Italy at half term - would need to work from hotel

[sweetmelody]

I have been promising to take my 10 year old DD to Italy as a reward for a particular achievement. My 17 year old DS will be off to university next summer (after A levels in May June) and so it is important we try to make this happen - who knows when we will all go away together again.

DS has a two week October half term.
DD has one week. I cannot get annual leave approved by work for one week, let alone two.
Timetable on a deliverable has changed and, despite always taking leave at October half term, the work needs to be done. The compromise will be working for three days during the holiday and taking one/two days leave. This would give us 7-9 days away of which I’ll have to work for some of those days.

Will need to find holiday/hotel/accommodation that will allow me to do this without going crazy!

She will really want to see some sights (Rome is top of her list, but DH and I have done Rome twice so no more than a day trip which DH could do while I work) and are thinking the Lakes, Pompeii, Verona, Naples/Amalfi etc. But the accommodation will be key.

Any suggestions ?

You need to check if logistically and legally you can work remotely in EU. Wifi might prove unreliable in more rural areas. Is there any reason dh cannot take them and you join them over a weekend? North Italy may be cooling down at end October, so Rome and Naples/Sorrento, Florence or Bologna/Tuscany, Sicily might be a better option.

Will you end up feeling like you've had the right sort of holiday if you try and do all those things? I think I would feel as though I had spent the whole time travelling.

I think I would be picking one of those things and basing myself there with maybe one long day trip, or are you thinking you'll do a multi-base trip ?

We stayed in Lecco which was a pretty normal town on Lake Como, but it amazing views of the lake and had ferries to all the picture postcard villages, but with better food than the villages because it wasn't all aimed at tourists.

If you want to do Rome, it feels like you might be better off going south towards Naples for some better weather and then you can get to the Amalfi coast, Pompeii etc and do a day trip up to Rome more easily.

Are you sure you can take your IT equipment out of the country? We’re not allowed to WFH from abroad, only of we are attending a meeting, conference etc and must gives IT weeks of notice.

Apart from that, sounds a bit miserable working in a hotel room for a few days, especially when you have no idea on the quality/speed/security of the guest wifi.

People seem to be willfully misreading your post OP as if you’d asked for advice on your company’s policy on working from abroad, which I’m sure you know better than they do. Mumsnet hates WFH for some reason. Good luck finding a hotel. You could always buy extra overseas data and toggle if wi-fi not stable.

Are you happy for your 17 and 10 year old to go out exploring on their own, otherwise i can't see how this would work. Is a better option a long weekend - Friday/ Monday instead?

Thank you! Thought I was going mad! Started to write a response to this effect and then lost it. Very grateful to everyone posting these recommendations but it is legal to work overseas for three days, my company’s WFH policy allows it and I know it is far from ideal but the alternative is no holiday or they go without me (obviously an option, but trying to find a compromise).

or LTB job - don’t tempt me!!

What do you need from the hotel other than WiFi and a desk? Both are fairly standard. I often work from EU hotels with no issues.

I think you should do Rome for those days you’re working. We rented a brilliant apartment in a place called Colosseo Gardens last year, lovely setup and DH worked from home for a couple of afternoons so WiFi was fine. You say you and DH have done it, but you also say this trip is for your kids and if they haven’t done it then it’s a fantastic place. You could fly in to one place and fly out somewhere else.

I’d get an apartment rather than a hotel in your shoes - if you get an extra bedroom, you can use that as a study and it’s a bit less miserable than working in a hotel room.

I work from hotels all the time (travelling in academic life). All you need is a desk and chair in your room and reliable wifi. If you do for a good standard of hotel these are easy to come by. When I need to work, I generally avoid small, more interesting hotels and go for the big chains. Less interesting to stay in, but reliable wifi and easier to work in.

Nothing else needed to be able to work, but conscious that I rarely eat in hotels (unless we’ve done the all inclusive thing) and the rest of the family will have different needs to be met. Thanks

I keep losing my posts!

these are brilliant suggestions- thanks so much for sharing! Been so disappointed that been finding it hard to see the wood for the trees.

DH not the most organised traveller (I normally do all the planning) so he would be much more comfortable being in charge if he has already been before. I would love the kids to do Rome and Vatican City but wouldn’t be too bothered about not seeing them again (although Rome is my favourite European city). We can also easily find things to do together when I down tools

an apartment in Rome does make sense as it would give me the space to carve out for work. I prioritised a hotel as I didn’t want to worry about self catering thanks, but if we are in Rome, food will be easy.

now just need to work out an itinerary from Rome where I can enjoy my time with the family.

Yes - I agree. I was worried about self catering being another burden on top of working, but if we do Rome, it takes the pressure off. And then a hotel might work better for the second part when I can start my holiday

Do you have to do full days or be online at certain times?

I've found that doing more half days actually works better. Up early before others, 4 hours work, then lunch, afternoon and evening free for sightseeing/activities

The only caution I'd have about self catering is ensuring a reliable internet connection.

Oh, and a portable second screen is one of the best purchases I've ever made

THIS IS A THING????!

This is one of the things that I was worried about. Working on one screen makes things so much harder. Off to google

It would be better for the job if I could flex the day. I would be concerned about getting everything done so I could switch off for the rest of the day, but what you suggest would mean I’m leaving less to chance at work. Good to know that it worked for you

I generally hate self catering holidays because of all the mental gymnastics for me, but in Rome we didn’t eat in at all, except for breakfast, snacking, and takeaway. If you can find somewhere like the place we stayed you will have a great time, especially as the Colosseum looms into view within minutes of leaving the building, as you enter the park.

I'm out at the moment, but I'll find a link later. Mine is super light and is powered by my laptop charger, no separate power

I don't know the nature of your work, but after several trips where I'd rearranged what days I was working only for things to shift and be needed at different times I find it less stressful to have some availability over more days than having to shift things at the last minute.

Super - thanks

Have you got a recommendation? Lots of them seem to need a second plug but I'd like one that can run off USB C from my (plugged in) computer ideally.

(Edit, just clocked you've already replied saying you'll post a link later, thank you!)

This is what I've got

Dell 14 inch portable monitor

https://amzn.eu/d/bryir3o

I got it on a prime deal so it was around 180 at the time. There are some much cheaper ones but the reviews were very mixed and this had a 3 year warranty at the time. I needed something fairly quickly so didn't do a huge amount of research but really pleased with it. It comes with a felt sleeve and that fits in the laptop sleeve of my bag along with my laptop.

Plug my laptop power into the screen then screen and laptop connected by a supplied usb-c to usb-c cable and power passes through.

We stayed in Rome and Pompei in October half term 2 years ago. People recommend the Amalfi coast but because we wanted to focus on visiting Pompei and Herculaneum ruins and Vesuvius, we stayed here:
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/43931979?source_impression_id=p3_1754232880_P3E6NcChz3QjxboI

It was nice to stay in a proper Italian town. Good Wi-Fi too.