Pickpockets are all over the world. Mostly in major cities and tourist attractions.
Pickpockets are a way of life around the world especially in large cities and touristy sites. Be aware of who is around you. Use a Fanny pack or money belt under your shirt. Pickpockets use a group of people to first distract you and second steal your valuables. They are very good at what they do. This YouTube video gives tips on how to keep your valuables safer and some of the distraction techniques they use against you.
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
We just returned from 3 wonderful weeks in Scandinavia. Our itinerary was:
flying into Frankfurt Germany for 3 nights
We then flew to Oslo Norway for 2 nights
Then we took the scenic train from Oslo to Bergen for 2 nights
We then flew from Bergen to Stockholm for 3 nights
We then took an overnight Viking cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki for 3 nights
We then flew from Helsinki to Copenhagen for 5 nights
We flew back to Frankfurt for 1 night to catch our flight home the next day
In Copenhagen Denmark we stayed at a remarkable hotel called the Ibsens. This VLOG is about this hotel, its staff and location. If you are planning a trip to Copenhagen, stay at the Ibsens for a great experience. Tell them I sent you.
There are two new playlists on my YouTube account:
Scandinavia
Denmark
This video is in both as well as my Hotels Playlist.
Getting to Europe is easy but can be expensive for most of us. See my tips on cheaper airfares. Once there, you need to move around between countries, between cities in a country and around a city. There are many ways to do this including:
Airplanes
Trains
Metro (Subway)
Ferries
Funicular
Boats
Trams
Cars
Car Services for hire)
Motorcycles or Vespas
Tour Busses (Hop on Hop Off)
Walking
Watch the YouTube video below for ideas on using these modes of transportation:
Rome or Roma in Italian is a wonderful city to walk around. There is good and safe public transportation but if you enjoy walking, you can walk everywhere in Rome. The food and wine are first class. Of course you can find great pastas and pizzas but Rome has so much more to offer including great fish.
This is my second VLOG on Rome and brings the familiar places and some not so familiar. I hope you enjoy this video and get to experience Roma!
Come walk with us around this amazing capital city. Watch my YouTube video below and discover Rome and these sites:
Madrid is the capitol of Spain and is a wonderful city to walk, sites, eat food and drink wine. Tapas are the specialty for lunch and snacks before dinner. These are small portion plates that can be shared. Order several and try many new or old favorites from Spain. We order several tapas and some wine or sangria and make it a meal. For breakfast there are many options but a national favorite is churros dipped in melted chocolate. How can you say “No” to this?
When flying into Madrid’s airport remember there is the metro and the Renfe trains (c1, c10, etc). They are two different systems with different entrances and fees. If the metro does not go close to your hotel, try the Renfe lines.
Come wander around the small streets of Madrid, museums, the Palace, the Botanical Gardens and so much more:
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…
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 get asked all the time how to see Italy so you don’t miss anything? What should I see on my first trip? How is the food? Is it safe? So this BLOG is to answer these questions and state some rules:
There are no rules
I don’t believe in tours. They take you to the worst restaurants in Italy and move you along from site to site too fast. Most people take tours because they are afraid of getting lost, Can’t speak the language or don’t want to miss anything. Use your smart phones GPS to get around. Search on top things to see.
The big cities are a must but the real Italy is in the small cities. Don’t miss these.
Italy can’t be seen in one trip. Plan several trips and enjoy it more.
If you are seeing 10 cities in 7 days, you have not visited or seen Italy.
The food, outside touristy places is fantastic. Eat with the Italians in small Trattoria.
Museums are important but the art in Italy is all around you everywhere you go.
Stay in small hotels not big American ones. Don’t worry about your points, you are in Italy.
Learn a few key phrases in Italian and use them.
OK you are on your first trip and don’t know where to go. Plan Naples and Rome or Florence and Venice. Spend time in each city. You win nothing by running from site to site and then moving to the next city. In fact you lose a lot! Italy is a country that moves slowly. Sit and observe it. Walk with the Italians at lunch time (lapasseggiata). It is not enough to see the famous art and buildings but the people who live here. Communicate as best you can. Use simple 2-year old talk or charades.
Tours normally work against these goals. They force you to eat where they make the most money. They rush you from one site to the next. You see Italy through a bus window. This is not much better than seeing it on TV. If you must take a tour, find a small walking or biking tour. Find something in a van not a huge bus. Make sure you have a few days on your own to explore as you want to. Don’t be afraid to take trains between cities. They go almost everywhere. Within cities the metro is clean and efficient.
Rome is a city of architecture and history unlike any other in the world. Naples is old and many Americans came from this area of Italy. Florence is the capital of art and the Renaissance, Here you will find unbelievable art and the beginnings of modern thinking. Venice is the most unusual city in the world. Here you will explore a large city made up of sidewalks and canals. There are no roads or cars. Enjoy these cities but take time to understand the history, the people and the food.
Plan more trips to visit places like Verona, Bologna, Capri, Amalfi Coast and the millions of small wonderful sea port and mountain towns. We love driving south from Rome on the A1 to our home. We see an interesting town high up on a mountain side in the distance. We use our iPhones to identify it and plot a course to it. After exploring the town we have a café at a bar or lunch in a small local restaurant. This is enjoying Italy and getting to know it.
Food and wine are a national pastime in Italy. Everyone is an expert. The truth is most food comes from farms in the vicinity, wines and olive oil are made locally. The food is made from ancient recipes handed down over time. No-one cooks pasta as good as an Italians mom!
Hotels are for sleeping after a long day touring. You don’t need a resort type hotel. Pick local small hotels. We always prefer a room with its own bath (not all come this way). These small hotels are often family run. You get to know them as friends if you take the time.
Learn how to say some Italian phrases like Buon Giorno (Good day), Buona Sera (Good Evening – at sunset and beyond). Arrivederci (Good Bye) and Ciao (Hello and Good Bye). You might also want to ask How much? (Quanta Costa?). Jo Anne’s favorite is Quanta costa le Scarpe? (How much are the shoes?). Simply saying Buon Giorno to someone you pass will bring a smile and a Buon Giorno in return. Italy is a friendly place.
This brings us to How safe is Italy? Italy is very safe. There is almost no violent crime. There are pick pockets in large cities. Beware of you purses and wallets. Italians drive very fast so beware of cars speeding by you. We are never fearful walking around large cities like Rome. You are in Italy to learn and enjoy life. Just do it and enjoy a gelato.
Buy The Book – Food For Thought – An Epigenetic Guide to Wellness, online at: Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
georgefebish
Recent Comments