Yet another issue with Sicily Trip

[Jodyv]

Thanks, Sue! We're really looking forward to this, if only to prove that Tuggers truly are the best people around, when it comes to planning a trip like this. I'll post a trip report when we get back.

Dave

I can't wait to hear how much fun you had!!!

 

[davidvel]

Perhaps one of the rudest things I have ever seen posted on TUG. If you truly did not care, you would not bother responding. Civility begets civility.

Wow, you must not read many posts. It really isn't very rude at all. Lots of people share the same opinion: they don't care about off topic lecturing comments by the same person over and over. And no, civility with this person has NEVER led to them being civil. This is simply not true.

 

[Ski-Dad]

It appears doubling down doesn't make much difference either.

 

[DaveNV]

I can't wait to hear how much fun you had!!!

Me too!

Dave

 

[PcflEZFlng]

@WinniWoman, you're well aware that the decision is completely yours to make. There's been a lot of great advice given here, and some distracting sidetracks. Whatever decision you make will be a good one, because it's yours and yours alone. My bet is that you will ultimately decide to go, you'll work with the tour company to navigate any travel uncertainties there might be, and you'll look back and be glad you went. But even if you decide not to go, there'll be no more anxiety or uncertainty. There's no wrong decision here.

As it happens, I'm just catching up with this thread because I've been in France now for more than three weeks, and my trip has been a combination of organized group travel and independent travel. There have been a few hiccups for sure, but overall it's been a wonderful experience, with no regrets. I'm not a spring chicken, and like others I have to take that into consideration when I plan my travel.

 

[WinniWoman]

Thanks everyone for all your words of wisdom!

Yeah- there is a serious drought in Sicily- a lot of residents even posting about it. That said, I did call the tour company and they said if they ever thought the tour would be uncomfortable or unsafe for their clients it would be cancelled or at the very least the itinerary would be adjusted. Nothing going on much with Mt. Etna right now.

I even asked them about- yes- I did- how they handle the toileting stops on the tour. Something we don't think about here in the USA and I didn't not know about how it is overseas. Being it's an issue with us older people. Plus with the water issues in Sicily...They said there is one on the bus but not recommended to use- ok- it's like that here also. Said they try stop every hour. My husband in particular gets worried with this. We try not to drink a lot of water or anything when out and about.

I also spoke with the travel agent. She did not really give me any assurances regarding the horrible flight we have. She said if we were to fly into Rome, for example we would then have to leave the terminal and go through everything again to get on another airline. She said maybe we could do a micro hotel in the Munich airport but didn't give me too many details regarding that and what that would entail.

She did say anything could happen with the flights we have and maybe a change would close that 6 hour layover a little bit. Of course, it could also go the other way and be even worse.

So Friday she is charging our credit card with the balance for the tour and finding out about what we need to pay for the hotel transfer from the Catania airport and will charge that also.

Meanwhile, we pretty much decided we will take two carry ons and 1 checked bag for the overage and toiletries. Lufthansa allows one free checked bag and 1 free carry on for each passenger, plus we will have our two small backpacks. But the tour company only allows one suitcase per client in terms of transfers, so we will have to transfer the extra carry on ourselves.

My husband's carry on is pretty worn so we are tossing it, but my neighbor said she has one we can borrow so I will check that out this weekend to make sure it will work for us.. She also gave us a suitcase that we can check in. It's not real big, but we should be ok with it. No sense on buying luggage as we don't plan on flying for vacations after this. She also gave us a plastic water bottle with a filter. My carry on I've had forever is still going strong.

I also got a head start and ordered a few thing on Amazon and Walmart like an air tag for the checked bag, travel pillows, some personal clothing incidentals. I am thinking of getting an inexpensive collapsible cane just in case I have a problem with my back or leg. We both need a just little bit more clothes as we are not fashionistas, but will buy inexpensive, plain, simple, casual things, and definitely will try to get the best sneakers we can. We usually buy inexpensive ones in Walmart or on Amazon, but I think we might have to get much better ones. I assume we will be in them for the entire trip.

So yes- we are going to still do this trip! As I have said before, the tour seems wonderful. It's just getting there that will be hell (and coming home). The drought and the volcano were just additional things that ramped up my anxiety. The flights are why I do not have that excited feeling like I've always had for our other vacations, most all of which we did independently. Our energy levels are ok, but not what they used to be, plus my back issue. My husband is low energy for the most part. I'm just very self aware of what we can handle physically (and mentally! LOL!)

So, that's it! It's now or never! Appreciate all your input!

 

[WinniWoman]

I see this as a blessing in disguise -- cancel the tour but book the flight. Fly to FCO so you're centrally located, get a rail pass before you go, and simply wing it.

You'll spend CONSIDERABLY less and most of your stress of chasing after an itinerary goes away. If Sicily is open for business, fly from FCO to Palermo and use your rail pass to see the Temples. (My wife longs to return. It's better than going to Athens.) And if Sicily is still being menaced by Etna, Tuscany and Lazio are lovely any time of the year.

And my favorite area, Emilia-Romagna isn't really on the tourist radar and its where all the best food can be found.

I completely agree with Dwight Eisenhower: When it comes to planning for battle, I find plans are useless but the act of planning is indispensable.

I don't wing things. It's just not in my DNA and I'm not changing at 68 years old. I wish I could be like that, but I am not. I am a planner and I like to know ahead of time what I am doing.

Sure, if I am someplace and have some free time I can maybe be a little spontaneous for a short while. But my overall trip has to be mapped out.

I agree that I should have checked flights before deciding on a tour, but I honestly did not realize it would be so hard. This is because I am not a worldly traveler. Silly me. Oh well, live and learn even if it is too late.

 

[susieq]

So, that's it! It's now or never! Appreciate all your input!

So happy that you're happy!!! Be sure to check back in later and tell us what a WONDERFUL time you had!!!

 

[heathpack]

Thanks everyone for all your words of wisdom!

Yeah- there is a serious drought in Sicily- a lot of residents even posting about it. That said, I did call the tour company and they said if they ever thought the tour would be uncomfortable or unsafe for their clients it would be cancelled or at the very least the itinerary would be adjusted. Nothing going on much with Mt. Etna right now.

I even asked them about- yes- I did- how they handle the toileting stops on the tour. Something we don't think about here in the USA and I didn't not know about how it is overseas. Being it's an issue with us older people. Plus with the water issues in Sicily...They said there is one on the bus but not recommended to use- ok- it's like that here also. Said they try stop every hour. My husband in particular gets worried with this. We try not to drink a lot of water or anything when out and about.

I also spoke with the travel agent. She did not really give me any assurances regarding the horrible flight we have. She said if we were to fly into Rome, for example we would then have to leave the terminal and go through everything again to get on another airline. She said maybe we could do a micro hotel in the Munich airport but didn't give me too many details regarding that and what that would entail.

She did say anything could happen with the flights we have and maybe a change would close that 6 hour layover a little bit. Of course, it could also go the other way and be even worse.

So Friday she is charging our credit card with the balance for the tour and finding out about what we need to pay for the hotel transfer from the Catania airport and will charge that also.

Meanwhile, we pretty much decided we will take two carry ons and 1 checked bag for the overage and toiletries. Lufthansa allows one free checked bag and 1 free carry on for each passenger, plus we will have our two small backpacks. But the tour company only allows one suitcase per client in terms of transfers, so we will have to transfer the extra carry on ourselves.

My husband's carry on is pretty worn so we are tossing it, but my neighbor said she has one we can borrow so I will check that out this weekend to make sure it will work for us.. She also gave us a suitcase that we can check in. It's not real big, but we should be ok with it. No sense on buying luggage as we don't plan on flying for vacations after this. She also gave us a plastic water bottle with a filter. My carry on I've had forever is still going strong.

I also got a head start and ordered a few thing on Amazon and Walmart like an air tag for the checked bag, travel pillows, some personal clothing incidentals. I am thinking of getting an inexpensive collapsible cane just in case I have a problem with my back or leg. We both need a just little bit more clothes as we are not fashionistas, but will buy inexpensive, plain, simple, casual things, and definitely will try to get the best sneakers we can. We usually buy inexpensive ones in Walmart or on Amazon, but I think we might have to get much better ones. I assume we will be in them for the entire trip.

So yes- we are going to still do this trip! As I have said before, the tour seems wonderful. It's just getting there that will be hell (and coming home). The drought and the volcano were just additional things that ramped up my anxiety. The flights are why I do not have that excited feeling like I've always had for our other vacations, most all of which we did independently. Our energy levels are ok, but not what they used to be, plus my back issue. My husband is low energy for the most part. I'm just very self aware of what we can handle physically (and mentally! LOL!)

So, that's it! It's now or never! Appreciate all your input!

I’m not sure what is going on with your flight itinerary but if you have a long layover in Munich and a hotel is available in the airport, that’s a great option. When I flew home from Frankfurt, I stayed overnight in the airport the night prior to an early departure at a Hyatt Place. It was awesomely low stress.

 

[WinniWoman]

I’m not sure what is going on with your flight itinerary but if you have a long layover in Munich and a hotel is available in the airport, that’s a great option. When I flew home from Frankfurt, I stayed overnight in the airport the night prior to an early departure at a Hyatt Place. It was awesomely low stress.

We have a 6 hour layover. And just one plane going to Catania after that. We paid extra to go the day before the tour thinking we’d have some downtime to help with jet lag and meanwhile we have to spend it in an airport.

 

[clifffaith]

Re: sneakers. Black Reebok princess style. +/- $35. Blend into my black pants for dress and my casual pants for sightseeing. Been to the opera in Budapest and the theater in London wearing them. When we were inadvertently late to both, they work well for non-athletic types hustling through the city at a fast pace. Wore them on our Viking River Cruise of the Danube. Ain’t nobody looking at the feet of an old lady anyway. I always bring a pair of black slip on loafers as well because some travel book said to have a second pair in case your shoes get wet or you get blisters. That has never happened, yet still the second pair goes on vacation.

 

[Jodyv]

Last year we booked a tour through a company that seemed a little disorganized. They didn't start out with the right passport numbers, they misspelled our names, there was some political uprising in Peru and some American tourists were unable to get out but they didn't cancel and they didn't cancel and, at the last minute we were able to go. (I know that would make you crazy....) We kept calling and calling and they told us to not worry. (Right? You can't get our information right, you seem a little fly-by-night and we are supposed to not WORRY????) But the political thing ended about a week before we left, our flights were very nice.....the tour guide was outstanding and it was a great trip. In September, we're going on another trip with the same tour company and I'm looking forward to it. They don't seem quite as disorganized this time but my passport number still needs to be changed......The point is.....they want you to have a great time and book through them again. I recently had a dreadful independent travel experience. (my passport was stolen...) Letting the tour company handle the details can have advantages....if I hadn't been alone, that probably wouldn't have happened.

 

[davidvel]

I don't wing things. It's just not in my DNA and I'm not changing at 68 years old. I wish I could be like that, but I am not. I am a planner and I like to know ahead of time what I am doing.

Sure, if I am someplace and have some free time I can maybe be a little spontaneous for a short while. But my overall trip has to be mapped out.

I agree that I should have checked flights before deciding on a tour, but I honestly did not realize it would be so hard. This is because I am not a worldly traveler. Silly me. Of well, live and learn even if it is too late.

Mary Ann,

Don't bother with him. His posts show that he doesn't care about anything other than his own opinion and what he would do. He has shown that what you do, your concerns and stress, are meaningless to him. You should do it his way or you are a fool. That is his consistent pattern.

Please, please, please ignore his posts on your threads, and do what you feel is best for you.

 

[ScoopKona]

I don't wing things. It's just not in my DNA and I'm not changing at 68 years old. I wish I could be like that, but I am not. I am a planner and I like to know ahead of time what I am doing.

Sure, if I am someplace and have some free time I can maybe be a little spontaneous for a short while. But my overall trip has to be mapped out.

I agree that I should have checked flights before deciding on a tour, but I honestly did not realize it would be so hard. This is because I am not a worldly traveler. Silly me. Of well, live and learn even if it is too late.

It would be one thing if you weren't going to the easiest country on the planet.

If for some reason I was told, "You're going to parachute into some random city/town/village -- any country you choose. And you have to spend 30 days there before you're allowed to go home." That's a no-brainer. Italy. The biggest city. The smallest village. Doesn't matter -- it's going to be beautiful. The food will be world-class. I'm going to get along with the population. And even if I arrive without so much as a Euro in my pocket, I'll be fine. I might have to work some sort of side-hustle to pay my way through. Cook some meals. Tutor some English. It will be an easy month.

I've spent more time there than any other country besides the US. And I've seen more of that country than I have of my own. I haven't been to all 50 states. But I have been to all 20 regions in Italy. It's slightly smaller than California, after all. If I'm lucky, I'll end up in the extreme North where they speak German. "Ich brauche einen Monat arbeit."

Land anywhere. Doesn't matter. Milan? Awesome. Rome? Awesome. Palermo? Awesome. I've yet to find the place in Italy where I looked around and said, "Wow, this sucks."

There simply aren't any bad choices there.

No itinerary is needed. Just a place to stay for awhile. If you threw a dart at a map of Italy and spent your entire trip there, you'd have a great time. I think Sam Johnson was wrong. Replace "London" with "Italy."

Seriously, play this game a few times. Here's a random place generator for Italy. Press the button a dozen times and see if there's any place that isn't lovely. Even if you end up in Mestre (the oil refinery town), Venice is next door.

Random Vacation Generator in Italy - Earth Roulette. See where it takes you!

Random city in Italy. Random place in Italy - Earth Roulette

earthroulette.com

 

[slip]

I love how he just ignores what the OP says and just continues to talk about himself.

I wonder how you say "I'm a know it all" in German.

 

[Ken555]

I love how he just ignores what the OP says and just continues to talk about himself.

I wonder how you say "I'm a know it all" in German.

Herr Kaffee ist allwissend.

 

[slip]

Herr Kaffee ist allwissend.

I figured someone would do that.

 

[beejaybee]

Just reply to an arrogant poster with a "Bless your heart" or what I was taught to say in charm school: "That's nice" instead of !

 

[PcflEZFlng]

He really knows how to read a room, doesn't he?

 

[Cornell]

Sometimes I wonder if certain accounts on TUG are true troll accounts.

 

[Cornell]

@WinniWoman I'm glad you are going and that you are leaning into your tour company -- this is why you are paying big $$: for their support and expertise.

I know you are super anxious about your flights but really consider getting a day pass for a club/lounge at the Munich airport. You'll be a lot more comfortable and happy w/that layover.

 

[Cornell]

Fun German word related to this post:

torschlusspanik

 

[missyrcrews]

YAY!!! I'm glad you're still going. Can't wait to hear all about it!!! I get the anxiety....but just try to channel that into anticipation. You've got this. You can read. You can ask questions. You are one smart cookie. You'll be fine. <3

 

[davidvel]

I love how he just ignores what the OP says and just continues to talk about himself.

I wonder how you say "I'm a know it all" in German.

He really knows how to read a room, doesn't he?

Truly scary and narcissistic. A person admits their anxiety and need for a plan and order. The solution is to go to Italy with no plan, no money and just get a side hustle to support yourself.

Well, HE could and HE would do it, so you must as well. First class....

 

[Cornell]

no money and just get a side hustle to support yourself.

I think a work permit is needed in Italy

Details.