ITALIAN TRAVEL RESOURCES –

Italian History Timeline – It’s only been a united country since 1861. A lot has both before and after.

AIRLINES:

  • Which Budget.com – Good good search engine for great prices
  • Yapta – tracks the costs before you fly and they send you an email when the price is lower. If the cost drops after you buy the ticket, they issue you a refund
  • BravoFly is good search engine for great prices; mostly on inter-European travel
  • Easy Jet is a low cost airline in Europe; comfortable and very inexpensive if you buy in advance
  • Cheapo Air offers the same flight on the major carriers but for less money
  • Star Alliance offers a really good and relatively inexpensive around the world fare. It’s a secret they don’ like to advertise.
  • AVOID RYAN AIR – The price seems low at first but after you pay all the additional costs (including costs to check in) the price is more expensive than other airlines. Bad service, bad customer support. The worst airline we have ever experienced.
  • AirOne – has taken over all Alitalia flights. This is a very good low cost airline
  • Iberia Air – good flights to and from Spain
  • Vueling – good low cost airline to and from Spain
  • Aegean Air – good flights in Greece; also a Star Alliance partner
  • Germanwings – Very affordable airline to all European countries
  • Meridiana – low cost flight in Italy.
  • Seat Guru – type in your airline and flight number and they will tell you the flight configuration. Great site for choosing your seats

Car Rental

  • Tiger Car Rental offers very good car rental rates in Europe using major carriers like get a new car Budget and Avis. Pay in advance.
  • AutoEurope – They are easy to work with and they offer a best price guarantee. If you book early you’ll get a better price.
  • Argus Car hire – auto rentals will give ou good prices on car rental in most places around the world.
  • Renault eurodrive – Lease from them if you plan to a car for more than 17days. You inclusive of all insurance, etc.
  • Peugeot lease option – This is the same concept as Renault. Both lease options are offered in France although yoou can pick up and drop off in other countries for an additional fee. See their websites for all costs.

Trains

  • Rail Europe – offers rates and reservations throughout Europe
  • The Rail Dude – This is a small German company that does a great job in train travel throughout Europe
  • The Man in seat 61 – Mark Smith has traveled around the world by train and boat and keeps a really good and informative blog. If you’re into train travel, you’ve got to look at this site.
  • Italia rail
  • Trenitalia
  • Italotreno

Self Drive Boats

  • Crown Blue line Canal Boats offers self drive canal boats in Italy, France, Germany, Scotland, Holland
  • Loca-Boat offers the same kind of canal boats in Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, Holland
  • Boating in Europe is another good resource for canal boats in Italy, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Holland, Belgium

FERRY BOATS – Croatia, Sardinia, Sicily, Capri, Ischia and other destinations

  • SNAV – Ferry Boats; prices and schedules

Apartment Rentals

  • VRBO is the motherlode of apartment rentals all over the world
  • Home Away is another good site (the parent company to VRBO)
  • Discover Holiday Homes – Italian Lakes, France, Greece, Cyprus, UK, USA and a few others
  • Italy Perfect – Pat and Lisa Byrne are wonderful people with an excellent selection of beautiful apartments. Highly recommended.
  • AirBnb – rooms and apartments worldwide
  • Friendly Rentals is based in Barcelona but they have agents and great apartments in many Italian cities. Very Friendy people and easy rentals
  • Discover Holiday Homes – Italian Lakes
  • Way to Stay – Apartments in many European cities
  • House Trip – Apartment or rooms in many European cities

Hotels

Trip Insurance

TOURING INFORMATION: MUSEUMS, TICKETS, EVENTS AND GUIDED TOURS
  • State Department International Travel – US State Department information
  • Context Travel – Guided tours by historians, archaeologists, theologians, art historians and scholars. They started in Rome but are now in Florence, Venice and Naples as well as a few other countries in Europe.
  • Italy Museums – Tours and Tickets
  • Coopculture – Tickets to Archeological sites, Museums and Monuments in rome, Venice, Tivoli, Naples and Pompeii
  • Time Out – the online version of the “what’s happening” in town guide
  • What’s On When – the Frommer’s guide to events in the city
FOOD, RESTAURANTS AND RESTAURANT REVIEWS:

Mobile Internet Hot Spot Rentals

  • Cellhire International – phones, phone cards, sim rentals and mobile hotspot rentals
  • TEP Wireless rental – rates for one country or multiple countries for very good rates
  • Cellular Abroad – good rates for MiFi rentals for good rates per country. It’s been a bit difficult to have them configure the mobile hotspot for multiple countries
  • XCOM Global – mobile hotspots for around $15/day