Before We Started
We can’t lie; we were both a little nervous. We’ve traveled overseas before together, but that was before our son was born. Arin was born in India and Cithara traveled there often, but Europe in general was new for us. We were a little scared of leaving our son behind, but he was happy with his grandmother during that time.
We were also nervous about other things. Cithara doesn’t eat a lot of meat (even though Arin eats everything), so she worried if food would be an issue. Thankfully, it wasn’t! We were scared we’d get lost, or something would get canceled. To our relief, everything went smoothly from the moment we left RDU airport and headed for Rome. We packed light as required, stayed vigilant when needed, and took in everything we could.
Throughout this scrapbook, we'll try our best to sprinkle some tips that we've learned along the way.
Some basic travel tips to remember:
-make sure you have some good walking shoes. You will be walking A LOT. You should know your limits to how much you can endure and take. On that note, make sure you have enough medication (if you need it) for the duration of the trip and be up to date on all your vaccinations.
-You may have to carry your pages up hilly roads or stairs. Make sure you pack light enough to carry your suitcase.
-If you have special dietary restrictions, LET YOUR GUIDE KNOW. They will most likely be prepared, but if they do forget, give them a gentle reminder.
-You do not need to tip much over here. Rick pays his staff's salary. He's taken care of everything before you get on the plane. In Europe, the waiters are paid a living wage.
-There's a lot of stuff over in Europe so you probably won't need to get things like over the counter medication, sanitary napkins, tampons, sunscreen, lotions, and many more. So if you did forget something, fear not! Drug stores and other basic necessities are around the corner!
-There's also lots of fresh water to drink. Around town, we found small faucets where, if you closed up the end, they turn into instant water fountains. Also, make sure to ask for distilled water in restaurants or they might give you sparkling water by default. They also have plenty of juices, soda, and alcohol for you to try as well.
-Keep an eye out for pickpockets and keep a close watch on your valuables. They are around so be vigilant.