So confession time; I had a bit of a bad day and have fallen behind in the April Travel Blog Challenge after only two days! Regardless, here I am catching up! For day three, I want to share some of the things I learned during my last minute lack of planning for my trip to Rome in January…

Now I will be the first to admit that I love to just wing it, with pretty much everything in life. It’s a bit of a thrill and completely liberating. I’ve never been well organised. My first solo trip to Rome, however, taught me that no matter how good you are at winging it (I like to think I’m pretty good at it) that there are still some things that you should research and plan before setting off on your adventure.

So based on my Rome experience, here are my three top things to give a little thought to after you’ve booked your travel and accomodation…

1. Airport travel – how are you getting to and from the airport, both as you depart and at your destination. Reduce stress, know how to get to the airport (especially if you’re flying from somewhere that you don’t usually fly from) and what all your options are when you get off the plane at the other end – you could save big bucks by not opting for the easy peasy taxi option.
2. Language basics – Rookie error number one that I made in Italy? I didn’t know any useful Italian. I knew the word for cheese…and that was literally about it.  It wasn’t until I was there that the full extent of how little I actually knew, and I kind of had to pick it up and make it up as I went along. Useful words – hello, goodbye, please, thank you. Maybe some numbers. Tickets. Money. Bill. Toilets.  If you have a serious allergy, know the word for that! Tell me what other words and phrases you think are important in the comments below!
3. Landmarks and attractions – know what there is to see and do in the place where you’re going. I booked flights and accommodation for Rome and then realised I knew nothing about the city. I’m a fairly bright cookie, and it wasn’t until I was on a tour bus that it dawned on me that Romans came from Rome. I had heard of the Colosseum, Vatican City and Trevi Fountain – of course I had. Did I realise they were in Rome? Nope.

What planning errors have you made on a last minute, or maybe not so last minute, trip? Let me know in the comments below!