"Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it’s happened!" – Dr. Seuss
I've spent the last week deeply reflecting on my 10 days through Tuscany and how much it affected me, as travel always does. I always say: You never return home the same person you were when you left; you come back better. It's never possible to predict how you'll change, but I do know that you're always the wiser for the lessons you learn in those days you step outside your routine existence, go on an adventure, discover new places, meet new people, and witness other ways of living.
This trip to Italy was one I needed, for so many reasons. I still help the NYC Test + Trace Corps. as a contact tracer because I continue to feel a civic duty to keep my city safe and well-informed about the resources our city offers. I've been with Test + Trace for 17 months - since June 2020. From the early days of the pandemic, through high and low waves, through vaccines, and now into the new reality where we've all learned how to navigate life outside our bubbles again, I've spoken with thousands of people and completed hundreds upon hundreds of case investigations and contact intakes. It feels really good to help people, but it wasn't until I was in Italy that I realized what a blessed relief it was to lay that work down for a while, escape the responsibility of caring for so many, and feel the glorious beauty of a life untethered that you only get when you've traveled far from home.
That freedom, that release, that blissful state of being vibrantly alive with all your senses, heart, and intellect open and alert and celebrating the newness all around - that's why I love travel. Those emotions are addictive, and the world supplies a never-ending source of wonders to fuel those cravings to see, do, and learn more and more each time.
Besides traveling, I'm back to ushering at Theatre for a New Audience too! Yay! This weekend we picked up where we left off on March 11, 2020 and restarted previews of the play Gnit, whose set has been waiting on stage. I love TFANA's productions, our Polonsky Shakespeare Center venue in Brooklyn, welcoming patrons into our spaces for a shared live experience, and especially our team of front of house pros. Ending a busy work day to hang out with our great team and welcome the public to a show is a really fun way to get out of the house, and I can't tell you how much I've missed every aspect of it.
October was a magical month that reunited me with European travel and theater ushering, and I'm overcome with gratitude that these are back in my life. I have survived, managed, and even exceled in some ways throughout the pandemic, but to be back in a theater or in a foreign land - these are what bring me joy, the kind of joy that makes you forget everything else, when you're just in the moment and feeling happy to be alive.
Aren't you ready to feel that way again too? It's my honor to help you travel beautifully, safely, and exuberantly and fill your soul full of memories, discoveries, experiences, and emotions that you only find when you leave home and let go. I'm here to help you plan the most magical trips you can imagine. It's time again for dreams, journeys, and new paths forward....
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I design journeys to inspire artists, arts lovers, and intellectually curious travelers seeking authentic arts, culture, history, and cuisine for life-changing, joyful discoveries with insider access and VIP amenities, all over the world.
Danielle Dybiec
Founder & President