The Coronavirus has hurt us all. Even if we are healthy, we are in lockdown. Lockdown is good because it keeps the spread of the virus to a minimum. We get depressed because we are social animals and need social interactions. The internet, FB and apps like Zoom allow us to socialize at a distance but it is not the same as being with family and friends.
In the US we are lifting some restrictions on the lockdown to get the economy going again. I do not agree with this since many needless people will die.
For those of us that are travelers, we have anxiety over not being able to travel to the countries we love so much. My YouTube VLOG below takes you through planning a vacation in 2021 if this fall proves that the virus is not on the rise.
This video shows you how to save big money on your next trip to Europe. The techniques can also be used anywhere in the world. When we travel we find airfares for $300-$400 Round Trip. We find 3.8 to 5 star hotels for $100/night on average. We limit our daily spending to about $100/day. This means a trip to Europe will cost you around:
7 Days – $1,700 – $1,800
14 days – $3,100 – $3,200
21 Days – $4,500 – $4,600
Listen to how we did it in the YouTube Video below:
Europe is exciting and it is more fun when you saved $1,000 on airfare over the person next to you on the plane or got the same room in the same hotel for $125/night instead of $400/night. Budgets are easy and this video will give you ideas on how to save money and get started.
In the near future we will be offering a service to help plan your trip for you. If you are interested drop me an email at: georgefebish@yahoo.comtoday.
Covered in this video:
Airfares (on major carriers)
Hotels in both small and large hotel chains
Sightseeing
Meals
Tricks to enjoy a fantastic vacation for much less money
Venice is one of the most unusual and beautiful cities in the world. Imagine a city but on Trees. These trees support the city over the lagoon. Venice has many touristy sites in Piazza San Marco that should be seen at least once. After you have done the tourist thing, go to the back paths of Venice. Explore, get lost, find new areas and enjoy the real Venice. There are many bridges and many of them have steps but it is worth the effort. Discover hidden churches, bars, restaurants, islands and markets. This is where the Venetians live.
Many bars serve Cicchetti, which is a form of Spanish Tapas unique to Venice. Some bars will give you free small plates with the purchase of a drink. Others will charge a small fee. This is a way to try several Venetian dishes and discover new favorite ones. This way of eating is cheaper than in the restaurants especially around Piazza San Marco.
Come watch the YouTube video below and walk with Rory and I around the touristy and back areas of Venice. We also go to Murano to see glass blowing and the Lido to walk around and see the beach. We missed the Venice Film Fare by a week, which is held on the Lido Island.
You get to these Islands and the Train Station & Airport vis vaporetto (Water Taxis).
Is the cost of airfares to Europe, Asia, China, Hawaii, South America getting you down? Would you travel more if you could find cheaper fares? Watch this video on a site that can deliver really cheap airfares:
This is a summary of out trip to Spain and Italy and gives details on how we planned the trip. Rory and I travelled to Madrid, Seville, Barcelona, Venice and Rome. How did we plan this trip? How many days do you need in each place? How do you get from one city to the next?
these questions and more are answered in the YouTube video below:
Planning a trip to Europe can be expensive and frustrating. In this video I give ideas for saving money, planning and creating a trip that will be fun and memorable. Don’t spend your time running around a city and traveling between cities. Enjoy life in Europe. Be a European while you are there. Make contact with locals, communicate, observe life around you. Enjoy the museums and sites but also savor the food and wine. Watch the Europeans around you. How do they live their lives?
The video below will help you plan a memorable and rewarding trip to Europe. Buon Viaggio…
The cost of flying to Italy or anywhere is often your largest expense. Airfares have been on the rise and baggage and seats are costing even more on top of airfares. There are some tricks to manage these costs and we talk about them in this video.
Lets list some ideas to help manage airfares:
Use Hopper app to predict when airfares will rise and fall
Use other travel apps like TripAdvisor, Orbitz and airline apps to compare prices
If you are using miles to pay for your trip, get your ticket early (11 months prior to flight)
If you are using travel cards like Capital One Venture our cash to pay for your airfare, use techniques above to predict when to buy.
Then sit back and enjoy your trip. Watch my VLOG on airfares:
This is a different VLOG for me. In this one I talk about the reasons I love Italy and give tips to both first time travelers to Italy well as experienced Italian travelers.
The video covers several sections:
Why I love Italy
Top Reasons I love Italy
Museums
What to do in Italy
Finding Places to Eat
The Metro (Subway)
Time to go
Hotels
Currency (Euros)
Airfares
Hopper App
Driving in Italy
Put Italy on your Bucket List
If Italy is not on your bucket list, it should be. Watch the video below and see why so many people love and go to Italy.
I have met some able-bodied souls that just don’t want to leave their area, their comfort zone. As they age it gets worse. Soon they don’t want to leave their homes. They could be enjoying life so much more. This was brought home to us on our return trip from Rome to Philadelphia on American Airlines.
We noticed the two seats in front of us were open. These flights never have open seats. Soon, just before the doors closed, two Italian workers carried a man in his wheelchair up the stairs and into the plane. The man and his wife were our seat neighbors. He couldn’t even move himself into the seat from the wheelchair. The two men lifted him and arranged him in his seat.
As they prepared to close the plane door, Jo Anne jokingly said “Can I get off, I want to stay here in Italy.” The handicapped man said “Me too.” Later we found out they travel each year. Many of their trips were to Italy. The wife admitted that the trips were getting harder and harder but he loved them so much. Here was a man who had every reason to stay at home but decided to live life instead. Are you living your life?
Everyone has hardships, some harder than others but they don’t have to stop you from living. If seeing Italy is a dream of yours, DO IT!
Italy is a place most people love. They may like the big cities, the smaller villages, the towns their ancestors came from, the museums, the food, the wine or the people. I love it all. Italy is a special place. This is why I BLOG about it.
For my wife, Jo Anne, and I; we don’t believe in tours. We enjoy getting out with the Italians and seeing and tasting the real Italy. We plan trips to big cities so that we see all the important things but the smaller villages are often a spontaneous choice. We may be driving on the autostrada and see an interesting town high on a cliff side. We get off, use our GPS to locate the town and go explore it. We usually stop at a bar first for a coffee and maybe a pastry. These small villages are not hard to navigate but many do have a lot of stairs. Remember where you parked your car or use one of the many apps to find it.
We also enjoy small European hotels but do pay for a private bath. These hotels are often run by a family that is friendly and helpful. We never stay at the large American resort hotels. They are expensive and the food is not real Italian. We try to eat where the Italians eat. We get local recommendations or find places on our walks. We never eat in touristy places. The food there is horrible. Most larger cities have discount tickets for the major museums and sites. If you are spending a few days, this can save you money but more importantly bypasses the long lines waiting to get in.
Lastly, explore your flight options to Italy carefully. Some flights with several stops appear to be very cheap. Each stop adds time to an already long trip and wears heavily on your body. Some of these flights go way out of your way adding double the flight time. One I saw was from Philadelphia to Rome. It went to Chicago and then to Moscow and finally back to Rome. Why?
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