Taking My Daughter To Italy?

Question

We came back from Italy in March. It was a wonderful vacation, but my daughter didn't get to go. I am thinking by late 2008, early 2009 we would like to bring her. By then she will be at least 7.

The two of us went and spent about $5K, I would like to be able be on the same budget including my daughter. This is generally our vacation budget for the year. Does anyone have any tips or ideas on making this possible?

Answer 1

actually, i just went to italy in march also. im not sure if it is good taking her at a young age. maybe you should wait awhile to the point where she is learning a little bit about in italy in school. if you take her now she won't know what any of the historical things are. wait till she is 12 or 13 and then she will get a better understanding and she will actually enjoy and remember the trip.

Answer 2

Well it depends how long do you want to stay and what do you want to do (i.e. siteseing, sea, etc)

The 5000 also include the flight?

Ok Tara, 5000 K is more or less 3900 Euro at the current exchange rate. I assume that she should pay 80% of the fly ticket so if you mange to spend 1900 Euro for the fly then 2000 Euro should be able to cover for 8 days all inclusive, assuming 250 euro a day

Answer 3

A lot of this depends on when you go, where you go and how long you stay. And, given the fluctuating currency at this point it is hard to know how much $5,000 U.S. will buy you in Euro.

That said, here are some general tips for savings:

As you note, March is a good time because there are fewer crowds and it is not the high season yet when prices can easily double for airfare and lodging. Low season is generally from Nov. 1 - the week before Easter, with the exception of the Christmas and New Year holiday (which lasts through Jan. 6) and a few other holidays (long weekends around Nov. 1 and Dec. 8, carnivale in Venice, for example). Given that your daughter will be in school I don't know if you would be taking her out or looking to bring her over a school holiday. In that case, I would suggest Thanksgiving as it is an American holiday but not one here so prices don't go up. (Warning that flights from the U.S. may be more expensive then).

A few tips:

-- Start looking for flights early. Check out sites like www.farecompare.com which can give you an idea of average ticket price over several months. If you are frequent flier members, try to collect as many miles as possible so you can fly free on the trip (if you each have some miles but not enough for a free ticket, you can donate your miles to your husband, for example, so that at least one of you flies free). Please note, however that you often have to book award flying a year in advance if you want specific dates since there are few seats set aside for this airline incentive.

-- You might want to try to stay in one place so that you can rent an apartment. They tend to be cheaper and also allow you the use of a kitchen which can cut down on dining costs. If you really want to move around, stick to 3-stars that have breakfast included -- be aware that unlike in the U.S. kids pay in many hotels in Italy (the rate  has to do with the number of beds, not the age of the people staying in the room).

-- Check out free attractions (Italy is an open-air museum) and discounts for kids wherever you go. Also, in many cities such as Rome (Roma pass) there are passes that will allow you into many attractions for one price, or multi-day passes for transportation.

-- If you are traveling around compare the costs of train tickets to renting a car. Depending on how much traveling you do either a train pass could be more economical or a car, depending on what you want to see.

I wish I could be more helpful with specifics but since your plans are vague at this point, this is the best I can do for now. If you need help in the future planning a trip, please let me know.

By the way, I think any age is a good for to start traveling with your children. It is a wonderful way to open their minds to the world and actually will get them more interested in what they might later learn in school because they can apply their experience to their studies.

Answer 4

If you go in the south of Italy it will be cheaper...and it depends how old is your daughter as well....go in the less famous place