Darcy is still under the weather so it's just Nathaniel in today's episode! If you'll forgive the random tangents and the "um"s scattered throughout, I will try to help you understand the difference between travel insurance, travel health insurance, and at the end, I'll quickly discuss how to bring prescriptions with you on the plane. (Spoiler: you will need the .pdf from this website, or your own note.

If you’re planning on going to Rome in 2025, we highly recommend booking your hotels (and potentially even your flights) as soon as possible. If you’d like to help out Only A Bag, you can use our affiliate links marked with an asterisk.

For hotels, we tend to use Booking* since we’re already a part of their member program, but Expedia* also has a robust member program with similar prices on hotel rooms. For an aggregate that seems to offer slightly better deals across the board, we recommend checking out Agoda*.

And if you’ve always loved the idea of staying in Italy for an extended period and becoming part of the culture, we can’t recommend housesitting enough. While it does often entail taking care of someone’s pet, it can also be a gateway to seeing Italy in a totally new way. We use Trusted Housesitters* which has a fairly steep upfront cost (a few hundred dollars) but that’s covered with a few nights of a house sit which should never cost you money.

If you're in the market for travel health insurance, you can check out Visitor's Coverage* through our affiliate link!

Lastly, if you're in the market for a basic, no-fee credit card you can use on the road, you can try out Capital One's Quicksilver or Savor One. Both offer $200 cash back when you spend $550 in the first 3 months, zero foreign transaction fees, and some decent travel benefits.

Thank you so much for listening! We would absolutely appreciate it if you could follow us and rate us wherever you listen; it helps the podcast grow and it makes us feel like we're making a difference!

You can find us at ⁠onlyabag.com⁠ and ⁠@onlyabagpodcast⁠.

Hello everyone!

Darcy caught a bit of a cold/flu situation so she's been in bed recovering for the past few days.

Instead of listening to an hour long monologue by yours truly, we thought it would be better to push the episode to next week, where we'll either double-publish on Wednesday or publish Monday and Wednesday.

As always, thank you all so much for your support!

Don't wear a weeding ring, don't take out your phone, cover up any expensive labels. There are countless tips out there to avoid looking like a target, so is getting pickpocketed a real fear?

Likewise, what are some scams you might run into while traveling in Italy?

And is it safe to walk around at night?

In this episode, we talk about crime, safety, and everything around it.

If you’re planning on going to Rome in 2025, we highly recommend booking your hotels (and potentially even your flights) as soon as possible. If you’d like to help out Only A Bag, you can use our affiliate links marked with an asterisk.

For hotels, we tend to use Booking* since we’re already a part of their member program, but Expedia* also has a robust member program with similar prices on hotel rooms. For an aggregate that seems to offer slightly better deals across the board, we recommend checking out Agoda*.

And if you’ve always loved the idea of staying in Italy for an extended period and becoming part of the culture, we can’t recommend housesitting enough. While it does often entail taking care of someone’s pet, it can also be a gateway to seeing Italy in a totally new way. We use Trusted Housesitters* which has a fairly steep upfront cost (a few hundred dollars) but that’s covered with a few nights of a house sit which should never cost you money. It's free to make an account and look through ads, but you have to pay to send a message.

Lastly, if you’re already looking to book flights, we like to use the airline’s website, however, some aggregates do offer better deals, so we always recommend checking Expedia* or Booking* before purchasing.

Thank you so much for listening! We would absolutely appreciate it if you could follow us and rate us wherever you listen; it helps the podcast grow and it makes us feel like we're making a difference!

You can find us at ⁠onlyabag.com⁠ and ⁠@onlyabagpodcast⁠.

Did you know?

The Rome Jubilee is based on Jewish tradition.

The Holy Door is walled up and must be broken down so that the Pope can unlock it with a hidden key.

Your sins can be absolved (according to the Catholic church)!

In this episode we get into the history and details of the Rome Jubilee. Plus, go check out our previous episode for all of the modern-day practicalities of visiting Rome during the Jubilee, just as many fun facts but in the 21st century not the 14th.

If you’re planning on going to Rome in 2025, we highly recommend booking your hotels (and potentially even your flights) as soon as possible. If you’d like to help out Only A Bag, you can use our affiliate links marked with an asterisk.

For hotels, we tend to use Booking* since we’re already a part of their member program, but Expedia* also has a robust member program with similar prices on hotel rooms. For an aggregate that seems to offer slightly better deals across the board, we recommend checking out Agoda*.

And if you’ve always loved the idea of staying in Italy for an extended period and becoming part of the culture, we can’t recommend housesitting enough. While it does often entail taking care of someone’s pet, it can also be a gateway to seeing Italy in a totally new way. We use Trusted Housesitters* which has a fairly steep upfront cost (a few hundred dollars) but that’s covered with a few nights of a house sit which should never cost you money.

Lastly, if you’re already looking to book flights, we like to use the airline’s website, however, some aggregates do offer better deals, so we always recommend checking Expedia* or Booking* before purchasing.

Thank you so much for listening! We would absolutely appreciate it if you could follow us and rate us wherever you listen; it helps the podcast grow and it makes us feel like we're making a difference!

You can find us at ⁠onlyabag.com⁠ and ⁠@onlyabagpodcast⁠.

The cost of the transportation system is rising, and they're thinking about instituting a small charge to see the Trevi Fountain. But it's not all bad! If you want to walk to Rome, they're also pouring money into the Via Francigena to make it easier for pilgrims to make their way along the Canterbury-Rome road.

And if you want to take part in the festivities, we have you covered! Here's a link to the Vatican Website where you can go ahead and get your Pilgrim Card!

If you’re planning on going to Rome in 2025, we highly recommend booking your hotels (and potentially even your flights) as soon as possible. If you’d like to help out Only A Bag, you can use our affiliate links marked with an asterisk.

For hotels, we tend to use Booking* since we’re already a part of their member program, but Expedia* also has a robust member program with similar prices on hotel rooms. For an aggregate that seems to offer slightly better deals across the board, we recommend checking out Agoda*.

And if you’ve always loved the idea of staying in Italy for an extended period and becoming part of the culture, we can’t recommend housesitting enough. While it does often entail taking care of someone’s pet, it can also be a gateway to seeing Italy in a totally new way. We use Trusted Housesitters* which has a fairly steep upfront cost (a few hundred dollars) but that’s covered with a few nights of a house sit which should never cost you money.

Lastly, if you’re already looking to book flights, we like to use the airline’s website, however, some aggregates do offer better deals, so we always recommend checking Expedia* or Booking* before purchasing.

Thank you so much for listening! We would absolutely appreciate it if you could follow us and rate us wherever you listen; it helps the podcast grow and it makes us feel like we're making a difference!

You can find us at ⁠onlyabag.com⁠ and ⁠@onlyabagpodcast⁠.

While it's taken a long time to come to fruition, it looks like the EU is set to rollout their new visa scheme in the first half of 2025. So, what does this mean as a non-European? Do Americans (if you are American) now need a visa to go to Italy?

And what about this raised tourist tax we keep hearing so much about? Do you actually have to pay 25 euros a night in addition to a hotel room?

In this episode, we hope to inform you and assuage those fears about what 2025 will look like for travelers.

Until then, if you're planning a trip to Italy and you'd like to help out Only A Bag (read: Darcy and Nathaniel), you can do so by booking your hotel or train trip through our affiliate links.

*Links with an asterisk are affiliate links. By using our affiliate link to book hotels you help our podcast! We get a kickback from the company and you will not be charged extra.

When looking for hotels, we usually cross-reference Booking*, Expedia*, Priceline, and Agoda*. We typically book with Booking.com* because we like their “Genius” deals and it seems like they often have the best or comparable prices.

When looking for trains our go to is Train Line*. We cross reference it with Rail Europe* to find the best deal. You can also book directly through train companies websites like TrenItalia .

As always, thank you all so much for listening. It means a great deal to us! If you liked what you heard and you want to help us make a change, you can do so by following us and leaving a review.

You can find us at ⁠onlyabag.com⁠ and ⁠@onlyabagpodcast⁠.

Or, as Darcy likes to call it, Creepy Crawly Cuties!

Are there mosquitos in Italy? What are those tiny little bugs that bite me so painfully? Do I have to worry about scorpions? Most importantly, do I have to worry about rabies?

In this episode, we delve into the biting, stinging, flying, and slithering side of Italy!

As always, we truly appreciate you all for listening!

You can find us at ⁠onlyabag.com⁠ and ⁠@onlyabagpodcast⁠.

Do you love trains? Travel back in time on trains from the 1930s and 50s for family friendly day-trips at around 7-12 euros with Fondazione FS. Or travel in style (there is a dress code), in all out luxuriousness with La Dolce Vita by Orient Express or Venice Simplon Orient Express by Belmond with trips stating around 4,000 euros. In this episode we talk about it all. Let's get into it.

Want to support our podcast? You can use our links to book your train trip.

*Links with an asterisk are affiliate links. By using our affiliate link to book hotels you help our podcast! We get a kickback from the company and you will not be charged extra.

When we travel by train we typically book through ⁠Train Line*⁠ which is an aggregate site or directly on the train company website at ⁠TrenItalia⁠ and ⁠Italo*⁠.

Did you miss your train while listening to this podcast? Or want to be prepared just incase? Check out Nathaniel’s article ⁠“What to do if you miss your train in Italy”⁠ on our website!

Thank you so much for listening! We would absolutely appreciate it if you could follow us and rate us wherever you listen; it helps the podcast grow and it makes us feel like we're making a difference!

You can find us at ⁠⁠onlyabag.com⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠@onlyabagpodcast⁠⁠.