We are rounding out our month-long series on Saving €uros in Italy today with something many Italy-bound travelers forget to budget for … intra-country transportation.
Other parts of the series are:
- Saving €uros on Flights
- Saving €uros on Food
- Saving €uros on Lodging
- Saving €uros on Tours
People often think that because Italy is a relatively small country, it is easy-and inexpensive-to get from one point to another.
That’s not always the case.
For example, traveling from Lamezia Terme in Calabria to Rome is €38.00-€49.00 one way for a second class ticket, depending on the train. For a family of four, that is more than €150 one way, €300 round trip. And that is just for one, albeit long, excursion. You could see where it would add up.
Here are three ways you can save money on transportation in Italy.
photo credit: afroboof
1. Rent a car
If you plan on getting outside of the main cities, renting a car might be your best option. Many off-the-beaten track areas aren’t serviced by trains, buses can be scarce and taxis are expensive. A quick search revealed a car from Sixt.com for €350 a week, just a little more than the round-trip train tickets I quoted above.
RentalCarGroup.com returned prices as low as €186.00 per week, although I don’t have personal experience with this agency. Do you?
photo credit: bribriTO
2. Check Low-cost Airlines
If you plan to visit a few larger cities that are pretty far apart, then you might want to check out some of the low-cost flights in Italy.
I found an EasyJet flight from Milan to Palermo for just over €80.00 one way. A train ticket for the same day costs €131.00.
Visit the airport websites for the cities you will be visiting to see which low-cost carriers operate from there.
photo credit: chjab
3. Be Careful of Rail Passes
Eurail passes have long been a popular option for backpackers and budget travelers visiting the bel paese. That being said, it isn’t always your cheapest option. Some trains require ticket upgrades and unless you plan to do a lot of traveling by train, it might not be worth it.
Plan your trip in advance-or at least choose the areas you plan to visit-and compare the cost of a rail pass with the cost of individual tickets to see if this really is a money-saving option for you.
What other tips do you have for getting around Italy on a budget?
Don’t forget to head over to Robin’s and see what tips she has today.
Until next time … Buon Viaggio!
Protect your personal data when filing taxes online
Tribune-Review/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review March 30, 2009 | Pamela Yip As April 15 approaches and taxpayers scramble to complete their tax returns, it’s critical that they take extra care to guard their personal information.
Consider what’s exposed and vulnerable: your Social Security number, address, name and financial information.
“These numbers can be a gold mine for identity thieves,” according to the Identity Theft Resource Center. “Your personal information can enable a thief to obtain a job, open up new lines of credit, access existing financial accounts or stock portfolios, get welfare, avoid a criminal history and generally create havoc in your life.” So here’s how to protect yourself:
Run a full scan of your computer before doing your taxes “You’ve got the best chance of finding something that somehow got past your antivirus protection and is lurking there,” said Ray Dickenson, chief technology officer at Authentium, which develops Internet security software.
“Remember that fraud issues aren’t necessarily contained within the Web site you visit. The so-called ‘malware’ (malicious software) may already be within your PC, which then exposes your personal and financial information to cybercrooks.” Disable file-sharing software “File-sharing programs like LimeWire make files on your computer visible to other users on the Internet,” Dickenson said. “When you install a file-sharing program like LimeWire, the program automatically shares your music with everyone else on the Internet, but not just music; almost any kind of file, including Word documents and Adobe PDF files.” Make sure your antivirus programs are up to date But know that antivirus programs can’t find all the malware that may be on your PC. site programs like limewire
Be sure you understand how electronic tax-filing products keep your information secure.
“The privacy and security of customer data is a top priority for Intuit,” said Julie Miller, spokeswoman for Intuit, which manufactures the popular TurboTax tax-filing software.
The online version of TurboTax stores your tax information on a firewall-protected server and can only be accessed using your user name and password.
If you use the desktop version of TurboTax, the information is downloaded and stored on your computer.
“The data file saved to your desktop is automatically encrypted,” Miller said. “We also recommend that customers take advantage of adding a password to that data file.” Take advantage of the Free File Alliance program.
The Free File Alliance, a coalition of 19 private tax software companies, has partnered with the Internal Revenue Service to provide free, electronic federal tax preparation services to taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of $56,000 or less. You can access it only through the IRS’ Web site. web site programs like limewire
The IRS said its system for receiving electronically filed tax returns has never had a security breach.
“Millions of returns have been electronically filed since 1986 without a security incident,” said Clay Sanford, IRS spokesman in Dallas.
But in a January report, the Government Accountability Office said taxpayer information and other sensitive data may be vulnerable at the IRS.
“IRS did not consistently implement controls that were intended to prevent, limit, and detect unauthorized access to its systems and information,” the GAO said.
IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman responded in a letter to the GAO: “The security and privacy of taxpayer information is of utmost importance to us, and the integrity of our financial systems continues to be sound.” Regardless, don’t depend solely on the government or any other source to protect your taxpayer information.
You are your first and best line of defense.
Pamela Yip
Cherrye, great tips. I know when we make reservations and travel plans so far in advance we don’t always know or take into consideration details that can affect the cost/comfort of our transportation. Here’s a personal experience:
One month before my trip to Italy last May I purchased a 1-way low cost ticket from Naples to Venice for 44E, flight was 90 minutes. I thought this was the quickest and cheapest way to go. Here’s what I didn’t take into consideration:
1. Will luggage be overweight & incur charges? Since I’m not a light traveler & this flight was at the end of my travels when I’d be laden down with purchases, I ended up paying an extra 80E.
2. Cost of getting to the airport – since most airports are a distance from the city center you need to add in the transportation cost of getting to/from the airport. In my case 20E-To & 23E-From. Trains usually stop in or close to city centers.
3. Time – If you fly you need to add up all the extra time. Getting to the airport 1 to 1 ½ hours before the flight, waiting in lines & for luggage, etc. With a train, boarding within 30 mins. of departure is fine. I ended up taking a slow water taxi that took 1 hr. to get from airport to Venice as I did not want to go from airport to bus or train to vaporetto.
4. Stress – at times flying is less stressful, other times it’s not. In my case even though I paid over weight charges my luggage was still very heavy and my carry-on backpack was very heavy. Fortunately they didn’t measure or weigh my carry-on or I’m sure I would have been charged.
Taking Trenitalia ES train from Naples to Venice would have cost me 114E 1st class, 6 hrs. in length and dropped me right next to a vaporetto. I would not have waited in a crowded, noisy, & uncomfortable airport but sat and been able to read, work on my computer, sleep, or gaze out the window while relaxing. Flying got me to Venice about 45 minutes before the train would have but I can honestly say the train would have been more relaxing.
Moral of the story: try and take everything into consideration when choosing a form of transportation. Initial cost isn’t the only factor.
Sorry this is so long…
Thank you so much for sharing your story, Linda. You are so right, many people don’t factor everything in or read the “fine print” regarding transportation. There is a good morale here!!
.-= Linda @ Ice Tea For Me´s last blog ..swine flu paranoia… =-.
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Easy to get from one place to another? Ha! That’s a good laugh. My only advice is rent a car, rent a car, rent a car!
Ha ha ha ha ha …. DITTO!
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