Posted by traveller on March 17, 2010
If you are visiting Italy no trip is complete without seeing the iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Pisa is situated in the Tuscany region of Italy. Traveling to Pisa is pretty easy and if all you really wanna see if the Leaning Tower you can easily make this a 1/2 day side trip. Do check out the town square in Pisa as it rivals that in Venice for best town square in all of Italy.
Transportation options to travel to Pisa, Italy:
Bus service is available from nearby towns and is clearly the cheapest, and possibly slowest, option. CPT is the bus service that goes to Pisa.
Galileo Galilei International Airport in Pisa is the main airport in the Tuscany region. It is serviced by all the major airlines, including Europe’s budget airlines like easyJet and Ryanair. No flights from the U.S. flight direct to Pisa’s airport.
Plenty of highways travel into Pisa if you want to drive. You can get there from Milan, Rome and Florence.
Two major train routes have stops in Pisa.
- Florence train line
- Rome - Genoa train line
Trenitalia is the national rail service in Italy. Book your tickets in advance or buy them at the train station. The ride from Florence is just one hour.
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Filed Under: Italy
Posted by traveller on March 16, 2010
Italy is home to 44 Unesco World Heritage sites, which Lonely Planet notes is more than any other country. The cities of Rome, Florence and Venice all attract art lovers to the Italy. Travelers also visit Italy for its history, its food, its medieval villages and its picturesque scenery. Before packing your bags and heading to Italy a little planning should be done to make sure that your trip is an enjoyable one that includes everything you want to do and see while in Italy.
Schedule your vacation so that it falls in the period of April to June. According to Lonely Planet, this is the best time to visit Italy as the weather is good and the country is not overrun with other tourists.
Use a guide book, such as those by Lonely Planet or Fodor’s, to find things in Italy that you want to see and do. Make a list of all of those things to determine how many things and places you want to see. If you are limited on time you may need to make priority list to see which things or places are the most important in case you have to cut some things from your list.
Give yourself at least two days in every city on your list of places to visit in Italy. If you have a lot of things you want to see in the city then go for three or four days. You may be able to do some cities, such as Pisa, in only a half day on the way to another city. This is a good plan if you only have one small thing to see in a city.
Remember to factor in travel time when you are making out your itinerary for seeing Rome. If you are taking trains you can view the schedules on the Trenitalia website. Be sure to leave some time in your schedule for possible delays in case the train does not leave on time.
Pick a transportation method to get to Italy and get around. According to Lonely Planet, you can travel to Italy by plane, car, bus, train or ship. Lonely Planet also mentions that bus travel is the cheapest if you are traveling from within Europe but that it can take longer than train travel. For direct flights from the United States, book with Delta, Alitalia, Continental Airlines, United or US Airways.
Book a hotel or other place to sleep. According to the Italian Government Tourist Board, there are around 40,000 hotels in Italy. Luxury and boutique hotels in Italy can be booked on the Italy Traveller website. Other types of hotels and lodging can be booked on the Venere website.
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Filed Under: Italy
Posted by traveller on March 11, 2010
Train travel is Europe is a popular method of travel that can be less stressful than traveling by plane. Booking a seat on the high speed Eurostar train only requires a 30 minute early check-in as opposed to a couple of hours at the airport. Some train travel can be almost as quick as flying by plane as well. Traveling by train across Europe to Italy also gives travelers a way to see the scenery. If you are ready to book your travel to Italy by train it is something that you can easily do on your own.
Get rail tickets from the Rail Europe 
website before leaving the United States. You can only buy tickets from Rail Europe before you leave the US as they have to mail your train pass or tickets to you. An advantage to buying from Rail Europe is that you are able to make your purchase in US dollars. On the Rail Europe site you can buy point to point rail tickets or you can buy a rail pass. Rail passes are available that cover single countries as well as multiple countries. Passes vary in price and days of use.
Buy train tickets in person at a train station in Europe. Ticket machines as well as staffed ticket windows are available at train stations so that you can purchase your tickets on the spot. If you have questions about a connection or your travel you should go to one of the windows. Do not expect the train station clerk to be able to speak English. It is a good idea to have a translation dictionary with you if you do not speak the local language.
Book a seat on the Eurostar train if you are traveling to Italy from the United Kingdom. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Eurostar.com or on the Rail Europe website. The Eurostar is a high speed train that goes from London to Paris, France in just over two hours. The train also takes travelers to Brussels, Belgium. The Eurostar travels in the Channel Tunnel, which is under the English Channel. From Paris or Brussels you can take another train into Italy. Tickets can be purchased at the train station to get you the rest of the way to Italy or you can use a rail pass if you have one.
Posted by traveller on March 10, 2010
If you are visiting South Africa the best way to get around and see the area is by getting your own wheels. Getting a rental car in South Africa isn’t much different than getting on anywhere else. Rental cars in South Africa are fairly inexpensive with rates around $40 a day with included insurance. Booking your South Africa rental car is typically cheaper if you book and prepay in advance before leaving your home country.
South Africa car rental companies include:
- Around About Cars
- Avis
- Budget
- Europcar
- Hertz
- Imperial
- Tempest
You can also book rental cars in South Africa on sites like Expedia
or Travelocity
.
In South Africa they do drive on the left; like they do on the United Kingdom. Road conditions in South Africa are excellent. Other drivers will be your biggest concern as the road accident and death rate is quite high at 10,000 to 15,000 deaths from road accidents each year.
Petrol stations in South Africa do not have self-service. Instead they are full service and you are expected to tip around $0.50 when you get your tank filled.
Posted by traveller on March 4, 2010
Known as the City of Light, Paris is a popular destination for tourists. This may be due to Lonely Planet’s observation that Paris like has more familiar landmarks in the city than any other city in the world. You may want to book a hotel near one of these landmarks, such as Notre Dame, or you may prefer having a sweeping view of the city that includes the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Regardless of your preference you should have no problem booking a Paris hotel that meets you needs.
Opt for a package deal that lets you book your hotel and airfare at the same time. Such packages are typically offered on airline websites as well as travel booking websites such as Expedia and Travelocity. Booking in this manner does usually limit your hotel selections but you can end up saving some money as vacation packages are typically discounted.
Go directly to the hotel’s website if you already have a Paris hotel in mind that you want to book. For example, if you know that you want to stay at the Park Hyatt Paris hotel you can go to Hyatt.com to book your reservation. If you have questions or prefer to call the hotel directly you can get the phone number from the website. If you do not speak French you can say “Parlez vous Anglais?” to inquire if the hotel clerk speaks English. Typically the hotels that are part of international chains do have someone that speaks English. If you are booking an independently owned hotel you may not find anyone that speaks English. Be sure to pay attention to the currency quoted for the room rate on the hotel website as it may be listed in Euros instead of US dollars. If so, you can use a currency converter, such as XE.com, to convert the amount.
Search for hotels to book on Kayak.com. It can search several travel booking websites at once for you. The sites it can search include Travelocity, Expedia, Hotels.com and Priceline. If you see a result from one of those sites that you want to book you can select it and make your reservation. Keep in mind that if you book a hotel using one of these sites you are required to pay in full when you make your reservation. As a result, no cancellations or changes are allowed on the booking.
Get a discounted Paris hotel through Hotwire.com. By not showing you the hotel you are booking until after you pay in full, Hotwire can offer discount rates on hotel rooms in Paris. You will only be able to see the star rating, nightly room rate and the amenities at the hotel before booking it. No changes can be made and no refunds are allowed once you pay for the reservation. If you want an even lower price you can try bidding at a lower rate on Priceline with their “Name Your Own Price” option. Like Hotwire, you will not know the hotel unless your bid is accepted. If your bid is accepted you are charged for your entire stay immediately with no changes or refunds allowed.
