Travel Journal - Tips from Friends

Some of these are common sense. I was also a single woman traveling alone in a country where I didn´t speak the language. The people advising me were friends just wanting to help, the same reason I am sharing these with you.

• Research destinations - it surprised me how little my fellow travelers knew about the places we were visiting and how much they missed. The guides were always impressed and more eager to share information when questions demonstrated some knowledge and interest of the area. It always surprised them too, probably since it happened so infrequently.
• A small English/Italian dictionary.
• A decent local map. I picked a really lousy map of Rome and ended up walking for several hours at night lost. I don´t recommend it!
• Comfortable clothes, especially shoes. This may sound like common sense but I am convinced one of the reasons I was not hassled like many others in my group was because I didn't look like the stereotype of the American tourist. I dressed for comfort.
• Avoid jewelry · Think about it!
• Money belt - the money I planned on spending that day, I kept in my fanny pack. The rest traveled under my clothes around my waist.
• Italian coins · many of the great paintings are in poorly lit churches that have coin-operated lights.
  
• Journal · everything was new to me and I didn't want to trust my memory.
  
• Pack smart and light. I had one backpack and dressed in layers
  
• Keep your belongings on you · don't set anything down on counters, etc. I had my camera over my neck and shoulder and let it hang in a canvas pack that hung from my shoulders. My fanny pack (worn as a belly pack) held my money.
  
• Plan for Italian "lunchtimes" Churches, museums, just about everything closes for long lunches. I missed Michelangelo's Moses because they closed until 4:30pm.
  
• Travel clock · I didn't want to rely on hotel wake up calls.
  
• Film bag that is tested for your speed of film and, of course, plenty of film. As a photographer, I am overprotective of my film, exposed or not.
  
• Buy something special for yourself. Something small that sits on a shelf that reminds me of Italia is a good thing!
  
• Copies of Passport and itinerary. One for my house sitter and one in my luggage.