Group Tour

+ easy. pick a company, pick a tour that sounds appealing.

+ able to see many ‘must sees’. Tour companies know what tourists like to see.

+ cheaper. probably. Depending on what the tour includes, and how many meals/excursions you pay for on top of the tour fee.

+ meet other travelers your age. Many group tours are organized by age.

– less ‘local’ experience. The hotel you’ll stay in will probably be more institutional than charming. Same for the restaurants.

– you see what the group wants to see. You’ll probably have some free time – but not a lot of flexibility.

Organize it Yourself

+ you choose what you want to see, and how long you want to spend there.

+ cheaper. possibly. Depending on how you choose to spend your money (public transit or taxis, picnic lunch or fancy restaurant?)

+ experience more than the ‘must sees’. You’ll still be a tourist, but might experience more of the local culture.

– it will take more time and effort to organize.

Our choice was made by the last bullet. Organizing a trip yourself definitely takes more effort than choosing a tour. But that effort isn’t necessarily a bad thing – if you’re up for it!.

I read once that there are three great parts of traveling:

Planning and Anticipating

The Actual Trip

Reminiscing

Enter: Plan Travel Write.

I’ve never been to Italy before – this isn’t a travel guide blog. Rather, it’s a collection of my ideas, plans and research.

No plans are set in stone – even once we’re in Italy. Except for the plane tickets. Those are pretty locked.

The rest of the plans have already changed many times… and will many more.

I just like to know what my options are.