I’m going to Rome next month, and there are a few things I have to take care of.
First of all: travel health insurance. That’s not a problem. I go on-line and take care of this with my national health carrier here in Israel. In the US, ask friends or go on-line and shop!
Next is to make color copies of my passport and driver’s license. I’ll take these with me and leave the originals in the hotel safe. When checking out of any hotel, always open the safe and empty it!!!
Next, I bring my belt-pocket that hangs on my belt, but in tucked under my pants. Here’s an example:
https://travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=product&id=377
You don’t have to buy the one above, but you get the idea.
Next is money. I change money before I get to the airport. I’ll have 100 Euro walking around money. I don’t like carrying more than that.
I have at least two credit cards and making sure that one of them is a VISA. It seems to be the most widely accepted one and lots of businesses don’t accept American Express (including yours truly!).
Since I am not booking this tour, but I am attending an in-service, I have checked out the hotels on TripAdvisor.com and they seem to be fine.
Since I am an avid photographer, I am bringing my own rig, but a truly great camera to bring is the Sony a6000.
It ain’t cheap, but I dare you to find a better camera for the money. There isn’t.
Now for luggage: Here I am at a bit of a loss. I do not have a good travel bag. I use an old bag that I like. It is soft, not hard so it doesn’t weigh a lot. It has a handle and wheels. It has a big, tough zipper and made of heavy-duty material.
