Anybody can drive following the signs…but what if there are no signs or they are wrong?

Have you ever driven through Tuscany? Beautiful countryside found only in movies and dreams. So, have you ever driven through Sicily's backroads? Beautiful, of course, but it can also be an adventure.

GPS is your friend until you arrive at the unexpected “Road Closed” sign. Then what? Yes, you can backtrack but if a guide is expecting you at a set time or you are on a tight timeline to catch a flight, what do you do?

I have been driving the same road over and over again taking my daughter and her girlfriends to a horse camp on the inland of Sicily and don’t you know that I often encounter a broken bridge. I keep wondering why I don’t just have a driver take them. It would be faster, easier, less time-consuming, and would eliminate one more weekly frustration for me.

I love sightseeing, I love the countryside, I love looking out the window but honestly, I don’t love finding that I missed a road sign informing me of some detour that is going to make me more than a bit late. What’s just as bad is when the detour signs are missing altogether.

So, why do we choose the least expensive option most times? Is it because we don’t have an expert to rely on to help us make informed decisions? Maybe, it is because we feel the supercomputer/phone in our pocket is the only expert we will ever need. If that were true then every DIY vacation would be complete perfection. But we know that is simply not the case.

We rely on experience, expertise, and passion for creating connections between travelers and the places they visit. This is our proven recipe for travel perfection and no amount of internet searches will ever provide the experiences that our travelers enjoy. There are no algorithms or artificial intelligence that will ever compete with the abilities of knowledgeable, caring, feeling travel planners.

My advice to travel professionals is to travel often, enjoy a wide variety of experiences, learn as much as possible about where you are traveling, and travel with companies who you know will expand the way you think while giving you opportunities to fall in love with the places you visit and the people you meet along the way. Travel with companies that are not just selling a trip just to make a sale, but who are driven by a passion to share their love of their country.

Work with companies that are guided by principles and beliefs and are dedicated to ensuring that everyone in their ecosystem, from drivers and guides to the owners of the wineries they use have the same guiding principles. Work with companies whose first concern is the experiences their clients enjoy.

So, if you are a traveler, a travel designer, or a supplier, make sure you partner with the right tour operator who has the same beliefs you have. When you start with the right partner you can be assured that when a trip is shared, it is shared because the pairing is the right one, the one that you will remember forever because sharing is caring, and caring is believing that the world can change for good (we pray for Ukraine)!

BTW...if you are in the travel industry and want to join some of the best and most authentic destinations in Italy, choose Franciacorta and Valtellina from April 5th to April 12th, or the Veneto tour from June 3rd to June 10th,

*A Personal Note from Laura

If you would like to see what we've been doing and will continue to do for travel agents take a look at our Facebook group.

WHY SEE ITALY?
Why use our company? Because our MISSION is to ensure that your clients are well taken care of and experience the "authentic" Italian way of life. We only use GENUINE Italian guides on excursions. We strive to arrange small group tours, enhancing the Italian experience which is often lost in larger groups..

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