Nowadays people are booking vacations and tours more than ever before and Italy as always is a popular destination. Many travelers will choose to book full vacation packages to Italy, and some will opt to try and plan the travel arrangements by themselves, only booking a tour or two once already there.
Either way, it is important to know what pitfalls and errors to avoid when making the various arrangements. Inexperienced travelers, especially, will make a few typical mistakes that the more experienced traveler wouldn’t even have to think about. If you’re booking vacation packages to Italy, take a quick read through this article, to make sure that you avoid some of these common mistakes. Road to Italy is one of the best tour package providers available; call us if you have any questions about our tours and trip planning services.
Your First Mistake: Giving Travel Writers Too Much Credit
To begin with, you’re bound to do some research. You’ll want to look up places to go and things to see; you aren’t going to make an instant decision and book vacation packages to Italy straightaway. When you come across travel writing, remember not to believe everything that is said. Hotels and resorts will often host travel writers and take care of their costs, which could influence the write-up they give. However, you can take away useful tips about the city or location, and cultural activities that you might be interested in. Just don’t decide on a travel package based on one writer’s opinion.
Mistake 2: Not Reading Reviews
Reviews are important. We cannot overstate this simple fact. Even at Road to Italy, we make sure we offer testimonials to demonstrate our previous clients’ experiences. We say that we offer great vacation packages to Italy; our review support this claim. If you don’t read reviews when trying to book Italy vacations or private Italy tours, don’t be surprised if you end up having a disappointing experience. Read negative reviews as well; sometimes they will give you much more information than a positive review will. Perhaps somebody will complain that a particular tour was “too busy” and rushed the group through too many attractions in a day. Well, perhaps you know that you have a short attention span, and that this will be the perfect tour for you!
Your Third Mistake: Sell-Off Rooms
For those travelers who insist on painstakingly booking everything on their own, instead of using a great travel agency like Road to Italy – beware of sell-off rooms. You might find an amazing deal, but know that these rooms are not the best rooms in the hotel. Rooms sold at the last minute will almost always be the least desirable ones. You’d be better off booking good vacation packages to Italy with us; we’ll take care of all the accommodation bookings on your behalf.
Mistake #4: Not Using A Travel Agency to Book Vacation Packages to Italy
And this, indeed, would be a key error: not consulting with a company like Road to Italy. Experienced travel agents and tour planners will be able to best advise you on how many days you should ideally spend in one place, the amount of time it will take you to get from A to B, and so on. Additionally, they will be able to help you save money. You’ll obtain discounts through their partnerships, and avoid things like waiting in line for tickets.
Mistake #5: Being Your Own Tour Guide
If you’re an experienced traveler, you may find it easy to get around on your own. For most people, however, a tour guide would be very useful. When you book your vacation packages to Italy, including tours with experienced local tour guides should be a priority. They will be able to help you deal with the language barrier, with a public transport system that is different to what you are used to, and protect you against street scams. And that’s not even counting the obvious services they provide, which is to give you a professional tour and historical overview of the location in question.
Mistake #6: The Names on Airline Tickets
You may laugh, but even the best of us have done this: booking an airline ticket using the wrong name. If your passport reads “Jane Gendry Doe,” don’t book a ticket under the name “Jane Doe.” Be sure to use your full name! Worse, you may misspell your name and not notice until it is too late. Airlines and immigration control are extremely strict about these things; being accused of identity fraud is not something you want to occur on your Italian vacation!
Mistake #7: Not Purchasing Insurance
When you book your vacation packages to Italy, be sure to check if the package includes some kind of insurance. Many might do so, and just as many might not. You should also check with your local insurance coverage, and see if it covers travel abroad. If you find that you will not be sufficiently covered when you are overseas, be sure to purchase insurance. It may seem like an unnecessary expense, but the last thing you want to happen is to be confronted with an emergency and not have any option for recourse available to you.
Mistake #8: Forgetting to Check Your Passport Expiration Date
You may get everything else right when booking your vacation packages to Italy, and then forget to do this very simple thing. Always check and double-check the expiration date on your passport. Many foreign countries will require a three or six month minimum of time remaining before your passport expires. So make sure that your passport will not expire for at least another half year from the date of your departure.
Get Ideal Vacation Packages to Italy from Road to Travel
If you avoid all these common mistakes, you’ll be well on your way towards planning a memorable trip to Italy. If you want to plan a vacation that will leave you with an unforgettable experience, however, book a package with us. Road to Italy is a division of Road to Travel, and we’ve been providing amazing tours and vacation packages to Italy for over a decade. We provide customized tour packages, honeymoon packages, luxury tours, and more. Road to Italy believes in providing all our clients with superior customer service, and with tour guides that share their in-depth, personal knowledge about Italy with you. Give us a call, and we’ll begin designing your customized vacation package today.