Published 2005-02-14T00:00:00Z”/>

Jennifer Olinger

An important part of living in Europe is taking advantage of the opportunity to travel to other great European cities at the drop of a hat. To test this theory my four flatmates and I ventured to Venice for a weekend. Along the way we learned 10 very important traveling tips to keep in mind for future reference.

1. Do not choose destinations based on photo shoots.

The most recent pictures I saw of Venice in the winter were in Vogue Magazine a few years ago. They featured Julia Roberts sporting galoshes in a partially flooded St. Mark?s Square. She appeared to be having a great time splashing about in her stylish knee-length skirt and meager scarf.

I now know that in between the frames she must have been cursing under her breath because Venice in January reaches a balmy 35 degrees Fahrenheit. I ended up wearing everything I brought including three shirts, long underwear beneath my pants, a scarf, gloves and a down jacket with a hood. I froze.

2. Make sure numbers translate.

We chose to stay at Campin Fusina. It?s a campground that is a 20 minute bus ride from Venice. The directions provided seemed simple enough. Catch bus number 11 and it will drop you off at the campground?s gate.

Unfortunately, they did not see fit to tell us there are two busses that display route number 11 in bright lights, so naturally we boarded the wrong one.

Normally we would just take the bus back to point A and try again. However, this was the last bus of the night, and the bus driver kicked us off in a dark neighborhood far from a main road.

3. Avoid befriending crazy natives.

We stopped in a small inn to get directions. After a great deal of gesturing and rough map drawing, it was determined that the camp was a mere two kilometers away and that we would walk.

A 17-year-old and his 28-year-old friend were sitting in the lobby. We thanked the owner and left, but the two men caught up with us after five minutes.

The younger one spoke a little English and informed me his friend was on cocaine and heroin, which explained his erratic behavior and maniacal laughter. Though we were able to carry on a simplistic conversation, he didn?t seem to understand the phrase, ?Please go away.? Three hours and many more than two kilometers later, we arrived at the campsite, and our company finally left.

4. To hell with high heels.

One of my brave traveling companions, in the name of packing light, was wearing extra-stylish knee-high black leather high-heeled boots. By about mile 10 her legs were wobbling visibly, but she didn?t complain once. I?m sure she?ll remember to bring flats in the future.

5. Don?t forget to bring a roll.

After we were taken to our trailer, with heavy eyelids and full bladders, we ventured en masse to the outdoor bathrooms. Much to our disappointment we found that toilet paper was not one of the luxuries provided by the campsite.

6. When in Venice, make sure you are on the same schedule as the Venetians.

After a sleepless night and a brief breakfast that included espresso with a shot of Bailey?s for warmth, we headed to the main island. We arrived at noon to find the majority of the shops were closed.

We discovered they close from about noon until 2 p.m., re-open and close for the night at 5 p.m.

Cafes stay open longer but stop serving food in the early afternoon and do not serve it again until 7 p.m. Frustrated, cold and hungry, we wandered the labyrinth-like streets.

7. When all else fails, check into a four-star hotel.

The last night we decided it would be worth our money to stay at the Hotel Plaza. We were all in desperate need of a hot shower and a good night?s rest. We stored our bags and ate in the hotel restaurant.

Getting our things back took longer than expected. We had two minutes to run to the bus station after we had just eaten our meal at warp speed. Though I almost broke the glass doors on the way out and neglected to tip the bellboy, we caught the bus by a slim margin.

8. Don?t be a Cinderella when booking online.

Unfortunately, our bus troubles did not end when we left Italy. Because of the initial rush, we reserved our return tickets for 15 minutes after midnight and neglected to set the date forward by one day.

Needless to say we were not permitted to board. We waited for the next bus. It didn?t show. We waited for the next bus, and it drove right by just like it came right out the movie ?Speed.?

9. Have a feasible back-up plan.

We chose not to spend the remainder of night in the airport, so we took a shuttle to the train station and bought more tickets. The train ride was peaceful, but once we arrived we found the walk home was longer than expected. Three group members hailed a cab, while another girl and I walked the last mile and a half to our flat.

10. Don?t let a bad time ruin good memories.

Upon looking back at the photographs, I found the beauty of the city overpowered all the hardships we endured to get there (but I can?t say the rest of my group feels the same way.) Venice is a beautiful city I would like to visit again, but not in the near future.