Some of you might remember Peter Paul & Mary's #1 hit song in the 60's; Leaving' on a Jet Plane (It was actually originally written by John Denver with the title Babe, I hate to go...) If you do remember this, you might also be old enough to remember that not all planes were jets back then!
We're just about 8 months out from your "Adventures to Tuscany" Tour... So what now?
If you're a frequent traveler, and have lots of experience finding and acquiring your own air tix, you may want to just skip this post... But for any of you that might want a little help with finding the best flights, we're going to go into some of the things to look for here in this post...Flights
So foremost in this preparation, is to decide where you want to fly out of here in the US, and into in Italy... If you're haven't done this yet, we suggest you start looking. Everyone always asks: Which airport is closest to The Villa? And the answer to that is Florence (about an hour &15 min drive). Pisa is next (about an hour & 40 min). Bologna (about 2 hours) Rome (a little over 3 hours) and Milan (about 4 hours). And know that prices can sometimes vary dramatically depending on the airport you fly out of here in the US... For example; Here in the Northeast US, we find that flying out of JFK airport in NY usually has the best pricing and the most flights, but of course, unless you live in New York / New Jersey area, it's a little more of a commitment to get there... We personally most often now fly out of Newark NJ (EWR) and find that their prices are usually 2nd best to JFK... Philadelphia also has lots of flights, although sometimes can be more expensive. Much of it depends on the airline you choose, and which airports they have hubs in.
Flight Tips: We always suggest sticking with a "legacy" carrier such as United, Delta, American, Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France, etc... You can certainly find cheaper flights, but you should be aware that sometimes the discount airlines, don't have codeshares with other airlines, and if they cancel, they sometimes can't get you on another flight in a reasonable amount of time... We've had guests who scored great priced tix on some of these discount airlines, and then had last minute delays or cancellations and lost a day of their vacations. For a more detailed explanation of what a legacy carrier is; click here
Other things to think about as you search: Flight duration and number of stops... Obviously a nonstop flight is quicker with less chance of missing a connecting flight or losing luggage, and if you're flying into Rome, Milan or sometimes Bologna you'll easily find nonstop flights... But if you're trying to fly into Florence or Pisa, you'll most likely be on a one-stop flight. As some of you are flying out of the northeast US like ourselves, we'll use Newark (EWR) airport as an example; Non-stops to Rome can be found with a flight duration of as little as 8½ hours, whereas one stops into Florence are often around 10 - 12 hours (because of the layover and change to connecting flight). Also you'll want to keep in mind connection times... Important: On any connection less then 90 minutes, there's always a chance your checked luggage (and possibly even you) may not make the connection... (especially if your first leg of the flight is delayed).
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you can click this logo to get to Kayak |
We've heard from some of you that you plan on flying over early and spending a few days in Rome, Florence or Lake Como before the Tour... For any of you that aren't doing this, and are coming just for the Tour, we always suggest you consider flying in at least one day early... That would mean flying out on a Thursday night, and getting to wherever you are flying into Italy on a Friday morning and spending a night in a hotel... (we are happy to help with hotel recommendations). You certainly don't have to do this, as you won't be able to come to The Villa before 4pm on Saturday... We have had guests fly out Friday night to arrive Saturday morning, but again, we forewarn you of the possibilities of delays. Also, coming in an extra day early gives you a little time to adjust from jet lag and time difference (6 hours). Obviously, this choice is entirely up to you.
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| click here to go to Goggle Flights |
For our personal long term financial planning (for us - 2 years out), we usually budget around $1300 -$1700 per person for roundtrip tixs... $2000 - $2400 per person for Premium Plus Tix. If we find a better price, we feel lucky! Tickets are easy to purchase directly online... Right now, we're seeing roundtrip tix on legacy carriers in and around the $1000 - $1400 range.... and on discount carriers for as little as $550. Everyone has their own strategies, but we always start our flight research at a site like www.kayak.com, or Google Flights and once we find the flights we want, we buy them directly from the airline's website... If you're uncomfortable doing this by yourself, give us a call and we'll be happy to try to help... But keep in mind, we are Tour Operators, not Travel Agents, so air tix are not our forte, and we only have the same tools you do, but of course we do this often and as a courtesy we're always willing to help. Lastly, you could use a professional travel agent to purchase tix for you. They'll usually charge in the neighborhood of $25 - $50 per tix. However you choose to acquire tix, we suggest if you haven't purchased them yet, do so soon, as experts predict prices to continue to rise because of oil/fuel prices, pilot & staff shortages and extremely high demand, etc...
Passports
Make sure your passport is valid and doesn't expire until at least 6 months after your return date... This is mandated by Italian law... We say "valid" because on a recent Tour, a gal from California had reported her passport as lost... then she found it and used it for travel and was denied entry at the Rome airport because "Interpol" had her passport in their system as "Lost or Stolen". They sent her back to the US within hours.
If you don't have a passport yet, you will of course need one... and while they're usually pretty fast, the recent pandemic had them running way behind as we'll... they could take up to several months to arrive... And trust us on this; if you don't have a valid passport, they will not under any circumstance, allow you into the country! If you need a new passport, start working on it today and pay the extra few dollars for expedited service & expedited shipping!
As always if you have questions, or need help, reach out to us! We're always happy to help!
Want a little blast from the past? Here's Peter Paul & Mary singing it for their 25th Anniversary Concert in 1986! 🎶 🎼 (click here)
