How to Pack Smartly on a trip

Packing is so important to a successful and enjoyable trip. When done correctly, you can use carry-on luggage only and have plenty of clothes to wear. By using the proper types of clothing, you can have lightweight, wrinkle free clothing that packs into a small suitcase. Taking only 3-4 outfits means you wash your clothes in the bathroom sink at your hotel and hang them to dry overnight.

Watch my YouTube video below on how to do this and stop lugging endless suitcases with you on your trip. Travel smart not heavy!

– Ciao
– George

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Smartphones & GPS in Travel

Smartphones allow us to stay in contact anywhere, look up information and get directions. There may be a cost to this when traveling. This BLOG helps you understand what alternatives you have like using wifi at your hotel, in a bar or a restaurant to have free access to email, FB, Messages and information.

GPS allows us to find points of interest, our hotel and restaurants, Looking up a name to get the GPS coordinates uses internet data and can cost you.

The video below helps you understand how to control these costs:

– Ciao
– George

Movery – An Italian Travel planner

Movery is a platform designed for travel planning. It is an intuitive and easy-to-use portal where you can create your own journey by choosing the destinations to visit. On the website you can easily find all the information about the points of interest in the area, including the lesser-known ones that are outside the usual tourist routes. The content is created by authors who know the area well, so that using this portal is a bit like having a trusted friend who recommends to you the best places to visit, allowing you to experience the area as a true local.

Their claim is “Movery amplifies your travel experience”, and their intent is precisely to assist travellers in creating and managing their personal tour.

The first step is to create a profile with your travel preferences, so as to start immediately the search for the best points of interest to add to your itinerary. In this way you have the opportunity to optimize the time to organize your journey.

The recommended destinations on the portal can be viewed both on the map (in order to plan the itinerary also based on the distance between one point of interest and the other) and through the “Destinations” section, divided by city.

To give further ideas in the planning of the itinerary, the Movery Blog offers recommended routes divided by theme:

• Travel for All: recommended routes for travellers with specific needs: those travelling with a 4-legged friend, those travelling with children or those who need information on routes without architectural barriers.
• Typical Tastes: itineraries dedicated to the discovery of the food and wine excellence of the territory.
• Settings of Endless Stories: collects paths inspired by films and books.
• History Travellers: paths dedicated to history enthusiasts, in order to retrace the places that have acted as a backdrop to great events or the passage of great personalities.

It will soon be possible to share your itinerary created on Movery with your travel companions (and in general with friends, via social channels). At the moment the project is dedicated entirely to the Campania region, but they aim to gradually expand it to cover the entire Italian country.

My YouTube channel. My aim in my BLOGs and VLOGs is to provide quality information on Italy to make your trip easier and more fun. Movery meets these goals.

Movery Information:

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Ciao,

– George

Travel in the aftermath of the Coronavirus

The Coronavirus has hurt us all. Even if we are healthy, we are in lockdown. Lockdown is good because it keeps the spread of the virus to a minimum. We get depressed because we are social animals and need social interactions. The internet, FB and apps like Zoom allow us to socialize at a distance but it is not the same as being with family and friends.

In the US we are lifting some restrictions on the lockdown to get the economy going again. I do not agree with this since many needless people will die.

For those of us that are travelers, we have anxiety over not being able to travel to the countries we love so much. My YouTube VLOG below takes you through planning a vacation in 2021 if this fall proves that the virus is not on the rise.

– Ciao
– George

Breakfast in Italy

Breakfast is an important meal but Italians eat a light and sweet breakfast because they eat dinner so late. Hotels and B&Bs serve breakfasts of pastry, yogurt, meats and cheeses, rolls, and of course coffee or tea. If your hotel does not serve a free breakfast … DO NOT BUY ONE! go to the nearest bar and eat like all the other Italians. Order a coffee, espresso or cappuccino and a cornetto. Cornetti look like croissants but are softer. They come filled with cream, chocolate or jelly. Be an Italian while you are in Italy. I look forward to breakfast at a bar.

Some bars are PATISSERIES and have a huge selection of pastries and cakes. These are special experiences but can affect your waistline.

Join us in the YouTube video below as we show you the different breakfasts of Italy:

– Ciao
– George

Trattoria da Gigi – Venice, Italy

Trattoria da Gigi is an excellent place to eat in Venice. It is located not far from the world-famous Piazza San Marco. You can sit inside or outside on a lovely patio setup like a garden. Our favorite dishes where the Pasta con Vongole and the Risotto. The staff is friendly and the prices are reasonable.

Watch the YouTube video below about this restaurant.

 

– Ciao
– george

Rome 2

Rome or Roma in Italian is a wonderful city to walk around. There is good and safe public transportation but if you enjoy walking, you can walk everywhere in Rome. The food and wine are first class. Of course you can find great pastas and pizzas but Rome has so much more to offer including great fish.

This is my second VLOG on Rome and brings the familiar places and some not so familiar. I hope you enjoy this video and get to experience Roma!

Come walk with us around this amazing capital city. Watch my YouTube video below and discover Rome and these sites:

• Spanish Steps
• Trevi Fountain,
• Temple of Hadrian
• Pantheon,
• Campo dei Fiori,
• Old Rome,
• Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verita),
• Aristo Campo Trattoria in Trastevere,
• Saint Peter’s Basilica,
• Vatican City Museum & Sistine Chapel,
• Colosseum,
• Arch of Constantine,
• Pizzaria San Marco,
• Orvieto,
• Tivoli,
• Villa Borghese and the Museum,
• Trolley ride in Rome.

 

-George

Venice, Italy

Venice is one of the most unusual and beautiful cities in the world. Imagine a city but on Trees. These trees support the city over the lagoon. Venice has many touristy sites in Piazza San Marco that should be seen at least once. After you have done the tourist thing, go to the back paths of Venice. Explore, get lost, find new areas and enjoy the real Venice. There are many bridges and many of them have steps but it is worth the effort. Discover hidden churches, bars, restaurants, islands and markets. This is where the Venetians live.

Many bars serve Cicchetti, which is a form of Spanish Tapas unique to Venice. Some bars will give you free small plates with the purchase of a drink. Others will charge a small fee. This is a way to try several Venetian dishes and discover new favorite ones. This way of eating is cheaper than in the restaurants especially around Piazza San Marco.

Come watch the YouTube video below and walk with Rory and I around the touristy and back areas of Venice. We also go to Murano to see glass blowing and the Lido to walk around and see the beach. We missed the Venice Film Fare by a week, which is held on the Lido Island.

You get to these Islands and the Train Station & Airport vis vaporetto (Water Taxis).

Ciao,
George

Barcelona Spain and Sagrada Famila

Barcelona Spain is on the Mediterranean Sea and has a beach and sea port. This city is famous for its architecture, food and wine. It is well-known for its Gaudi architecture. The most famous one is his Sagrada Famila. It is not yet complete but you can tour it. This is the most beautiful and unique church in the world. It looks like it was made as a sand castle. You can tour the two towers, the outside and the inside of this church. Spend time here and take it all in. It is easy to get to on the Metro.

Come visit Barcelona and Sagrada Famila with us in the YouTube video below:

-George

Really Cheap Airfares

Is the cost of airfares to Europe, Asia, China, Hawaii, South America getting you down? Would you travel more if you could find cheaper fares? Watch this video on a site that can deliver really cheap airfares:

-George