Something a Little Different This Week

Most weeks, I use this space to take you somewhere in Italy — a small town, a favorite stop, or maybe a place you haven’t thought about visiting.

This week, I thought I’d do something a little different.

I wanted to introduce myself a little more and tell you why I started NomadWithDan — and why I probably talk so much about slowing down and experiencing Italy instead of simply seeing it.

That’s me in the photo with my wife, Michelle. She’s been along for a lot of the adventures that eventually led to all of this.

A Little About Me

For more than 25 years, I worked in sales and consulting, including many years working with military and government customers. I’m also an Air Force veteran, and earlier in my life I had the opportunity to live in England for about three years.

Travel has always been part of my life. But for a long time, a lot of that travel was for work.

There were years when I was getting on a plane two, three, sometimes four times a month. Airports, rental cars, hotels and meetings were simply part of the job.

Eventually, I started thinking about what I wanted the next chapter to look like.

I wasn’t ready to stop working — far from it. I wanted to build something of my own. But I also knew I didn’t want to spend the next several years traveling because a corporate calendar told me where I needed to be.

I wanted travel to be something I looked forward to again.

At about the same time, Michelle and I were spending more time traveling through Italy. And those trips began changing the way I thought about travel.

We realized the days we remembered most weren’t necessarily the days when we saw the most.

They were the days when we slowed down.

Experiencing Italy, Not Just Seeing It

Some of our favorite memories are surprisingly simple.

Sitting at a café longer than we intended. Wandering into a town we’d never heard of. Driving through the countryside and turning off the road because something looked interesting. Staying at an agriturismo where simply being there became part of the experience.

Those trips taught me something I’ve carried into the way I plan travel today:

Don’t try to see everything when you haven’t seen anything.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to see Rome, Florence or Venice. We love those places too.

But I don’t think you have to see all of Italy on one trip.

Sometimes another night in the same place, an afternoon without a reservation, or a small village you didn’t know existed is what allows you to actually experience Italy instead of just passing through it.

Why NomadWithDan?

Eventually, I realized I wanted to take what I’d learned from our own travels and build something of my own around it.

That’s how NomadWithDan started.

And the name is pretty literal.

When you read one of these Wednesday letters, it’s me writing it. Most of the photos you see are ones Michelle or I took. I’m the guy creating the social posts, researching new places and, most importantly, personally planning trips for my clients.

And if you’ve noticed the website changing from time to time, that’s probably because I’m constantly tweaking that too. I’ve discovered I enjoy that part more than I ever expected.

Turns out, I really enjoy all of it.

It combines travel, meeting people, planning, learning and sharing the places I’ve discovered — but in a much more personal way than anything I’ve done before.

Still Exploring

The best part is that we’re still doing it.

Michelle and I are still traveling, finding new places and returning to places we love. Every trip teaches me something I can bring back to my clients — and something I can share with all of you here.

So when you hear me talk about Italy Beyond the Tourist Trail, now you know a little more about where that comes from.

And if you’ve been reading these Wednesday letters for a while, thank you. I really do appreciate you following along.

Let’s Stay Connected

I share quite a bit between these Wednesday letters — places we’re discovering, photos from our travels, ideas for future trips and some of what I’m learning along the way.

If you enjoy following along, I’d love to have you join me there too.

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Buon Viaggio, 🇮🇹

Dan
Nomad With Dan

Experience Italy. Don’t just see it.

P.S. Have a question about Italy? Just reply to this email—it comes directly to me. I’m always happy to talk Italy. 🇮🇹