I will not pretend to be an expert on traveling to Italy, but I'll share my impressions of the Odyssey tour and generally of traveling in Italy. Being on a tour is a busy but efficient way to travel. We had full days but ample free time as well. Catherine and many of our fellow travelers have been on other tours, with many of them being repeat Odyssey customers; all of them are very satisfied with Odyssey and rank it highly in comparison to other companies. Our tour director, who contracts with various tour companies, including Trafalgar and World Circle, told me that Odyssey is the only company she is impressed with. Without a comparison of my own, I would have to say I was pleased and impressed with Odyssey, and I would definitely book with them again.
In general, Italy is very, very crowded -- Disneyland crowded -- making it difficult to see and appreciate all it has to offer if not on a well-run tour. In most of the cities and towns, including Florence and Siena, tour buses are not allowed inside the city, so they park in designated areas and tourists have to walk quite a distance to see the sites. If traveling independently, not on a tour, that situation could probably be minimized by taking taxis or public transportation. However, the logistics of transportation and baggage handling when traveling independently seems complex, particularly in Venice, where all transportation is via boat and where all the foot-bridges have steps.
Pick-pocketing is a very real threat and not to be taken lightly. Tricia's wallet was stolen in Rome twelve years ago, and a tour member's wallet was stolen on this trip in Venice. Public transportation and the crowded tourist sites are prime locations for pick-pockets. Best advice for women is to purchase a travel purse with a safety clasp on the zipper and a reinforced handle and bag bottom that cannot be cut. I did not carry a wallet but kept money and cards in a zipped compartment inside my zipped and safety-clasped purse. I'm not sure what the best advice is for men, but the wallet that was stolen was being carried in a cargo-pants zipper pocket.
A word about airlines. Catherine has had two bad experiences with United Airlines leaving from San Francisco. In both cases, her initial flights were canceled, and when a flight is canceled, the traveler has to start from scratch with no preferential treatment in reaching his or her destination. We also encountered travelers at other airports, including Munich, who were left stranded by United Airlines. Although a major benefit of Odyssey tours is that they include airfare, as well as pickup and baggage handling from and to the airport, it seems as though they tend to book with United. Some other travelers on our tour purchased the land tour only with Odyssey and arranged their own flights, arriving a day early. I guess the situation Catherine and I encountered is, unfortunately, not all that uncommon.
BRAVO.....you're both home. This is PAT, Cathy's sister. I am starting my read from the end backwards to forwards. Glad you both made it home safely, and can't wait to read the saga in its entirety. Love to you both.........let's talk soon, Cath. Pat
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