I had the privilege of traveling with Patti on my 2016 Amalfi Coast Women’s Tour and I asked if she would be willing to write about her experience. There is something powerful about travel with women and I believe the experience is something that should be felt by all. At the risk of embarrassing her, I want to share a moment that captured the community we had established with our group. One of the days we hiked from Atrani to Ravello in the rain. This was a challenge to say the least, but as one of us would begin to falter the others would gather around in support and encouragement. We all made it to the top wet and exhausted, yet closer and stronger than when we set out that morning.

Thank you Patti!

One Group of Women:  Many Great Memories

Shed your inhibitions, challenge yourself, and travel to new worlds — discover a new you. And to further enhance this experience, travel with a group of women. My fall trip to Italy did just that. Eight women from various spots across the United States gathered in Sorrento, Italy, on the first day of our tour, and our friendships grew as we interacted with each other, the Italian people, and the romantic Italian culture.

I knew we would be a cohesive group from the beginning since our common goal was to tour southern Italy. Our schedule was perfect and the reservations for hotels and many meals were reserved thanks to our guide, Andi. But I really, really knew we were solid during dinner one evening. We were eating in a castle setting within Amalfi talking about everything we could remember from our day. We shared food with each other to experience the total taste of Amalfi, and the desserts made a slow trip around the table for everyone to sample. Several people around us smiled and enjoyed our story telling. One couple from Australia became quite intrigued with our conversation and got involved, too. The man’s wife finally confessed, “I want to be with your group.” “Sorry, Mr. Husband, this is ladies only,” but we told her to join us for our next trip, and he laughed. We were already talking about Twice in a Lifetime.

Group travel gives you a sense of adventure as well as security. It’s fun to get lost, and we did several times which allowed us to figure our way back to “camp.” We weren’t using a GPS; we were using our group skills and learned to ask people questions. First thought: do they speak English? Not always. I sensed that the Italians love Americans because they went out of their way to assure that we would take the right turn, catch the right train, or even find someone who could help us communicate. Prego, grazie, scusami were my stabs at being grateful, but nonverbal communication said it all, and we were rewarded with a smile or soft laugh and usually some helpful information. Our adventures created lasting memories that will always identify this September 2016 group.

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”
– Mark Twain

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” – Helen Keller

 

Who we are:

Once in a Lifetime Travel is a passionately run company focused on mindful and fearless travel through authentic experiences and connections. We feature small, fully

guided group tours to Italy for women

. Our

Italian travel consultant

services feature focused itinerary reviews and detailed

Italy travel planning.

Go Travel, and Travel Fearless.

Andi Brown, Once in a Lifetime Travel

©copyright 2017

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