Trains, planes and cars! With March approaching, the travel bug begins to spread, both for locals and students. For the foreign students in town, the Spring Break marks the starting point for the wandering season. It is usually made up of long weekend trips and short daily excursions, according to what one’s schedule permits. Amidst the excitement of planning excursions, there can be inherent difficulties. For example, if you try to book a flight, the planes are either full or only the expensive tickets are left. Trains can be complex and driving can be frustrating. Whether you plan to take a plane, train or car, the advice is the same: PLAN AHEAD!
For starters, if you are leaving Florence by plane, the closest airports are Florence and Pisa, but don’t forget about Bologna, about one hour by train and very travel friendly. If you use the Rome or Milan airports, the distance is longer and the cost of the travel will be increased by the train transfers. According to the place you want to visit, these airports may be the best option if you want to avoid layovers. Every airline company has particular agreements and customs with different airports and different destinations. Be sure that your departure city offers service to your destination! The “viaggiatore sveglio” should also keep in mind that low cost companies are usually connected with smaller airports, sometimes located on the outskirts of your primary destination. Regular airlines, on the other hand, generally fly to and from bigger, more central airports. Along with the convenience of larger, easy access airports usually comes higher ticket fares but, if you book in advance, you can usually find very good promotions with the benefits of smoother and faster travel.
Leaving by train can be also an interesting experience, especially if you’re not in a rush and want to see Italy in depth: Pisa, Rome, Naples and Venice are easy to reach by train. The Italian railway system is pretty easy to use, if you are flexible and follow some simple rules: make sure to validate your tickets (train officers exist, it’s not a legend!!), check the final destination of your train (a train going to Pisa Centrale doesn’t necessarily stop at Pisa Airport!!) and do not step on seats or fill them with your excess luggage.
Finally, bus companies are perfect if you are planning short trips to discover unknown villages in Tuscany or in its bordering regions. Chianti hills, Siena, San Gimignano or the Tuscan coast are unforgettable destinations to reach by bus.
For the brave and adventurous traveler, a rental car is a must!! Driving in Italy is an experience that you won’t forget! You may not have the vast superhighways of the U.S. and might have a fight with the manual gearshift but in the end, you may even enjoy it! If nothing else, you will be a living testimony to the tons of driving infractions Italians commit without losing their license!
However you decide to move and wherever you want to go, keep in mind that a logical itinerary usually works better than bouncing like a ping-pong ball around Europe. The ability to travel between different worlds in just a short amount of time is definitely an advantage to traveling around Europe, just make sure that you plan ahead to avoid spending lots of time and money in airport lounges and train stations!!
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http://www.alitalia.it
http://www.ryanair.com
http://www.trenitalia.com
http://www.sita-on-line.com

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