Tips to Help if you are Stranded in the South of Italy

Travel Tip Tuesday: Four Tips to Help if You are Stranded in Southern Italy

Posted on: Apr 27, 2010

travel tip tuesday Travel Tip Tuesday: Four Tips to Help if You are Stranded in Southern Italy

Unless you’ve been living under a volcanic rock for the last couple of weeks, you have heard about the Icelandic ash that migrated across Europe and affected flights throughout the continent.

While the flights down here in Calabria weren’t directly affected, flights from northern Italian cities, as well as other places throughout Europe, weren’t operating … thus travelers were stuck.

If you ever find yourself stuck in southern Italy, here are a few tips to get you by.

photo credit: Abhisek Sarda

1. Relax
No matter how much you like to control your life, when a natural disaster strikes there is nothing you can do. Yes. I’m talking to you.

Putting the situation in proper perspective will lower your stress-and your blood pressure-and can make the difference between a vacation nightmare and a good excuse for an extended stay.

If you are having a hard time relaxing, take a stroll near the beach, hike along a mountain trail or grab a coffee/wine/limoncello and people-watch in a busy piazza.

2. Get Organized
Keep your B&B or hotel in the loop regarding your travel plans and ask them about extending your stay. They may be able to let you extend your reservation on a day-by-day basis or can offer you good alternatives if they are fully booked.

Your B&B staff will be a great source of information for you if you find yourself stuck in a foreign country.

I also recommend you stay in the same bed and breakfast, if possible. B&Bers are a well-traveled and empathetic group and the more you can connect with the owners, the better chance they’ll go out of their way to help you.

You should also stay in contact with your airline and stay updated on the latest news regarding the event that has you stranded.

3. Hop on a Train
There is nothing worse than paying for a vacation you can’t enjoy, so if you are stranded and forced to extend your vacation, get out and have some fun. I promise there are interesting things to see that weren’t in your original travel plans. Grab a map, hop on a train and go see something new. If you are here in Calabria, consider taking the ferry into Sicily and exploring Messina. Don’t let something like a little volcano ruin your fun.

4. Self-Cater
Extra meals and hotel nights likely weren’t in your original budget, so if things start getting tight, consider a little self catering. Go to the market or local grocery store, stock up on fresh fruit, bread, cheese and wine and either picnic or eat in your room.

What other tips do you have for people who find themselves stranded in southern Italy?

Check out Robin’s travel tips, too.

Until next time … Buon Viaggio.

Traveling to southern Italy? Click here to see how I can help you plan the trip of a lifetime.

Meningitis vaccine available here soon.(News)

The News Letter (Belfast, Northern Ireland) July 19, 2006 Byline: BY STAFF REPORTER A NEW vaccine to protect children against one of the most dangerous strains of meningitis will be introduced in Northern Ireland in September.

The vaccine will immunise children against the deadly pneumococcal meningitis, which kills 20 per cent of those who contract it.

Of those who survive the disease around a third suffer severe side effects, such as brain damage, blindness, deafness and limb loss. this web site symptoms of meningitis

Eight-month-old Ryan Miller from Kilkeel contracted the disease two months ago and after three weeks in intensive care he pulled through without any after effects.

His father, Colin, said yesterday: “When Ryan went to bed he was right as rain but when he slept for three hours longer than usual my partner Debbie and I were concerned. He woke up feeling very hot and when his body went floppy we rushed him to hospital. go to web site symptoms of meningitis

“We want other parents to be fully aware of the signs and symptoms of meningitis so there is less chance of them going through what we had to.

“We always associated the disease with a rash and didn’t realise that it only appears in some cases.’ Philip Kirby, chief executive of the Meningitis Trust, welcomed the introduction of the vaccine into the present childhood immunisation programme.

“This vaccine will help save lives and significantly reduce the burden of the disease,’ he said.

“The trust has been campaigning for this vaccine for some time and we’re delighted that we now have an exact date for implementation.

“We would urge people to continue to be alert to the signs and symptoms of meningitis, as we still don’t have a vaccine for meningococcal group B, the most common bacterial cause of the disease. As such, there’s still a lot of work to be done to eradicate the disease.’ The pneumococcal vaccine will be available from September 4.

Category: My Bella Vita Features, Travel Tips

Tagged: Travel Tip Tuesday

Michael @ Culture Discovery says:

April 27, 2010 at 12:23 pm

Fantastic advice! We had a similar situation during which we were stranded at Heathrow with 80,000 others a few years ago due to fog. Fortunately we are experienced enough to know our options. I blogged it back then, and it also makes for some decent advice: http://www.culturediscovery.com/tuscany-umbria-cooking-vacation-blog/personal/finding-italy-london-fog-xmas/

Ugh. Nightmare, Michael. Thanks for adding your link here. I plan to read up before my big trip through Heathrow next month.

.-= Michael @ Culture Discovery´s last blog ..“Boh!?”… And Other Perfect Italian Words & Phrases That Don’t Translate Well =-.

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