Who are we?
My name is Katie and I am traveling with my parents, Martin and Dawn. I am a recent medical school graduate starting residency this summer, and my parents are both retired engineers and small business owners. Ever since seeing my parents slides (yes, slides!) from their trip to Italy 31 years ago and getting a taste of European travel back in 2016, Italy has been on my travel list. We decided that an organized tour would suit us best and we were no stranger to Rick Steves, having used his travel books extensively on other trips, so we settled on Best of Italy. Below is a little about each of us...including a guest who joined for a few days prior the start of our tour!
KatieNext dream destination: Germany
Favorite gelato flavor: Pistachio and Hazelnut Fun Fact: Katie is a potter and loves throwing on the pottery wheel |
DawnNext dream destination: Scotland
Favorite gelato flavor: Pistachio Fun Fact: Dawn is an avid quilter, needlepointer, beader... |
MartinNext dream destination: France
Favorite gelato flavor: Chocolate Fun Fact: Martin has two 3D printers and has printed geckos in various colors that are currently strewn around Katie's apartment |
With a cameo appearance by...
BeccaNext dream destination: Peru
Favorite gelato flavor: Chocolate Fun Fact: Becca and Katie went to the New Year's Eve "Great Potato Drop" together in Boise, ID |
Becca and I met during our study abroad semester in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2016. We started off sitting next to each other in Danish class and ended up living together with the same host family. We video chat almost every month and were so excited to see each other in person for the first time since 2018!
Becca currently lives in London and is working for the Royal Opera House. Becca flew to Italy from London and spent the day with us in Milan and our first day in Varenna! |
A Few Notes on Packing
We all decided to follow suggestions for carry on only and, as the trip progessed, we were so thankful we did. My parents each used a Rick Steves roller suitcase and I carried an Osprey Fairview 40L. Both the roller bags and backpack worked wonderfully. We all found "tech gear" from places such as REI and Eddie Bauer to work very well for repeated use and for quick washing. I brought two pair of shoes but mostly just wore one pair of hiking shoes. We carried solid shampoo and conditioner all around Italy and never opened the bag. We simply used the the toiletries available in every hotel room. A rain coat and a jacket for layering up kept us plenty warm in April. An unexpected snow storm in the Dolomites was the only day we felt a little chilly, but we wore all of our layers and kept moving to keep warm! We expanded my parents' bags on the way back to accommodate some souvenirs and checked our backs going home. It all worked very well!