Latest / Dishing with Stephanie's Dish / Let's Go to Sicily with @DefinedDestinations

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Let's Go to Sicily with @DefinedDestinations · Dishing with Stephanie's Dish

0:15
SPEAKER_00: Hello, everybody.
0:17
SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the podcast, Dishing with Stephanie's Dish.
0:20
SPEAKER_00: I hope you're doing great today.
0:22
SPEAKER_00: I am here with my friend,
0:23
SPEAKER_00: Michael Kinney,
0:25
SPEAKER_00: and Michael and I have been traveling together a couple of years now,
0:29
SPEAKER_00: right,
0:30
SPEAKER_00: Michael?
0:31
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we've had two trips under our belt.
0:33
SPEAKER_01: So it's a trip to Croatia and just recently that Cambodia Vietnam trip.
0:39
SPEAKER_01: So we've been we've been putting some miles down, Stephanie.
0:42
SPEAKER_00: I actually was somewhere last night and ran into someone from our trip.
0:46
SPEAKER_00: And we were comparing our bracelets from when we met the Buddhist monk.
0:51
SPEAKER_00: Because both of us still have ours on.
0:53
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
0:54
SPEAKER_01: Mine like just kind of fell apart.
0:56
SPEAKER_00: It was such a life changing trip.
0:59
SPEAKER_00: Yes, I'm going to keep it on as long as I can.
1:02
SPEAKER_00: It was such a life changing trip.
1:04
Asia was somewhere that I'd always wanted to go and really
1:08
didn't have the
1:08
SPEAKER_00: confidence to do it by myself.
1:10
SPEAKER_00: So you gave me confidence.
1:12
Going with other people gave me confidence and we ended up
1:15
having such a great time.
1:17
SPEAKER_00: And I have had another great trip with you.
1:20
SPEAKER_00: We went to Croatia and that was an awesome trip.
1:24
SPEAKER_00: We were on kind of like an exclusive private yacht with Stan,
1:28
SPEAKER_00: our tour guide,
1:29
SPEAKER_00: who was probably one of the best tour guides ever.
1:31
SPEAKER_01: For sure.
1:32
SPEAKER_00: And you're going back there to Croatia this summer, aren't you?
1:35
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, personally, I'm not.
1:36
SPEAKER_01: I'm going to have somebody else.
1:38
I'm a little envious because,
1:39
yeah,
1:40
that trip was straight out of a dream.
1:42
SPEAKER_01: And you and your listeners, followers, they were so much fun.
1:46
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we did have a good time.
1:48
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it was great.
1:49
So I wanted to podcast with you because people ask me all the
1:53
time about these
1:54
SPEAKER_00: trips and how it works and what we do.
1:57
SPEAKER_00: And are you checking people's passports?
2:00
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, no, silly, I'm not.
2:03
SPEAKER_00: But we have a trip coming up to Sicily,
2:05
SPEAKER_00: a taste of Sicily,
2:06
SPEAKER_00: which you have so sweetly on your,
2:09
SPEAKER_00: your background there.
2:10
SPEAKER_00: That's smart.
2:11
SPEAKER_00: October 14th through the 22nd.
2:14
SPEAKER_00: And our final payments I think are due in June.
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So we're kind of in the hunt for getting everybody signed up
2:21
and confirmed.
2:22
SPEAKER_00: And I wanted to talk with you.
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SPEAKER_00: I've been to Italy a lot actually, but I've never been to Sicily.
2:28
SPEAKER_00: So,
2:29
SPEAKER_00: I'm excited about what that area is going to be like and you've been.
2:34
SPEAKER_00: So I thought,
2:35
SPEAKER_00: all right,
2:35
let's just talk a little bit about this and get to know a
2:39
little bit about how
2:40
SPEAKER_00: these trips work.
2:41
SPEAKER_00: So I like to do trips with people because I like to travel with others.
2:48
SPEAKER_00: And
2:49
SPEAKER_00: People always ask me, well, are they food trips?
2:51
SPEAKER_00: Yes, they are food.
2:52
Like we eat food,
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we enjoy food,
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we talk about food,
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but it isn't like exclusively a food trip.
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We know that when you're going to some of these historic
3:01
destinations that you also
3:03
SPEAKER_00: want to see some of the beautiful sights.
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SPEAKER_00: So we try to...
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Mix in some food things like special tastings,
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special wine events,
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or special dinners.
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But we also want to give you some time to explore the region on
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your own so that
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SPEAKER_00: you can go to the restaurants that really appeal to you.
3:21
SPEAKER_00: And,
3:22
SPEAKER_00: you know,
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SPEAKER_00: when you're going with a group,
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sometimes it's not easy to go to some of these really exclusive
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special places
3:27
SPEAKER_00: because you have a larger group.
3:28
Our group on a trip like this would be,
3:30
what,
3:30
would you say like less than like 26 probably?
3:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, this group size will be anywhere from 20 to 30 maximum.
3:39
SPEAKER_01: So it's a real nice size group for sure.
3:42
SPEAKER_00: And you've been to Sicily before.
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SPEAKER_00: When was the last time you went?
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SPEAKER_01: I was with a group two years ago in Sicily.
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SPEAKER_01: So I've been there three other times.
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SPEAKER_01: So just most recently, just two years ago.
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SPEAKER_00: And you and I,
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like I kind of gave you my short list of places and you asked
4:01
me about Sicily and I
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SPEAKER_00: was like,
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SPEAKER_00: oh,
4:03
SPEAKER_00: well,
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SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
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SPEAKER_00: I've never really thought about that.
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And you were like,
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oh,
4:06
my gosh,
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it's one of your favorite places in Italy.
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SPEAKER_00: So tell me what it is that you love about Sicily in particular.
4:13
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, that's a great question.
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You already mentioned you've been to Italy several times and we
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get a lot of people
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SPEAKER_01: that have been to Italy and they're like,
4:20
SPEAKER_01: all right,
4:20
SPEAKER_01: I've already done that.
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SPEAKER_01: Or maybe you haven't seen the Coliseum and Venice and things like that.
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sicily is is italian but it's an island in the middle of the
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mediterranean so it's
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just it's it's it's similar but it's different i think
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everything is elevated their
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food um their sites i mean the history has a whole greek um
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northern the arabs uh
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SPEAKER_01: it's a spanish influence the normans they've all kind of
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come to this island in the middle of the Mediterranean and put
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their best foods,
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SPEAKER_01: their best everything,
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SPEAKER_01: and it kind of mixes and makes a Sicilian dish,
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SPEAKER_01: which is really cool.
4:59
SPEAKER_01: So it's similar,
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SPEAKER_01: yes,
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SPEAKER_01: with their pastas and things like that in mainland Europe,
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SPEAKER_01: but it's a different notch.
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SPEAKER_01: I think it's above regular standard Italian food.
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SPEAKER_01: It's just...
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SPEAKER_01: The flavors, the spices, everything like that is just, it's so good.
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SPEAKER_01: And that's just the food side of it.
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SPEAKER_01: And then,
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SPEAKER_01: of course,
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SPEAKER_01: I already mentioned with the Greeks and the Spanish and the Normans,
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SPEAKER_01: they have their own architectures that they brought,
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SPEAKER_01: a mix of different languages.
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SPEAKER_01: So you really feel like you're in a whole other country.
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It says that you're in Italy,
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but the Sicilians say,
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we're Sicilian first,
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then we're Italian.
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SPEAKER_01: That's funny.
5:34
SPEAKER_01: So it's really so different of an experience on that end.
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SPEAKER_01: And I even have a couple of friends going on this trip,
5:42
SPEAKER_01: and they've never been to Europe before.
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And they're saying,
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hey,
5:45
we're going to join you on this trip because it sounds lovely.
5:48
SPEAKER_01: But we've never been to Europe.
5:50
SPEAKER_01: We've never seen the Coliseum, things like that.
5:52
SPEAKER_01: Like, is this a good trip for us to take?
5:54
SPEAKER_01: I go, for sure it is.
5:56
SPEAKER_01: I mean, you don't have these, you know, the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
5:59
SPEAKER_01: But once you get to these places, you'll see, oh, my gosh.
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SPEAKER_01: I mean,
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SPEAKER_01: a church that's 1,000 years old or the little villages that are,
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SPEAKER_01: you know,
6:08
SPEAKER_01: 500 years old.
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oozing with this with charm so you really having this real
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great Italian Sicilian
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experience but maybe not knowing the sights but it'll kind of
6:20
resonate even better
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when you come back and tell your stories it's just a beautiful
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beautiful trip
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SPEAKER_00: And I think, you know, I've been to Rome.
6:28
I've been to a lot of the little Italian islands on sailing
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trips with my husband.
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SPEAKER_00: And we've been to Naples.
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SPEAKER_00: We've been to Venice.
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SPEAKER_00: We've been all over, really.
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SPEAKER_00: And each of Italy has its own uniqueness.
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SPEAKER_00: But the islands themselves...
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are just something different because you really did get a lot
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of influences of
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SPEAKER_00: people coming through and the trading that happened.
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And they also weren't as involved in the wars because they were
6:57
sort of moving to the mainland.
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So you get a lot of different preservation possibilities and
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the culture just held
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SPEAKER_00: up because they weren't impacted by the wars in the same way.
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SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
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SPEAKER_01: And I think even early on, Sicilians were very poor as well.
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So a lot of things just really held so they didn't knock down
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buildings and build
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SPEAKER_01: new skyscrapers,
7:22
SPEAKER_01: things like that.
7:22
SPEAKER_01: It's like you're being on the set of The Godfather,
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SPEAKER_01: which was filmed there too,
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SPEAKER_01: part of it at least.
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SPEAKER_01: And it was, like, set in time.
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And you're going there and just really experiencing the feel,
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the taste,
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the smell.
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SPEAKER_01: Even you could call it, like, the grit of, like, Palermo.
7:40
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it has this edge to it in a sense.
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SPEAKER_01: Like, this is a real living city.
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SPEAKER_01: It's not, like, all spruced up to be perfect, like, on a set.
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SPEAKER_01: But that's what makes it so fantastic.
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SPEAKER_01: It's real.
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And I don't think you always get that experience that you're in
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central Rome and,
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SPEAKER_01: you know,
7:56
SPEAKER_01: it's all beautifuled up.
7:58
SPEAKER_01: Again,
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SPEAKER_01: Palermo and all these cities that we'll visit are extremely beautiful,
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SPEAKER_01: but it has just a different edge to it.
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SPEAKER_01: And every group that I've ever been there with,
8:06
SPEAKER_01: Stephanie,
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SPEAKER_01: they've come back and said,
8:09
SPEAKER_01: wow,
8:09
SPEAKER_01: this is a dream.
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SPEAKER_01: Not just the food, the sights, the experiences, the people.
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SPEAKER_01: The people are real.
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SPEAKER_01: They're fabulous.
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SPEAKER_01: So it's a real, just an amazing immersion, if you will, to Sicily.
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SPEAKER_00: Well,
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SPEAKER_00: one of the things that people ask me about too,
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SPEAKER_00: and I'll be honest with you,
8:29
SPEAKER_00: I'm not really like someone that you would think of as a group traveler.
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SPEAKER_00: I like a certain amount of alone time.
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SPEAKER_00: I don't love to have every single thing coordinated for me.
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SPEAKER_00: My husband, as you know, is a big adventurer and explorer.
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SPEAKER_00: He's always the first one to do anything crazy on these trips.
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SPEAKER_00: But having a group is...
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It's so nice when it's a smaller group like this,
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because you do get to meet new people.
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SPEAKER_00: You do get to create a community amongst your travelers.
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SPEAKER_00: And I'll tell you,
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SPEAKER_00: my friend Lori Barghini that went on our Asia trip with us,
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SPEAKER_00: she was very,
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SPEAKER_00: she's a big traveler too.
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SPEAKER_00: And she was like, I don't know about this group thing.
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SPEAKER_00: I was like, just give it a try.
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Like Asia is a good one to test it out because it's probably a destination.
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SPEAKER_00: You wouldn't go alone.
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SPEAKER_00: And she signed up right away for Sicily.
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SPEAKER_00: She was like, I loved the group elements, but
9:21
SPEAKER_00: Because when I wanted to,
9:23
I had a group of friends and it was fun and we could hang out
9:26
together and do fun things.
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SPEAKER_00: But also when I wanted to be alone, I could do that too.
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She thought it added a whole nother layer to the travel
9:34
experience than you just
9:35
get either with you and your spouse or you and your friends
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because you have this
9:40
SPEAKER_00: whole other dynamic of people that for the most part is pretty great.
9:45
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I know.
9:45
SPEAKER_01: And that's great.
9:46
SPEAKER_01: And Lori was great.
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I'm glad she signed up because on the flight back from Asia,
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she sat next to me on the flight.
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SPEAKER_01: And that's a 17 hour flight.
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SPEAKER_01: And if she wants to go back, then that's great.
9:58
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's good.
9:59
SPEAKER_00: Well, you know, she talked to you the whole time, probably.
10:02
SPEAKER_00: No.
10:03
I tried to,
10:04
again,
10:04
maybe it's like the group element,
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you know,
10:06
have time on,
10:07
time off.
10:08
SPEAKER_01: So I'm glad that was brought up.
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SPEAKER_01: And I've been doing group tours for 28 years now, which I can't believe.
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SPEAKER_01: And I first started getting into tourism because I wanted to see sites.
10:19
I'm like,
10:19
I know I can't pay for it,
10:20
so I need to be a tour guide and go in from that.
10:23
I didn't realize the whole experience and having shared
10:27
experiences with others was
10:29
SPEAKER_01: going to be my highlight.
10:30
SPEAKER_01: And to this day,
10:31
that's my favorite part is going to meet people that I've never
10:34
met before and
10:35
SPEAKER_01: going having these shared experiences with.
10:38
SPEAKER_01: And sometimes, you know, you build friends for a lifetime off of that.
10:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think especially our last group, too.
10:44
SPEAKER_01: We really built that with several of the travelers, which is great.
10:49
SPEAKER_01: So and so if you're hesitant,
10:51
SPEAKER_01: like,
10:51
SPEAKER_01: well,
10:52
SPEAKER_01: I'd like to this trip sounds great or any of our trips,
10:55
SPEAKER_01: but I am kind of worried about that.
10:56
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
10:57
SPEAKER_01: we really try to balance all our tours out.
11:00
It's imperative that we have that balance of some of the group
11:04
time to have these
11:05
shared experiences to leisure time so that you can go and have
11:09
your own adventures.
11:10
SPEAKER_01: And that is so crucial to all of our trips.
11:13
And that's why our hotels,
11:14
and we can talk about that later,
11:15
are centrally located.
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SPEAKER_01: So once we go out and do, say, our city tour or our food tour in Palermo,
11:22
and walking around you'll have like the remainder of the day to
11:25
go explore on your
11:26
own or some of those new friends that you met maybe you can go
11:29
out and have a glass
11:30
of wine with them but again it's all about that balance and we
11:34
each in every
11:34
itinerary that we put together we really work on making sure we
11:38
have that balance
11:39
in in the trips itself because i think that is the success of
11:43
it so we don't pack
11:44
SPEAKER_01: the days all day long i'm like seeing this this and this
11:47
We give you the nice highlights and we'll have some other fun inclusions.
11:50
But again,
11:51
each place that we go to centrally located hotels,
11:54
we have that free time too.
11:56
So you can do your own thing or jump on with a group that
11:58
you've met and have cocktails,
12:00
SPEAKER_01: Aperol spritzes in the main piazza later on.
12:03
SPEAKER_01: So it's so fun, but it really comes back.
12:06
You register for a trip,
12:07
but you don't know you're going to meet some great people.
12:10
And at the end of the trip,
12:12
it's typically these people and these shared experiences come back.
12:16
SPEAKER_01: And that's where the meaning of the trip comes in.
12:19
SPEAKER_01: So it's so much fun to see them build together.
12:22
SPEAKER_00: On each of the trips that I've done with you,
12:24
SPEAKER_00: we've had solo travelers,
12:26
SPEAKER_00: which I think people are like,
12:29
SPEAKER_00: oh,
12:29
SPEAKER_00: you know,
12:29
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
12:30
SPEAKER_00: I don't have a partner to go with or my friend can't go.
12:33
SPEAKER_00: And that to me has also been super fun,
12:36
SPEAKER_00: like the solo travelers and the friends that they've made.
12:39
SPEAKER_00: And like one of the gals I saw from our Asia trip,
12:43
SPEAKER_00: I saw our friend Annie last night and she was a solo traveler.
12:46
ended up pairing up with lori in a room and sharing actually
12:49
which a lot of solo
12:50
travelers don't want to share i get that but in this case they
12:53
both did and they
12:54
are like fast friends that i mean that's that's so much fun to
12:58
see that first off
13:00
if you know we all have it like a your maybe your husband or
13:04
wife or friend they
13:06
don't want to go but you're like interested in this trip we get
13:08
that on all of our
13:10
SPEAKER_01: trips
13:11
And we specifically have several single rooms set aside for
13:16
those adventure
13:18
SPEAKER_01: traveler seekers to have that.
13:19
SPEAKER_01: So you can pick your own room and go as a single.
13:22
SPEAKER_01: Or maybe you want us to pair you up.
13:26
We can do that too and get you in contact with another solo
13:29
traveler like Lori and Annie did.
13:32
SPEAKER_01: And that typically works out really well too.
13:34
SPEAKER_01: But I think the like-minded people looking for adventures,
13:39
SPEAKER_01: you'll never feel like you're by yourself on any of our trips.
13:42
SPEAKER_01: So like, oh, I'm a third wheel.
13:43
SPEAKER_01: Never, ever, ever.
13:45
And sometimes that's the best way to travel because you don't
13:47
have to make sure
13:48
SPEAKER_01: your traveling partner is having a great time.
13:50
SPEAKER_01: You only can worry about yourself.
13:51
SPEAKER_01: Hey, I'm going to have a great time.
13:54
SPEAKER_01: And,
13:54
SPEAKER_01: you know,
13:55
SPEAKER_01: all of our trip travelers that I've ever heard from,
13:58
they've had a great time going solo and they meet these like
14:01
minded people.
14:01
And again,
14:01
all of a sudden they have friends for a lifetime,
14:03
like,
14:04
you know,
14:04
Lori and Annie did.
14:05
SPEAKER_01: So if you're even thinking about it,
14:07
SPEAKER_01: like I'm solo and I'm a little skeptical about going by myself.
14:10
SPEAKER_01: Give us a call.
14:11
SPEAKER_01: Send us an email.
14:12
SPEAKER_01: We can get you your own single room.
14:16
SPEAKER_01: They are filling up quick, though.
14:17
SPEAKER_01: We have a few left.
14:18
Or we can pair you up with somebody,
14:20
too,
14:20
to share that single supplement.
14:21
SPEAKER_01: But again, you'll never feel like a third wheel with any of our tours.
14:25
And this,
14:26
in addition,
14:27
just works really,
14:28
really well for single travelers.
14:29
SPEAKER_01: And you'll meet some probably good friends on it.
14:31
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
14:32
SPEAKER_00: And also like ladies,
14:34
SPEAKER_00: some of you,
14:34
SPEAKER_00: I know like getting coming out of relationships or divorce,
14:38
SPEAKER_00: you want to do something unique.
14:39
SPEAKER_00: I have someone in my family who are shall remain nameless.
14:43
SPEAKER_00: Who's going to be joining us who wanted to get back to Europe,
14:46
but she's just not in a relationship status that would work for
14:49
that as the way she
14:50
SPEAKER_00: thought it was going to be.
14:51
SPEAKER_00: So I was like, come with us.
14:53
SPEAKER_00: Like we're going to have a ball.
14:55
SPEAKER_00: There's men, there's women.
14:57
SPEAKER_00: You know, my husband has come on some trips, but others he hasn't.
15:00
SPEAKER_00: And we,
15:01
SPEAKER_00: It's just, there's a great mix of people.
15:03
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, it's great.
15:05
Now this isn't a singles trip,
15:07
but maybe you can find Giuseppe at the local cafe.
15:09
SPEAKER_01: You never know.
15:11
SPEAKER_01: So you never know.
15:13
SPEAKER_01: So anyway,
15:14
SPEAKER_01: yeah,
15:14
SPEAKER_01: it works great for whatever status you are in life,
15:17
SPEAKER_01: single,
15:18
SPEAKER_01: you know,
15:20
SPEAKER_01: whatever it,
15:21
SPEAKER_01: these really,
15:22
SPEAKER_01: really work really nice.
15:23
And sometimes like my brother came and we shared a room on the
15:27
last trip and he
15:28
SPEAKER_01: just wanted to kind of have a,
15:30
experience and get away from you know what's going on in life
15:33
over here and just do
15:34
a reset and he came back and said I'm really recharged and he's
15:38
kind of like going
15:40
into he's retired and he wants to do something else in his um
15:44
you know second part
15:45
SPEAKER_01: of his life and he's
15:46
He's going after something right now because he was able to
15:49
kind of just disconnect.
15:51
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
15:52
And then just take it all in and then kind of come back and like,
15:56
let's go.
15:57
So regardless from relationships to job hunting or whatever,
16:00
sometimes these trips are great.
16:02
SPEAKER_01: Even if you go solo, that could even be better.
16:05
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
16:05
SPEAKER_00: Just to get a reset.
16:06
SPEAKER_00: It is.
16:08
SPEAKER_00: Can you give us like without like going into all the detail,
16:11
SPEAKER_00: like a high level,
16:13
SPEAKER_00: not day by day,
16:14
SPEAKER_00: but just like what are the towns we're going to visit?
16:17
SPEAKER_00: What are because we're going to be in, I think, three different areas.
16:21
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, correct.
16:21
So if you go on our at definedestinations.com and look at Taste
16:26
of Sicily 2025,
16:27
you can find the day-by-day itinerary on that and you'll get to
16:32
be able to see
16:32
SPEAKER_01: through it.
16:33
SPEAKER_01: But again,
16:33
it reads like a brochure and you go through each item and
16:36
everything that we
16:37
SPEAKER_01: mentioned on that,
16:39
SPEAKER_01: it is included.
16:41
But the neat thing is we go from the north to the south and
16:44
then all the way over
16:45
SPEAKER_01: to the east side of the island.
16:46
SPEAKER_01: So you're really having a great feel for the entire island itself.
16:51
SPEAKER_01: And we have three nights in Palermo.
16:53
And then we have one night in Agrigento,
16:55
which is at the very southern on the beach.
16:57
SPEAKER_01: Our hotel is right on the beach.
16:58
SPEAKER_01: You can walk right down there.
16:59
SPEAKER_01: And even October,
17:01
mid-October is a great time to go to because the temperatures
17:04
are like mid-70s.
17:05
SPEAKER_01: So it's super comfortable.
17:07
SPEAKER_01: And the water temperature is still pretty nice if you want to jump in.
17:10
SPEAKER_01: And then we have three nights in Syracuse.
17:12
So we have these like kind of hub and spoke places that we do
17:17
our adventures from,
17:18
SPEAKER_01: but we always come back to our centrally located place.
17:21
SPEAKER_01: So anyway, we'll fly into Palermo.
17:25
SPEAKER_01: We have a connection.
17:26
If you do our included flights,
17:27
there's no direct flights from from Minneapolis into Sicily.
17:31
SPEAKER_01: So we have a connection on that.
17:33
SPEAKER_00: And let me just touch on that,
17:34
because some people want to work with the travel agent to have
17:38
all of the flight
17:39
SPEAKER_00: things arranged for them.
17:40
SPEAKER_00: And that is an option with you.
17:42
But you also do have options where people can meet you at the destination.
17:47
So like for me,
17:48
we have a lot of miles that we're always trying to burn up.
17:51
SPEAKER_00: So for us, we book our own airfare so that we can use our miles.
17:55
SPEAKER_00: And then we sometimes add a few days on at the end,
17:58
SPEAKER_00: or we might even go to a different destination.
18:01
With your group travel plans,
18:04
both of those options are available to people.
18:06
SPEAKER_00: 100%.
18:06
SPEAKER_01: I'm glad you asked that too,
18:08
SPEAKER_01: because yes,
18:09
there's people that have miles or they only want to stay
18:11
exclusively with Delta or
18:13
SPEAKER_01: United or whatever.
18:14
SPEAKER_01: That's fine.
18:15
SPEAKER_01: Our trip's
18:16
SPEAKER_01: truly begin and end at the hotels.
18:19
SPEAKER_01: With that,
18:20
SPEAKER_01: we do offer an included group package you can jump on,
18:23
SPEAKER_01: but the whole group will not be on that flight for sure.
18:25
SPEAKER_01: It's just an option to do that.
18:28
SPEAKER_01: And my team can also get you flights separate from that too,
18:34
SPEAKER_01: if you wanted to come early,
18:35
SPEAKER_01: like you said,
18:36
SPEAKER_01: Stephanie.
18:36
SPEAKER_01: Or stay late.
18:37
SPEAKER_01: Hey, I want to go see the Colosseum on this trip.
18:40
SPEAKER_01: Great.
18:40
My team can put a pre-tour post-tour package together if you
18:45
want to do that.
18:45
SPEAKER_01: Or even if you don't want any of our help, that's fine.
18:47
SPEAKER_01: You can just book our land only.
18:49
SPEAKER_01: You'll be able to see our group flight numbers on there,
18:51
SPEAKER_01: too,
18:52
SPEAKER_01: so you can kind of coordinate that.
18:53
But the great thing is that both airports in Palermo we fly
18:57
into and then we fly out of Catania.
19:00
SPEAKER_01: They're close to both towns, so you can easily take an Uber.
19:04
So it's really pretty easy to get to and from,
19:06
and that's where the tours start from.
19:09
So if you're hesitant,
19:10
hey,
19:10
I need to book the group air,
19:12
don't worry about that.
19:13
SPEAKER_01: You don't have to do that by any means.
19:15
We're happy to help you on all the other aspects to get the
19:19
airfare with that.
19:21
SPEAKER_01: So, yep, we fly into Palermo.
19:23
SPEAKER_01: We'll settle into our centrally located hotel, which is fabulous.
19:30
um again that remind me that we need to touch on the the hotels
19:33
too a little bit
19:34
yep um but it's right in the center we'll do a a food tour of
19:39
one of the local
19:40
markets again like you mentioned maybe we have some guests on
19:43
the trip that could
19:44
care less about food or wine tastings it's just a piece of of
19:49
our trip so even if
19:50
SPEAKER_01: you're a modest food lover or you only like cornflakes
19:54
SPEAKER_01: There's going to be some fun things to do on this as well.
19:57
SPEAKER_01: And we find that you learn a lot about the culture through the food.
20:01
SPEAKER_01: And that's the reason we do part of that too.
20:03
SPEAKER_01: So it'll be fun regardless.
20:04
You're going through the markets,
20:05
you're learning about the foods,
20:06
things like that.
20:07
We go to the Cathedral of Mon Reale,
20:10
which,
20:11
hey,
20:12
we're seeing another church.
20:13
SPEAKER_01: We typically don't always do that, but this is really specific.
20:17
SPEAKER_01: This church is beautiful.
20:19
It's a massive church built in the 12th century,
20:22
and they're famous for all its mosaics.
20:24
The whole interior of the church is all these fine mosaics they
20:28
did almost 1,000 years ago.
20:29
SPEAKER_01: It's unreal.
20:31
SPEAKER_01: So it's beautiful that we'll be doing that.
20:33
We'll go to Cefalu,
20:34
a little seaside village,
20:36
which is outside of Palermo a little ways.
20:37
SPEAKER_01: Maybe you've seen White Lotus.
20:39
SPEAKER_01: Part of that was filmed there, or all parts of the...
20:42
SPEAKER_01: That season two was filmed in Sicily,
20:44
SPEAKER_01: so we'll have a lot of white lotus moments as well on that,
20:48
SPEAKER_01: which will be a lot of fun.
20:50
SPEAKER_01: And then from there, we'll be driving after our three nights in Palermo.
20:54
SPEAKER_01: We'll be heading south, crossing the entire island itself.
20:58
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely beautiful.
20:59
SPEAKER_01: Even our coach rides, which aren't a lot, they're just stunning.
21:04
SPEAKER_01: Enjoying the countryside is absolutely beautiful.
21:07
SPEAKER_01: And then we'll be going to, that's where Agrigento is.
21:09
SPEAKER_01: And it feels like you're being stuck in Greece.
21:11
Like,
21:11
wow,
21:11
there's all these Greek ruins,
21:13
you know,
21:13
2,000,
21:14
3,000 years old.
21:15
SPEAKER_01: It's like, this is unbelievable.
21:16
SPEAKER_01: They have some of the better Greek ruins even outside of Athens.
21:20
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
21:21
SPEAKER_01: It's amazing.
21:21
So walking through Agrigento,
21:24
experiencing that,
21:25
seeing that during the sunset,
21:27
it's magical.
21:28
SPEAKER_01: I use that word a lot, but I think the whole trip really is.
21:31
SPEAKER_01: And then we settled into our hotel right on the beach, which is lovely.
21:35
And then from there,
21:36
we'll be going over to Syracuse,
21:39
which is one of my favorite places ever.
21:41
SPEAKER_01: My first time I went to Sicily, we didn't go there.
21:44
SPEAKER_01: And I went back and I said, how did we skip that the first time?
21:49
SPEAKER_01: And Syracuse is, it's unbelievable.
21:52
SPEAKER_01: And you've agreed too,
21:53
SPEAKER_01: we're staying right in,
21:55
SPEAKER_01: they call it Artesia,
21:56
SPEAKER_01: that's like the old city of Syracuse.
21:59
SPEAKER_01: And we're staying right inside the city wall.
22:01
SPEAKER_01: So our bus will drop,
22:03
our private bus for our group will drop us off and then we have
22:05
to walk about 10
22:06
SPEAKER_01: minutes to our hotel,
22:08
SPEAKER_01: which is on a small little alleyway and we'll talk about that later on.
22:11
But it's a great location that we'll be doing having different experiences,
22:15
SPEAKER_01: seeing all the ruins,
22:17
SPEAKER_01: walking around at night.
22:18
SPEAKER_01: It's just beautiful.
22:19
And from there,
22:21
we'll also be going to see Mount Etna,
22:23
which is still an active volcano.
22:25
SPEAKER_01: We'll be on the sides of it.
22:26
SPEAKER_01: It's unbelievable.
22:27
SPEAKER_01: All of a sudden, you feel like you're being transported onto the moon.
22:30
SPEAKER_01: You see the vents and things like that.
22:32
SPEAKER_01: It's beautiful.
22:33
SPEAKER_01: And they grow some amazing wines there too on the slopes of it.
22:37
SPEAKER_01: And we'll be tasting some of those.
22:38
SPEAKER_01: That's so cool.
22:40
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's, it's, it really is pretty cool.
22:42
SPEAKER_01: Um,
22:42
SPEAKER_01: because of that,
22:43
that rich soil just offers great Sicilian wines and the dry and
22:47
the elevation.
22:48
SPEAKER_01: So it culminates to be really, really good.
22:51
SPEAKER_01: So, um,
22:52
SPEAKER_01: Work on your Sicilian reds.
22:54
SPEAKER_01: They're quite good.
22:55
SPEAKER_00: I'm so excited.
22:57
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, it's great.
22:59
SPEAKER_01: So, I mean, it's seven nights, a nine-day trip in Sicily.
23:04
You'll have a real good flavor of the city of all the areas
23:08
that we visit.
23:10
SPEAKER_01: So it's quite nice.
23:11
SPEAKER_01: And if you go on the website, you'll see all the inclusions as well.
23:15
SPEAKER_01: So we include mostly everything that we've talked about.
23:17
There's really we don't include all the meals because we want
23:20
some experiences for
23:22
SPEAKER_01: yourself to to go out and go,
23:24
SPEAKER_01: hey,
23:24
SPEAKER_01: we're going to go to this little restaurant or whatever.
23:26
SPEAKER_01: And we have a local guide with us the entire time that will really help.
23:30
SPEAKER_01: Uh,
23:30
SPEAKER_01: talk about the history,
23:31
SPEAKER_01: um,
23:33
SPEAKER_01: and you know,
23:34
SPEAKER_01: what's going on with the people itself,
23:35
but then just pointing out great restaurants and other little
23:38
experiences you can do.
23:40
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
23:40
SPEAKER_00: And that's,
23:41
SPEAKER_00: I love that because when we go to some of these places,
23:44
SPEAKER_00: like,
23:45
SPEAKER_00: I think I told you,
23:46
SPEAKER_00: my husband is,
23:47
SPEAKER_00: um,
23:47
SPEAKER_00: he's kind of an,
23:48
SPEAKER_00: you know,
23:48
SPEAKER_00: he's an adventure.
23:49
SPEAKER_00: He always wants to do his own thing.
23:51
SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
23:52
if we land in a place he's like okay we're gonna take off we're
23:55
gonna go do this
23:56
we're gonna do that and you know we try to balance like doing
24:00
the group things with
24:01
also him having his best life and doing some unique uh food
24:06
experiences just on our
24:07
own so every everybody gets a little bit of everything it's a
24:11
real delightful mix
24:13
um you've been to sicily now i think this will be you said your
24:16
third time fourth
24:17
SPEAKER_00: time fourth time i'm so impressed that you're coming
24:21
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I, well, I can't miss with your groups too.
24:24
SPEAKER_01: Um,
24:24
SPEAKER_01: I can't go on all our trips,
24:25
SPEAKER_01: but this is definitely one I,
24:27
SPEAKER_01: I,
24:28
SPEAKER_01: uh,
24:28
SPEAKER_01: notched away because I think,
24:30
SPEAKER_01: uh,
24:31
SPEAKER_01: part of me still is in Sicily.
24:33
SPEAKER_01: There's,
24:33
SPEAKER_01: there's just something about it and you can't,
24:36
SPEAKER_01: you know,
24:36
I've been to other parts of Italy plenty of times and I feel
24:39
like I'm an Italian,
24:40
SPEAKER_01: but,
24:41
SPEAKER_01: um,
24:41
SPEAKER_01: there's just something with Sicily.
24:43
SPEAKER_01: Maybe I meant, I meant the grit.
24:45
SPEAKER_01: I've talked about that.
24:45
SPEAKER_01: It feels like a real city.
24:48
SPEAKER_01: real sites,
24:49
SPEAKER_01: real food,
24:50
SPEAKER_01: just from the different markets,
24:52
SPEAKER_01: the fish markets is just,
24:53
SPEAKER_01: everything seems really authentic.
24:55
SPEAKER_00: I love it.
24:56
SPEAKER_01: That's what I really, really love.
24:58
SPEAKER_01: And I think the guests do too.
25:02
I'm just envisioning myself walking and through Palermo with my
25:06
last group.
25:07
SPEAKER_01: And there was like,
25:09
there was music being played in the streets and people are
25:11
sitting down and having
25:12
SPEAKER_01: glasses of wine.
25:13
SPEAKER_01: There was no festival going on.
25:14
SPEAKER_01: It was just this, this,
25:18
SPEAKER_01: Yeah,
25:19
SPEAKER_00: the Italians just in general,
25:21
SPEAKER_00: they stay up late,
25:23
SPEAKER_00: they eat late,
25:24
so they have like a happy hour kind of at like six to seven and
25:29
then they go home
25:30
SPEAKER_00: and get ready to go out for the dinner time in a lot of cases.
25:35
So they spend a lot of time outdoors and they like to do it
25:38
when it's not in the
25:39
SPEAKER_00: blazing hot sun.
25:40
SPEAKER_00: So things really, there's a great nightlife.
25:43
SPEAKER_00: People are out and about into all hours of the evening, which is fun.
25:49
SPEAKER_00: So I'm just super excited.
25:50
So if people want to join us,
25:52
you said,
25:52
I mean,
25:53
I know we've got some rooms booked already.
25:55
So are there some rooms left if people want to book and what is
25:59
the timeline that
26:00
SPEAKER_00: they should be doing that and how do they do it?
26:03
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's a great question.
26:04
SPEAKER_01: So I said we have about, we can handle a maximum of 30 people.
26:07
SPEAKER_01: So we have about seven rooms left.
26:09
SPEAKER_01: So about 14 people.
26:10
SPEAKER_01: So if someone calls and said, well, will this be booked up by next week?
26:15
SPEAKER_01: It probably won't be.
26:16
But I always tell people,
26:17
go ahead,
26:17
put your deposit down,
26:18
hold a seat on the trip itself.
26:21
and you just have to go to definedestinations.com you can book
26:24
everything right
26:25
then then and there it's super simple process you just put your
26:28
your information in
26:29
you don't need a valid passport right now to to enter that in
26:33
um but you just go
26:34
ahead and you fill that out put your deposit down at least then
26:36
you'll you'll have
26:37
a seat held for you then you can work on if you want to get
26:40
your own air for air or
26:42
SPEAKER_01: if you want to stay earlier you know um
26:44
stay after later on the trip itself,
26:46
you can do that all right there as well.
26:49
SPEAKER_01: So it's pretty simple.
26:50
SPEAKER_00: And then once you're booked and we know who's coming,
26:53
we usually try to have a call to kind of give everybody the
26:56
particulars of that trip.
26:58
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes, depending on our timeframe, we try to get together in person.
27:02
I wasn't able for the last one because I had so many things
27:05
coming and I'm not sure
27:06
what will happen with this one because I've got the cookbook
27:08
coming out in September.
27:11
SPEAKER_00: But
27:12
one way or another we will see each other's faces and we will
27:16
get on that plane and
27:17
we will arrive together and have a blast so I'm looking forward
27:22
to it and we've got
27:23
other trips planned I know we're trying to book another Croatia
27:26
trip possibly for
27:28
the following year for the fall and something in the spring so
27:32
if you guys have any
27:33
destinations you want to check out with me let me know I'm
27:35
always looking for new
27:36
places to go you just went to the Galapagos it sounded like it
27:40
was amazing
27:41
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that was fabulous.
27:44
I was just doing a site inspection because we're looking at
27:46
having groups go to the
27:47
SPEAKER_01: Galapagos and the Amazon,
27:49
SPEAKER_01: and it was unreal.
27:52
SPEAKER_01: I loved it.
27:53
SPEAKER_01: Completely different experience from going to Sicily.
27:57
SPEAKER_01: That's great.
27:58
SPEAKER_01: There's so many experiences to have on the world, and we only have
28:03
SPEAKER_01: So much time to be able to do those.
28:05
So you got to kind of hit that hierarchy of,
28:07
you know,
28:07
what's what's important.
28:08
SPEAKER_01: But yes,
28:09
for anybody that's just thinking about if this is the first
28:11
time you've ever even
28:12
SPEAKER_01: heard of Sicily,
28:14
SPEAKER_01: please take a look at this because it is really a magical trip.
28:17
SPEAKER_01: And we have so many fun inclusions.
28:19
SPEAKER_01: Our hotel locations are in the city center.
28:22
SPEAKER_01: I wanted to mention that not just because
28:26
SPEAKER_01: we're on tiny little streets.
28:28
SPEAKER_01: So you mentioned like the,
28:29
SPEAKER_01: the nightlife it's,
28:30
SPEAKER_01: we're not on a bustling street where all the cars are going by.
28:33
SPEAKER_01: It's like,
28:33
SPEAKER_01: you feel like you're a local,
28:34
SPEAKER_01: you'll go out the door and there's mama Rosita across the street,
28:38
SPEAKER_01: you know,
28:39
SPEAKER_01: cutting her.
28:40
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
28:41
SPEAKER_00: Sitting outside.
28:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
28:43
SPEAKER_01: That's the experience we want,
28:45
SPEAKER_01: not just on this trip,
28:46
SPEAKER_01: all of our trips,
28:47
SPEAKER_01: we want you to feel like you're kind of a,
28:49
SPEAKER_01: um,
28:49
SPEAKER_01: a local for even three nights when we're there.
28:52
SPEAKER_01: So you'll know where the nearest bakery is and,
28:55
SPEAKER_01: the restaurants.
28:56
SPEAKER_01: And I think you'll have that on this trip.
28:59
SPEAKER_01: It's really something else with all our hotels.
29:02
SPEAKER_01: You'll absolutely love that.
29:03
SPEAKER_01: We know exactly where to stay.
29:05
And sometimes that's overwhelming when you're looking at doing
29:08
a trip on your own.
29:09
SPEAKER_01: Like, where should I go?
29:10
SPEAKER_01: Where should I stay?
29:12
SPEAKER_01: It's overwhelming.
29:13
SPEAKER_01: We want this to be just book the trip.
29:16
SPEAKER_01: We're going to be taking care of all the highlights for you.
29:19
SPEAKER_00: Pack your bags and come along.
29:21
SPEAKER_01: Yes, exactly.
29:22
SPEAKER_01: So that's, that's, what's really important to us.
29:24
SPEAKER_00: And I'm looking forward to it.
29:26
SPEAKER_00: It's going to be awesome.
29:28
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to release this podcast, not this Friday, but next Friday.
29:32
SPEAKER_00: So between now and then you guys,
29:35
I hope you get your seats booked and I hope to see you on this
29:37
amazing trip.
29:38
SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Michael.
29:39
SPEAKER_01: Wonderful.
29:40
SPEAKER_01: Thanks.
29:40
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was awesome.
29:41
SPEAKER_00: It's Define Destinations.
29:42
SPEAKER_00: You can find them at definedestinations.com.
29:47
SPEAKER_00: Taste of Italy is right on the front page.
29:49
SPEAKER_00: Click that and you can see all the itinerary of the whole trip.
29:52
SPEAKER_00: And we're going to have a great time.
29:54
SPEAKER_01: Taste of Sicily.
29:55
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
29:56
SPEAKER_01: Yes, Sicily.
29:57
SPEAKER_00: Oh, what did I call it?
29:58
SPEAKER_00: What did I say?
29:59
SPEAKER_00: Taste of Italy.
29:59
SPEAKER_01: We have one of those too.
30:00
SPEAKER_01: Oh, okay.
30:01
SPEAKER_01: But this is the Sicily one.
30:02
SPEAKER_00: Taste of Sicily specifically.
30:04
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
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And then if you like Italy,
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you can go back because there are a lot of places to go back to.
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SPEAKER_00: Amalfi Coast is great, but it's different.
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And like I've been to a lot of different places in Italy and
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they're all a little
30:16
SPEAKER_00: bit different and I like them all for different reasons.
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SPEAKER_00: So I'm really excited to explore Sicily.
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SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's gonna be great.
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SPEAKER_01: Well, thanks so much for the time.
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SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we'll talk soon.
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SPEAKER_01: Yeah, bye.
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SPEAKER_00: Bye-bye.