Should I rent a car before I get to Italy? Why?

I could just see myself in that car, cruising down the Amalfi coast, a gorgeous italian figone at my side...

....instead your looking at Mama.

Aaaah, slammed back to reality. Dammit! I was having such a nice daydream there!

You'll never get any tail in a Fiat Punto...

Wow, and on that note...

I have become a seasoned member.

Off to bed.

Ciao.

Congrats, LTX! Buona notte...

You CAN go to almost any bank. Your regular bank will be able to help you or tell you where to go. Even my itty-bitty bank can get me Euros in 24 hours and if I need it faster, I can drive to their international office and pick them up immediately.

It is nice to have a little money in hand so you don't have to rush around searching for an ATM as soon as you land. You may also want it on the airplane. Sometimes ATM's don't work, y'know, airport ATM's are hit hard and you might have to wait in line which can be a huge drag when you finally arrive. 'Course there is that awful happenstance that your card won't work for some reason, too. Be sure to ask the bank for small bills so you have some tip money. Be sure to take a couple of different credit cards for getting more Euros later and also carry a couple of your personal checks and a business card for your bank or banker. If you're renting a car and haven't arranged it ahead of time, then you'll need to bring proof of insurance. They may still make you pay for insurance, but it is good to have.

When do you leave? Soon, right?

Damn, everytime I think I have everything taken care of, somebody reminds me of some other thing that I should do.

Piffka, do I really need proof of insurance? I don't have insurance! I don't have a car!

Maybe I can rent a car tomorrow and I won't have to worry about it.

I leave in two days!!!

ohohoh! Kicky, if you have your atm pin number memorized as a word, learn it as a string of numbers as well. Some of the atms I went to didn't have the letters on the number keys. Do you get what I'm saying?

It took me a minute, but yeah, I see what you're saying. Got it. Thanks!

you should be able to rent a temporary insurance through the car rental agency. I think.

One other thing Kicky, is to make sure that one's <ahem> ....undercarriage has a liberal sprinkling of Talcum powder before alighting the Aeroplane.

Remember, it is a long flight and one will be sitting in a confined area for most of the time. A nasty rash has been the ruination of many a holiday.


Have a great time, old boy.

Bring earplugs and use the soft, satin sleep mask they hand out on the planes. Grab a couple of pillows and an extra blanket as soon as you board (they go fast!) Pop a Benadryl (or two) and sleep through as much of the flight as possible. It'll make the flight go faster, and you won't be exhausted when you land. Always works for me.

If you're seated near noisemakers, ask the flight attendant for a quieter seat once you reach cruising altitude. They do try to accommodate nice, quiet people. We make their job easier.

...and when you arrive in Italy, you may wonder why its inhabitants appear rather glum.
This is because their AC Milan Football team, lost to the fine, upstanding and honourable English team of Liverpool last night, in the final of the European Cup.

3-3 after extra time....went to a penalty shootout, and Milan missed three of their five Penalties. Possibly one of the finest Matches I can recall.

HOORAH!

You are a scouser, an ugly scouser

you're only happy on giro day

your mum's out dealin'

your dad's out stealin'.

So please dont take, my hubcaps away

nah nah nah naaaah nah

Yep. You should be able to do that. You do have a VALID LICENSE, right? You can still try to rent over the internet. Too bad you don't know when you'll want the car....

I did tell you about going to Spain and there not being a single car available on Friday, right?









...talcum powder? heeeheeee

... Instead of Benedryl my MD gives me a prescription for Lorazepan which is meant to knock you out faster and let you perk up sooner. I got this by whining about my possible fear of flying since 9/11. Inexpensive and handy. Probably too late for you to whine effectively, unless you've got an understanding doc.

... Nothing screams American more than a bulging suitcase. Pack everything into your bag... then unpack it again and look at the stuff you've crammed in there. Don't put anything back in the bag that will be used less than three times. Don't put anything back that already looks messy. Eliminate as much as possible -- you can read newspapers -- don't bring heavy books. Some of the heaviest stuff you can carry will be toiletries -- so be ruthless. You'll be picking that up anywhere -- every hotel will have soap, shampoo, etc. and most airlines will give you a toothbrush & paste.

GADZOOKS! Methinks Walter has a thing against Scousers.....maybe it started when Michael Owen scored that Hat-Trick for England against Germany.
Dont worry Walter, i'm a Londoner born and bred. If there is an English team playing in Europe though, I'll wish them well.....even Spurs, which may give you a clue as to which club I actually support.

Hmm, so you support the sleeping giant.

Does it qualify or do I even gain some respect when I tell you that I fequently change the tube at Tottenham Court Road?

ATMs - I once had my card not work. It worked in the next one I saw though.

On charging things, yes, best rates.

Taxis - I am not sure about elsewhere, but in Rome there are specific taxicab stops and they don't just pull over if you wave your hand in the air. (A friend of mine railed at this on arrival home, that he kept trying and failing to hail a cab). There's one at the street north of Piazza Navona, one in Piazza del Populo, certainly at Termini and other train stations like Piramide.
My hotel concierge in Rome made a practice of arranging for cabs from the hotel to the aeroporto and would adjudicate the fee in advance. (memories of our arriving in Rome at Termini, having the cabbies say it was $20. to get to our hotel, our taking the metro instead, hilarious, finally getting to our hotel and the concierge saying we were right, it should have been under $10.) Well, that was a long time ago, re exact dollars. And after our experience trundling uphill with our honking big suitcases, I'd take the cab anyway in a heartbeat.

Change the tube of what? I know they sell great toothpaste there.

The sleeping giant will once again awaken in 2005/6.

Now, all the Americans will be totally confused......it would be the equivalent of them talking about the field game that the girls used to play at school. What was it called again? Oh, yes...rounders. I believe they renamed it baseball.
What does it mean, I wonder, when they say things like "Third up, with nine to go in the second" ???

Oh, yes on earplugs;
you'd have to clobber me to get me to sleep going to Italy;
agree re less-is-more in packing;
I even tear guidebooks apart and just carry the pages I want, but I am nuts as you have probably figured out. You can always get another guide book and those things are usually very heavy.