Category: European Trips

EuroTrip: Days 38-44-Malta + Heading Home

We got a taxi to drop us off at the train station by 8am on Sunday to catch the shuttle bus to the Naples airport. It all went off without a hitch. The bus ride was a nice 1 and a half hour tour along the hilly coast on a coach bus.. with air conditioning. All for €10 each. We arrived at the airport by 10am and checked in.


The flight to Malta was less than 2 hours. We had to show our covid test results at their passport control, and then we had a ride arranged to the hotel. Literally from the time we walked off the plane to the time we got in the car, a whole 9 minutes had passed-total. It was impressive.
The hotel has more of a resort feel to it. 5 pools, 9 restaurants, a spa and a gym, plus beach access. We were right on the bay and everything was beautiful. During our 4 days there, we literally swam at the pools, laid in the sun, sipped drinks and ate food. We’d leave the resort every evening for dinner some where else, but honestly, we just wanted to relax and take it easy.


We didn’t do any excursions or tours, while I would have enjoyed exploring this country more, we just needed the relaxation time. Mom even scheduled me a 90 minute massage on our last full day.. incredible, and so appreciated.
I did end up having my second best meal in Malta. A lobster risotto that at first I was terrified of. They put the whole thing on top of the risotto. Little beady eyes and all.. but when I flipped him over, all the meat was already falling off.. perfect! No work required at all! Just like I like it. It ended up being so dang delicious!


On our second night we liked the food so much at this one restaurant, that we came back the 3rd night after going somewhere else first and deciding we’d rather our last dinner be back at the other place instead. Eh, we like what we like!I did get different meals though, the first one was spaghetti carbonara.. delicious, the next night was-you guessed it, risotto. Believe it or not, I still wanna eat at Mezza Luna when I get back home.. maybe *after* I lose the 15-95 pounds of pasta and bread weight I’ve gained this last 6 weeks..

On Thursday morning, we ate room service breakfast (smoked salmon and eggs on toast for me) and then packed up our stuff. We took a taxi to the airport around 12:30, and the cabbie let me have my Prosecco in a to go cup in his car, lol. I couldn’t chug it and he got there so fast. We boarded our flight to Paris and found it funny that no one seemed to check anything or ask any questions at any of these gates.


I was happy I decided to book us a night in Paris instead of trying to make a close connecting flight the same day to NYC, because our flight ran long, we didn’t land until 6:30 and the flight to NYC leaves daily at 6:45pm.. AND we still had to take our proctored covid tests to get back into the states. We got off our flight, went through customs and took the tram 3 stops and got off right in front of our hotel.


We checked in, did our covid tests-got negative results, and then went to have dinner in the restaurant attached to the hotel. The hotel is very nice and set up almost like a destination in itself. There was the restaurant and bar, plus tons of lounging spaces. We ended up watching a movie in our room until after 1am.. then slept in.
With our flight being at 6:45pm, we lounged in the room until check out, at noon, then had lunch in the restaurant. While I ran, and then proceeded to just walk around awhile to get my steps, mom relaxed in the lounge. At 3, we made our way back to the tram and to the airport. It was good that we got there early, because the lines for the baggage drop were nuts.. thankfully security was a breeze.


Our flight was 8 hours long, and it felt like 45 years. I watched movies, I read, I tried and failed to sleep. When I finally did-they turned the lights on and announced (in French and then English) that the flight attendants were coming through the aisles with perfumes and other things for sale.. for a good deal.. talk about irritating. Otherwise, it really was a comfortable flight, just long.


We time traveled backwards during this flight, so while we left at 6:45pm, we landed in Newark New Jersey at 9pm the same day. Weird.. it was 3am to us but the sun was still out. We went through all the customs and stuff, got our luggage, got a Lyft and made it to the hotel for the night.. by 10:30pm. I tried to door dash Taco Bell (because for some unknown reason, I love that stupid crap food), but my order got canceled. Heartbreak. So, we got food from the restaurant at the hotel before they closed and ate it in the room.. I passed out shortly there after.
When we woke up this morning, we showered and basked in the glory of large American showers and the perfection of fluffy full sized beds. Ridiculous, yes, but it’s nice to miss “home.”

We ate chic fil a for breakfast and took the shuttle to the airport. Now, I’m sitting on my delta flight to atlanta-our 44 day European adventure now coming to an end. It feels so surreal. I really can’t believe all of the places we’ve seen and all of the experiences we’ve had. It has been so magical, and to share all of these memories with my favorite person on top of that, it’s priceless. Mom and I will surely remanence over this trip for the rest of our lives, even after we make new memories in new places.


I know Covid took its toll on all of us, but I’m also grateful that I was able to have something wonderful come out of something so tragic. In 2020 I worked my ass off fighting to save lives of those suffering from this contagion.. and because I was working so much in hot spots across the country, I saved my money. I completed my dream of hiking the Appalachian trail last year, and now I can say I completed my other dream of taking my mom on the trip of a lifetime. I’ll never take having her here with me for granted. (And now, I need to take my butt back to work, as my puny savings account keeps reminding me).

Anyway, I think that’s all for now. My next post will have the breakdown and information of our itinerary.. probably in the next few days or so. Haha. Time to get home and enjoy being with family, friends, and that boyfriend I get to call mine 😉

EuroTrip Itinerary & Budget Breakdown

Ok! So, here comes the overview and the breakdown for our trip, including transportation, lodging, and planned excursions. I won’t include money spent on meals, shopping, and random day to day stuff, since we frequently used cash and it would be too difficult to go back and look up. I will say, if you’re planning on international travel, I highly recommend the capital one venture card and the capital one 360 checking account. Capital One doesn’t charge international transaction fees or ATM fees. So, when we used our cards, it was the price shown, always. We got cash from ATMs with the capital one debit card, and had zero fees (except what the actual ATM charges, which I believe gets reimbursed at the end of each billing cycle).


Another pointer, when overseas, NEVER pay in US dollars with your card, ie-letting the machine convert it for you-when you enter your card it will say “pay in USD” or “Pay in local currency” ALWAYS pay in local currency, or you WILL be charged the conversion rate, plus a percentage charge, too. It adds up! Don’t make this mistake!

Ok, on to the good stuff.. We spent 44 days and technically spent time in 8 countries. Our itinerary is below:


London, England-2 nights

Paris, France- 3 nights

Lyon, France- 2 nights

Milan, Italy- 3 nights

Florence, Italy- 5 nights

Venice, Italy- 2 nights

Cruise to Greece and Turkey-10 nights

Rome, Italy-5 nights

Sorrento, Italy-5 nights

St. Julian’s, Malta-4 nights

Paris, France-1 night + Newark, New Jersey, USA-1 night


London, England (Total: $1384; Transportation: $1126; Lodging: $258)


We took a direct flight through Delta to London. It was $563 per person, with flight insurance included. Meals were provided on the flight.
We stayed at Lancaster Gate Hotel for a total of $258 for the 2 nights. It was literally right next to Hyde Park, in a beautiful and safe area.. and an easy metro ride from the airport, followed by a short walk. We didn’t do any planned excursions, since we weren’t sure how we would do with jet lag.


Paris, France (Total: $784; Transportation: $152; Lodging: $502; Excursions: $130)


We took the “Chunnel” train to Paris from London, it was $76 per person.
Our hotel in Paris was Hotel Le Relais des Halles, which was an easy metro ride from the train station we came in on from London. The total cost for 3 nights was $502. It was in a perfect location and easy to get to all of the main attractions of Paris either by walking or using the metro. The 3 day passes for the metro were less than $15 per person.
We only paid for one tour while in Paris, and that was the skip the line-plus guided tour of the Louvre museum. It was $130 total for us both, and while a little steep, we got in before the vast amount of the crowds waiting outside in line. So that alone was worth it to me.


Lyon, France (Total: $178, Transportation: $178)
We took a train from Paris to Lyon, France.. but we missed the first one and had to pay again, so it actually was more than it should have been.. haha.. the first train was $68 total for us both, the day of train was $110.. yikes!
But, since we got to stay with my friend Morgana and her husband, Alex, we didn’t have lodging fees AND they were our tour guides, so we didn’t have any excursions to pay for either. We’re still BEYOND thankful for their kindness and generosity, and will always cherish the fun we had with them 🙂


Milan, France (Total: $1440; Transportation $127; Lodging: $720; Excursions: $593)


Alright. Things were a bit expensive in Milan. Also, because I was making sure mom and I had separate beds, I had to choose hotels/accommodations that charge a bit more.. so please know there are DEFINITELY cheaper options, and way more expensive ones, too.
The train from Lyon to Milan was $127 total for us both. It took 5 hours total, and the train brought us to an easy metro ride away from our hotel. I had originally booked us a flight to Milan, but in March it was canceled. I think this ended up being for the best anyway.
Our hotel was The Square Milano Duomo, and it cost us a whopping $720 for 3 nights, but I think we both really enjoyed it there. It was beautifully decorated and easy to navigate from. Plus the rooftop restaurant was very nice, too.
I booked us two different tours/excursions while in Milan. The first was to see the Last Supper painting, which was originally part of a 6 hour tour, costing us $234 total, but then I ended up receiving a refund of $116 because the Duomo was canceled. So, it was $118. Looking back, that’s pretty expensive for what we got.. had I known the rest of the tour was going to be canceled, I would have just gotten us tickets to walk through on our own. Since it was at last minute though, it would have been sold out without our guide. Oh well. The other excursion was the Bernina Express Scenic train ride through the Swiss alps, plus Lake Como.. it was a pricy affair, but one of our favorite days, so I think it was definitely worth it: $475 total.


Florence, Italy (Total:$1396; Transportation: $140; Lodging: $848; Excursions: $408)


We took a train from Milan to Florence for $110 total. We did take taxis to and from the apartment, simply because there wasn’t a metro in Florence.. it would have been a relatively short walk, but with roller bags over cobblestone roads is a complete pain in the tush. Both taxis were less than $15, but since I can’t remember we’ll call it $30 total.
We stayed in a wonderful Airbnb for the 5 nights in Florence. The total for that was $848.. and typing that out now feels like a steal. I swear the air in that place works better than mine! (As I’m sitting on my couch listening to the air run).
I planned 3 tours/excursions while in Florence. The first was seeing the statue of David in one of the museums in Florence. It was a skip the line tour, which was useful, but it was so crowded inside and the guide kept getting bombarded by another guy in our group, so this was literally my least favorite ever, and the only tour I’ve gone on that I’ve turned the radio box and left early. It was $44 each. The next tour was the day trip to Cinque Terre, which was $95 each. The last was the winery tour in Tuscany along with visiting the cities of Sienna, San Gimignano, and Pisa-another favorite! It was $65 each and totally worth it!


Venice, Italy (Total: $1140; Transportation: $214; Lodging: $540; excursions: $386)
We took a train from Florence to Venice for $120 total. From the train station we had to take a vaporado, or water bus, to get to our hotel, which was $20 total. I’m going to add the train to Ravenna in this section, too, because we thought our cruise left out of Venice, but instead it left 3-5 hours south, out of Ravenna. That train ticket cost $74 total.
We stayed at Hotel Giorgione, which was beautiful. For the 2 nights it was $540, which it was very difficult to find a nice hotel with 2 beds for anything cheaper than that, and still be in a good area, close to everything. I think it was worth it, and the pool was spectacular on those humid days.
The only excursion was a private tour to Murano and Burano, two islands in the same lagoon with Venice, known for lacework and handmade blown glass. That tour was $193 each, which now realizing it was pretty expensive.. but we had a private tour guide giving us so much information, more than we would have learned on our own, and we did get a private glassblowing experience, too.


Greek and Turkish Cruise (Total: $4531; Lodging: $3304; excursions: $1227)
The cruise was through Celebrity Cruises, and I got a Black Friday special-so the $3304 felt like a deal, since it also included WiFi and an unlimited drink package.. plus all the free food on board too. The excursions were for 8 of the 10 days-well-7 of the 10 days. Our stop in Santorini was canceled due to weather and the ship not being able to dock. I was refunded the money spent for the canceled trip, reflected in the $1227.


Rome, Italy (Total: $1520; Transportation: $166; Lodging: $895; excursions/tours: $459)
We took the train from Ravenna to Rome after the cruise, for a total of $166. The metro in Rome was cheap and easy to use, I don’t remember what we spent for our multi-day ticket, but it couldn’t have been much.
We stayed in a fantastic Airbnb for our 5 nights in Rome, the total cost being $895. It was exactly what we needed for our week in the city.
We only booked 3 tours in Rome: the Coliseum, the Vatican museum with St Peter’s basilica, and then a Prati food tour, their costs were $118, $113, and $228 respectively.


Sorrento, Italy (Total:$1815; Transportation: $94; Lodging: $819; excursions: $902)
Our train from Rome to Naples was $86 total, and the regional train from Naples to Sorrento was $8 total. Trains are definitely the way to get around in Italy!
For our 5 nights in Sorrento, we stayed in an apartment complex, called Coltur Suites, owned by a local hotel.. so it felt almost like a hotel in the set up, really. It was beautiful, we had a private terrace overlooking the marina. It was $819 and so so worth it. They also gave us access to the sister hotel amenities.
I planned 3 tours out of Sorrento. We took a day trip to the Amalfi Coast by boat, a trip to Pompeii with a winery and horseback riding tour, and then a boat tour to the island of Capri. Those costs for both of us were $256, $303, $343 respectively. Our favorite of the 3 was the cheapest one, too. Funny how that works.


St. Julian’s, Malta (Total: $1183; Transportation: $193; Lodging: $990)
We flew to Malta with EasyJet for $138 total.. impressive! And then our hotel arranged our private transfer to and from the airport for $55 total.
Our hotel, which was very resort like overall, Corinthia Hotel St Georgie’s Bay, was $990 for the 4 nights we stayed. We didn’t book any excursions while in Malta, we just relaxed to unwind from our busy “go, go, go” trip. It was the best way for us to enjoy the end of our vacation.


Paris, France (Total: $326)
We flew from Malta to Paris on Air Malta for $98 each and our overnight hotel was $130.


Newark, New Jersey (Total: $1068)
We flew from Paris to New Jersey on French Bee which is like the spirt airlines of France, apparently.. but it was wonderful! Spacious, movies, dinner. It sure I see the comparison, in anything except price. It was $338 each, with checked luggage. Our overnight hotel was $116.
The next day we flew home, a flight costing $138 each.


Ok, so I think that’s about it. That comes to a grand total of $16,457 for both of us for the entire 6 week trip, with the totals for Transportation being $3,230-mind you, that’s two transatlantic flights plus moving around between a total of 8 countries over the 6 weeks.. Lodging + cruise $9122, which could definitely have been done cheaper, but I wanted to make sure Mom and I were comfortable. I mean, I slept on the ground for 6 months in 2021, so I wasn’t about to be miserable trying to sleep when we had such an action packed trip. And finally, excursions $4105.. which 100% could have been cheaper OR done without a tour or guide in some places.. but I wanted mom and I to be able to see it all and to take the stress out of figuring out the details-so no regrets there either.


I think that about wraps it up! Now that I’m home, I’ve almost washed all my dirty clothes, and I’ve sent out my resume.. the job search has begun-and my savings account keeps reminding me that the sooner a paycheck rolls in-the better lol I hope you’ve enjoyed following along 🙂 I know I enjoyed every moment spent on this trip, and I’m a bit sad that it’s over. I don’t think I’ll have any new posts until sometime next year, as I plan and prepare for the Pacific Crest Trail that I pray I’m able to thru hike 😉 So, until then, friends!