Frequently Asked Questions

Planning Services for Independent Travelers

Are Custom Vacations in Italy just for independent travelers or can I have a guide and/or driver with me during my trip?

We love private tours and can often include extra fun elements that aren’t available to individual travelers. If you’d like a bilingual escort or driver, just let us know. We’ll be happy to plan your custom vacation accordingly.

What are the differences between travel consultants, travel agents and tour operators?

This is a great question because there is sometimes overlap amongst the three which leads to confusion. To keep it quick though, a travel consultant is a local expert, meaning she only focuses on a specific part of the world, in some cases one country, in other cases (like mine) part of one country. This person usually lives (or has lived for an extended amount of time) in the place she consults on and has an intimate knowledge of the area.

A travel agent is similar in that she helps her clients put their trips together. A travel agent can specialize in a country but oftentimes hasn’t lived there and/or may not have traveled to all of the places her clients are going. A travel agent can search for and book flights and cruises that travel consultants can’t or choose not to book.

I often work with travel agents who want to ensure they are offering the best service to their clients. The travel agent will contact me and together we’ll put the Calabria/southern Italy section of their client’s vacation together.

A tour operator packages trip elements into travel packages that they either sell directly or through travel agents. Some travel consultants (like me) are registered as a tour operator for legal business purposes.

Travel agents are paid by commission – why don’t you just accept commission?

When you book a custom vacation, there is more going into your trip than simply recommending a hotel or a cooking class. I am invested in my clients’ trips and I work with them to choose the right base locations, to map out their ideal route and to ensure the hotels, guides, excursions and activities are right for them.

It’s been estimated the average person spends 100 hours researching, planning and booking a vacation. My clients either don’t have this kind of time to devote to planning their trip or they want to ensure they are making the right decisions for their vacation.

Besides the fact that I’m being paid by my clients to plan their trips, I choose not to accept commissions from hotels, car companies, chefs or other vendors because I don’t like the potential conflict of interest. If I don’t accept commission from anyone, then my clients know I always have their best interest in mind.

Does My Bella Vita book flights from the US to Italy?

I don’t – but I can either coordinate with your travel agent, recommend an agent to you for group travel or tell you about the airlines I personally choose when I’m traveling.

Private Customized Group Tours

What is included in a My Bella Vita private group tour in Italy?

All of My Bella Vita Travel’s private tours are customized so we will work together to choose the itinerary and include activities-such as sailing, cooking classes or wine tours, excursions-like mountain hikes or archaeological visits and hotels, meals, expert guides and more.

Is the price of a My Bella Vita tour in Italy all-inclusive?

The price includes whatever you want to include. Some groups choose to include everything – all hotels, meals, transfers, classes and tours in the price, while others prefer to includes hotels, a few group meals and two or three important group excursions.

How can you expect to spend per person on a private group tour in Italy?

Price varies greatly depending on how many days you are here, when and where you want to go, the activities you want to include and how many people are in your group.

To give you an idea, I’ve created private group tours that range from €1700-€2900 per person – again, depending on the number of people in the group and their preferences.

If you have a budget in mind, just send me a message and let me know. It’s much easier to create the perfect tour for you when we know how much your group members are expecting to spend.

Does My Bella Vita book flights from the US to Italy?

I don’t – but I can either coordinate with your travel agent, recommend an agent to you for group travel or tell you about the airlines I personally choose when I’m traveling.

Private Heritage Tours

What is included in a private heritage tour?

All of our private heritage tours are customized and include as much or as little as you want.

That being said. travelers typically like to spend at least several days in their ancestral land. In this case, we’d include hotels, private transfers, train tickets to and from your ancestral region, your Ancestry Tour research and tour days and other unique experiences such as cooking classes, wine-tasting, guided tour days and more.

Keep in mind that we cover all regions south of Rome so we can help you with the logistics of other parts of your trip and help you determine the best way to get to and from your ancestral region.

Is there a minimum number of days for a private heritage tour?

Yes, there is. While we’d love to accept every request, we are only able to work on tours that are longer than three days and include at least two nights’ accommodations.

How do My Bella Vita's heritage tours work?

All of our tours are customized, meaning travelers choose how many days and nights they’ll spend on their tour, whether they’ll have a private driver or rent a car themselves, how many days their bilingual Heritage Specialist will spend with them and what additional activities and excursions they include.

We work with the travelers to choose their base location, help them select accommodations and make suggestions on day trips. Our ancestry tours are booked and planned per our Custom Vacations. 

What does “advanced research” mean?

Each case is slightly different because what and how much we can do is directly influenced by how much accurate information we get from the traveler. In general, our advanced research time could start with your Heritage Specialist translating information you give us from English into Italian and contacting the local city hall(s) to confirm and correct the information the traveler gives us. He then travels to the village, meets with the city hall employees and continues to search for more documents, if needed. We use the information we find to locate the neighborhoods, street, piazza or home where ancestors were born. We look for the church they attended and inquire about cemetery information. We talk to locals about the family, how the town would have been during that time and in some cases, we inquire about and search for Italian relatives. It’s important to note that although we refer to this as “advanced” research, research continues up until and including the day of your ancestry tour.

It is cheaper to just hire a guide for the day. Why can’t I do that?

Our Heritage Specialists are more than guides, they have been trained and have experience with ancestral cases and know the ins and outs of dealing with the local city halls and churches. We have successfully led more than 100 ancestry tours and our company was the original heritage tour company for southern Italy. No other company or independent guide can match our experience.

What typically happens during an ancestry tour in Calabria?

Once you are here, your Heritage Specialist will meet you, introduce you to the people he met during his research day and show you the home(s), neighborhoods, streets and churches from your family’s past. You will have a chance to talk to locals about your family and meet people in the village. You can visit the church or cemetery, if you like. You’ll have a full multi-course lunch, with wine, either in or near your ancestral village.

In the past you offered “Basic” and “Premium” Tours. Do you still do that?

In a word… yes! The difference in those two services came down to how much advanced, hands-on research travelers wanted or needed. Most travelers chose the Premium Tour, which allowed us to spend one day in their ancestral village prior to their arrival in Italy. Over the years we noticed that travelers who had booked advanced research had an enhanced experience and a more memorable tour. We are still available, on request and based on availability, to do one-day tours for travelers who are on a budget or don’t require advanced research.

Does My Bella Vita book flights from the US to Italy?

I don’t – but I can either coordinate with your travel agent, recommend an agent to you for group travel or tell you about the airlines I personally choose when I’m traveling.

Small Group Heritage Tour of Calabria

What type of traveler would enjoy the Small Group Heritage Tour in Italy?

This tour caters to English-speaking travelers with Calabrian heritage who want to immerse themselves in authentic Italy. Many of the excursions in our itinerary are exclusive to our tour, meaning you won’t find them anywhere else online. In fact, many of these activities are so exclusive that we can’t even offer them to our private clients or guarantee they’ll be included in future tours.

How many people can join the tour?

Besides the fact that we believe the most memorable travel experiences happen in small groups, our hotels, restaurants, chefs, cooks and guides are either part of a family-run business, an independent provider … or someone’s mamma, all of which cater specifically to small groups.

The June Small Group Heritage Tour of Calabria is limited to a maximum of 11 travelers, while the September Calabria Heritage and Sicily Tour is limited to 14.

What’s so great about Calabrian cuisine?

Calabrian cooking is loved throughout Italy and is gaining in popularity abroad. However, when you really examine Calabrian cuisine, you’ll see that it is as diverse as the region from which it hails. Although strong wine, homemade bread, fresh pasta, seasonal fruits and vegetables and the famous peperoncino are seen throughout the region, each area has its specialty. It is the unique ingredients and traditional dishes that we explore in our tours.

What happens if I can’t make the group transfer to the first hotel?

We hope everyone can make it to the airport in time for the group transfer to our first hotel. However, if you can’t, we will help you arrange a private transfer so you can catch up with the group. Additional fees apply.

How do I reserve my spot on My Bella Vita's Small Group Heritage Tour?

To reserve your spot, email Cherrye at [email protected]. We’ll send you a registration form and a copy of our terms and conditions. Your reservation will be confirmed when we receive your deposit.

How do I make a payment?

Payments are made in US dollars to My Bella Vita Travel, LLC. We accept all major credit cards and US checks and are happy to set up an installment plan for you.

Detailed information and a payment schedule will be sent with your registration form.

What should we pack for our trip to Italy?

I’ve written a variety of posts on packing for Calabria and southern Italy, including How to Pack a Carry-on SuitcaseCarry-on Packing ListEssential Travel Gear for Your Trip to Southern ItalyFive Things to Pack for Your Trip to Italy and Five Things to Skip When Packing for Italy. Additionally, a packing list will be sent to you in your final packet.

What if I want to extend my Italian vacation?

If you want to extend your vacation, you are in luck. We design custom vacations and private tours and are happy to assist you in adding days either before or after any of our group tours. Additional fees apply.

I’d love to do the tour, but I’m unavailable for your published dates. Do you anticipate adding new dates this year?

We are open to adding new dates or even helping groups who contact us find a mutually-agreed upon date that works for everyone. If you have a group of six or more, we can do the Small Group Heritage Tour of Calabria as a private tour – exclusive for your group. Contact us for details and availability.

What does “advanced research” mean?

Each case is slightly different because what and how much we can do is directly influenced by how much accurate information we get from the traveler. In general, our advanced research time could start with your Heritage Specialist translating information you give us from English into Italian and contacting the local city hall(s) to confirm and correct the information the traveler gives us. He then travels to the village, meets with the city hall employees and continues to search for more documents, if needed. We use the information we find to locate the neighborhoods, street, piazza or home where ancestors were born. We look for the church they attended and inquire about cemetery information. We talk to locals about the family, how the town would have been during that time and in some cases, we inquire about and search for Italian relatives. It’s important to note that although we refer to this as “advanced” research, research continues up until and including the day of your ancestry tour.

Does My Bella Vita book flights from the US to Italy?

I don’t – but I can either coordinate with your travel agent, recommend an agent to you for group travel or tell you about the airlines I personally choose when I’m traveling.

Got Any More Questions? Contact Us!