Recently updated on July 5th, 2023 at 11:52 am
A monumental life moment deserves a trip of a lifetime. Do you agree? Well, two Trafalgar guests who certainly do are Bernie and Laura Dake. The happy couple recently celebrated their 30th year of marriage on a Wonders of Italy tour.
And during their 10-day journey to Rome, Lucca, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Vatican City, Venice, Verona, Bologna, Assisi and Tivoli – their dream of visiting Italy became true. What’s even better? This was their first ever travel tour. So it’s time to make some popcorn and listen to their heart-warming story.
*The interview answers below are all direct quotes from Laura Dake (IG:@laurajdake)
Why did you choose Trafalgar for this trip of a lifetime?
“A few years ago, friends of ours traveled with Trafalgar and they had only good things to say about their experience. This year we celebrated our 30th anniversary and we wanted to travel. Italy has been a place we have wanted to visit for a very long time. As the world started to adjust travel restrictions and it became safer to travel, we looked at Trafalgar to see what Italy trips were offered. Wonders of Italy dates worked for us and we booked it. We have never used a travel company before, but we wanted to maximise our time and see all that we could. Our friends had told us that Trafalgar takes care of every detail so we felt confident that this was going to be a worthwhile investment.”
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What were the best experiences on tour and why?
“So many incredible moments! Trafalgar arranged some of the best foodie experiences we have ever had. The Be Our Guest meals were beautiful experiences that we still talk about. We didn’t have to wait in lines to visit museums or sites including the beautiful boat ride on the Grand Canal in Venice. Cinque Terre and Tuscany were also highlights. We really appreciated the attention to detail including the travel, hotels, & local specialists.”
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Did anything special (or unexpected) happen when you were on the trip?
“While we were on our trip we celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary and my husband’s birthday. Our tour guide, Marco made sure we felt special. The night of his birthday we were at Villa Machiavelli for dinner and they arranged a birthday cake and sang happy birthday. Marco also arranged a singer and accordion player to be on our gondola singing to us while on the Grand Canal!”
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Do you feel this trip of a lifetime has brought you even closer?
“Yes, this was a beautiful experience. We anticipated this trip for months and when it finally arrived we were so excited. We really treated ourselves and made it about us because we had much to celebrate. Italy was a spectacular place to do that. We met amazing people that we will keep in touch with. We loved our time together. Memories that will last a lifetime.”
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Where would you like to travel in the next 30 years?
“We love to travel. There are so many places on our list: Germany, Australia, Greece, Jordan, Croatia, South Africa and I will always want to go back to Italy. There are still more places to see there. We will definitely be using Trafalgar in the future.”
Are you ready for your very own trip of a lifetime? Tell us where you’d like to go in the comments below!