Travel Connections

Hey travelers, Welcome to Episode, lucky number 7. This is a super exciting episode for me! I absolutely love to read, and travel has provided me with the perfect excuse for keeping my nose in a book. I read books made of paper as well as read electronically on my iPad. I am not the one who is downloading and binging on the latest Netflix series. No, I am deliriously happy to sit and read for hours on the plane, guilt-free.

The holidays are coming, and everyone is in gift-giving mode, so I thought I would share titles that fill my soul and make me smile - I am sharing my current favorite top eight books that are about food and travel.

There are obviously so many to choose from, but these titles are ones you may not be that familiar with the exception of the first one on the list Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.

I take you through the list and share what I like about them and offer a few travel connections of my own.

Do you log your reading? I have been keeping a simple reading journal since 2005, but there is a new journal I talk about on the podcast called My Reading Life, A Book Journal by Anne Bogel. I plan to use my new copy very soon and have purchased other copies to give as gifts for Christmas.

Even if you are not a big reader, you will enjoy hearing the stories that go along with each of these titles.

Earlier this year I wrote a popular blog post on my blog AdventuresofEmptyNesters.com where I share 15 Books About Food & Travel That Saved Me During the Pandemic. So I decided to talk about this list in a podcast episode! Great idea! I only talk about half of them, it was too much book talk for one episode! You can click on the link above to get the full list.

My Reading Life, A Book Journal - Anne Bogel

Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time - Moira Hodgson

Cork Dork - Bianca Bosker

Mastering the Art of French Eating and The Lost Vintage - Ann Mah

L'appart "The Delights and Disasters of Making Paris Home"- David Lebowitz

Travels with Charley in Search of America - John Steinbeck

Slow Your Roll - Meg S. Maloney

• List of Favorite Books on Amazon
• A Culinary Adventure With Tuscan Women Cook (Episode 2)
• How to Find Adventure & Thrive in the Empty Nest - Suzanne's E-Book
• My Amazon Travel Store - Suzanne's Favorite Must-Haves
• Hear No Evil Media Podcast Audio Production by Erik Hulslander
• Touchstone Essentials

I have just returned from a glorious 16 day trip to Italy. It was so important to me to share my adventures with you and tell you the truth of what it's like to travel now in 2021.

In this episode, you will find current and practical information for a trip to Europe. Protocols and rules may change, but this will give you some great info regarding Passenger Locator Forms and my experience with COVID tests.

The beautiful city of Milan was the focus of the second half of my tour of Northern Italy.

I met my husband Craig in Milan, and we had never been to Milan before, so it was imperative to me to utilize the time we had. So I asked another Italian guide that I know, her name is Alice Rossi and she specializes in food and wine in the Emilia Romagna region. She referred me to Alice Salvagnin and her company, Milan Private Tours.

I reached out to Alice and asked if she had time to give us a tour, how it all worked, and she was so gracious and so lovely. We had several email exchanges to figure out exactly what we were going to see in the time that we had.

My highest priority was to see The Last Supper, and so at the suggestion of Alice, we made that appointment first, and the rest of the tour was scheduled around it. Alice took care of everything! Her commentary on Da Vinci's artistic method was captivating. Did you know that Leonardo created a 3D experience? You will be as intrigued as we were!

We spent such quality time touring with Alice, she dazzled us with her knowledge, and it absolutely blew me away how much she knew about the history of Italy and art and architecture. I thought she would be the perfect guest to bring on Travel Connections to talk about the city of Milan.

I don't think every traveler thinks of Milan first when they decide to travel to Italy. And I really think they should. Obviously, you need to go to Rome, Florence, Venice, and if there is time to Tuscany and down into the south. And I think that most people are familiar with those big cities; I don't know that every traveler is that familiar with Milan.

You are in for a treat. Alice is an expert guide who grew up in Milan, and she will amaze you with her knowledge of the Last Supper and Milan Cathedral, and her travel connection stories are fascinating!

Have you heard of this "little" band called Metallica? Wait until you hear how she spent time with James Hetfield; it is such a great story!

Wow, did I have an exciting and fun-filled discussion with Laura. Let me introduce you!

Laura Fernandez is a trailblazer in the audio space, which led her to her current position as SXM Media's Travel + Tourism VP-Head of Industry.

Her work has focused on developing media solutions that connect travel brands with their target consumers in innovative ways using the power of SXM Media, which includes SiriusXM, Soundcloud, Pandora, Stitcher, and more. Laura has expertly weaved together SXM Media's assets with the needs and habits of travelers and guided brands to target them when they are most engaged effectively.

Laura is no stranger to the relationship and similar emotional impact and relief that music and travel can have on people. With both her personal and professional affinity for music, her radio career quickly evolved after joining SXM Media, where she would launch vertical divisions for Casinos, Tourism, and eventually Travel.

Laura is passionate about the ever-evolving audio industry and enjoys educating brands on the various ways they can take advantage of audio platform's captivated audiences.

While many industries were hit hard during the pandemic, the business of audio saw 32% growth! Do you know why?

Laura shared how audio is a mood booster and that listening to your favorite music or podcast between zoom calls or while exercising makes you feel happy!

I completely agree! We sure did search for happiness-enhancing vehicles during 2020, didn't we?

Laura and I talked a lot about the importance of business travel and how we see an increase in this area of travel. Nothing can replace the personal connections we feel with others by talking with them in person. Doing business virtually has been the best way to keep business moving forward, but people need people! Amen to that!

Those of us in the travel space continue to support each other as best we can by adapting new protocols to keep each other safe and continue nurturing these relationships. As Laura said, "The Travel Industry is family."

She also shares a poignant story about how travel connects her with others in the travel space and her experience hosting a webinar in New York City just before the world shut down in March of 2020. It was such a compelling story!

Make sure you listen all the way to the end of the episode where we talk about her passion for riding her show horses Contact and Garcon and how her jumping competitions provide another way to explore sports tourism. What a fun reason for travel!

I hope you join me by exploring the world of podcasts and music and the vast array of opportunities we have to find them. SXM Media offers so many fantastic options like Soundcloud, Pandora, SiriusXM, and Stitcher.

Sara Baer-Sinnott is President of Oldways and it is a nonprofit food and nutrition organization helping people live healthier, happier lives, through cultural food, traditions and lifestyles. She has been an instrumental figure at Oldways since its early days, joining the staff in 1992.

Oldways was created to preserve and promote traditional foods and traditional ways of eating. The founder Dun Gifford, through travel had found that a lot of the "old ways" were being lost. So he founded Oldways to preserve and promote them. The mission is to help people live healthier, happier lives, through cultural food traditions, like the Mediterranean diet, which was one of the first programs

Sara assumed the presidency of Oldways in May 2010 where she develops company strategy, oversees all Oldways projects and programs and works closely with the members of the Oldways staff.

Sara shared that Oldways has lots of wonderful friends all over the world that help spread the word of healthy eating. Although obesity has increased, she is very hopeful because so many more people care about where their food comes from, and they want to learn more.

To eat really great food is to value the people that helped to produce it, and that they do it with care and love and she has found that people who are in the food world really care and are loving, sharing people!

To continue creating awareness for healthy eating and the Mediterranean diet, Oldways created "Culinarias" where chefs from around the world help educate, and demonstrate from local ingredients. Suzanne enjoyed a tour with Oldways to the Veneto where she learned directly from chefs in addition to touring the local sights and hearing from local food purveyors.

This idea is such a valuable and exciting way to celebrate cuisine through travel! Come hear more on the podcast!

Coleen Kirnan is the host and owner of Tuscan Women Cook. Suzanne enjoyed the tour four years ago and had an incredible time there learning to cook the most delicious Italian dishes.

Imagine having a best friend in Tuscany, who knows all the best places to cook, to dine, and to shop. She is on a first-name basis with the best gelato makers and has exclusive access to the most spectacular vineyards where they'll create personal wine tastings just for you. This friend also is a master travel planner who takes every detail off your plate and creates an insider's itinerary filled with friendly, knowledgeable tour guides, translators, drivers, and private cooking classes. Only a local resident would know about can you believe this is real? I promise you this is really real I lived it and I loved it.

Tuscan Women Cook has been in existence since the year 2000. and they are one of the original farm to table immersion cooking schools where the nonne (or Italian grandma's) do the instructing. Just imagine learning 5-7 dishes each day, while enjoying all of your cooking and touring the extraordinary countryside of Tuscany!

Coleen shares her deep friendships with the lovely local people of Montefollonico, the newly renovated accommodations of I Castagni and how the connections the guests make here last a lifetime.

Learn about incredible Italian wines, pair them with delicious local dishes in the finest local restaurants and even learn more about the world of organic beekeeping. Your days are filled, yet there is still time to enjoy the views of the Tuscan hillside towns, local historic architecture and indulge in a little shopping at the market in Siena. Sheer perfection.

In this solo episode about the transformative powers of travel, Suzanne shares how her first trip abroad as a UCLA college coed fueled her passion for travel, why she created Travel Connections, and what you can expect to hear in the coming episodes.

How did she manage to see The Rolling Stones with tens of thousands of Austrians in a football stadium outside of Vienna? This life-changing moment was part of this European tour she took at just 19 years old.

Her interviews with fascinating & adventurous people will bring you inside the world of travel and spark your curiosity to learn more.

The pandemic has thrown travel into a brand new spotlight. Companies are scrambling to keep up with what is right and what doesn't feel good. There is no correct answer. But if there was a way for her to support and help this industry, talking about travel and the connections we make through travel, it was a great way to do it. Every two weeks she will publish an interview with someone in the field and talk about what they do in this fantastic industry.

Is there anything better than delightful storytelling? To visualize faraway places, tickle your taste buds for authentic local cuisine, or laugh at a fun and personal anecdote? She will talk with some great people and learn a whole bunch about things we never knew existed. She plans to share some super fun details of her travel adventures and dive deeper into the guests' stories as well. You will be introduced to people and companies you may not have heard of, or heard from before.

Suzanne is always looking to find adventure and find new things and new places. And that's one of the reasons that she listens to podcasts. You can find all of that here on Travel Connections every two weeks.