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Fr. Dave’s Travel Guide by Fr.

Dave “The Plumber” Tomaszycki (Archdiocese of Detroit)

Note: These are the notes I have taken on the above title which is a guide designed for

seminarians at the NAC who are in their theologate studies. 99% of the information in the

document is from what he has written and only minor adjustments have been made for guys

going to the Irish College and Angelicum

Chapter 1: My Thoughts on Travel


- see all the people Christ died for when you travel

Chapter 2: The Essentials


- *note: These are expanded on in the subsequent chapters*

- Money

o Recommends Capital One Credit Card and Charles Schwab Debit Card

- Planes

o Over the ocean: www.Expedia.com and www.Orbitz.com

o Around Europe: www.Skyscanner.it

- Trains

o Resource: www.seat61.com

o All over Italy: www.Trenitalia.com

o Rome to Turin or Rome to Venice: www.italotreno.it

o All over Europe: loco2.com

- Automobiles

o www.economycarrentals.com (no hidden costs)

- Lodging

o www.booking.com (best for one or two people looking at hotels)


o www.airbnb.com (best for bigger groups looking at apartments or houses)

- Traveling with Others (Splitting Costs)

o Splitwise Android Apple

- Maps

o CityMaps2Go Android Apple

o D. Bridge recommends: Maps.me Android Apple

- Info

o CityMaps2Go has wiki articles which you can download in the app

o TripAdvisor Android Apple

Chapter 3: Money
- Capital One Credit Card has no foreign fees

- Make sure to pay off your balance ASAP

o D. Bridge recommends: Debitize Android Apple

- In looking for credit cards and currency changes, watch for bad exchange rates and

foreign fees (typically found at airports and train stations)

- Try to use your credit/debit card before exchanging for cash

o Don’t pay in USD either because it is actually more expensive

- If you travel somewhere that doesn’t use the Euro, have USD on-hand as you will get a

better exchange rate than with Euros

- Eastern Europe is the cheapest area of Europe you can go whereas the EU is the most

expensive

- Don’t chase credit card points because that is what credit card companies want you to do
Chapter 4: Planes
- Over the ocean and big flights

o www.Expedia.com, www.Orbitz.com, www.Delta.com

- Around Europe

o www.Skyscanner.it, www.ryanair.com, www.expedia.it, www.Expedia.com (the

.it and .com make a difference)

- Don’t chase points because you will end up spending more than you need to just to get

more points

- Book at least three weeks before for flights

- Use inPrivate/incognito browsing or delete your cookies because flight companies will

raise your prices if they see you checking specific flight dates and cities

- Pack light, look at budget airlines

o Checking in early sometimes helps avoid fees (if there is an option to check in

before you get to the airport, use it!)

- Jet lag options: Stay up until local bedtime or sleep when you’re tired

- Rome Airports

o FCO – take St. Peter’s train to Trastevere to FCO for €8 (this is from the NAC)

o CIA – taxi €30 *don’t let them charge more because they will try

Chapter 5: Trains
- Get a CartaFreccia (Trenitalia) rewards account

- Seat61.com is a great resource to help you get anywhere in the world by train
- When does your travel weekend begin? When you have checked into where you’re

staying and set all your stuff down

- 3 Main Train Stations in Rome

o Termini – main station

o Tiburtini – not as many trains as Termini

o Roma S. Pietro – smallest

- If you have the money for first class on a train ticket, get it!

- Types of Trenitalia Trains

o Regionale: regional train that stops at every single station, Second class cars

o Regionale Veloce: fast regional train that stops at bigger stations, Second and

First class cars

o Intercity: the poor man’s fast train, usually cheap and dirty trains that stop city to

city and make longer trips, Second and First class cars

o InterCityNotte: set up to travel through the night (ie. Make long distance trips)

o Le Frecce: The Fast Trains

 Frecciabianca: slowest of the fast trains, two from Termini (one up to

Genova or Torino and the other down to Reggio Calabria) but very

impractical times for NACers, Second and First class cars

 Frecciargento: medium-speed fast train, two from Termini (one up to

Bolzano and the other down to Lecce), Second and First class cars

 Frecciarossa: true fast train, two lines from Termini (one up to Milan and

Torino, the other down to Padua and Venice), Second class/Economy


(upgrade to leather seat = Premium) and First Class/Business (upgrade to

huge lounge chair = Executive) cars

o Pricing levels are not the same as class levels

 Price levels refer to the changeability of your ticket and class refers to

your seat on the train

o Price levels

 Base: The price you pay if you show up to the station the day of,

changeable and partially refundable. Regional and Regional Veloce only

offer base price while others offer base price plus discounts

 Discounts

 Economy: ¾ the base price, changeable but not refundable.

 Super Economy: 2/3 the base price, but sometimes less than ½ the

base price, neither changeable nor refundable

 2x1: Two tickets for the price of one on Saturday only figured off

the base price (ie. You each pay half the base price)

 A/R Giornata: Arrive and Return on the same day, typically ½ to


2
/3 the base price

 A/R Weekend: the same as Giornata except extended through the

weekend (Saturday and Sunday)

 Age: If you are under 26, you can get a discount with a Freccia

account (usually half off the base price)

 Speciale:
 Some destinations are offered half-off for no apparent reason,

destinations change from time to time

 Half off if you travel between 10 AM and 2 PM on Tuesday,

Wednesday, or Thursday (basically unusable)

 Every once in a while, a Roma Speciale is offered for a month

which is usually 30% off travel to or from Rome on the fast trains

o Global Pass: allows you to travel on the Frecce for €10, the InterCity for €3,

Regionale and Regionale Veloce are free, and InterCittyNotte costs varying

amounts

- If you buy Regionale or Regionale Veloce online, you can use the ticket on other trains

going to the same route within four hours of the purchase time

o Make sure to validate your ticket before you board, and once onboard, make sure

you sit in the right class car (there are no assigned seats)

- All other train tickets will assign you a seat and specific time your train leaves

- Buy Regionale and Regionale Veloce at the station through the machines and all others

online (Trenitalia)

- Never buy tickets at the Base price (except for Regionale and Regionale Veloce since

that’s all they offer)

o Cheapest prices will either be Super Economy or 2x1

- Neither trenitalia or italo check for identification on trains (only on night trains) so if you

buy tickets and someone has to back out, someone else can take their spot even if the

name on the ticket isn’t that of the ticketholder


- Most deals are offered up to two midnights before the train takes off, Economy is offered

up to one midnight before

o In general, Super Economy sells out quickly while the other tickets are available

until the last minue

o If you plan in advance (a couple months), you can usually get the Super Economy

tickets, whereas if you want to check on the weather for a weekend/day trip, you

can usually still get the A/R or 2x1 deals until the last minute (two midnights

before)

Trenitalia Rewards Points


Class Distance
0-250 km 251-650 km Over 650 km
Standard (2nd) 1,200 1,700 2,100
Premium 1,300 1,800 2,200
Business (1st) 1,400 2,000 2,400
Executive 2,100 2,800 3,400

- Use your rewards points on tickets, not on merchandise and do not upgrade your ticket

because it must be a Base ticket to upgrade

- For day trips, take Italo instead of Trenitalia since cars are faster and cleaner

- Fast Train Routes

o Frecciarossa Routes

 Route 1 (heads North and then West)- Salerno, Naples (Napoli), Rome

(Roma), Florence (Firenze S.M. Novella), Bologna, Milan (Milano), Turin

(Torino)

 Route 2 (heads North and then East)- Salerno, Naples (Napoli), Rome

(Roma), Florence (Firenze S.M. Novella), Bologna, Ferrara, Padua

(Padova), Venice (Venezia)


o Frecciargento Routes

 Route 1 (heads North through the center of Italy)- Rome (Roma), Florence

(Firenze Campo Di Marte), Verona, Roverto, Trent (Trento), Bolzano

 Route 2 (heads East and then South)- Rome (Roma), Caserta, Benevento,

Foggia, Barletta, Bari, Brindisi, Lecce

o Frecciabianca Routes

 Route 1A (heads North along the West coast) – Rome (Roma),

Civitavecchia, Grosseto, Campiglia Marittima, Cecina, Livorno, Pisa,

Viareggio, Massa Centro, La Spezia, Chiavari, Genoa (Genova),

Alesandria, Asti, Turin (Torino)

 Route 1B (very similar to 1A)- Rome (Roma), Florence (Firenze Campo

Di Marte), Pisa, La Spezia, Genoa (Genova)

 Route 2 (heads South along the West coast)- Rome (Roma), Naples

(Napoli), Salerno, Sapri, Paola, Lamezia Terme, Vibo Valentia-Pizzo,

Rosarno, Gioia Tauro, Villa S. Giovanni, Reggio Di Calabria

- Night Trains

o Since night trains are starting to become a thing of the past, take them while you

still can!

o The train to Sicily gets floated on a big boat… yeah your train goes on a boat

across the ocean!

o You get travel + lodging on the train for €39.90

o Six routes out of Termini

 Trieste and/or Udine (stops in Venice)


 Bolzano

 Torino (from Trestevere or Tiburtina)

 Lecce

 Syracuse (Sicily)

 Palermo (Sicily)

o There are also night trains to Munich and Vienna from Termini (can be booked at

www.oebb.at or at www.bahn.de),

o Classes on a Night Train

 First Class, for one or two people

 Only offered on Rome to Sicily line, includes an entire bathroom:

shower, sink, and toilet. In the morning, you are served a typical

Italian breakfast of a box of juice, a café, and a cornetto

 Booking options are: Excelsior Singolo or Excelsior Duppio

 Room with bed(s) for one, two, or three people

 Includes a sink, mirror, and a little cabinet. In the morning, you are

served a box of juice, a café, and a little snack

 Booking options:

o Compartimento 3 Letti- Uomo (one bed in a three person

room for men)

o Compartimento 3 Letti- Donna (one bed in a three person

room for women)


o Compartimento 3 Letti – Intero (all beds in a room, must be

traveling with two others and book your tickets together to

get this)

o Posto Doppio – Uomo (one bed in a two person room for

men)

o Posto Doppio – Donna (one bed in a two person room for

women)

o Posto Doppio – Intero (an entire room for two people, must

be traveling together and book tickets together)

o Posto Singolo (booking an entire room for one person)

 Room with cuccette for four people

 Cuccette are bunk beds with thinner mattresses than the other

rooms

 Will be served box of juice, café, little snack in the morning

 Booking options:

o Cuccette C4 Comfort-promiscuo (a bunk in a four person

unisex room)

o Cuccette C4 Comfort-Donna (a bunk in a four person room

for women)

o Cuccette C4 Comfort-compart. Intero (an entire four person

room, must be traveling and book together to get this)

o All of the above booking rooms described have a night mode where the beds and

bunks fold down for night and are stored in compartments during the day
 Just a seat

 2nd class: only a seat for the whole night, can be cheaper, but not

by much

o Booking option: 2a Classe

Termini to Palermo
Class Price Level
Base Economy Super Economy
Bed in a one person first class compartment 269.00 119.90 99.90
Bed in a two person first class compartment 181.00 99.90 89.90
Bed in a one person room 216.90 89.90 79.90
Bed in a two person room 152.90 79.90 69.90
Bed in a four person room 109.30 69.90 49.90
Cuccette in a four person room 102.30 59.90 39.90

Termini to Bolzano (prices for other routes will be comparable)


Class Price Level
Base Economy Super Economy
Bed in a one person room 193.40 89.90 79.90
Bed in a two person room 129.40 69.90 64.90
Bed in a three person room 94.50 59.90 54.90
Cuccette in a four person room 87.50 49.90 39.90
Seat in 2nd class 55.00 39.90 12.90

- Global Pass (Eurail Pass)

o Can only be purchased by non-Europeans outside of Europe

o If you use this for a big day trip (requiring two long distance train tickets per day),

then it might be worth it

o Seat61 recommends against buying this in Italy

o Once activated at a train station, pass holder has one month to use the days they

have purchased with their pass


 Make sure to write in the date on the pass before you board otherwise you

will be charged a full ticket price + €200 fine (same goes for scribbling

any mistakes out…. If mistakes made, you have to write the correct date in

the next day slot)

o Compare doing your trip without the pass and with the pass to see which would

save you more money

o Global Pass allows you to buy the tickets five minutes before the train leaves as

opposed to a couple months in advance

- Outside of Italy

o www.loco2.com for researching routes and www.seat61.com for travel guides

Chapter 6: The Art of the Day-Trip


- Saturdays on Freccia and InterCity are 2 for 1

o Super Economy might be less than this deal though

- Trenitalia Prices (as of Spring 2017)

 Note: Italo prices are usually cheaper, but less time at your destination

o Frecciarossa Routes

Route 1 – Heading north and then west

Max time at Price


Destination
destination Base A/R
Naples (Napoli) 11:51 61.00 44.50
Florence (Firenze S.M. Novella) 14:17 67.00 44.50
Bologna 12:50 86.00 44.50
Milan (Milano Centrale) 11:25 122.00 74.50
Turin (Torino Prota Nuova) 9:05 127.00 74.50
Route 2 – Heading north and then east

Max time at Price


Destination
destination Base A/R
Ferrara 8:55 97.00 74.50
Padua (Padova) 9:46 107.00 74.50
Venice (Venezia Mestre) 9:14 117.00 74.50
Venice (Venezia S. Lucia) 8:50 117.00 74.50

o Frecciargento Routes
Route 1 – Heading north through the center of Italy

Max time at Price


Destination
destination Base A/R
Verona Porto Nuovo 9:15 101.00 74.50
Roverto 7:38 111.00 74.50
Trent (Trento) 7:08 116.00 74.50
Bolzano 6:02 121.00 74.50

Route 2 – Heading east and then south

Max time at Price


Destination
destination Base A/R
Caserta 11:57 45.00 N/A
Benevento 10:41 50.00 44.50
Foggia 8:26 70.00 44.50
Barletta 7:11 75.00 44.50
Bari Centrale 6:10 80.00 44.50
Brindisi 4:10 100.00 74.50
Lecce 3:22 100.00 74.50
o Frecciabianca routes

Route 1 – Heading north along the west coast

Max time at Price


Destination
destination Base A/R
Civitavecchia 13:33 21.50 N/A
Grosseto 11:51 40.00 N/A
Campiglia Marittima 10:58 50.50 N/A
Cecina 10:25 60.00 44.50
Livorno Centrale 9:43 64.00 44.50
Pisa Centrale 12:22 66.00 44.50
Viareggio 8:38 73.50 44.50
Massa Centro 11:34 73.50 44.50
La Spezia Centrale 10:52 80.00 44.50
Chiavari 6:32 86.50 44.50
Genoa (Genova Piazzia Principe) 8:31 88.50 44.50
Alessandria 3:34 99.00 74.50
Asti 3:00 106.00 74.50

Route 2 – Heading south along the west coast

Max time at Price


Destination
destination Base A/R
Salerno 8:28 61.00 N/A
Sapri 6:01 74.00 44.50
Paola 4:21 90.50 44.50
Lamezia Terme Centrale 3:24 95.00 44.50
Vibo Valentia-Pizzo 2:50 103.50 74.50
Rosarno 2:18 108.50 74.50
Gioia Tauro 2:03 108.50 74.50
Villa S. Giovanni 1:15 114.50 74.50
Reggio C. Centrale 0:45 114.50 74.50
Note: One can spend more time in a day in Salerno, Sapri, Paola, Lameza, and Villa S. Giovanni

by taking the InterCity train. This will also be cheaper.

- Slow Trains (just a few of the many options)

o Roma S. Pietro: St. Peter’s Station right behind the NAC

 To Civitavecchia or Pisa: Train goes to Civitavecchia and Pisa every hour,

takes about 50 minutes to get to Civitavecchia and costs €4.60. Helps you

get up to Santa Marinella or Orbetello.

 Bracciano: Freshwater lake with a beach. A train goes there every half

hour and it is about an hour ride which costs €2.60.

o Termini: Closest station to the Irish College

 Assisi: A few direct trains every day which take about two hours to get

there and cost €10.40 each way per person. Another way to get there is to

take a two hour train to Foligno and then a 12 minute train to Assisi – also

costing €10.40. Once you get to the train station, you will need to take a

bus into town. Just follow the crowds, everyone else is going there too.

 Nettuno: trains about every hour which take just over an hour to get there

and cost €3.60. Nettuno is the home of St. Maria Goretti’s tomb and the

baseball capital of Italy.

 Castel Gondolfo: trains almost every hour which take about 40-45 minutes

and cost €2.10. Castel Gondolfo is home to the Pope’s summer residence.

 Tivoli: There are trains to Tivoli every hour or two which take 54 minutes

and cost €2.60. Very touristy, but a lovely place nonetheless.


 Orvieto: trains about every hour and a half taking 1:15 and costing €7.80

 Spoleto: three or four trains in the early morning and five in the afternoon

which take 1:30 and cost €8.85.

 Formia-Gaeta: about three trains an hour taking about 1:15-1:30 and

costing €8.20.

- Renting a car can be effective if going with a group, but you will pay for three days use

instead of just one since rental car places aren’t open on Sunday (also a little extra for

drivers under 27)

- Flying can be done, especially to Milan, Sardegna, and Athens

- Some favorite day-trips

o San Marino: last Italian nation state (technically its own country), mountainous

 Best way to get there is either rent a car (~€100) or take fast train from

Termini to Bologna to Rimini + bus to San Marino (round trip cost €210

as of spring 2016)

o Milan: Italo tickets from Roma S. Pietro and hopped off at Milano Rogoredo even

though tickets went to Milano Centrale (saving 15-20 minutes), took subway to

the center of town (roundtrip cost of €90 as of December 2015)

 “Duomo” Cathedral of Milan, subway to Basilica of Ambrose (Ambrose’s

tomb too), train from Milano Centrale to Pavia to visit tombs of Augustine

and Boethius, Davinci’s Last Supper

- Other day trips

o Liechtenstein: breathtaking drive through Swiss Alps


 Take the first and last trains to and from Milan, rent a car at Milano

Centrale station and drive to Liechtenstein (about a 3:15 drive)

 Though you would only have about four hours in Liechtenstein,

you can sleep/work/stare out the window on the fast train and

enjoy a beautiful drive in the Swiss Alps…probably only able to

grab lunch and do a Holy Hour in the little country before you

have to drive through the Swiss Alps again (more great views!)

 For two people would cost about €400-450 total/€200-225 per

person (€244 first class train tickets to Milan and back at 2x1 rate,

€70-80 for cheapest intermediate sized car with unlimited

kilometers and a cross border card, food and fuel)

o A money saver option would be to go second class on the

train and get a mini car (€250-300 for two people/€125-150

per person)

o Matterhorn: one of the tallest mountains in Europe, north of Milan on Italy-Swiss

border

 Take first and last trains to and from Milan, rent a car and drive to

Matterhorn (drive takes about 2:30)

 This would give you about 5-6 hours on Matterhorn where you

could drive up to one of the mountain restaurants and have a nice

meal

o Would also be about €200-225 per person for two people or

€125-150 the cheap way (second class and mini car)


o Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco): even taller than the Matterhorn, on Italy-France

border

 First and last trains to and from Milan, rent a car and drive to Mont Blanc

(though Turin is closer, it would take an hour longer each way for the train

to reach Turin while the drive is only 40 minutes more from Milan…about

2:30)

 €200-225 per person for two or €125-150 the cheap way

Chapter 7: Car Rentals


- www.economycarrentals.com (very upfront on total price not going to add hidden costs)

- Don’t rent a car without a reservation

- If you really want to see a country, you have to get out of the cities

- Cars will be mostly manual, not automatic (indicator for shifting in manual cars so they

aren’t hard to learn)

- Benefits to renting a car

o Convenience: more bag storage and doubles as a rain shelter if needed

o Mobility: Can go virtually anywhere you want, not restricted to any one route,

able to stop whenever you want

o Time Saved: Public transportation (buses) wastes your time if you have to wait

lots of time for it

o Money Saved: Cheaper than fast trains and public transit

- Downsides to renting a car


o Insurance: read the fine print to see what is covered, and know you can refuse

rental’s insurance as long as you have auto insurance from your credit card

company that applies to rental cars

 There is a good possibility you won’t be able to collect on insurance you

paid for because the damage is not within its coverage

 Pro tip: Have insurance, but don’t get taken advantage of

o Gas: make sure to check the fuel gauge matches the paperwork

 Don’t fall for turning it in empty… not worth the hassle of actually trying

to bring it in close to empty and run the risk of running out of fuel

o GPS: get your own or use your phone because car companies charge €15/day,

plus you have to figure out how to use the GPS since you aren’t used to it

o Crossing borders: make sure to read the fine print, when in doubt, don’t cross the

border

o Speed limits: 3 different speed limits (City, Road, Expressway)

 Go with the flow of traffic

 Not like the US, it is assumed you know the speed limits as they are not

posted anywhere

Speed Limit (km/h) as of 2017


Country
City Rural Expressway
Albania 40 90 110
Andorra 40 90 N/A
Armenia 60 90 90
Austria 50 100 130
Azerbaijan 60 90 110
Belarus 60 90 110
Belgium 20 90 120
Bosnia and Herzegovina 50 80 130
Bulgaria 50 90 120
Croatia 50 90 130
Cyprus 50 80 100
Czech Republic 50 90 130
Denmark 50 80 110
Estonia 70 90 110
Finland 50 90 120
France 50 90 130
Georgia 80 90 110
Germany 50 100 No Limit
Greece 50 90 120
Hungary 50 90 130
Iceland 50 90 90
Ireland 50 100 120
Italy 50 90 130
Kazakhstan 60 90 110
Kosovo 50 80 130
Latvia 50 90 90
Liechtenstein 50 80 N/A
Lithuania 50 90 120
Luxembourg 50 90 130
Macedonia 50 100 130
Malta 50 80 N/A
Moldova 50 80 110
Monaco 50 N/A N/A
Montenegro 50 80 N/A
Netherlands 50 100 130
Norway 50 90 110
Poland 50 90 140
Portugal 50 90 120
Romania 50 90 130
Russia 60 90 110
San Marino 50 70 N/A
Serbia 50 80 120
Slovakia 50 90 130
Slovenia 50 90 130
Spain 50 90 120
Sweden 50 90 110
Switzerland 50 100 120
Turkey 50 90 120
Ukraine 60 90 130
United Kingdom 30 mph 60 mph 70 mph
Vatican City 30 N/A N/A
o Traffic Violations: 2 most common tickets

 Speeding: can only go 4km (2 mph) over or cameras will get you

 Driving through city center without permit

 Traffic cameras are there to raise money, not enforce the law, and

they are EVERYWHERE (you think we have it bad in the US)

- If you can rent a car for cash, do it!

- Make sure to get an intermediate car or larger for the sake of space

- For more than two guys get at least a full size

- Most rental places won’t let you ferry a car (make sure to read the fine print)

- Renting cars is the biggest pain that has always been worth it

Chapter 8: Lodging
- Lodging cheaper in Europe than US

- Two site recommendations:

o www.booking.com (for few travelers and short stays, look for ≥ 8.5 stars)

o www.airbnb.com (more people and longer stays, check other property listings

owner has to get a sense of what they are offering)

- Hotels have 24 hr. staff = convenient all the time

- Airbnb is usually cheaper, but you don’t know what you’re getting and you have to plan

arrival time and communicate with owner before arriving

- Be careful with shared bathrooms and beds

o Sometimes shared beds come in the form of four “beds” which are actually four

places for people to sleep (two queen beds instead of four different beds)

- Ask around the seminary for connections in places you are going to be staying
- If you will be staying in an expensive city (any place in the EU), try to find a parish or

monastery to stay at

o See how you can help once there (serving Mass, cleaning up, etc.)

o Try to make a donation/gift at the end (either in money or a physical gift)

o Make sure to write a thank-you note

- Your hotel room ends up being a home base for hanging out, so make sure it is something

comfortable for your travel situation, not just the cheapest smallest thing only designed

for sleeping

Chapter 9: Traveling with Your Brothers


- If you want to get to know a guy better, travel with him

- Traveling well depends 30% on where you go and 70% on WHO you travel with

o Let others know what type of traveler you are

 Do you sleep in on a travel weekend or feel like you have to conquer a city

in a weekend?

o You don’t have to be with each other every minute of travel

- Key things to talk about before travel:

o Food

 Eating out, cooking, McDonald’s, etc.

o Expenses

 Get Splitwise app (links above)

 Make sure someone is in charge of the books

 Know how much each person is looking to spend

o Leader
 Have someone who will make decisions, especially when the group isn’t

sure of what they want to do

- You’ll make bonds you never would have made traveling with the people you do because

of the experiences you go through together (especially the hard ones…kind of like in

wartime with soldiers)

- Make sure to at least try and get along with your DB’s… they will be the people you will

be working with down the road

- Things that are always annoying:

o Sniffling, cracking knuckles, clicking pens, tapping your feet, humming, snoring,

picking your teeth, chewing with your mouth open, whistling

- Don’t put up with your brother’s annoying behaviors…correct him and help him learn

from them (don’t try and give “false charity”)

- It’s not bad to fight every once and a while, just be civil about how you do it

- Have each other’s backs especially when you or one of your mates gets sick

- Throw the gadgets away and go travel with someone!

Chapter 10: Prayer and Travel


- Do we live like we have been called and sent by Christ?

- Do we let Jesus sanctify us, even when on vacation?

- Have a prayer schedule when you travel….just think a day ahead

o Plan in advance for Mass, schedule the rest of your day around that

o MP/Office while guys are getting ready

o Daytime prayer after museums or in between events

o EP before dinner
o NP before bed

- Crowd the “old self” out with too much God

- Get out and know the saints!

o Each of them has a unique way they lived out Jesus Christ and for which they are

canonized

o This knowledge brings hope, not only for ourselves, but for our future

parishioners as well

- Use your travels to grow closer to Him, not to take a break from Him

Chapter 11: Odds and Sods (Misc)


Food

- Italian restaurants typically don’t open for dinner until 7 PM whereas Hungarian

restaurants close by 8 PM

- If you are tipping, leave no more than €1…Europe just doesn’t tip…waiting is a career,

not a place where you have to make a regular income off tips

Weather

- Weather ‘colors’ your trip…you tend to associate where you went by how the weather

was (rain=dark and dreary)

Boating

- If you want to take a ferry, Grimaldi lines is a good place to look

(www.grimaldilines.com)

Language and Culture


- Even if you don’t know the language that well, read body language and use common

sense

- If you don’t know the question, don’t be afraid to say no

- Most other countries use racial profiling to keep places safe

Travel Tips

- Don’t use up your travel hours planning out your travels when you could have done that

beforehand

o Don’t feel like you have to do and see everything

- Don’t be afraid to rest while on vacation, especially if you don’t get much rest normally

- Send postcards! Make sure to do it from the destination so they have local stamps and

postmarks

- If you’re taking pictures simply for the landscape, you might want to reconsider

o Pictures often lead to nostalgia and narcissism, two dangerous things

Safety

- Nothing good happens after dark

- Don’t put yourself in bad situations

- Assume people are out to get you, don’t be afraid to be a jerk (it might seem that way

only to us Americans, whereas it is normal in Europe)

- Be aware of distractions…usually on public transit (woman breastfeeding, staged fights,

etc.)

- Pickpockets use touch to distract you (works best in crowded places)

- When push comes to shove, most people will not have your back
- Don’t let yourself get surrounded or surprised…keep the person/people talking to you in

front of you at all times

- Typically the poorer the country, the more prostitutes and sex workers there will be

- It’s “normal” girls that will catch you by surprise

- Don’t think that just because you are a seminarian, you are safe

- Stay close to God and be brutally honest with your spiritual director

Chapter 12: Bests and Worsts


- Google “Top things to see or do in _____ “

Recommended Places to Visit

- Bled, Slovenia

- Switzerland

- Southeast Region of Ireland (Ring of Kerry)

- Island of Giglio (beaches on the west side)

o Good for extended travel weekend

 Take train from Termini to Orbetello then bus to Porto Santo Stefano,

hour-long ferry to island and a 30 min. bus to the west side of the island

- Croatia (coastline north of split)

- Montenegro

- Greece

- West Side of India (Goa)

- Venice

o St. Mark the evangelist is buried here


- Germany

o For the autobahn (if you like driving)

- Your ethnic roots

- Padua (Padova)

o St. Anthony’s tomb is here

- Bologna

o St. Dominic’s tomb is here

- Pavia

o St. Augustine’s tomb is here and it is only 30 min. train ride south of Milan

- Lourdes, France

o Fulton Sheen’s favorite Marian Apparition site

- Holy Land

- Turkey and/or Greece

o St. Paul’s Journey

- Turin

o Where the Blessed Shroud of Christ’s body is located

Places advised against

- Tunisia

o Especially the beaches

- Swaziland

o Dirty as all get out


Chapter 13: Five Favorite Trips
- If you visit poorer countries than Rome (India), you will appreciate Rome more

Chapter 14: Stories and Philosophies


- Priest alcoholic rates are twice as high as the rest of the world

- Are you coping with celibacy lite which avoids the temptations of your sexual drive but

doesn’t solve the problem?

- Prison stories are bad enough in the US, don’t get arrested in other countries

Chapter 15: Parting Thoughts


- Pay attention not to what people say, but why they say it (Fulton Sheen)

- Figure out what people love and then show them what they are really after is our Loving

Savior, Jesus Christ

- God made the world to get you to Heaven: travel with that purpose

- True humility is being in the truth and thanking God (you might be a rich kid, you might

be good with languages, etc. THANK GOD!)

- When speaking of your travels, try to enliven other people’s visions of God NOT

yourself

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