Why Italy

We would like to tour Italy, france, Spain, Greece, on our own,rental car and hotels,and air fare. Help?

Public Comments

1. Buy Fodors books for each country you wish to visit. Of course, I tend to be suspicious of people who answer questions this late in the game due to pointgaming and impersonation concerns. Especially when the other poster mentions a recent trip to the destinations mentioned above.
2. Do a lot of research on the Internet about the places you would like to visit and buy a few good travel books, they are invaluable when planning a trip like yours. Try to pinpoint as much of a itinerary as you can and make a budget- Europe has become very expensive since the Euro was implemented-. Do not forget to create an email address so you can stay in contact with friends and family. It is fairly easy and cheap to go to Internet Cafes everywhere, just go to the tourist bureau of any town if you cannot find one. Also be sure to have your PIN number of your credit card in case you get short of cash as it happened to us. Many places, specially restaurants and bars, in Spain anyway, do not take credit cards, and we had to use cash a lot more than we first anticipated. Buy maps before you leave if you can. It is not when you are stuck in the middle of traffic in Madrid that you can get out of the car to buy a map so you can get out of there ! Again shop on the Internet for your rental car and book it BEFORE you leave....paying in advance saves you a lot and if you own a Master Card, take the option Travel. For a few dollars, you will be covered for CW (collision waiver) and theft on your rental car; otherwise this coverage will cost you a fortune if provided by the car rental company ( this is where they make their money !!!!) Just check the prices on the Internet, you will see what I mean. I paid $69 for a year on my MC and I was covered as opposed to up to $30 per day with the rental co!!!!!! . Word of advise. We are experienced travelers, we have visited the South of France many times and just came back last week from 5 weeks in Spain and Portugal with a rental car. It is hard work, very hard work, specially when renting a car. Traffic is dense, very dense in Europe, and parking is almost impossible. And finding places to eat and sleep is not always easy, after a long day's drive....Not speaking the language doesn't help either! Plan to stay 2-3 days in the spots that interest you. This will give you a break from driving and relax you, you will need it ! Have a good and safe trip.