Italy:

Words to know about the beach

Sea- if an apartment listing states it is “close to the sea” this means it is near the water, but does not necessarily mean it is close to a beach or a sandy beach. 

Lido- in Italy these can be sandy beaches, they also have chairs/umbrellas you can rent. This can range from 15€-50€ depending on where you are and what you rent. You can rent just a chair, lounger, 2 loungers, umbrella, etc. The price also depends on where you are staying. This is another consideration when choosing your destination. The more well known spots will be more expensive. So ask yourself- do you really want to be in Taormina with White Lotus prices? What about staying 1 town over (10 minutes by bus) in Giardini Naxos? You'll save a ton of money on your lodging, restaurants and shops will be cheaper, and also it has more sandy beaches. Note that the Lidos do have some free areas but they are usually right up against the water and not much room to sit. 

Many beach clubs also have restaurants, and little beach shacks where you can get amazing food and cocktails. This is not your standard overpriced soggy fries and corn dogs. We’ve had some of our best meals right on the beach- table cloths, silverware, bottle of wine, and a proper espresso to top it off.  

Spiaggia Libera- is what a free public beach is called in Italy.  

Many places in Europe only have rocky beaches, these range from small pebbles to large boulders. The beaches made up of large boulders in general don’t have a shore. This will not be ideal for kids, because you will need to jump in off the rocks and the water can often be deep. The best way to make sure it is a sandy beach is to look on the map, google the name of the beach, and look for images. 

Planning Transportation

Driving- I don’t like driving in the US, so I’m definitely not comfortable driving abroad! My husband will drive in many places so if it makes sense we do rent a car. However, it doesn’t always make sense- like for example in cities. Rental cars tend to be pretty expensive for us because we only can get an automatic car, and we need a car big enough to fit 4 people, luggage, and we rent car seats. In Europe- tiny, manual transmission cars are standard. Most times the rental car is the most expensive part of our trip (remember we’re not paying full price for flights). So we don’t always rent a car. If the place we are going has good public transportation, or the excursions/experiences we want to do are accessible or offer transfers we would avoid renting a car. Some places, however, you really do need a car to be able to explore. If you are renting a car, you will need an international driver’s license. You can get it at your local AAA office. 

Flying- For finding flights within Europe, I generally use Google Flights to find the best deal. They have a ton of budget airlines that offer really cheap flights! That being said- everything is paid for a la carte. Luggage, seat selection, even carry on sometimes. 

Trains/ferries/busses/etc- I make sure to do my research before I go. In many cases these things can be confusing- there are local trains, commuter trains, regional trains, etc. they are often operated by different companies, have different maps, websites, schedules. It can get very confusing. Another thing to take with a grain of salt is the reliability. Sometimes these are seamless options, sometimes there will be hiccups. Strikes are not uncommon in Europe, we have been affected a few times. Also, depending on where you are, late and cancelled trains can be commonplace. We have been in situations where a train is canceled, and they send a bus instead, we are told the bus will come in 20 minutes only to turn around and realize it is about to leave. In general we have not had too many issues, but it does happen so it’s good to know as much as you can going into it so you can pivot. 

Cabs- in many places Uber/Lyft is not a thing so don’t expect to have these options everywhere you go. Some have their own local system, some have traditional cabs you hail, and some places only have car services. This is another time research is important. When we went to Sicily I knew the public transportation wasn’t always going to be my best bet, and we were not comfortable renting a car, so I did my research and found a great guy to be our driver for our airport transfer. From there he ended up being our driver many times on our trip, whenever we needed him, I just messaged him on WhatsApp. That’s another thing- if you will be communicating with vacation rental hosts, tour guides, experience operators, drivers, etc you will probably need WhatsApp. In most cities there is a flat rate from the airport to the city. Make sure you line up for the registered cabs. If you accept a ride from someone offering, they may not give you the flat rate.