I'm off to Italy in May!!

Back to Blogging: Italy Bound!

Well, here we are again. The blog rises from the digital dust, and this time I'm actually writing about what happened today instead of what I meant to write about three weeks ago.

So what happened today? I dove headfirst into planning mode for my May trip to Italy, and friends, the rabbit hole is deep and wonderful.

The Plan (So Far)

Flying into Rome, because all roads lead there and all that. But I'm not lingering long in the Eternal City—at least not at first. The real adventure starts when I head south to catch a ferry over to Sicily, where I plan to plant myself for a solid 10 days. Ten days! Time to actually be somewhere instead of just seeing it.

After Sicily works its magic on me (and let's be honest, it will), I'll head back north to visit friends and relatives in Cisterna, Grosseto, and then circle back to Rome. It's going to be that perfect mix of explorer mode and reconnecting with people who matter.

The Tech Situation

Here's where things get real: I just bought a Samsung Galaxy S25+ and a Samsung Tab S10 FE. Yes, both. Because apparently I've decided to enter my "fully equipped traveler" era.

Now comes the fun part—figuring out chargers, cords, and power packs. How many adapters does one person need? How many USB-C cables is too many? (Trick question: there's no such thing.) And do I really need that portable power bank, or do I just want it because it looks cool?

These are the questions that keep me up at night. Well, these and streamlining my vitamin situation, which is a whole other organizational challenge I'm tackling simultaneously.

AI Trip Planning: A Confession

I have a confession to make: I've been using ChatGPT and Claude to brainstorm this trip, and they've been fantastic. Look, I usually do all my itinerary planning myself—it's part of the joy—but there's something fun about bouncing ideas off an AI that doesn't judge you for asking "What if I just spent all 10 days eating arancini in Palermo?"

They've offered suggestions I hadn't considered and helped me think through logistics in ways that actually make sense. Who knew the machines would be so good at helping plan la dolce vita?

I'm Off - Again

So that's where things stand today. May feels both impossibly far away and right around the corner. Between now and then: more planning, more gear sorting, and definitely more blog posts about the journey.

Stay tuned. This time I mean it.

Ciao for now!

Sandy