We friggin took a boat to the airport. How cool is that?! I feel like that’s a pretty fitting way to wrap up an amazing trip to Italy. We all made it back to our respective homes despite some delays due to weather in and around Atlanta.
That unique mode of transportation is a great segue to some final thoughts from my first time traveling outside of North America. In no particular order:
- In nearly two weeks in Italy, we were in a car a grand total of two times: to get to our flat from the Milan airport and a taxi ride in Florence to catch the sunset. The public transportation system in Europe is something we should emulate here. In addition to walking just shy of 1 million steps between the five of us, we also utilized high speed trains, regional trains, subways, city buses, ferrys, water taxis, water buses and a gondola for good measure.
- Buy an Epicka travel adapter and don’t ask questions. They work like a charm and even plug into the plane seats.
- Don’t over-schedule yourself – we backed way off our original itinerary and still probably did too much. Next time will be a little less scripted.
- Drivers in Milan have to be seen to be believed. It’s utter chaos and somehow we only saw one minor accident.
- Three cities, 12 full days in Italy, and not once did any of us ever feel unsafe. Obviously, we took precautions to prevent pickpockets in some of the more crowded areas, but our physical safety was never something we had to worry about. (Well, with the exception of those Milanese drivers I suppose.)
- At a bare minimum try to speak a little of the language, it goes a long way. Clearly, a lot of folks in other countries have varying degrees of English proficiency, but by leading with their native language you demonstrate you’re at least willing to try. You are in their country after all.
- If you travel when it’s warm – figure out a hydration plan. You have to ask (and pay for) for water with meals and it almost never comes with ice. On top of 90+ degree temperatures, it was surprisingly humid – even to some of the natives. (Fortunately for us, it was supposed to be even hotter this coming week.) One thing you can take advantage of are the public water fountains found across many of the cities. It’s not the coldest water in the world, but it tasted great and was frequently just what the doctor ordered.
- Embrace the aperitivo. Plan to eat dinner a little later and find a table in a square. Order a spritz or two and soak in the atmosphere. We were pleasantly surprised to discover this pre-dinner ritual has snacks built into the cost: most places have chips at a minimum, others have flatbread or other small bites.
- Don’t be afraid to wander. With your smartphone it’s pretty much impossible to get lost. You never know what hidden gem you’ll stumble across.
- We literally stayed in a flat in what amounted to an alley in Florence and the street was way cleaner – and probably safer – than most big streets in America. Shopkeepers treated the sidewalks like an extension of their stores, sweeping and hosing them down every day. Trash in the streets was almost non-existent in every city we went to. Amazing how taking a little pride in where you live can go a long ways.
- Travel as light as you possibly can. We had a no checked bags mandate and none of us regretted it for a second. We packed for 5-6 days and did small loads of laundry along the way. Just be prepared to hang up your clothes as dryers generally aren’t a thing. Although our Milan flat had an oven/dishwasher combo that was a sight to behold.
- Lastly, and I cannot stress this enough, the people were some of the warmest and most welcoming I’ve ever met. Smiling, helpful and willing to put up with our constant mangling of their language, they consistently made us feel at ease despite being more than 4,000 miles from home.
While it took me more than 50 years to travel abroad for the first time, I can promise you it won’t be my last. I’m so grateful that Kara and I were able to experience it with our two girls and son-in-law.
I leave you with this from Mark Twain:
Arrivederci!
On the Road with the Ashbys 