Recently updated on August 13th, 2023 at 08:46 pm
Sandy and her two daughters live on opposite ends of the USA and lead such different lives that they rarely get to see each other at the same time. The joy of travel is what brings them together and in 2022, Sandy’s daughters stepped out of their daily lives to take their dream Best of Italy Trafalgar trip with their mom.
“It is very rare that I am able to be with both of my daughters at the same time as one lives in Washington, the other in Florida, and I live in Louisiana. Both of my daughters re-arranged their lives to take this tour of Italy with me. It was a joy to have both of my ‘babies’ under my wings again and to experience the beauty and flavor of Italy,” Sandy said in her Trafalgar Unlocked Awards entry.
We’re loving seeing your beautiful stories and entries to our exciting Trafalgar Unlocked Awards. If you’re a Trafalgar past guest, all you need to do is share your most memorable Trafalgar moment with us for the chance to win two seats on a 12-day trip to the Balkans with flights, all thanks to the Trafalgar Unlocked Awards.
We reached out to past guest Sandy to find out more about her memorable family trip to Italy, what she loves about travelling, and where she’s off to next.
Want to discover the Balkans for yourself? If you’re a Trafalgar past guest, all you need to do is share your most memorable Trafalgar moment with us for the chance to win, all thanks to the Trafalgar Unlocked Awards.
Why did you choose Italy as your dream trip with your daughters?
I had been to a few towns and cities in Italy on previous trips and loved the country and its people and had wanted to see more of it. Having had a taste of the beauty of Italy, the itinerary for the “Best of Italy” and the amount of time spent in each location was perfect. I wanted the three of us to see, explore, and have fun together. A trip to Italy checked all of those boxes.
EXPERIENCE IT: Best of Italy
What are some of your favorite memories from your trip to Italy?
- Spending 24 hours a day (almost) with my daughters.
- Eating wonderful food and learning more about Italy through Travel Director Patrizia’s excellent on-the-bus commentaries.
- Having time to explore beyond the guided tours so that we were, in effect, creating our own tour.
- Seeing my daughters enjoy themselves and have time together as they live on opposite sides of the US and have totally different lifestyles.
- Embracing the Italian lifestyle and not worrying about our next hotel or traffic, as Trafalgar had taken care of everything for us.
RELATED BLOG: Have you taken our most popular Italy tour? Let’s dive into 8 epic highlights
How often do you get to travel or be with your daughters?
I see my Tampa-based daughter once a year. As my older daughter and her family now live in the Tacoma, WA area, I’ll probably only see them once or twice a year. My two daughters are rarely together as their lives are so very different. This was our second trip together, so it was very, very special. The first trip we did all of the arrangements on our own, which was fine but stressful. Our Trafalgar trip was so much easier and gave us time to just enjoy each other’s company.
Why was it so important for you to travel together as a family?
This was so special as my older daughter is a full-time mom of four and an Army wife who has been home-schooling her children. She had also just been through breast cancer surgery. My younger daughter has no children and is a mid-level executive for a utility company. Each of them had to totally step out of her life to be with me. Not only were they spending quality time with me, they were also spending time with each other. This was a chance for them to look at and remember what they had in common (their childhood) instead of focusing on the fact that the choices they’ve made for their lives are very different.
What do you love most about traveling together?
The joy of seeing and sharing what I’m doing/experiencing with both of my daughters at the same time. These are memories that will carry them beyond the time that I’m still with them and beyond the physical and emotional distance that is between them.
Have you ever taken any other Trafalgar tours? Do you have a favorite destination or Trafalgar trip?
I’ve now taken three Trafalgar tours: “Best of Britain” in 2014, “Best of South America” in 2015 and “Best of Italy” in 2022. All three of these trips were wonderful and memorable. It’s hard to pick a favorite country but the most amazing country was China. My husband and I spent 17 days traveling from place to place and were in total awe.
RELATED BLOG: Beyond Dubrovnik and Sarajevo: 10 off-the-radar Balkan towns to explore with Trafalgar
With our Trafalgar Unlocked Awards you can win 2 places on our Balkan Delight tour. Have you ever been to the Balkans? Who would you take?
My husband and I did a cruise tour that originated in Venice. Our stops were in Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, and several places in Greece. I’d love to see more of this area, especially from the ground as the stops are limited from the sea. As my husband no longer wants to travel, I would take my sister or a good friend, or purchase one ticket so that I could take both of my daughters with me for another memorable adventure.
ENTER THE COMPETITION: Trafalgar Unlocked Awards
EXPERIENCE IT: Balkan Delight
Where are you headed next? What other destinations are on your bucket list?
I’ve now been to 44 countries and six continents. I hope that my next trip will be to Spain and Portugal. After that, I’d like to see Scandinavia and then more of Eastern Europe.
Have you entered our Trafalgar Unlocked Awards contest? It’s easy – if you’re a past guest of Trafalgar, just share a favourite memory with us.