Before I jump into talking about this trip, I need to give you a small backstory. My wife Helena and I had a cruise vacation planned for March of 2020 to the Caribbean. We were very excited about this trip because it was the first time we were able to travel since our trip to Australia in 2018.
Related: How We Won An Incredible Trip To Sydney, Australia
The reason why we didn’t travel in 2019 was that my mother broke her leg, and we had to take care of her full-time.
A week before our cruise left though, the Covid pandemic really hit the world. Our cruise that we were really looking forward to was canceled.
The truth of the matter is, we really wanted to go to Europe and not the Caribbean. So because we got a nice future cruise credit and prices were cheap, we got an even better vacation booked for September 2021.
We really picked the right date because our cruise was the first time this ship sailed since the pandemic. With that said, here’s our incredible trip to Italy and Spain.
Is it safe to travel abroad?
Well, that is going to be subjective to each person. There’s always some type of risk in travel. In fact, there is risk in everyday life. My philosophy is to not live your life in fear, and have a positive expectation that things are always working out for me.
With that being said, I do believe it is safe to travel abroad for a number of reasons.
- Airports, cruises, and the travel industry, in general, have become very strict with their pandemic safety protocols.
- Hepa air filters are on flights
- Masks, sanitizing, and social distancing are all being followed
- Covid tests and vaccines are required to travel and enter most facilities when traveling abroad
- Because people are still wary of travel, every place we visited was much less crowded.
Yes, it can be annoying to wear a mask most of the time, especially on an 8-hour flight. Yes, it is bothersome to take covid tests.
But for me, being able to travel and enjoy seeing new people, places, and experiences is well worth the minor inconveniences that travel includes nowadays.
Here are some amazing photos and descriptions of our trip. Enjoy!
Landing In Rome, Italy
One of the first things I noticed was how spectacular the architecture was for the buildings. It truly was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
And of course, We can’t talk about rum without talking about the decadent Foods that we tasted.
Heading To Modena/Maranello
Before boarding our cruise and Civitavecchia, I wanted to fulfill one of my lifetime bucket list goals, driving a Ferrari in Italy.
My wife and I found a company that does a full Ferrari day experience called I love Marinello. First I got to drive a Ferrari 458 Italia Coupe for 15 minutes.
We then went to the Ferrari Museum down the road.
Next, we did a bus tour and actually went inside the Ferrari factory.
Lastly, we had a nice late lunch at a restaurant near the factory.
I have to say it was an incredible experience and one that I’ll never forget. I highly recommend the company I love Marinello
Here’s the 15 min video of me driving the Ferrari 458 Italian through the streets of Maranello!
You can check out the Test Drive Ferrari Experience by clicking the link here
Later that evening we had the absolute best pizza I’ve ever had in my life near our hotel in Modena. Domino’s just doesn’t cut it anymore when you’ve had pizza like this!
Norwegian Epic Cruise
The NCL epic ship is an older ship but has been refurbished. We were really impressed with all the crew members and their amazing service. I highly recommend Norwegian, especially if you enjoy food.
We got the drink package but didn’t really use it. We’re lightweights and can’t hold our liquor anymore!
One thing to keep in mind with this cruise and cruises, in general, is that it does attract a certain type of demographic.
The first being younger 20 something adults who like to dance, drink, and party.
The next demographic that you’ll see a lot of on cruises are baby boomers in their 60s and older
Next time we will omit the drink package and get the spa and internet package instead.
Norwegian does give you a couple of hundred minutes of internet, but it is really slow. I also didn’t realize that I was keeping the app open in the background, and it ate up all of my internet minutes the first day.
So if you need internet for business or just want fast streaming, get the upgrading internet before sailing. It will be MUCH cheaper!
I’ve only been on one another Norwegian Cruise, so I can’t really compare it to other Cruise Lines. But the experience that I did have with the Norwegian Epic ship was excellent.
Visiting Pompei
I had always wanted to visit Pompei after learning about it in elementary school. It truly was a sight to see how well preserved the painting, streets, and buildings were.
Before leaving, we enjoyed a big lemon gelato!
A Quick Day In Barcelona, Spain
One of the ports that we stopped at on the cruise was Barcelona. We didn’t have a whole lot planned for this day but we did enjoy walking down one of the main streets and doing a little bit of people watching
The highlight of this port for my wife was going to a little cafe called Dulcinea and having Churros and hot chocolate to dip it in.
Delicious!
How We Travel Using Credit Card Reward Points
When looking at this incredible vacation, you might be thinking it would cost a lot of money. Well, believe it or not, this vacation didn’t cost us really anything at all.
We do something known as Credit Card hacking. If you are not familiar, Credit Card hacking is when you use credit cards for your utilities, rent, and day-to-day purchases.
We then receive cash back and travel points that we can redeem for vacations like this. The main credit card we use is the American Express Platinum Card.
Related: How We Travel With Credit Card Points
Besides getting points that we can redeem, we also get access to VIP lounges in airports and other locations.
Traveling and dealing with airports is stressful enough, but having a nice meal and cocktail at an Airport VIP lounge makes all the difference in the world.
An Amazing Meal at the AMEX VIP lounge, all complimentary of course!
If you’re interested in getting those same benefits and being able to travel for little to no money, you can apply for the American Express Platinum card here
If you use our referral link, you will receive 80,000 points for free
Final Thoughts On This Spain And Barcelona Trip
Overall, it was the trip of a lifetime. The highlight for me was the Ferrari experience. When I come back, I want to drive the Ferrari on a racetrack!
For my wife Helena, it was going to the Sistine Chapel and other churches. We both enjoyed the cruise equally I would say!
Are you considering traveling abroad this year or next? Let me know in the comments below.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below or email me directly at itraveltomuseums{@}gmail.com.
Thanks for reading,
Nick Hazleton
Co-Founder of Random Assets of Life