It's all pretty amazing, so I'd focus on one or two areas you've always wanted to go, and get to know them very well. That will lessen the complication. Pick a good central location and take day trips by train. If you pick a base with a good airport, you can fly in direct, and save a ton on the rental car. If you like autonomy, get the car and hit the road. Beware of zones in cities which are off limits to non-local cars. The cities all have arrangements with the rental car companies and you'll get nailed when you turn in the car. If you go to Prague, DO NOT take the train to Austria -- what looks like a 2-hour trip takes 8+ hours, IF everything is working right (which it never does). Never travel around All-Saints Day at the end of October. Everyone is on holiday and the transportation and lodging is all booked.

Florence is a must-see, as is the Tuscan countryside. Lucca and Cinque Terre are also amazing and highly recommended, as are the hill towns. Stay a little off the beaten path and you'll eat like a king for less than you will in the cities. Find a weekend festival or flea market and get a roasted pork sandwich. It'll change your life (maybe not, but I'd liken it to eating your first muffaletta or oyster po-boy). Go to Vernazza and have anything with pesto on it. Incredible.

Splurge and get a good camera. Buy extra memory cards so you don't have to download anything and risk losing the images if the laptop hard drive dies.

TRAVEL LIGHT..! Don't dress overtly American, keep a low profile, and act like you've been there before. Study where you are going before you get there. To be sure, the paper is the paper and the ground is the ground, but knowing something about what to expect is important.

If you have someone in your group who is an anal-retentive OCD detail freak or artist, they may be overstimulated by their surroundings, so if you have a walking destination or a particular time you need to be somewhere, you may want to turn them loose to stroll around for a while to take the edge off, otherwise they will take 20 minutes to go one block and everyone else in the party will be frustrated.

Go to the churches. They are incredible, and even if you are not a religious person, you will feel the presence of God. Take it from a not religious person...

Treat the cities like NOLA -- don't venture off alone, and watch your purses and wallets. No expensive jewelry, watches, etc. You know the drill.

Above all, just be nice to people. You're on holiday, not a death march, so chill out and just be a native for a couple of weeks.

Have fun..!

This post was edited on 3/22/24 at 5:17 pm