Preparing and packing for a trip to Italy can be daunting as you consider electric converters, cash, security, jet lag and more. Hopefully, these notes from our research will be helpful.
Crime, Security
There are countless articles and even warnings posted in some areas about pick pockets and crime in the bigger cities. Of course, anything can happen anywhere – but from talking to locals and a lot of web reviews, it appears you want to be most cautious in the bigger cities (Rome, Florence, Milan, Naples) and especially in train stations or public places.
We had no issues at all – except the extremely aggressive vendors at the Colosseum who have taken to throwing bracelets at children (who catch them out of habit) and then demand payment. This distasteful practice was ineffective as our daughter simply dropped the bracelet on the ground immediately and kept walking. Our best advice is a strongly emphasized “No Grazie!” as needed.
However, you do want to keep a closer eye on your belongings, passports, cards and cash. We found a cross-body purse with locking zippers and RFID blocking material to be very functional and easy to carry. Or, for an added layer of protection, many visitors will carry a money belt.
Amazon – Cross Body Travel Purse Example
Electricity – General
Disclaimer – we are not electricians, nor do we guarantee anything when it comes to your electronic devices. We are only sharing what we found worked well for us.
Voltage in Italy. First, it’s important to understand that voltage in Italy is 220 versus 110 in the United States. The good news is MOST (not all) electronic devices these days are made by corporations who want to sell their products worldwide. So, MOST (not all) smartphones, new tablets, cameras and GoPro accessories, etc. all work off or anything from 100 to 240 volts. You can tell if a device is designed for “dual voltage” by checking the power adapter and looking for the input of “100 to 240 volts”. If it does not say that specifically, assume it is not dual voltage.
Adapters, Converters, and More. Second, Italy has its own unique two or three pronged outlets. You will need something to convert your U.S. plugs to Italian plugs. These tend to be either straight plug adapters – or adapters with power surge and converter capabilities. Given we are very careful with our electronic gear, we purchased the electric converter below (actually, we purchased two of these), as well as an extension cord/power strip with surge protection. The extension cord came in quite handy as most hotels in Italy are very old and you will find power outlets in very odd and often difficult to reach places. Also, having five extra feet and two layers of conversion and surge protection made us feel much more comfortable with our laptops and camera gear.
The other advantage is this converter is set up to work in several countries – not just Italy – so they will be useful again.
Amazon – Italy Travel Converter
Amazon – Travel Power Strip, Extension Cord
Finally, we purchased two of these straight converters (for the multitude of iPhones, iPhone watches, etc.) which we felt comfortable would not need as much protection.
Hair Dryers and Straighteners. No matter how well travelers planned for electric converters for these devices, there is story after story of these devices being destroyed when traveling. I would almost say these are “exceptions to the rule”. And you can try any number of expensive converters and configurations – OR what seemed like the easiest solution to us –
First, if you are staying in hotels, we were able to verify each of them supplied (or would supply) hair dryers. They may not be the one you would choose, but they work and you don’t have to worry about ruining your own.
Second, instead of risking your favorite straightener, simply buy an inexpensive, dual-voltage version for traveling. We chose the one below for $24 and while it may not be our favorite, it was small enough to take up less room and did the job for two weeks.
Amazon – Dual Voltage Travel Hair Straightener
Money
Cash. Instead of worrying about cash, ATM’s, banks, etc. in Italy, it is much easier to simply request Euros prior to your trip. Most U.S. Banks will help convert some of your cash to euros prior to your trip. It is much easier than worrying about finding cash while traveling. Plus, we found most tour guides, car transfers, etc. prefer cash (for obvious reasons) so you can get a good idea of how much you will need prior to departing.
Credit Cards. We found using credit cards to be the most convenient for most meals, purchases, hotels, tickets, etc. Just be sure you have a credit card that does not charge foreign transaction fees. We use the Chase Sapphire Reserve but there are several others that do not charge foreign transaction fees.
Hotel Charges. Some hotels will ask you if you want to cash out in Euros or U.S. Dollars. Your first reaction might be to say, “US Dollars”. However, if you are using a card with no foreign transaction fees, this is the wrong answer. When a hotel converts your bill from Euros to US Dollars, they will typically charge you their own foreign transaction fee (up to 3%). But if you simply say to keep it in Euros, you can avoid this fee with cards that do not charge a fee.
ATM. Finally, if you do need to get cash, you can use most ATM cards in Europe at legitimate bank machines. However, they will often charge high fees. There is one great trick, but it requires a bit of work (although, we found this will come in handy to have all the time). Charles Schwab checking accounts do not charge any ATM fees worldwide and reimburse you for any fees from the local bank as well. It takes a few steps of setting up a Schwab investment account (you don’t have to put any money into it – just a zero dollar account); and then creating a Schwab checking account (you will need money in this of course); and then requesting an ATM card. All of which takes several weeks to do. However, we are going to keep this card and use it for all ATM usage going forward – not just Italy.
Schwab No Fee ATM Checking Account
Jet Lag
There is a big difference between traveling west versus traveling east. We love traveling to Hawaii as the time change means we can sleep as late as we want and we will still be up before the sunrise to start activities (hikes, road to hana, etc.) before the crowds arrive. And Hawaii tends to shut down in the evenings earlier than most places.
However, heading the other direction, means you will feel the urge to sleep away your mornings and be up much later at night.
There are two thoughts on how to handle jet lag. One camp says to take your trip and then using the sun to your advantage, power through the first day (staying up for almost 24 hours straight) until you finally pass out. For us, this meant losing our first day being groggy, tired and cloudy headed.
The second option is to begin to adjust your time schedule an hour per day before you leave. If Italy is a seven-hour time difference, simply get up an hour earlier every day for a week. For us, our flight left at 6:00 PM and arrived in Vienna at what would have felt like 2:00 AM. But by adjusting our “sleep clocks” beforehand, we were able to fall asleep at 7:00 PM and sleep for six hours – waking to what felt like the local time of 9:00 AM. Below are a few articles from the Mayo Clinic, Sleep Foundation and WebMD on this technique.
Upon our return, we did not do this and instead just slept as late as we could every day to get back to our home time – which is not a bad way to adjust back. Remember going west is much easier.
Dressing
You can find countless debates on how to dress in Italy. There are those who say you should dress like the Italians. Those who say, I’m a tourist and they already know that so I’m going to dress how I normally would. And everything in between. But here are our notes (granted this is for the summer) –
- Shorts. Shorts are everywhere. Yes, some people are wearing jeans and slacks, but it’s HOT in the summer and you will not look out of place with a nice pair of shorts.
- Churches. You must cover knees and shoulders in churches. For most women, wearing a comfortable dress and carrying a light scarf is an easy way to throw something over your shoulders when needed.
- Dinner. Just like in the states, if you are dining at a fine-dining establishment, a nice shirt and slacks or dress is perfect. And if you are grabbing a quick bite in the middle of the day, shorts, hats and sunglasses are common.
Water
You don’t have to worry about water in Italy. Remember, the Romans invented aqueducts and clean water is a source of national pride. In most of Southern Italy (Rome, Amalfi Coast, Naples, etc.) there are fountains in most of the piazzas and around town. And the water is terrific.
Please note, one of our guides in Rome had a very good point. If the water fountain is very accessible, then it is okay to drink. But if it is higher or requires climbing up something to reach it, it is probably not good to drink. He pointed this out when he saw visitors reaching high up to a fountain and commented “that is not good water if it is out of reach like that.”
We also found the collapsible water bottle below to very easy to carry and fill up as needed at the various water fountains throughout the country.
International Plan Phone
Before you travel, it is a good idea to contact your cell phone provider to see what options they have for International Service if you want it. For instance, Verizon allows you to set up an International Service. Once you arrive overseas, simply turn on Data Roaming and the fee was (at the time of our trip) $10 per day for voice and data service. Using my husband’s phone and turning on a hot spot allowed all of us to access texts, facetime, etc.
Google Maps
Another good trick is to download local copies of Google Maps to your phone before you arrive. To do this, you must search for a place like “Rome”. Then scroll up the location for Rome and in the upper-right corner choose the “…” Select the option for “Download Offline Map”. You can zoom in and out to select your area and then download. This map will work even when you do not have cell service as it uses your GPS location which is always on. We made downloads of several areas just to be sure we had access as cell service can be spotty in congested or remote areas.
Ear Plugs
It is a good idea to pack a few ear plugs for your trip. You can use these on the plane flight over. Or, depending upon how close your rooms are to the city center and nightlife (which can be lively), they come in handy.
For notes on our entire trip to Italy, here is our two-week Itinerary. And, if you are just starting to plan your trip, we have created four “how to” guides – Planning, Preparing and Packing, Getting Around and Driving and finally Once You Arrive.
We also have detailed notes for each individual destination for Positano, the Amalfi Coast and Capri; Rome and Pompeii; Tuscany, Siena and Florence; the Palio di Siena; Venice and Lake Como. We would love to hear if you found any of these pages and notes helpful – or if you have any feedback you would recommend for other travelers.
