Ciao Italy!

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It’s been a long time coming, but finally travel is back! And my first non-UK trip away will be two weeks in Italy with my Mum!

We first talked about this trip in January 2020 when I was in New Zealand. I promised to take her touring Italy once I got home, showing her the best part of visiting multiple places in one trip.

Then came Covid.

For half a year I went nowhere but work (being a key worker meaning I at least still got to leave the house for that) and for 15 months the only place I stayed away overnight was a solo mini break in Mere, Wiltshire.

Then at last we were allowed to move about a bit, so Ruth and I took a short staycation in Oxford in the Spring, followed by a little UK tour in the Summer, and a trip to Dublin in Winter.

All the while planning an tour of Italy that I still didn’t feel confident booking.

Setting the dates

At last in January 2022 it seemed like I could start making solid plans.

I decided on a route, dates, time in each place, and costed it all out.

And in March I finally booked our Airbnb’s followed by our flights in April.

It is happening, we are at last going!

We fly out the first Saturday in September for two weeks. Starting in Naples for 4 nights, then catching the train to Rome for the next 3. Then we ride the rails up to Florence for another 4 nights, before a final train journey to Venice where are trip ends.

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Making plans for Italy

I’ve booked us on a couple of excursions and booked our free tickets to Pompeii (yes free, I’ll elaborate on my Naples post!).

I’ve sussed out a bunch of gluten free restaurants across Italy (this will be my first trip abroad since giving up gluten so will present new challenges for me!) and pinned loads of places on google maps I want to explore.

The only thing I haven’t done is book our train tickets, trying to maintain a little flexibility and fluidity to the trip.

I won’t lie, I’m a bit anxious about this, but I think its an anxiety I need to practice dealing with.

I overcome most of my travel anxieties by planning to a some might say obsessive degree. But in this post pandemic world of pre-booking and number limits on guests, my planning has helped more than hindered me.

Still, it’s good for me to practice letting go a little. I want to get back to a pace where I feel confident going on a long trip solo again, and coping with the unexpected is one of the main things I need to learn to deal with.

Keeping a record

As for this website, I’ve been remiss and unengaged with it for a long time. When I started Stumbling Across the World I wanted it to grow into a proper community as well as a blog.

But I quickly discovered just how much work it takes to maintain and post regularly.

I didn’t blog my way across Australia and New Zealand as I planned, but I lived in the moment and enjoyed the experience.

What I’ve realised is that blogging is work, and you have to put in time and effort to make it grow.

So here I am, picking myself up from another stumble. Ironically, stumbling over Stumbling Across the World.

Resolution for Italy

I am currently working part time, and also studying for my CIPD Level 3 qualification in HR. But there is no reason I can’t put in the time and effort to post regularly here as well.

My resolution is simple:

Write regularly. Don’t spend too much time worrying about SEO and visits. Just write.

Go back and share my stories of previous travels. And again. Just post and write, I can always perfect later.

And finally, share my Italy stories as I travel. Take the time at the end of the day and write a post.

I’ll regret it if I don’t.