You can take the girl out of the travel, but you can’t take the travel out of the girl. Like many people today, I’ve put international travel plans on pause, but that hasn’t changed my love of journeys. My wanderlust for Italy is simply waiting in the wings.

Make that on the wings, whether those of a spacious Dreamliner or a petite Britten Norman Islander, a plane so small you basically wear it.

Perhaps you, too, have postponed overseas travel for a year. Or two. However long it takes for a vaccine to be developed and your dream destination to re-open its borders. If so, consider planning a “delayed gratification” vacation.

Why plan now for a trip that may be far off in the future? Firstly, science has proven that the pleasure of anticipation benefits your brain. Secondly, time in abundance presents unique opportunities to enrich your travel experience.

Here are a few of my favorite plan-ahead (way ahead!) strategies. Mine are travel planning tips for Italy, but the general approach works for almost anywhere.

Educate Your Taste Buds

If your experience of Italian cuisine is based outside of Italy, then the real thing will surprise you. Surprises are good, but first-time visitors are often so flummoxed by unfamiliar dishes that they end up sticking to what they already know. What’s the fun of that?

Instead, make tasty test-runs before you go. The culinary gems I’ve found online include illustrated and in-depth guides to food by region, online cooking courses, recipes, and interactive food maps. For links to these and other great travel resources cited in this post, download “Italy Online,” our free travel planning tips for you (see link at end of post).

Conquer Tricky Details Before You Go

Ladies and gentlemen, signore e signori, I proudly present . . .la logistica! OK, even in Italian, “logistics” isn’t as appealing as la spontaneità. Yet thinking through trickier aspects of travel in advance will free you to be more spontaneous.

Case in point: Arriving in Milan, you head to the train station, a head-spinning hive of hyperactivity that makes utterly no sense to the uninitiated. By the time you’ve cracked the intricacies of buying tickets, finding the platform, validating tickets, and decoding the Italian for train class, carriage, compartment, and seat . . .you’ve gotten on the wrong train anyway and are hurtling back toward the airport. Enjoy your jet lag!

Take Time to Amass Travel Treasures

Official tourism sites often offer a range of free goodies. For instance, I’ve found maps, screen savers, audio guides, calendars, recipes, language lessons, and even virtual reality tours.

While you’re at it, stop by your local library to gather a stack of books. From travel books that you can spread out across the coffee table and leaf through while sipping your favorite Italian beverage, to novels and nonfiction that will transport you to Italy from your sofa.

Far from spoiling the thrill of discovery, getting lost in a good book makes it even more fun to get lost in the actual country, because it illuminates aspects of place that pique one’s desire to know more.

Get Comfortable with Another Language

My obsession with language-learning began as a teenager in Milan. I can no more resist language lessons than I can resist Italian food. It’s not about mastery—in some countries, I speak like a kindergartener—but about experiencing places at a more intimate level. But give me a week and I’ll at least do a crash course. Now imagine what you can do with several months.

Convinced you’re too busy? Start by setting the bar low. “Phrase a Day” calendar? Perfetto! Five-minute podcasts of “Coffee Break Italian”? Va bene! Ten minutes a day with an app? Le possibilità sono infinite!

Eventually you’ll wade in deeper. Meanwhile, you’ll be amazed at the big difference a little learning can make. The secret is to make it sustainable over time.

Save for Travel the Easy Way

Even at home, “travel” is part of my budget. To make saving painless, I automate it using an app or online banking program. This lets me stash a specific amount each week or round up to the nearest dollar with each transaction.

Because I “set it and forget it,” I’m used to living on less. On a tight budget each amount is small, but over time a little becomes a lot.

Explore the Cultural Scene—Online

It’s never been easier to access the world’s great museums and popular media. I often tune into online radio stations from Italy. Do I understand every commentary or lyric? Heck no, but the ambient sound alone evokes a rich sense of place.

While Italian movies have long been available worldwide, Italian TV programs are harder to find. MHz Choice and public libraries are your best bets, and some cable companies will add Italian channels to your line-up.

On an extended visit to Italy as a single mom, I and my then 13-year-old son fell in love with an Italian miniseries—about a single mom and her 13-year-old son. Every Tuesday, we’d make supper with fresh ingredients from the Mercato Centrale. Then we’d watch L’avvocato delle donne (“Lawyer for Women”). Filmed on scenic locations, the series inspired many side trips—to the Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna, the Trastevere district of Rome, and more.

Even a frivolous show boosted our conversational skills. In Colpe de Fulimine, (literally “thunderbolt,” the Italian expression for “love at first sight”), a roving host pulled two young strangers off the street and got them talking. While the responses were as varied as the individuals, the conversational framework stayed the same, making it easy to learn authentic Italian expressions.

The Joy of . . .Travel Delays?

For now, my wanderlust for Italy (and a dozen other destinations!) will have to wait. Yet, following my own travel planning tips for Italy while I wait to travel will only deepen the excitement of my eventual journey. In other words, don’t let the need to postpone travel dishearten you. Instead, make the most of having added time to plan a trip to Italy, or wherever your wanderlust calls you.

Oh, I see: When life puts your travel plans on hold, turn “wanderlust in waiting” into a travel advantage.

Download our free travel planning tips for Italy to help you get to Italy eventually and to bring Italy to you right now!

$\"People$

Have you had to walk back your travel plans?
Above: Piazza Trento e Triste, Ferrara, Italy.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n

Travel Planning Tips for Italy (& Other \u201cDelayed Gratification” Destinations)<\/h2>\n
You can take the girl out of the travel, but you can\u2019t take the travel out of the girl. Like many people today, I\u2019ve put international travel plans on pause, but that hasn\u2019t changed my love of journeys. My wanderlust for Italy is simply waiting in the wings.<\/p>\n
Make that on<\/em> the wings, whether those of a spacious Dreamliner or a petite Britten Norman Islander, a plane so small you basically wear it.<\/p>\n
Perhaps you, too, have postponed overseas travel for a year. Or two. However long it takes for a vaccine to be developed and your dream destination to re-open its borders.\u00a0 If so, consider planning a \u201cdelayed gratification\u201d vacation.<\/p>\n
Why plan now for a trip that may be far off in the future? Firstly, science has proven that the pleasure of anticipation benefits your brain. Secondly, time in abundance presents unique opportunities to enrich your travel experience.<\/p>\n
Here are a few of my favorite plan-ahead (way ahead!) strategies. Mine are travel planning tips for Italy, but the general approach works for almost anywhere.<\/p>\n
$\"A$
A food stall in Bologna, Italy offers an abundance of choices.
\u00a9 Carolyn McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
Educate Your Taste Buds<\/strong><\/h4>\n
If your experience of Italian cuisine is based outside of Italy, then the real thing will surprise you. Surprises are good, but first-time visitors are often so flummoxed by unfamiliar dishes that they end up sticking to what they already know. What\u2019s the fun of that?<\/p>\n
$\"Several$
But which<\/em> ravioli, biscotti, or panini? There are hundreds of varieties.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
Instead, make tasty test-runs before you go. The culinary gems I\u2019ve found online include illustrated and in-depth guides to food by region, online cooking courses, recipes, and interactive food maps. For links to these and other great travel resources cited in this post, download “Italy Online,” our free travel planning tips for you (see link at end of post).<\/p>\n
$\"A$
Sweetest pre-travel homework ever: researching Italian gelato flavors.
\u00a9 Carolyn McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
Conquer Tricky Details Before<\/span>\u00a0You Go<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Ladies and gentlemen, signore e signori<\/em>, I proudly present . . .la logistica!<\/em> OK, even in Italian, \u201clogistics\u201d isn\u2019t as appealing as la spontaneit\u00e0<\/em>. Yet thinking through trickier aspects of travel in advance will free you to be more spontaneous.<\/p>\n
Case in point: Arriving in Milan, you head to the train station, a head-spinning hive of hyperactivity that makes utterly no sense to the uninitiated. By the time you\u2019ve cracked the intricacies of buying tickets, finding the platform, validating tickets, and decoding the Italian for train class, carriage, compartment, and seat . . .you\u2019ve gotten on the wrong train anyway and are hurtling back toward the airport. Enjoy your jet lag!<\/p>\n
You know what\u2019s more fun?<\/p>\n
\n
Relaxing at home with a multimedia guide to trains that walks you through the process.<\/li>\n
Finding an app that makes it easy to buy train tickets worldwide.<\/li>\n
Knowing all you\u2019ll have to do is board, sit back, and enjoy the scenery.<\/li>\n
Celebrating\u2014spontaneously\u2014because you found a nonstop train with elegant carriages and services. At a discount. Evviva la logistica!<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
$\"Evening$
Careful prep makes for carefree travel to places most overseas
tourists miss, like Comacchio.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
Take Time to Amass Travel Treasures<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Official tourism sites often offer a range of free goodies. For instance, I\u2019ve found maps, screen savers, audio guides, calendars, recipes, language lessons, and even virtual reality tours.<\/p>\n
While you\u2019re at it, stop by your local library to gather a stack of books. From travel books that you can spread out across the coffee table and leaf through while sipping your favorite Italian beverage, to novels and nonfiction that will transport you to Italy from your sofa.<\/p>\n
Far from spoiling the thrill of discovery, getting lost in a good book makes it even more fun to get lost in the actual country, because it illuminates aspects of place that pique one\u2019s desire to know more.<\/p>\n
$\"A$
Italy’s many hidden gardens are a great reason to do some advance travel research.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
Get Comfortable with Another Language<\/strong><\/h4>\n
My obsession with language-learning began as a teenager in Milan. I can no more resist language lessons than I can resist Italian food. It\u2019s not about mastery\u2014in some countries, I speak like a kindergartener\u2014but about experiencing places at a more intimate level. But give me a week and I\u2019ll at least do a crash course. Now imagine what you can do with several months.<\/p>\n
Convinced you\u2019re too busy? Start by setting the bar low. \u201cPhrase a Day\u201d calendar? Perfetto!<\/em>\u00a0 Five-minute podcasts of \u201cCoffee Break Italian\u201d? Va bene! <\/em>Ten minutes a day with an app? Le possibilit\u00e0 sono infinite!<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n
Eventually you\u2019ll wade in deeper. Meanwhile, you\u2019ll be amazed at the big difference a little learning can make. The secret is to make it sustainable over time.<\/p>\n
$\"A$
Reason #738 to learn Italian: In line for a bus, you meet a young historian
who’s just published her first book.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
Save for Travel the Easy Way<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Even at home, \u201ctravel\u201d is part of my budget. To make saving painless, I automate it using an app or online banking program. This lets me stash a specific amount each week or round up to the nearest dollar with each transaction.<\/p>\n
Because I \u201cset it and forget it,\u201d I\u2019m used to living on less. On a tight budget each amount is small, but over time a little becomes a lot.<\/p>\n
$\"A$
“Final Days–Everything Half Price.” Saving for travel offers multiple rewards.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
Explore the Cultural Scene\u2014Online<\/strong><\/h4>\n
It\u2019s never been easier to access the world\u2019s great museums and popular media. I often tune into online radio stations from Italy. Do I understand every commentary or lyric? Heck no, but the ambient sound alone evokes a rich sense of place.<\/p>\n
While Italian movies have long been available worldwide, Italian TV programs are harder to find. MHz Choice and public libraries are your best bets, and some cable companies will add Italian channels to your line-up.<\/p>\n
Should you bother? Consider this vignette from the Olden Days before Internet.<\/p>\n
On an extended visit to Italy as a single mom, I and my then 13-year-old son fell in love with an Italian miniseries\u2014about a single mom and her 13-year-old son. Every Tuesday, we\u2019d make supper with fresh ingredients from the Mercato Centrale<\/em>. Then we\u2019d watch L\u2019avvocato delle donne<\/em> (\u201cLawyer for Women\u201d). Filmed on scenic locations, the series inspired many side trips\u2014to the Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna, the Trastevere district of Rome, and more.<\/p>\n
Even a frivolous show boosted our conversational skills. In Colpe de Fulimine<\/em>, (literally \u201cthunderbolt,\u201d the Italian expression for \u201clove at first sight\u201d), a roving host pulled two young strangers off the street and got them talking. While the responses were as varied as the individuals, the conversational framework stayed the same, making it easy to learn authentic Italian expressions.<\/p>\n
$\"A$
After a stroll through the Trastevere, relax in the Roman sun-glow.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
The Joy of . . .Travel Delays?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
For now, my wanderlust for Italy (and a dozen other destinations!) will have to wait. Yet, following my own travel planning tips for Italy while I wait to travel will only deepen the excitement of my eventual journey. In other words, don’t let the need to postpone travel dishearten you. Instead, make the most of having added time to plan a trip to Italy, or wherever your wanderlust calls you.<\/p>\n
Oh, I see:<\/strong>\u00a0 When life puts your travel plans on hold, turn \u201cwanderlust in waiting\u201d into a travel advantage.<\/p>\n
$\"A$
Taking the long view can enrich your perspective.
\u00a9 Joyce McGreevy<\/p><\/div>\n
Download our free travel planning tips for Italy to help you get to Italy eventually and to bring Italy to you right now!
\n<\/em><\/p>\n
$\"\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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Travel Planning Tips for Italy (& Other “Delayed Gratification” Destinations)

Educate Your Taste Buds

Conquer Tricky Details Before You Go

Take Time to Amass Travel Treasures

Get Comfortable with Another Language

Save for Travel the Easy Way

Explore the Cultural Scene—Online

The Joy of . . .Travel Delays?