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As you’ll read in the section on Why Start a Blog?, I never really considered myself the type of person who would write a blog. In fact, several people suggested that I start a blog when I moved to Australia in 2012 (and with the 2013 move to Italy), and I don’t think it’s something I even seriously considered at the time.

However, about six months ago I realized that not only do I enjoy travelling and the preparations that go into planning a trip, I was essentially already doing a lot of the work that would be involved with a blog. It started around 2 years ago when I was already living in Milan and a friend asked me for recommendations for Florence, so I compiled a lengthy e-mail with the intel I had gained on my first two trips there. What to do, what local food to seek out, and where to eat some delicious meals. Then a second friend asked, so I forwarded the original e-mail.

Fast forward 2 years and there have been at least a dozen e-mails chains just for Florence, with recommendations on several other locations also being frequently requested by friends (Bangkok, Barcelona, & Berlin to name a few).

But why should these recommendations be limited to people who happen to know me personally?

And that was one of the questions I thought about when the idea for Travel Savvy Gal was born. I research my travel destinations because I enjoy planning and learning about the options for the limited time I will have in a specific destination. As my grandfather always said, there are 3 stages of enjoyment for travel: the anticipation, the time spent travelling, and reflecting back on your memories afterward. The Travel Savvy Gal blog is an opportunity for me to reflect on my travel experiences, highlighting the best food I ate and cultural experiences in a particular place (and for you to benefit from all of the planning that went into it!).

I’ve also realized in the process of starting the blog that I currently have 2 main goals for the blog:

• To Educate.  I find that I learn much more about a place from traveling there than I ever did in history class growing up.  And just as I learn a lot from my friends who have traveled to places I haven’t been yet, I hope that you can learn a bit more about the world and gain insights into other cultures from what I share on Travel Savvy Gal.

• To Inspire Great Travel Experiences.  When people enjoy something, they tend to seek out more opportunities to continue doing it.  I know for some people they either do not have the time to plan travel or find the whole process a bit overwhelming.  This is where Travel Savvy Gal comes in!  I’ll give you some key essentials for traveling to a particular destination, and overall tips for how to make the most of any trip.

Now for the nitty gritty…

Stay connected using the links at the top right to:

• • join the e-mail list
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  • follow Travel Savvy Gal on Instagram
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  • follow the RSS feed, or Follow my blog with Bloglovin

As you’ll see on the Travel Lists and Longest Trips pages, while I have visited 60 countries and counting, I have never been a long-term backpacker. Typically I have planned longer trips over extended breaks (like summertime when I was a teacher) or when I’ve had a break in between jobs. Just like many of you.

Whether you work full-time and are vacationing for a week, are on an extended trip, or consider yourself a digital nomad, you’ll benefit from the recommendations and travel insights to help you “make the most of your time away.”

Happy travels!

Lana

ps.  I want to hear from you!  What type of posts would *you* like to see from me?  Any particular destinations I should write about first?  Leave a comment below =)