Travel Tips for Italy and Anywhere!

It is super important to be safe and aware when traveling and living abroad. Unfortunately, there are always people who will try to pickpocket foreigners abroad, especially in high-tourist cities such as Rome and Venice. On our dialogue, two people had their wallets stolen- both out of open-top bags. One of the most important safety tips when traveling is to always be aware of your surroundings. If you know you will be traveling on a packed tram, don’t have an open bag that someone could easily reach in if they were to bump into you! And it is best if you put your backpack or bag in front of you and pay attention to it. In fact, on the vaporetto boats in Venice they will ask you to put your backpack or bag in front of you. They ask this so people won’t bump into others with bulky bags- but it is also very helpful to avoid pickpocketers. Another safety tip that is hopefully obvious is to never travel anywhere by yourself if you don’t know the area and don’t have access to a map, or if you don’t know how to read a map. In Rome, one girl went for a walk around the city and thought she knew where she was going but ended up getting lost and disoriented, without a map- luckily, another group of girls on the dialogue came across her and were able to lead her back. It is best to keep a map on hand- if you search your dialogue city on the internet you may be able to find a PDF tourist map to save to your phone. Even if you never have to use it (you will have to use it), it is best to be safe rather than sorry!

And one of the best travel secrets I have for you is to take advantage of the transportation that the locals use. In Venice, there are gondolas that bring you from one side of the Grand Canal to the other. They are called traghettos, and they are a cheap and fun way to cross, it is only 0,70 Euro when you show the Venice Unica card provided to you (which is your vaporetto pass). The vaporetto (public transportation via boat) will also get you across the canal, but it is a longer trip and not as fun as a gondola. Traghettos are also a good way to say you rode on a gondola in Venice, without paying the 80 Euro for a guided tour!