Alerting your bank and credit card company

Before you leave for Italy, please be sure to contact your bank and credit card companies to let them know your will be out of the country. Otherwise, they might see attempted spending coming from a place they know you don't live and suspend or cancel your account!

That's generally a good thing, a safety measure to guard against someone running up huge bills on your card without your knowledge. But if it happens while you are away, and you don't have alternate options for money. Well.... that could get tricky!

So please, sometime BEFORE November 3, call the customer service number for your ATM and Credit Cards, and tell them when and where you will be away. (Don't bother bringing your DISCOVER Card, that's hardly accepted at all in Europe).

As a guide, here is a list you can tell the customer service rep:
November 3: Philadelphia
Generally, November 4-12: Italy (Rome, Assisi, Spello, (and if you choose a tour: Florence/Pompeii)
November 12: Rome, Philadelphia, return home.

If they want your list more detailed:
November 4: Italy: Rome, Assisi and points in between.
November 5-7: Assisi (Spello, Montefalco, perhaps-- near Assisi)
Nov 7-12: Rome
Nov 10: Rome and if you choose an optional tour, either Florence or Naples and Pompeii

Let me also encourage you to review the items listed as blog topic "get ready" (list at right), as you continue to prepare for our adventure!