Travel Tip: Know the weather

In less than a week, you'll be on the other side of the world, boarding a bus for one of the most beautiful areas of Italy. Hard to imagine, isn't it? Facing the unknown is part of what makes travel so exciting. But that doesn't necessarily apply to weather. In the case of climate, it can actually be helpful to have some idea of what to expect where you're going, if only so you can decide which outfits you want to pack closest to the top of your bag.

The good news for you Mater Dei students is that the weather in the part of Italy you'll be touring isn't that different from Santa Ana. Both areas are considered Mediterranean climates, which means mild, wet winters and dry, warm, sunny summers. You'll notice a lot of the trees, shrubs, flowers, and even the way the clouds hang in the sky look familiar.

The main difference, though, is that the climate where you're headed is slightly more extreme than where you're coming from: a little hotter in the summer and a little colder in the winter. This time of year, Italy will be a tad colder than you're used to - according to forecasts, maybe as much as 10 degrees chillier than Santa Ana. So make sure you pack a light jacket or windbreaker or keep an extra hoodie handy, especially to account for seaside breezes in Amalfi and potential rainfall in Rome. Because there's nothing more annoying than being distracted from a beautiful view by your goose-bumpy arms.

(Bonus tip: Italians use Celsius to measure temperature rather than Fahrenheit. You can use this site to make conversions. Or, for a general sense of the difference, keep in mind that 20 Celsius is about room temperature, 0 is freezing, and 10 is cold enough to need a sweater and a jacket.)