A Photo Tells a Thousand Words

A collection of our team's favorite travel quotes and photos from our very own travel experiences through Bella Italia.

Photo by jolie klein

"I haven't been everywhere yet...but it's on my list."

-Susan Sontag

---

"But that's the glory of foreign travel...I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childhood wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can't read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can't even reliably cross the street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses."

-Bill Bryson

PHOTO BY CASSANDRA SANTORO

"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living."

-Miriam Beard

---

"Connection doesn't care about the laws of the land. Your soul will be pulled to the place it belongs. "

-Anonymous

Photo by francesca panzariello

"Traveling leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller."

-Ibn Battuta

---

"…and the lonely traveler is engulfed."

- Morrissey

PHOTO by kaitlyn showalter

“You have to find that place that brings out the human in you. The soul in you. The love in you.”

–R.M. Drake

---

"Traveling is like flirting with life. It's like, "I would stay and love you, but I have to go"

-Lisa Teran

PHOTo by kelsey gibson

"The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for the newer and richer experience"

    -Eleanor Roosevelt 

---

" There will be a few times in your life when all your instincts will tell you to do something, something that defies logic, upsets your plans, and may seem crazy to others. When that happens, you do it. Listen to your instincts and ignore everything else. Ignore logic, ignore the odds, ignore the complications, and just go for it."

    -Judith McNaught

Inspiring Travel Stories: Erica Virvo

Interview and Written by Halie Taylor

Read one women's story about passion for travel and the change it is bringing to the world!

Over the years, we are seeing more and more of the  travel industry giving back. Those who use this privilege of traveling to inspire, motivate and help others with this same dream. We are lucky enough here at TIS to be surrounded by many just like this--Erica Virvo is one of those amazing, generous and bright spirited people.

Photo courtsey of erica virvo

Erica had gone into college  to study interior design in Virginia, her thoughts were to lead an average life in an average town.

It wasn't until one day that she woke up realizing she was set to do something special in this world, something bigger and she wanted to do this through travel.

Her immediate thought was to  join the Peace Corps. However, with a desire to complete her degree, she chose an alternative option. Instead she packed her bags and moved to Qatar, a location where she can continue her university credits and also learn about the world.

 "Traveling to Qatar changed my life and was one of the main things that set things in motion for me as a volunteer and a traveler."

Photo courtesy of Erica Virvo

From here Erica was more inspired than ever. Soon after her move to Qatar, Erica took a spring break trip to Cambodia with a volunteer group.

Falling in love with Cambodia, Erica then tried to take up residency in the country and teach English. However, with this desire not working out she was left with the question that many of us face when plans don’t work out, “what’s next?”

Photo courtesy of Erica Virvo

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. 

-Walt Disney

Instead of giving up when she didn't find a job in Cambodia, Erica lived her dream by venturing to rural Thailand to live with host family and volunteer teaching English to high schoolers. Then eventually she found herself in South Korea teaching English as a job. After traveling half way around the world at this point, she came to a realization.

She was not just traveling, she was learning and growing with others. Erica was loving every minute of this experience and knew she needed to take this gift of hers to the next level!

Photo courtesy of Erica Virvo

The adventure that followed South Korea was what changed her path. The money saved by teaching in South Korea was put towards a program with an international learning center located in St. Vincent and the Grenadines

In this program, Erica spent 6 months in the Caribbean learning and living the culture of the town. Experiences ranged form working on a farm, cleaning up beaches, teaching in local schools and most importantly how to live in an area without running water or electricity.

Photo courtesy of Erica Virvo

These 6 months were all preparation for the time Erica spent in Zambia, where she traveled to next. In Zambia, life started to make sense. Everything she learned was bursting through with passion, love and light.

She was finally able to use all the skills developed over the years of travel to be a change of world to these people. And by people we mean, those of all ages, from 4 to 94 years. Erica was now one with the community!

"The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away"
-Picasso

Photo courtesy of Erica Virvo

Although her time ended in Zambia, she knew what had to come next--find an organization to continue to help her new family. An organization that would give them hope and light, even if she was back home--this is when she found  Charity: Water.

charity: water is a non-profit organization that provides clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Founded by Scott Harrison in 2006,this organization has helped fund 19,819 projects in 24 countries, benefiting over 6.1 million people.

Photo courtesy of Erica

An amazing factor of this organization is that not only is it helping those in need, it is also changing how the charities work. Their ability to bring about fast, lasting, measurable results, recruit reliable and honorable volunteers, as well show authentic love for the cause, is what makes Erica so proud to support and encourages others to donate to this foundation!  Best part: 100% of every donation goes directly to the field (they have consistent private donors that cover the organization's overhead), they primarily rely on local experts and partnerships, and they prove every project (you get an email with the GPS coordinates of the well you contributed to so you can see it on Google maps - or go visit it yourself!)

This tribe is what brings Erica to life!

"We are told so much about how life is, but if you don’t see thing for yourself you don’t truly know."
-Erica Virvo

Photo courtesy of Erica Virvo

Erica continues to purse her passion of travel within her career as she currently holds the  position of Director of Global Operations with Nomadic Matt. The wonderful part of her job is that she also gets to give back by working on Nomadic Matt's non-profit Foundation for Learning and Youth Travel Education, which sends American high school classes on educational trips overseas to bring their learning to life.  You may be familiar with them because we at TIS partner with FLYTE by donating 2% of our profits to the foundation!

Erica is one of those amazing women that will continue to inspire others to believe that if you can dream it, you can do it and when you do it--give back to those in need!

Point to take away: Live with passion and see how life only gets better each journey at a time...

If you would like to be a apart of Erica's journey we encourage you to donate to charity: water on her behalf!

For her upcoming birthday she is raising money for to bring clean water to rural areas of the world.  She was inspired to do this after she learned that her wonderful host family just lost a very special member of their family. Shaddy was just 4 years old. To contact Erica or to get more information on donating simply click on this link for more information.

---

Halie is the Travel Marketing Trends Coordinator for Travel Italian Style and is currently a senior at College of Charleston in Charleston, SC where she is majoring in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. Living in Charleston, Halie developed a love for beautiful scenery and unique culture. This love led her to her passion for travel which allows her to discover beautiful scenery and unique cultures in places all over the world. When she is not daydreaming about her next traveling adventure she can be found redoing warn out furniture found on the side of the road, writing fiction and attempting Pinterest crafts.

One Day In Cinque Terre

By Leora Kahn

Cinque Terre: The Most Beautiful Place In The World!

These 5 cities on Italy's coast will make you wish you were Italian.

Let’s say you only have one day to visit these five beautiful cities. Can it be done? Oh yes it can. These cities are available by a quick train ride that stops at each destination.

Or, if you are feeling adventurous, you can hike! Here is what a few of my friends and I did with our one day in Cinque Terre.

First stop: Levanto. 

Now this town is not part of Cinque Terre, but I highly recommend it! Levanto is on the outskirts of Cinque Terre, and we were able to find a quaint bed and breakfast for the duration of our trip. We explore the town a little bit before headed to our first village, Monterroso.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEORA

After Levanto, we decided to take a less than five-minute train ride to Monterosso.

We ventured into the first village of Cinque Terre; Monterosso. Determined to find a wine tasting, we searched all over and attempted our best Italian 101 basics. What we found was more than we could have imagined.

We climbed up a muddy pathway to the top of a hill to find an old woman baking and serving wine. We ordered the best white and red wine I’ve ever tasted. Next was the famous Sciacchetra, which they prided themselves on because Obama himself tasted it at their vineyard (they immediately brought us his personal framed thank you once they found out we were from around DC).

And finally, Limoncino which is crazy strong and delicious. Not to mention the never-ending supply of bruschetta and pastries. The view, the wine, the food, and the company, made this without a doubt my favorite part of Europe.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEORA

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEORA

From there, we then hiked to Vernazza!

The five of us 20 something-year-olds couldn't catch our breath after climbing mountains without a finish in sight. But the hike was well worth it once Vernazza came into view. This trail is the longest of the four walks with a distance of 3.6 kilometers.

We obviously stopped numerous times to take pictures and videos and to take in our surroundings as much as possible. There were few times I was nervous over the edges, but people of all ages were embarking on the trail.

It was really interesting to see people from all over the world walking the same path my friends and I were traveling on. Like I said, the hike is long and tiring, but once you round the corner and see your first glimpse of Vernazza...well you really must see it in person to get the full perspective, but it is truly breathtaking.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEORA

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEORA

Once in Vernazza, we were starved!

We found a cute restaurant overlooking the water where we each ordered authentic Italian meals. I can still taste the amazing gnocci and gelato!

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEORA

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEORA

After lunch, we decided we had done enough hiking for one day.

We took a train ride through the other cities, Corniglia, Riomaggiore, and then stopped in Manarola for the sunset. We enjoyed walking around the town, exploring shops and getting to know the locals. We then walked to the highest most point of the town for some Sangria and the best view of the village. This was by far, my favorite part of the day. 

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEORA

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEORA

“Traveling is like flirting with life. It’s like saying, ‘I would stay and love you, but I have to go; this is my station.’ " - Lisa St. Aubin de Teran

If you ever get the chance to visit any one of these beautiful cities, I would say, you absolutely must. One day is definitely just a taste of all there is to see, and I cannot wait to go back again soon!

Have you been to Cinque Terre and have some tips to add? Let us know below!

---

Leora is the Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator for Travel Italian Style and is a Marketing student at James Madison University. In the spring of 2015, she was accepted to study business in Antwerp, Belgium, which allowed her to explore Europe and open her eyes to new opportunities and experiences. Needless to say, she is now consumed with a passion to travel! Leora loves to document her travel stories through all types of social media in order to share with everyone the happiness that accompanies exploration.  Leora spent time travelling through 11 countries during her time abroad, while Italy was hands down her favorite due to the blissful culture, beautiful scenery, and tasty food. She cannot wait to visit again soon!