Our Globus Best of Italy tour begins on 10/22. We fly from Cincinnati non-stop to Rome during the nite - plan to sleep - sure we will!

Knowing the risk of blood clots, feel a need to get support stockings. Anyone used these? If so, did you get ones to cover the thighs & the calves or is just covering the calves adequate? Any suggestions on where to get these? Do I just go to Walmart or places like that?

Also, considering an electronic translator, just for the fun of it. Anyone used these & have any suggestions for me as to which are best, where to get best buy, etc.

Lastly, I saw a couple of posts about more than 1 bus on a tour. Do I need to contact Affordable Tours & specify a certain bus. Can I be assured that my husband & I will be on the same bus as our adult son, whose tour was booked & paid by me at the same time?

Thanks, Julie

Well . .. . I've never been to Europe, but November 3 we are taking our first tour, to Italy (flying from NYC). . A friend of mine told me she wears the support stockings all time as she flies back and forth to England often (said she bought them at a luggage/travel place). . Anyway, I asked my doctor the last time I saw him and he felt that unless there was a history of blood clots or some medical problems, it wasn't really necessary. I could get up and walk around the plane once in a while. Also, I'm on the short/small side and have room to fidget around. So.. . instead of spending $22 or more on the support hose, I went to a Haynes outlet and bought 3 pairs of support knee highs for $8.00, figured it couldn't hurt.

Hope that opinion helps Have a great time on your trip.

If you booked your family all at the same time, then you are all on the same bus. Look at your invoice, it should list the tour letters and/or number for your entire party. (If there are 2 buses for the same tour on the same dates, they will each have a different letter and/or number designation.)

[quote="Julie A. Hurst"]Our Globus Best of Italy tour begins on 10/22. We fly from Cincinnati non-stop to Rome during the nite - plan to sleep - sure we will!

Knowing the risk of blood clots, feel a need to get support stockings. Anyone used these? If so, did you get ones to cover the thighs & the calves or is just covering the calves adequate? Any suggestions on where to get these? Do I just go to Walmart or places like that?

Also, considering an electronic translator, just for the fun of it. Anyone used these & have any suggestions for me as to which are best, where to get best buy, etc.

Lastly, I saw a couple of posts about more than 1 bus on a tour. Do I need to contact Affordable Tours & specify a certain bus. Can I be assured that my husband & I will be on the same bus as our adult son, whose tour was booked & paid by me at the same time?

Thanks, Julie[/quote]

My husband and I are booked on the 10/15 Best of Italy tour! Regarding your question on support hose, I always wear knee high T.E.D. hose (stands for "thromboembolitic deterrent" hose) for long trips, and definitely plan on wearing them for our overseas flight. I am a registered nurse have seen this style of hose used routinely on many hospitalized patients to reduce swelling and to help deter clot formation in the legs. Generally speaking, the thigh high type are used more frequently when there has been a history of circulatory problems--they are also considerably more expensive. Personally, I would opt for the knee high T.E.D. stockings unless there is a history of circulation problems in the legs. You can buy these over the counter at most drug stores (I got my at Walgreens) and probably at the big discount places like Walmart. Even if you decide to buy support stockings, you should still do some hourly inflight seat exercises while you are awake (flex and extend the knees, rotate the ankles, etc) and get up to walk around periodically. Be sure to measure your calf circumference and the distance from the back of you knee to the base of your heel so that you can decide on the proper size (one size does not fit all). . If you are concerned about any preexisting circulation problems in you legs, check with your doctor to see what he suggests.