Question: Melissa Famiglietti asks: I am a member of AAA who has never used this service to book travel. Recently, I won a trip from a radio station from Boston to Milan, Italy! I am very excited about the free tickets, but also very nervous about booking the travel and hotel stays. My sister and I will only be there for a little over a week, but wanted to know the best way to see Milan, Lake Como, Switzerland and France on somewhat of a budget.

Answer: Renuka Sastri, AAA Publishing marketing manager says: Your AAA travel professional can certainly help you plan your trip and make your hotel reservations for you. Here are a few of options I would recommend for your one-week long trip:

1. Experience one area really well. If your tickets are into Milan, there is plenty to see and do in Italy or even just in northern Italy.

- Explore the Italian Lakes area. Just north of Milan, the area includes Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, Orta, the Bergamo Valleys and much more. Italy has a good rail system that will get you there and back to Milan. I recommend the AAA Essential Italian Lakes Guide if you want to read more about this area.

- Explore further into Italy. South of Milan, into the center of the Italian Peninsula, I highly recommend Florence and the Tuscany region. The scenery, the museums packed with art and the architecture are incredible. You can fly to the area or take the trains down. I recommend the AAA Essential Florence & Tuscany if you want to read more about this area.

- You can also choose make a round trip by train through all of Italy’s major travel destinations. These would include those mentioned above, plus Rome, of course, and Naples and Venice. AAA’s Italy TravelBook is a good resource for a first-time visitor

2. Travel through Italy, Switzerland and France as you mention. It’s possible to see it by train, especially if you focus your trip around southern Switzerland, South Eastern France and Northern Italy.

- You could spend a couple of days in Milan, head to Monaco and Nice, then on to Geneva, Bern (if possible) and back on to Milan.

- You can go further afield and hit the major destinations of Paris, Zurich, Rome and back to Milan. My concern however is that you would spend more time travelling than you would experiencing the places.

Transportation: I’ve taken the trains between major European destinations and it’s generally a breeze. The Italian train systems are very efficient but a bit tricky to figure out. There's a range of services, from those that stop at every station, to intercity trains that cost a bit more. The Pendolino is the fastest and most expensive. Also, if you’d like to try a slower route, Eurolines offers bus services between the main Italian towns and several cities outside of Italy. Within each city, public transport is your best option to get around. You can of course fly between destinations but my recommendation would be for the trains. Does anyone else have any recommendations?