Mother and Daughter's Trip to Italy ③📲 11 Essential Preparations That Were Worth Doing Before Departure✈️🇮🇹
Since this trip to Italy was a European vacation with my mother, I took various “peace of mind first” measures in addition to my usual preparations✈️
From booking museum tickets and trains to renting an eSIM and a camera... I’ve summarized the preparations that were worth doing📱
There is also coupon information, so please feel free to use anything that might be helpful💛
🇮🇹 Travel Internet & Gadgets
eSIM: The comfort is on a different level!
This time, I bought a 3GB/7-day eSIM on Klook. It was under 500 yen! I was surprised at how good the value was. The speed was sufficient in major European cities◎
I have an iPhone and my mother has an Android, but I was impressed that both were easy to set up👏 (By the way, my mother doesn't even really understand the concept of Wi-Fi, so I did everything for her at the airport lol)
Not having to carry around a Wi-Fi router is truly comfortable. It makes you feel lighter and reduces travel stress, so I really recommend an eSIM!
🌍🐰 If you are buying on Klook, click here →【 Cheap and reliable eSIM🍒 】(This is a referral link🙇🏻♀️)
Google Maps: Create a travel map
I pinned all the shops, hotels, and museums I wanted to visit on Google Maps to create an Italy map📍!
I shared it with my mother too, but... she wasn't used to smartphones and couldn't use it🤣
If you're a thoughtful daughter, it might be better to print out the map for them?
Taxi Apps: Must download in Japan!
Since local taxi apps often require SMS authentication, you absolutely must download them while you are still in Japan!
Recommended📲: FreeNow, Uber
Even though I installed them in Japan, they were automatically uninstalled due to storage issues on my phone, so I couldn't use them...😭
Netflix: Offline measures for long-distance travel
I downloaded it for the first time in a while since my last trip! It's convenient, isn't it? This time it was the Korean drama 'Bad Memory Eraser'🔥
I gave up on the return flight because I put my earphones in my overhead luggage, but I was able to watch a movie on the seat monitor, so I watched 'Sunset Sunrise'☀️~
It was awkward crying a little next to my parent
🎥 Items for making memories
Rentio: Rent a Vlog camera!
For my first rental, I chose the 'Osmo Pocket 3'!
I was worried if it would arrive, but I received it safely on the day of departure📦
Returning it at a convenience store was easy, and I was satisfied with the high image quality!
It's great that you can use a camera that is too expensive to buy foraround 6,000 yen for a week~!
※Don't forget the SD card⚠️ → 128GB is recommended!
I got a little discount with a friend's coupon, so everyone should definitely try it too!
We both get 500 yen off with the referral, so please feel free to use it if you'd like🐰🎥
→🎁【🔗Rentio referral link】
Reserved seat: Comfort level UP with a footrest
Since this time I had a reserved seat, I chose a window seat!
When I looked it up, footrests weren't allowed in emergency exit seats⚠️
Just being able to put my feet up increased the comfort level. My mother was also impressed☺️
I've also summarized other convenient goods on Rakuten ROOM 👉【 🍒Rakuten ROOM 】
🚇 Transportation & Reservations
Train travel: Advance booking is best for travel within Italy◎
I booked intercity travel (Milan → Venice → Florence...) while still in Japan using trip.com and OMIO 🚉
Prices vary significantly depending on when you book, so earlier is better!
Local train stations have confusing ticket gates and hard-to-find platforms, so arriving 15 minutes early is recommended💡
🎟🐰Click here to get coupons →【 trip.com 】【 OMIO 】
(Both are referral links, and we can both use the coupons🙇🏻♀️)
nearMe.: A godsend service for after returning home
I used nearMe. from the airport on the way back!
It's a shared taxi service, but this time, there was no one else, so it felt like a private car✨
Since I had a lot of luggage and was exhausted, the door-to-door service was amazing…🥹
Plus, it's about half the price of a taxi, and they usually send a hired car! It's spacious and comfortable✨ Not many people know about it, so I've been recommending it to everyone! lol
You can get a discount with a friend coupon, so definitely use it🐰
🎁 Coupon code【h6eje7】
🎟️ Reservations I'm glad I made in advance
Amex: Choosing a credit card that makes travel easier
I issued an Amex Gold Preferred and got a family card (free) for my mother.
Free luggage delivery
Airport lounge Priority Pass (application required)
Chat support (watch out for time differences!)
Automatic travel insurance
I chose it because I heard that if any strange charges appear, Amex responds quickly! It seems very convenient for anyone traveling🎶
If you're interested, you can check it out here🐰
You can get 100,000 points by meeting the requirements!
🎁 See details for Amex Gold Preferred (※This is a referral link!)
Museum tickets: Book popular spots in advance!
Advance booking is a must for popular museums!
We booked the Accademia Gallery, the Uffizi Gallery, and the Colosseum online from Japan.
I booked them while using a translator. But if you're worried, you can buy them on Japanese tour sites, though they are a bit more expensive! GetYourGuide or Klook might have a good selection?
Especially for the Uffizi, same-day tickets often sell out, so I was glad I booked early◎
There's no time to stand in line with a packed schedule!!!
Cash: You use it more than you think! Maybe 30,000 yen per person is a good guideline?
I exchanged Euros in Japan◎
Italy > Japanese Airport > Japanese city currency exchange shops
I think this is the order of highest fees!
We exchanged 50,000 yen for two people → ran out on the last day, and couldn't exchange Japanese yen early in the morning, so we had to use cash advances…😇
Italy is a card-based society, but there are many situations where you need cash, like at cafes, taxis, or unexpected moments! 30,000 yen per person is a good guideline◎
Like this, by putting in a little extra effort before the trip, we were able to spend our time there very comfortably🌿💛
On a mother-daughter trip, the daughter is usually the leader, so there's a lot to do, but I'm deeply glad that we were able to compensate for each other's strengths and weaknesses☺️
I hope this article was at least a little helpful!
This is the last of the "Preparation" series. From next time, I will be writing about our experiences during the trip ✈️
👉 Click here for the previous article: A list of travel items I was glad I brought 🧳
The footrest and other necessary items I introduced are also summarized in my ROOM 👜
👉【 🍒Rakuten ROOM 】
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