The thought of touring Italy, with child and luggage overwhelming?

Question

I am of italian descent and would like to tour Italy and visit relatives. The idea of carting luggage around and travelling via trains a little overwhelming. My son will be 5 when we intend to travel. Is it difficult to do, or should i go with tour group?? I',m Australian and would start off in Switzerland and work my way down to Sicily..

Answer 1

noooooo

Answer 2

If you have the chance to go visit Europe, go. You will not be dissapointed. If you think your son may be a bit too much to handle then find a babysitter. Or maybe if you have close relatives at your destination they could watch him?

Regardless, I have a close family friend who went to Germany with her child (same age range) years ago. She loved it, said the people adored him when he tried to speak their language. It was a good memory for her.

A tour guide is always a great idea going anywhere in a foreign country, unless you already know the language? Or perhaps your relatives could help?  

You can go without a guide but it seems like you miss alot more and there is much more frustration.  When I went to Europe I went with this great tour group, EF, it was good, and the prices were phenominal.

Just google "EF Tours."

Answer 3

I am an American who just returned from Italy on 3/15.  Although I did not go with my daughter, I have a 5 year old.  My opinion is that it will be difficult, but not impossible especially if you are visiting family.

First of all make sure you plan your tour realistically.  My husband and I did three cities in 10 days trying to see all the sights and were exhausted when we came home.  If I were you I would focus on family and do day trips into the larger cities you would like to see.  The public transportation in Italy is pretty good.

Packing is a really big deal with you as well.  It may sound yucky, but if you really want to pack light pack clothes that you can wear more than once.  Also, plan wash some laundry.  If you are with family this should not be a problem.  For dress clothes make sure that you can wear black shoes with them.  One pair of black shoes is fine.  And make sure they are comfortable walking shoes.  Roll your clothes to pack.  You can fit a lot in your luggage this way, and you don't have to iron.  There aren't irons in hotels in Italy.

Depending on how old your son is now, this may seem daunting, but give your son the responsiblity of his own "play" bag.  Fill it with light things - small puzzles, coloring books & crayons, playdough, etc.  Also consider investing in a small DVD/TV thing.  They are light, will entertain him - and also the only TV we received in Italy in English was CNN International.

I haven't had the opportunity to visit Australia, but in Italy the driving is very hectic.  And that is being polite.  I didn't see a lot of accidents, but I couldn't figure out the driving situation at  all.  We planned on renting Vespas but once I reached Florence and saw the traffic I absolutely refused!  And told my husband he was not allowed on one either.  In more rural areas (which I only saw out a train window) it seemed more reasonable.

I don't know if I am being presumptious, but from your message it seems that you may be a single parent.  You do not need a tour group if you plan and pack economically, but if you choose  a tour group you may want to consider one that caters to single parents.  They have discounts for single parents, and you will be travelling with others who are in the same situation and more likely to help.

One thing that I noticed in Italy was the lack of children.  I am not sure if they really don't have a lot of children (you may want to check into this) or in the US there are just so many?

Answer 4

I'd surely never do it with a kid.  Too much walking and kids get bored and tired much faster as their little legs have to take twice as many steps as ours.  You'd both be miserable.

Answer 5

I went on a Globus tour of Europe last year.  The best thing is that all you do is show up.  Everything is planned, all of your travel arrangements are taken care of.  That said, next time I'm doing it on my own.  A guided tour is a great way to get an overview and good if you don't know the language.  I do know that there were some tours where there were quite a few children (10 or so in a group of 50-60).  If you have specific things in mind that are not very touristy, you might be better to tour Italy yourself.  I would not say it is hard to do yourself, it just takes more work.  The luggage thing isn't too bad since you should probably only take one bag each and your son may fall asleep on the trains.  Just one thing, I was in Rome in July and it was super hot.  Make sure you prepare for this as some children tend to get affected by the heat.

Answer 6

you may want to hire a nanny to go on the trip and assist you with all of this

Answer 7

It is not that easy .I have travelled all over Italy with my son who is now 4 but the easiest way is with your own hire car. If this is not an option then you can still do it with public transport as I have. You will also find that most Italians are wonderfully helpful to people with young children

Answer 8

I have been in Italy, so I think it is a piece of cake for you!!

First, is that only you and your child, no spouse? That is a little difficult, however with a tour group, you cannot be any easier. The most important thing is finding a place to live! For example, if you are in Roma, you'd better find a place near the train station. So my point is how can you plan your visiting!

Secondly, the perfect places to live is very important! Since you cannot speak Italian, that will be very, very important! You need to pick a place in the center of places you need to visit, then you need not take your luggages around!

In Italy a lot of place you need to walk, so take as less luggage as possible if you are taking your kid!

Answer 9

Bad baad idea. But if you do decide to do it, bring things to keep your child busy like coloring books, board games (they have traveling board games where the pieces don't go all over the place), books and etc. They're landing planes nowadays for people who can't keep their kids quiet. It sounds ridiculous, but a pilot can't function with a kids who's crying non-stop.

Answer 10

You already made me tired!  LOL. I think the best thing to do is rent a car.  No, don't do a tour group, they are just a waste of time and money. I live in Italy and work in a hotel, and would never do an organized tour if my life depended on it.  You said you have relatives in Italy...well, when you go visit them they will show you around.