TripIt

I have been utilizing the services of TripIt.  It is an online program that allows you to create itineraries for your trips.  A few months ago I was talking to my roommate and her boyfriend about how I needed to create an electronic itinerary.  I was remembering the time I went to Italy with my grandparents and aunt, and they had the entire itinerary written by hand.  I definitely want to be organized, but I want to be able to create something that is a little more 21st century.  That was when they mentioned TripIt.  It is a free online program where you can create as many itineraries as necessary for any trips.  You can forward all of your confirmations for hotels, flights, car rentals, etc. to your account with TripIt, and it will organize your trip details for you.  It is absolutely amazing!! It is easy to use and access.  If you want more people to see your trip, then you can invite them to see it.  After looking into TripIt, I immediately got an account and started exploring.  Currently I have uploaded my train and flight details, hotel details, and some tentative plans of what I plan to do for sightseeing.  If you are going on a trip, then you definitely need to checkout the site!

Traveling Plans

After a week of scouring the internet for deals, I was able to book my airfare and train passes for the beginning leg of my trip.  As I said in an earlier post, I will be visiting my cousin and her family in Dublin, Ireland.  When you buy airfare close to your departure, prices tend to be high especially when you are flying internationally.  In order to save money, I will be flying from New York to Dublin.  You might be asking, how am I getting to New York?  Well, a good friend, Sarah, is letting me stay at her place the night before I leave, so I will be taking Amtrak up in order to get to her place.  From New York I will be crossing the little pond to get to Dublin!

Once I get to Dublin I will have about a week to visit the Byrne residence (aka my cousins).  My hopes are to see all of Dublin, the Cliffs of Moher, and of course the Guinness brewery!  From Dublin I will travel to Paris.  To get to Paris I will fly from Dublin to London and then I will take a train from London to Paris.  I will have an entire day to see Paris.  It isn't a lot of time, but I plan to make the most of it.  After what I hope to be a wonderful day in Paris, I will take the train from Paris to Ancona, Italy where I will meet the Boccaccini Family with whom I will be spending time with in the month of July.  And to think... this is just the beginning stages of my trip to Europe.

Time to write a To Do List

Honestly, I still can't get over the fact that I am actually going to be spending the summer abroad!! There are so many things for me to do in order to get ready for this amazing trip.  I need to figure out how I am going to get around in Europe, things I need to pack, and put together English lessons for the family I will be teaching.

Just to give you all an idea of my summer plans, here is a brief synopsis of what I am trying to accomplish...

My plan is to leave at the end of the last day of school (June 22) to depart for Europe.  My first stop will be Dublin, Ireland.  There I will visit my cousin (Jessica), her husband (Gavin), and their baby boy (Kian).  I figured if I was going to be in the area, then I should probably make a little stop off to visit.  From Dublin, I will travel to Italy.  There I will stay with an Italian family for a month to teach them English.  Following my stay with the Italian family, I will be meeting my mother, brother (Charlie), and sister (Kathleen) in Venice.  The plan is to travel to Venice, Florence, Amalfi Coast, and Rome.  As you can see, I have some extensive planning to do.  How should I get from place to place?  Should I take a flight to each destination? Should I take a train?  There are so many things I need to think about.

So many things to do, think about, I guess I need to start somewhere...

To Do List
1.  Get transportation details (airfare, train passes, etc)
2.  Lesson Plans
3.  Write a list of things to pack!

I think this To Do List is a good start.  I will let you know when #1 gets checked off!