend Ann gave me “emergency coins” because sometimes you pay to go use the “toilet”.
The government monitors heat and air in apartments and some hotels...Our friends cannot turn on heat until sometime in October, regardless of temperatures. In Turin, we had to call the front desk every time we wanted to alter the temperature in our room.
Monitor train times and platforms closely: they do not post the platform until ten minutes prior to departure then the doors close 1 minute before departure time.
Meals are later: In Italy, most restaurants don’t open until noon for lunch and 7:00 for dinner. You just have to go with it. We are happy hour people and I am not a big dinner eater, so this was an adjustment!
I’m sure there are many more great tips! If you have one, leave a comment!
Adventure Awaits!
CoffeeTalkMom
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