Well, when I say “Don’t Pack Too Much, I mean not in your suitcase and definitely not into your itinerary either. 

The most common problem I see when many people plan their own vacation itinerary is that they go a bit over the top in terms of what they can fit into their trip.  After all, it’s supposed to be a vacation, not a marathon.

The length of time you need really depends on the area you’re visiting, so there are many questions to ask during the planning stages.  For example, is transportation from place to place on your itinerary easy or will it be complicated?  If it’s complicated you must factor in extra time for the uncertainty of how long it will take you to get to the next place.  What about the weather?  Should you expect any special challenges due to the weather of whatever particular season you’re traveling in?  What about the calendar?  Are there any holidays or other special events that may affect or even close attractions in a certain place you’re visiting?  If so, you’ll need to either work around those dates or add extra days so you can visit everything you wanted to see.

When I do custom itineraries for my clients, I use many different tools as well as drawing upon my in-depth knowledge of the region to ensure that the itineraries are for the correct destinations, correct length of time and include the right mix of activities for each particular client. 

If someone wants to start mapping out their tentative itinerary I recommend a simple timeline approach, like this one which is a very simplied itinerary for demonstration purposes:

Fri – 9/17 – Dept home 5:30PM                                                                

Sat – 9/18 – Arr Florence 12:10PM                                                           

Sun – 9/19 – Florence                                                                     

Mon-9/20 – FLorence

Tues-9/21

Wed-9/22

Thur-9/23

Fri-9/24 – Rome

Sat-9/25 – Rome

Sun-9/26 – Rome

Mon-9/27 – Depart for home 7:00AM

In the above example you’ll see some important things emerging which you might not have noticed if you didn’t put it all into a timeline.  This itinerary assumes you had already decided to fly into Florence and out of Rome, and that you also decided you wanted your last 3 nights to be spent in Rome.  Here are some potential problems, however:

1.  One of the full days scheduled in Florence is on a Sunday.  Many things are closed in Italy on Sundays.  And since you’re arriving from overseas on a Saturday, you can’t plan too much for later Saturday as realistically you won’t be out of the airport, in your hotel and ready to do anything until later in the afternoon.  So, if you wanted more than one full day of sightseeing there, another day may be necessary.

2.  Same problem in Rome, you’re there on a Sunday.  So, either you have to make do with the time allotted there or plan on adding a day or revising your itinerary.

3.  Assuming you wanted to visit a few other places in between Florence and Rome – now you can see exactly how much time you have available in which to do that.  3 Days.  Sounds like alot, but don’t forget you have to factor in travel time.  Suddenly, it sounds like you’re going to be on the run quite a bit in the middle there.  You might want to narrow it down to one place so you can enjoy some leisure time when you get there.

This is just a very simplied example of how this works, but it’s an important step to take no matter where you’re going and it will always help you to have a balanced well planned itinerary.

One of the things I find fascinating about many destinations I’ve visited are the food markets.  They can be drab or colorful, noisy or quiet, smell heavenly or have strong pungent odors that you might wish you didn’t have to smell.  But regardless of the situation, they’re always interesting, and full of a variety of more things than you can imagine. 

One of my favorites is La Boqueria in Barcelona.   It’s one of the oldest and largest markets in Spain, first recorded in the beginning of the 13th century, and  is a true horn of plenty. The stalls of the market are full of fruits, vegetables, meat (all kinds of), different sort of fish and shells from all over the world, nuts, candies and chocolates. Buy mixed fruit or a fresh fruit juice to enjoy as you explore it!

Looking for the most authentic nibbles in the world?  Here are 10 international markets where the eating is easy….

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-top-food-markets/1

Most everyone is familiar with Michelin, but do you know what the Michelin stars are?  They are the best known and most highly respected of all restaurant ratings in France where they originated and in many of the 22 countries the Michelin guides now cover.

Here's what the stars actually mean:

One star signifies a very good restaurant

Two stars signify excellent cooking that is worth a detour

Three stars signify exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey

The Rising Star distinction, introduced in 2006, highlights the best restaurants in each category, which may move up to the next level soon.

So how do all these stars get assigned?  Well, the mysterious Michelin inspectors are in charge of that.

Who are the inspectors and what do they do?

There are 80 full-time Michelin inspectors. The average age of an inspector is 40, and they tend to be hotel school graduates with at least five years' experience in the restaurant or hotel industry. New recruits receive six months' training and work with an experienced inspector before going it alone.

Every year, each inspector evaluates 240 restaurants, spends 130 nights in hotels, carries out 800 inspections, writes 1,100 reports and drives 18,000 miles. A typical day starts at 7am and ends at 11pm. Inspectors eat at restaurants anonymously and pay the bill, though afterwards they may introduce themselves and ask for more information. If there is any doubt about a restaurant, another inspector will go to eat there for a second opinion.

The inspectors, the editor of the Michelin guide and the director of Michelin all meet several times a year. They discuss the restaurants and compare reports, and decide whether to award stars.

So have you been to any Michelin starred restaurants lately?  If so, share the destination, the restaurant and your experience there with us now.