Since when I was a little girl. My parents loved road trips in Italy and Europe, so we used to do that a lot. Me, my little sister, our cat and our parents spent weeks in exploring, tasting, smelling new places. Dad used to bring along his 35mm Olympus with him and I remember wanting to learn how to take photos as well. All these moments have stuck with me and shaped who I am today.

I’m in the middle! I try to save by taking smart decisions when booking, but I don’t feel compelled to go for luxury experiences.

The area that in Italy is commonly named “The Real America”, so all the States around the Rocky Mountains. I’ve been in South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming… and what can I say, I just fell in love! I’ve been often on the American West Coast, which is in second place of my personal top 3, but still… I’d love to explore more the area that maybe had the bigger influence on me when I was young. I love the Old Wild West history, and thus I bought a lot of books, maps, movies and documentaries, so exploring it in person was a pretty powerful experience. I want to go back and stay longer!

I’m married and I’ve been with my then boyfriend/now husband for the past 17 years. If anything, I think it had a positive influence on me because I found the perfect travel companion. We’re on the same page and even when I’ve traveled solo because of my work, he never once held me back.

That’s easy, it’s my husband!

Almost one year. I’ve started working on my Instagram but micro-blogging there wasn’t enough, I tend to write too much! So feeling the need to have my own space where I could hand out tips and travel hacks, I decided to try my hand at travel blogging. I had no idea I’d enjoy it so much!!!

I start by picking a period of the year and a place I want to go to. Then I go from there. I am in love with Lonely Planet Guides so unless I already have what I need, I go to their website and start buying… well. A lot more guides than I’d need, actually! It’s just that I really like to read them! Because I generally prefer road trips (see how childhood memories stuck with me?) I prepare an itinerary and see if there’s a panoramic highway or something in the area. If I find it, then I proceed by booking the lodging along the road and a car, according to the terrain (es. a Jeep or something if I plan to do some offroading or a convertible Mustang for a road trip on the Route 66!). Of course, by the end, my Lonely Planet is full of colored post-its and quite battered, but they’re more beautiful that way!

I know for a fact that when I used to travel on my own sometimes I haven’t felt safe or completely at ease. And it’s the worst feeling, to be honest. As women, we have to be extra careful when we travel. It’s not right, but more often than not we have to deal with people who don’t understand the meaning of “no”, or “personal space”. It doesn’t mean we cannot travel on our own, only that we are unfortunately more exposed to certain dangers. Does this make me mad? Hell, yes!!!

 

Always be extra careful. Tell your friends and parents where you’re going. I always leave a detailed itinerary at home, with all the info, telephone numbers, lodging and so on. This way should anything happen, your family and friends will know where to look for you. Because I’m extra careful, I also register to our institutional Italian website http://www.viaggiaresicuri.it/home.html so our government knows where I am: if there’s a similar website in your Country, then always use it!