I have been to italy a lot over the years. earlier in my career I would come twice a year for work, but as my role changed, my travel is now primarily within the US. returning for the first times in years, honestly, I initially had similar feelings of it being just another work trip, but requiring a passport.
after landing, navigating Customs and following the signs to the exit, I hopped in a taxi to my hotel, I had this feeling that how cool it truly is to not feel like a tourist. of course I feel like and american surrounded by italians, but I am pretty comfortable traveling. after checking into my hotel, I walked around the corner to the market and grabbed some salami, Fresh bread, a few snacks and came back to my room, Almost like it was any other day at home.
As I prepare to fly home, I realized that being a ‘traveler’ can be seen as a skill. I’ve been fortunate to travel a lot in my life, but taking this picture waiting for my train, I kept thinking that this is no different than anywhere else in the world, it’s just italian. yet we can at times, feel overwhelmed being out of the comforts of home. The languages, the signage etc. all feel like a barrier, and we should just follow the tourist playbook, but I can tell you, you get so much more if you just act as if. we’re all just people doing people things. Ciao!
