Travels, June - July 2019

Plan

Initial Idea

Original idea for trip to Manila near beginning of June 2018. Add on a trip to Italy. No dates decided, though needed to be Spring - Autumn, preferably Summer (Northern hemisphere) as fewer/less bulky clothes would be required. Easter is very late in 2019, and Easter travel in Philippines is not advisable, which made May - September most likely months.

On further planning Verona Opera season runs from late June till late August. Further limiting is which Opera to see, which means being in Verona on one of a very limited number of dates. Working back from that means only 3 realistic travel periods are practical - leaving at the beginning of June, mid July, or mid August.

Budget

Lowest Budget

Budget planning very difficult in advance. Initial estimate 8k for flights. Accommodation in Manila potentially free, est 200/night accommodation in Italy for 10 days plus 200/day spending. Low budget of 12k.

Higher Budget

After investigation costs in Italy much higher with accommodation nearer 300/night, food costs and activities 300/day. Additionally a trip to Disneyland in HK plus activities in Manila added significantly to the budget. Airfares initially estimated too high though. Revised budget 20k.

Budget Revision

As planning progressed a more accurate budget was able to be worked out. Initial savings target of 20k, then additional saving on top of that would make things more comfortable. As of March 2019 25k deemed minimum, target is 28k.

Itinerary Dates Set

At the end of August Cathay Pacific, my preferred airline, had cheap fares to Rome. After nearly 3 months our savings goals were way ahead of the target, and we could risk buying the tickets. These fares only went till the beginning of July so that meant if we took these flights only the first travel band was an option. Reworking the schedule I realised a better option than returning to Rome for the flight home (and covering the same ground twice) it was much the same cost to fly back from Paris. On having the travel band set for June it was time to set the itinerary more accurately. Initially we were going to visit Cinque Terre from a night trip from Florence, but I really regretted not having visited the Amalfi Coast last visit, so that was incorporated instead. It was also cheaper to fly back a day later from Paris by about the same amount as the accommodation costs. In the end the time in Europe expanded from 10-12 days to 20 days.

Accommodation Booked

In some ways this was the funnest part. By booking so far out (9 months out) we're guaranteed to get first pick of any place we wanted. By and large I was after places with history and character, rather than places that were either cheap or luxurious. Hostels were briefly considered, especially at the earlier planning stages, but for 3 of us they worked out no cheaper and had greater drawbacks than simply getting a room at a B&B or hotel.

Knowing that we'd be jetlagged on arriving in Rome, and since we'd be staying there for some time I wanted a place that was comfortable, and a quite location but not too far from everything, and had a kitchen. Booking a ticket for the Arena at Verona and accommodation there was also a priority, since the whole trip was structured around that. The Amalfi Coast was also a challenge - it's expensive and travel there is difficult. I discovered a walk I'd like to try, and ended up deciding to stay in a village at the end of the walk.

To Do

Travel

• Book train Roma -> Napoli
• Book train Salerno -> Firenze
• Book train Firenze -> Venezia

Activities

• Eiffel Tower
• Leaning Tower
• Uffizi Gallery

Administration

• International Driver's License

Gear

• TG-5 Camera
• Memory cards
• Flash Drives for backup
• Turkish Towels
• Dress Shoes
• RAVpower power bank

Done

Travel

• Tickets to Hong Kong, Rome and back from Paris
• Tickets to Manila and back to Hong Kong
• Overnight train from Verona to Paris

Activities

• Tickets to Verona Arena

Administration

• Passports
• Travel Insurance

Itinerary

Rome

Activities

Tier 1

Destination	Description	Links	Cost pp	Cost total
Trevi Fountain	Go very early morning if awake	9 Things You Didn’t Know About The Trevi Fountain Wikipedia	Take a coin to throw over your shoulder	3
Pantheon		Wikipedia	Free	Free
Colosseum		Wikipedia
Palatine Museum on Palatine Hill		TripAdvisor
Roman Forum		Wikipedia
Borghese Gallery		TripAdvisor
Vatican Museums
Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore
Appia Antica Regional Park		TripAdvisor
Ascensori panoramici
Capitoline Museums

Tier 2

Destination	Description	Links	Cost pp	Cost total
Piazza Navona		Wikipedia
Museum and Crypt of the Capuchin Friars		TripAdvisor
Church of St. Louis of the French		TripAdvisor
Mouth of Truth		Wikipedia
Le Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini

Verona

• Verona Arena

Paris

Activities

Tier 1

Destination	Description	Links	Cost pp	Cost total
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris	Use app to avoid queue	TripAdvisor No more queuing	8.50ea tower 6.00ea crypt	43.50
Sainte-Chapelle	Stained-glass windows	TripAdvisor
Louvre Museum	Mona Lisa	TripAdvisor	34 (under 19 free)
Arc de Triomphe		TripAdvisor	24 (assuming kids free?)
Eiffel Tower	Book at least a month in advance	TripAdvisor	57

Tier 2

Destination	Description	Links	Cost pp	Cost total
Napoléon's Tomb		TripAdvisor
Saint-Étienne-du-Mont		TripAdvisor
Panthéon		TripAdvisor
Galeries Lafayette Haussmann	Department Store	TripAdvisor
Musée d'Orsay		TripAdvisor	28 (under 18 free)
Sacré-Cœur Basilica		TripAdvisor
Orangerie Museum		TripAdvisor
Pont Alexandre III		TripAdvisor
Rodin Museum	Closed Monday	TripAdvisor	20

Paris Pass

https://thesavvybackpacker.com/paris-pass-review/

The Eiffel Tower and the Catacombs are not included in this pass.

3 Day Paris Passes come with a 2 Day Museum Pass.

• 2day 138/adult 46/child
• 3day 174/adult 53/child

Packing List

Administration

• Passports
• 2x Copies of Passports
• Printout of Itinerary
• Printout of Accommodation
• Printout of Tickets to Activities
• Printout of Travel Tickets
• Pen
• Wallet

Medical

• Voltarin
• Panadeine
• Bangages
• Tape
• Safety pins
• Betadine
• Anthisan
• Zetop
• Nasal spray
• Losec
• Gaviscon
• Asthma Inhaler
• Metamucil
• Metoprolol
• Soov
• Panadol
• Ibuprofefen

Clothing

Mum

• Togs
• Allbirds
• Boots
• Underwear
• Shirts
• Shorts
• Pants
• Deodorant
• Pencil eyebrow

Dad

• Togs
• Allbirds
• Boots
• 2x pants
• Shorts
• Xx Underwear
• Dress shirt
• Shirt
• T-shirt
• Wool socks
• Warm top
• Jacket

Kid

• Togs
• Allbirds

Electronics

• Power adapter
• 3x USB cable
• USB-C cable
• Gopro camera
• Gopro stick
• Gopro spare battery
• Gorillapod
• RX100 camera
• RX100 Polarized filter
• RX100 spare battery
• Adata Power bank
• Kindle
• Tablet
• Laptop
• Laptop charger
• Earbuds
• phone
• watch

Personal

• Toothbrush
• Neck pillow
• Fragrance
• Mobile phone
• Wallet
• Glasses
• Spare Glasses
• Sunglasses

Group

• Toothpaste
• Clothesline
• Sunscreen
• Insect Repellent
• Glasses/Lens cleaner wipes
• Toilet Paper