Travel Insurance - Some Tips and Helpful Info

Many people question whether or not to purchase travel insurance (also known as trip insurance) before going oversees.  Sometimes, the decision is made for you.  If you travel with me or with La Contadina, as with many other tour organizers and tour companies, you are required to purchase travel insurance, especially the type that covers repatriation expenses (the cost of getting you home if need be).  Independent travellers have more flexibility in deciding, and Rick Steves provides a helpful article on the factors involved in making this decision:  http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/insurance.htm. 

For those who are required to purchase some form of travel insurance, an easy website to use is http://www.insuremytrip.com/.  This site allows you to compare numerous plans, their prices and coverage options, in an easy-to-read table format.  In contrast, if you go through AAA, you are only offered the Access America insurance policy options, whereas Insure My Trip.com offers Access America and many, many other companies' options.  The website also provides ratings for each of the policies (A+, A, A-, etc.). 

Another interesting link is from the Travel Blog Exchange:  http://www.travelblogexchange.com/profiles/blogs/a-case-for-travel-insurance.  This traveller offers three instances in which travel insurance 'saved the day.' 

TIPS:  If you purchase your insurance well in advance of the trip, it can be extremely affordable - a drop in the bucket relative to the cost of your trip.  The closer you are to your departure date, the higher the premium can climb, so shop for your insurance while you're shopping for your airline tickets! 

It's also important to note that in order to cover pre-existing conditions, it can be necessary to purchase your trip insurance within 24 or 48 hours of your initial trip payment (such as purchase of your airline ticket, or your down payment to a tour operator). 

Great Women's Travel Pants by Isis

Check out these great travel pants from Isis!  These "Walkabout" pants will be coming with me on my September Oceans and Hilltowns Tour, and I'm looking forward to wearing them quite a bit while on tour with my ladies.  These pants have a flattering and forgiving fit, are made of a stretchy and quick-dry fabric, and have several discreet zippered pockets (great for holding passport, Euros, credit/debit cards).  They also roll up into capris for those warmer days.  I chose black because they won't show dirt and will match everything.  Thank you, Isis!  
http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorgear/Isis-Walkabout-Pant-Womens/ISI0273M.html

Note:  The picture provided by Isis (above, in khaki) is not terribly attractive.  These pants actually fit very nicely and offer a bit of "drape" without being too loose.   I also really appreciated the two discreet leg pockets for my passport and for extra cash.                                                                     Here I am wearing the black Isis travel pants at our cooking class in Italy in September 2010. They were very lightweight yet durable, could be "dressed up" to look quite nice for evening, and could be rolled up into capris, which came in handy for the very warm but rainy day in the Cinque Terre (below):

Exchanging Dollars for Euros

There is always some confusion regarding exchange rates.  "How many Euros can I get for this wad of US Dollars?" 

Many currency exchange rate websites, such as http://www.x-rates.com/ and http://www.xe.com/ display rates that apply to international banking transactions.  For individuals who want to go to a bank to buy Euros with US Dollars, though, the rate is always less favorable, because the banks must acquire the Euros and also pay their staff to manage, process and exchange them.  Banks charge a fee for these services (no surprise there!). 

To get the daily foreign currency exchange rate that applies to YOU when you go to a bank to buy Euros, visit the website of a major bank, such as Wells Fargo or Chase, and look for their information on foreign exchange.  For example, you can visit this Wells Fargo website and click on "today's rates:"  www.wellsfargo.com/foreignexchange. 

By the way, the Euro hit a 4-year low in May and has been climbing again slowly ever since.  Today's rate (July 28, 2010) was 1.3706 dollars to the Euro.

Italian Hand Gestures - Watch and Learn!

You will undoubtedly see these gestures throughout your trip(s) to Italy.  Do you know what they all mean?  Watch and Learn!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0n4Vw6twKo&feature=related

Be Safe - Carry Essentials in a Wrist Wallet !

For an investment of just fifteen dollars, you can put your mind at ease while traveling in Italy.  You can put your credit cards and Euros in this cool wrist wallet, available on the Sprigs website (http://www.sprigsville.com/banjees/index.html) and at other places on-line and in stores.  No thief is even going to know what this is, let alone try to rip it off your wrist.  It avoids having to dig into your purse all the time, and it allows you to carry non-essentials only in your purse (umbrella, guide books, maps, water bottle, spare camera batteries, etc.), assuming your have your passport in an ankle or waist wallet, that is.  I would NEVER put my passport in my purse, by the way - NEVER EVER!  More on passport safety in a future post...  Just thought I'd spread the word about these awesome wrist wallets.  I absolutely loved using mine on this most recent trip to Italia.

Don't Skip Orvieto!

Orvieto sits atop a mesa of volcanic material about one hour from Rome, in the region of Umbria.

Among other fabulous sites, Orvieto boasts a 2600 year old Etruscan burial ground (necropolis) pictured here. The necropolis sits at the base of the mesa, below the historic center of town, but is easily reached by bus or on foot. We walked from our hotel near the Duomo, and it took about 20 minutes to get there. It was mid-December and early afternoon, and we were the only visitors there, which just added to the wonder of the place. When you go to the tourist office, ask for the Carta Unica, which buys you discounted access to multiple sites, including the necropolis, and to use of the town bus.


Here is a view from the necropolis looking up toward the town. The sheer cliff walls are really stunning, though it was overcast on this day so the lighting doesn't really show it off.

The town was festively decorated for the holiday season with lights projected onto the churches and street decorations throughout the town.

It was a delight to stroll the streets at night - so quiet and beautiful.

More to come on Orvieto, so stay tuned!

Wine: you CAN take it with you when you go!

Wine: you CAN take it with you when you go!

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This link provides interesting info about how much wine you can bring back to the US duty-free, etc. and links you to the US Customs "Know Before You Go" pamphlet. Plus, I just really like Dr. Vino's wine blog for so many reasons! I'm picking up his "Wine Politics" for my January read.

I still vote for using the VinniBag instead of styrofoam for transporting wine. Styrofoam is not eco-friendly, is not leak-proof, and is not recyclable. Visit http://www.vinnibag.com/ or http://www.magellans.com/.

Magellan's Vinni Bag

The Vinni Bag from Magellan's (http://www.magellans.com/store/Packing_Organizers___Wine_CarriersFP104?Args=&refchan=Search) worked like a charm on my most recent trip in Italy. I used the Vinni Bag to transport a very special bottle, because once I inflated it, I could tell how well-made a product it was and how securely it protected the bottle inside. When fully-inflated (which is soooo easy to do!!), it is very plump and firm. I used it while in Italy to transport my favorite bottle from town to town and then placed it in my checked luggage for the trip home. My suitcase was international carry-on size, so there was not a lot of extra padding around the VinniBag, yet it still protected my purchase perfectly. Now I can enjoy my special Italian treasure! I highly recommend this product and look forward to using it again and again on future trips abroad! Thanks, Magellan's, for offering this unique, useful, and high-quality product.

Here I am holding my inflated Vinni Bag in my room in San Gimignano, Tuscany.

Magellan's new Vinni Bag for wine transport

Here is another product I'm taking with me to Italy to product-test - the Vinni Bag from Magellan's. According to the Magellan's website, the Vinni Bag is "an air cushioned ride for your prized vintage. More secure than bubble wrap, the inflatable (and reusable) Vinni Bag seals fine wine, spirits, or other fragile or large items in an air-filled chamber, protecting it from the rigors of travel. Made of PVC, it inflates with just a couple of breaths, safely securing the bottle inside, and has a clear panel on the front for easy inspection by airport security. " I look forward to trying out this made-in-the-USA product! Check back to see for my review of this product.

Meals on the Go in Italy, Part II

Here is the mug. The handles fold down for easy packing (and you can stuff socks or other things inside the mug, too). I already know that wine tastes fine out of titanium :-)

Meals on the Go in Italy

Here is the Rick Steves picnic set of utensils - 2 forks, 2 spoons, 2 knives, and a corkscrew - all carry-on compliant. I intend to use this set to have some picnic lunches and some quiet dinners in my room while traveling in Italy this December. This set is available at http://www.ricksteves.com/. I'll let you know how it works.

I'm also going to bring my Snow Peak titanium mug that I use for backpacking. Should be great for wine. Here is the link: http://www.rei.com/product/708072

Sea to Summit TSA compliant Pocket Soaps

Sea to Summit has come up with a very clever solution to the new 3-oz rule, where all your carry-on liquids have to fit in a quart-sized zip-lock baggy and be in containers 3 oz. or smaller. They have developed little containers of dry soaps - hand soap, laundry soap, conditioning shampoo, shaving soap, and body wash. The soap is in the form of 50 separate "leaves" in each "pocket," so you can use them as you need them. They are also phospate-free and paraben-free and biodegradable.

I'm going to try the laundry soap, hand soap, and conditioning shampoo on my December 2009 Italy adventure, and I'll let you know how well they work for me. Here is the link, though they are also available at REI and other retailers: http://www.seatosummit.com/products/display/84

I'm also going to use the Rick Steves travel clothesline to line-dry my laundry: http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=product&theParentId=150&id=27 This item can be ordered directly through http://www.ricksteves.com/ or you can find it at most specialty travel stores.

I'm getting so excited! I leave Dec. 2 and arrive in Florence on Dec. 3. I have 3 nights in Lucca, 3 nights in Florence, 2 in San Gimignano, 2 in Orvieto, and 1 in Rome. On the agenda: sightseeing, wine tastings, a private cooking class, a private Chianti tour, Orvieto Underground tour, and some holiday shopping, not to mention the consumption of lots of great food and wine. I'm going to try to update this blog while I'm over there, so keep an eye out for that!

The Bottle Pocket - Better Than the Wineskin? Maybe!

Bottle Pocket: http://www.magellans.com/store/Health___Hygiene___Food___DrinkFP106?Args=

Check this out! Are you always afraid that your wine or olive oil is going to break in your luggage? I've managed to bring home all sorts of bottled goodies without having them break, but I'm always on the look-out for an easier way. Well, last year, I blogged about the "Wine Skin," (http://www.magellans.com/store/Health___Hygiene___Food___DrinkFP321?Args=),

. There is now another product on the market: the Bottle Pocket. It looks great for packing home that precious wine or olive oil ! I still might bring my paper wine tubes (similar to the one in this picture, http://www.papertube86.com/products/Paper-Wine-Tube-corrugated-tube-gift-tube-ball-tube--HG-0185.htm though I get mine at the local "Tuesday Morning" discount store.) I've found that the combination of bubble wrap and the strong paper tubes really works. The Bottle Pocket adds another layer of protection - if the bottle should break, the Bottle Pocket will contain the leak. Hope this helps. Happy Traveling!