Episode 120: Are you a Traveler or a Tourist?

"The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind" - Anthony Bourdain, No Reservations

"Be a Traveler, Not a Tourist!" - Let's Explore this wonderful statement by the late Anthony Bourdain.

I have been going around in circles for years musing over this whole thought about the traveling journeys and contemplating moving beyond being a complete tourist and embracing more of the unknown as a traveler. Sometimes it is sheer spontaneity and sometimes I go in headstrong with my grand expectations. There are moments of awe and beauty and sometimes it is a real spectacle and there are a few lessons notched on the belt. Today I share some of my own experiences and questions around this subject!

How to lean more into creating space for surprise and possibility, perhaps throwing the itinerary out the window for the afternoon. I thought I would muse over this whole topic and what it means to be a traveler and some things I have discovered along the way, no doubt the hard way but that was part of the fun!

Some beautiful moments exploring the Boboli Gardens, getting lost in grand gardens for a few hours is a wonderful way to get off the beaten path and a great wine bar to stop at and recover from the travel adventures in Florence…

Shownotes:

Carro Matto is one of the places I stopped at for a late afternoon Aperitivo and a sublime pasta dish (tortelli al pomodoro e stracciatella). This was out of the Centro and over the Ponte Santa Trinita bridge about a five-10 minute walk past the Arno River. I have discovered over the years there are wonderful places to stop for refreshment and a rest around San Niccolo and San Freddiano too.

No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach by Anthony Bourdain - I loved listening to this book on Audible

No 11 Bus from Santa Maria Novella Station to the Boboli Gardens, entering via the Porta Romana Gate - the gardens do have an entry fee of ten Euros

I loved wandering around Rome, getting lost and allowing for spontaneity, which is easy to do if you throw out the map or in my case stop looking at the google maps on my phone and just give into it.