Packing APP

Found a cool packing app called Pack the Bag.  It has a green background and a suitcase on its logo.  And it's free!

Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria

Hey happy travelers! Do any of you own the book titled "Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria" ??  It gets good reviews and it looks like it includes several hikes in Chianti. If no one owns it already, I think I'll order it.
Krisann

Packing list

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/womenpack.htm

http://www.google.com/search?q=travel+list+for+europe&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

We're booked!

Very interesting phone call/calls last night.  Thanks everybody for the quick response and processing the flight options.  Krisann and I are now booked.  I'm assuming the same is true for everyone else.  I understand there is some angst over Air France and passing through Paris.  Deep breath Dave Carlson.  It's going to be fine.  I'm guessing there might be some stressing going on with us driving around Tuscany in an Italian built van  too. :-)  It's all part of the experience and building the stories to be shared later.

I have also gone ahead and booked our hotel for Sept. 20th.  We will be spending a second night in Positano after the hike to relax and recoup from our days of hiking.  We talked to our friends Benton and Judy at church yesterday and asked them for ideas for hotels in Positano.  They raved about Albergo California. (new link on the hotel list on the right) Yes that's right Hotel California.  No, the owners are not Eagle fans.  Well, maybe they are, but that's not where the name came from.  The building is from the 1700's.  We will enjoy our morning breakfast here.


And then explore the Positano area on Friday.  Krisann has been looking at some options with some including boats.

The plan would be to spend Friday night here and then take a taxi to our Saturday night hotel by the Naples airport.  One idea is to get there on Saturday with some time to go into Naples for the afternoon/evening for dinner.  We would then be right by the airport for our early Sunday departure.

I also added a countdown timer to the blog now that we know our time of departure.  When I booked on Expedia last night the message "Time to pack your bags" came up after everything was confirmed.  Maybe a little early but it's getting closer.

Looking forward to a great trip in September!
Dave

Hiking Trip Update

I got the confirmation from ATG Oxford today.  It includes the details on our hotels, a Checklist for Packing and also our luggage tags.

Check out the hotel links on the right.  They look pretty cool.  We have to get to our first hotel mid afternoon so that we can sit by that pool.  Wow!

I'll scan the Checklist in soon so that you can start packing...

Credit Cards

Krisann had some trouble using her Visa credit card when she traveled to Africa.  In Europe, there was a place where a credit card with a mag strip was not accepted.  Europe has been using the "chip and pin" credit cards for some time now.

I have done some research on this and it turns out they are not used much in the US.  The cards cost about $15 to make compared to $2 for a mag strip card so US banks are not excited about converting all there current cards.  I found a site that compares credit cards.

http://creditcardforum.com/blog/chip-and-pin-credit-cards-usa/

After reading this site I decided to get the Chase Marriot Premier Card.  It's the one that is number one on their list right now.  Here are some comments. 

• It's a chip and pin card.
• The first year is free and then $85/year. (which includes one free night at a Marriot each year) I may just get rid of it after we travel and not keep it after the first free year.
• The foreign exchange cost is 0%. Some cards charge for using other currencies.
• The site mentioned above talks about getting a free night for signing up now.  I did not see that when I signed up.  I'll let you know once I get the cards if that is part of the current deal

I don't think it's a huge issue.  The travel sites I have been reading say that for the most part a mag strip card will work in Europe.  There are just some kiosk locations that require it.  And Krisann's experience of not being able to use it at a coffee place she was at. 

Krisann and I would be glad to have our card available to use for all of us if others don't want to get a chip and pin card.  Just thought I would share this.

Dave

Airfare Tracking

Here is the itinerary that I have been using to search for airfare.

Seattle to Venice - Sept. 6th
Naples to Seattle - Sept. 22nd

As of today the fare has been showing up around $1300 on Expedia.

Please use this post to add comments of airfares you may find going forward so we can track and know when it's time to book.