Let me paint you an all-too-familiar picture:
The kids are in college (or tucked away in bed), the house is oddly quiet, and you’re scrolling through Facebook on your iPad — creeping on all the photos your friend just posted about her vacation in Florence.
You make a mental note to yourself: “I have to book a trip to Italy soon…”
(In the meantime, a reservation at your nearest Italian restaurant to quash your craving for butternut squash ravioli will suffice, right?)
… One year later, nada. (“It just wasn’t the right time”)
… Two years later, nope. (“Next summer, for sure!”)
…Three years later…
Scratch that, because your time is up. If you’ve been looking for a sign you should say YES to booking that trip to Rome, Venice, Florence or Cinque Terre — we’ve got three that you can’t ignore.
1. You’ve always dreamed of visiting Italy, and you’re running out of excuses not to go.
Over the years, you might have justified vacationing closer to home by thinking…
“I need to go with someone special.”
“I should probably wait until things are less crazy with work.”
“It’s too much of an effort to plan.” (P.S. It doesn’t have to be.)
“When the kids are older.”
“When the kids leave for university!”
… If these “Should I go to Italy” thoughts have been playing like a scratched-up Andrea Bocelli record on repeat, it’s time to hit pause and consider:
Why wait any longer?
It’s been the one place you’ve been dying to visit, for as long as you can remember. You are obsessed with Italian art, fashion, food and culture and sample it where you can, close to home. But — there’s nothing like the real deal.
If you can’t seem to justify a reason not to go — you have tabled the money/time/scheduling excuses for now — it should be THE trip you start planning for next.
And if mindset is what’s fueling your procrastination… Read on.
2. You’re craving some positivity (and pasta, al dente) back in your life.
Sometimes, life is just as tough as stale focaccia.
When things don’t change, our day-to-day devolves from our safe space into… well, a rut.
Your thoughts become increasingly negative, irritable or cynical (it’s not cool). You start keeping to yourself more, and everyone around you seems to be giving off the same buzzkill vibes. Your creative juices? Zilch.
You might even be feeling that way right now…
But there might also be a lil’ piece inside you that hasn’t quite left yet — the knowledge that you weren’t always this way.
You’re starting to realize that you can’t keep going down this path of believing that your world is confined to where you are right now.
After all, you once had visions of Venetian canals dancing through your head.
You wanted to drive along the Cypress-lined roads of Chianti, with the Tuscan light bouncing through your windows, and a box of red from 2009 in the trunk of your Fiat.
In fact, the number one thing on your list was to learn how to make the perfect tagliatelle ai porcini in a rustic Tuscan kitchen, from scratch.
That glimmer of button-down-linen-shirt-living in Italy hasn’t totally disappeared.
It’s just been a little sidetracked.
We say, eat that focaccia while it’s warm, fresh out of the oven. Aka less waiting around, and more doing.
3. You’re tired of being Chief of Everything.
Being a modern woman means many things these days.
Hooray we got the vote, but we also still have the laundry. Hooray we see women speaking up about alllll the bad behaviour, but uggg, there’s just a feeling of being tired. Of. It. All.
A change of scenery, and a skipping-out on responsibilities, is just what a gal has gotta do sometimes to get some renewed energy. And a proper cappuccino.
A week where you can hang your Chief of Everything hat, and grab that Chief of Whatever I Feel Like Today one.
A moment to say, “Me time!” (And quit googling, “Should I go to Italy?”)
Whether it’s lounging by a pool in a groovy Sicilian situation solo, or sampling ten types of pesto in Monterosso on our group tours, if your imagination ramps up thinking about these things — it’s your time to make it happen.
After hearing from hundreds of clients and readers over the last eight years, we know Italy is a perfect place to charge your batteries.
Need more reasons to say yes to a new Italian adventure? You’ll enjoy reading these articles:
- Why Every Woman Needs To Travel Alone At Least Once
- A Sad Start But A Happy Ending: The Italian Fix Backstory
- More Fun, Anyone?
Know that whatever you’re going through right now, we’re a team that believes in your travel dreams.
We’re wanderlust enablers and we don’t poo poo any fanciful holiday fantasies. We believe traveling is as important as any other thing you’re trying to make happen.
Because time is our most valuable asset. As are the experiences we have and the people we meet along the way.
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Now, we would love to hear from you. Please spill the grappa!
What’s your “I would if I could” travel fantasy? Please, do share them in the comments below.
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Thanks for checking out our blog!
Are you interested in travelling to Italy with us on a day trip?
We’d love to meet you!
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Image credits: Leela Cyd 1, 4.