Well, here we go… Tomorrow morning marks wheels up for another European vacation. Spring break happens to coincide for both of our girls this year, and with one in college and one in high school, we weren’t sure that would ever happen again. That calls for a memorable trip. We decided to plan a trip to Italy, slightly slower pace than last time, to make our first visit to Florence and then spend a few days relaxing and exploring Venice.

When the planning started, we were looking to fly into either Florence or Venice to make travel easy. But we were trying to make plans pretty far out, and the schedules wouldn’t align. A final decision was made to fly into Milan strictly as a travel stop since it wasn’t our favorite on our last trip, and then use trains to make a big circle.

We were having wine with friends one night and told them about the trip and they were excited for us and very politely inquired about whether they could come with us. We were immediately excited. Not only because we truly love this family, but because of the dynamic they would add to the trip. Their two daughters are roughly the same age as our two. Kathy is a walking party. And John is unexpectedly one of the funniest people you could ever meet. Adding a great spin is that only Kathy has ever been to Europe and it was back before the EU was a thing. The best part is that we are definitely going to get them outside their comfort zone which will make it a memorable trip for everyone.

From here the planning took on a new dynamic. We added a little chaos, but not so much that it won’t enhance the trip. There have been endless conversations around packing and activities, with a strong focus from our friends of “yeah, whatever you think, just tell us what we owe you.” Done and done. As much I was want to drop a full agenda here, that isn’t going to happen. Its more fun if its a surprise.

Tomorrow morning is Las Vegas to Chicago, Chicago to London, London to Milan, then a train from Milan to Florence. Long travel days are where road warriors are born. So there may be a quick update tomorrow, but no guarantees. Expect a full rundown on Sunday.

Faremo un viaggio fantastico!