Best laid plans…

As with all best laid plans, things happen… with this blog for instance. Illness, work, grading, conferences, and other things happen. In other words, life happens. Even the trip itself has gone through its first round of changes (which I expected). It’s nothing major, but I’ll be visiting just Florence and Venice on this trip since it was shortened a bit. Dear Rome, I’ll be back for you.

All that said, planning and booking continued during this hiatus! All accommodations are booked. I’m typically a hotel girl. I like certain comforts – restaurants, room service, housekeeping, movies, concierge, etc. For this trip, I’m renting apartments. This trip is longer, and my ulterior motive is different (remember, solo). I like the idea of an immersive experience, but I’m not expecting to feel 100% like an Italian living in Italy. After all, I am not Italian. I’m not going to commute to work, pay bills, take care of children, fix the kitchen sink, and 1,000 other mundane things that I do in daily life at home. But I will stay in one place, get to know a neighborhood and its eateries and shops, go to the mercato every day, cook (on vacation!), and have a place that “feels” like my Italian home, even for a few weeks.

I’ve used HomeAway for condos in Florida with excellent results, so I went looking for apartments there first. I then checked out Airbnb, which seems to be more popular outside the U.S. It did appear that Airbnb had better listings in Europe. However, at the time I was looking, Airbnb’s policy required paying the entire rental amount upfront (note: I’ve heard rumors that deposits are now allowed). I’m not okay with paying everything upfront unless I’m getting a special deal (e.g., like prepay rates at hotels). With HomeAway, I can usually pay a deposit and pay the balance anywhere from a month prior to departure up to the day of arrival (depending on the contract). Airbnb owners (hosts) don’t get paid until 24 hours after the check in date to prevent problems, but I still prefer the idea of deposits and holding onto my money a bit longer. With a little detective work, you can find a lot of the listings on both rental sites. My advice on which rental agency to choose is simply to go with what you know. In my case, I was already established on HomeAway.

The hardest part of planning for me is booking accommodations, whether a hotel or apartment. I study maps and streets. I zoom in on Google Earth so often I feel like I’ll be in trouble with national security. I nearly went blind looking at what felt like every single apartment in the metropolitan areas of Florence and Venice. There were months of going back and forth and debating before I pulled the trigger and requested to book. It was really important to make the right decision.

There are a lot of factors that go into choosing a practically perfect apartment, but the biggies for me include reviews on HomeAway (and other sites), reputable owners (thanks again, Google), amenities like air conditioning and internet (my absolute non-negotiables in Europe), safety, and LOCATION. Location is particularly important because I need to be in a safe area, close to food, and near a large, well-known landmark, like a great big church. I am somewhat directionally challenged in European cities, and it makes it much easier if I can ask where a famous landmark is… I can then find my way home.

I probably go overboard researching places to stay, but I’m excited about the apartments I booked and to try something different this time around. You’ll have to wait until I’m there to see the ones I’ve chosen.

Is it time to pack yet? Until next time…