Welcome to the Blog/what to expect

I have been traveling all of my life it seems. Even when I was laying on the trampoline in the middle of a barren pasture, I was traveling. I looked up at the clouds and watched them move and imagined myself moving with them to far away places. I traveled to some interesting places, more than I probably should have as a child, thanks to my Aunt Wanda. She was happy to take me with her her to places like Disneyland and Hawaii, stopping along the way in New Mexico, San Francisco, etc. I am sure that I understood, at a very young age, that the world was a rather interesting place and that I had many more stops to make thanks to her travel influence during my youth. She taught me how to pack, what to do when you arrive, how to plan and where to find the best deals. Because of her generous spirit in regards to travel, I am sure I have gained as much from the places I have seen, if not more, than anything I have learned in a classroom.

I've been lucky as an adult to have married a supportive husband who is an accessory to my wanderlust. I have made many amazing vacation memories with him and as a family, with our children. I am anxious knowing that having all of them with me in Italy, may indeed top the list of all the adventures we've shared together. We are motivated to give our children the gift of travel and make great sacrifices to do so. When I think of the informal education gained by travel, I think of Mark Twain's quote: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness." If we can give our children this much, we've given them a lot. We think there is no finer way to grow amazing human beings than by showing them the world, all of it's possibilities and how to embrace the beauty of others with interest and compassion.

I began group travel in 2009 when taking high school students to Paris and now I think I may have started something...something very exciting that I can share with adults as well. Italy will be the maiden voyage for adults traveling as a group with me (non-school related) and I know it will be wonderful. I visited Italy in June of 2007 on a Fund For Teachers grant and have been marking the days until my return ever since.

I'd like to invite you to join us on our journey. You will be able to log on and find frequent, if not daily posts, of our fast but amazing adventure throughout Italy. Feel free to comment on any part of the blog as we go. Ciao! Lisa