I had never been to Italy. I said “For my 40th, I’m going to Italy with or without anybody”. Being Italian, this trip was going to be extra special to me and I wanted no bumps in the road whatsoever! As it was getting closer for me to be stepping into a new decade in life, there was nobody that was able to join me on this fabulous trip, so I decided to book the trip through a tour company and go alone. I wanted this trip to be as worry free as possible. I felt my days of “winging it” once I got there were in the past. I wanted to have someone else take me where I needed to go, where I could just put my feet up and go for the ride! Let them do the dirty work. I went with Collette tours and they were amazing! I had traveled with another tour company (CIE) in the past with a friend of mine, so I knew going alone that this was gonna be my best bet. I chose the Rome/Amalfi Coast package. When traveling with tour companies, you don’t even have to lift your luggage the entire trip! I used to be “anti-tour” but after seeing the luxury of letting them do all the work, I don’t think I’ll travel out of the country any other way! Yes, you have have to get up early, to get on a very comfortable Mercedes coach (ok, big whoop, go back to sleep on the bus) but if you are out to sight see then….. Get Up! These tours take you to the local tour guides. The Collette guy isn’t the one showing you the Colosseum or the Vatican, they leave you in the hands of an Italian to show you around. In the meantime, the Collette guy (or girl) is making sure that they have the proper head count, that we are on time for our next destination and making sure dinner reservations are set! As you go from one hotel destination to the next, you simply leave your luggage outside your room and Collette goes around and collects them and puts them in the bus while you are eating breakfast. You do get alone time too! There are plenty of times you go off on your own and meet back up at a certain time. Did I mention the people that you meet? Day 1, everyone is quiet. By day 4, you find that you are all at a bar laughing, cheering and nobody wants to leave. I have met some wonderful people throughout these tours and will continue to do so. The luxury and laughter of it all is all I needed to realize that this really is a great way to travel… Plus you get ahead of all lines!!!