Forza Italia!

I have been overseas once before; I was 16 and on a school trip to Italy. I saw the Colosseum, La Scala, the Fontana di Trevi, Pompeii, and the beaches of Sorrento. I ate pizza, pasta, bruschetta and gelati. I met Alessandro*, Marco**, Massimo*** and Giacomo****. I got a student discount on alcohol, and snuck out of windows and onto rooftops. And I nearly got sent home.

That was the longest time I’d been away from home. I loved the freedom and independence of roaming the Italian streets (in groups of thee or more, of course), and enjoyed myself so much I forgot to send home a postcard the whole month I was gone. I got a bit ‘podgy’ as my mum called it, but made many friends and priceless memories.

Luckily for me, that trip was funded by my parents (I’m still thanking them), and organised and chaperoned by my professoresse di italiane. Tours, tickets and four and five star hotels were booked and paid for in advance. We were fed deluxe breakfasts each morning, and taken to dine at restaurants each night. Uomo, that was the life.

This time around, Ash, Livi and I have planned, decided upon and booked everything for ourselves, with the help of our travel agent. Not to mention paid for everything from our own wallets. Beds have been booked in hostels, one and two star hotels. It has been completely up to us to decide where we want to go, how we want to get there, and how long we want to stay.

It’s been liberating, but also a lot of responsibility. We were warned about renting apartments in notoriously dodgy cities, and advised against flying certain airlines. Research and discussions among ourselves, experienced travellers and travel agents have been invaluable to the planning process, and I highly recommend using a travel agent if you are planning your first independent overseas trip. Yes they will make a commission from your booking, but you will have piece of mind that they can mediate between airlines and hotel management if things don’t go to plan, and be assured that their advice comes from worthy past experiences.

We can only hope our months of planning translate into a smooth and enjoyable trip overseas, with plenty of room for flexibility and spontaneity. So Italy, my darling, I’ll be seeing you again very shortly. Look out, Nikki’s back.

xoxo Nicoletta  

*Cute boy

**Cute boy’s friend

***Hotel receptionist (also cute)

****Italian teacher in Florence (also carino molto)



Yes, I'm a tourist, cheeeeeeese

 

I found him in the basement of our hotel

Stealing food from breakfast is a must, I said must!

It's polite to lick the plate

Playing artsy film director in Burano

Jetlag is a terrible, terrible thing

Once upon a time

I’m more of a start in the middle kind-a person, getting too excited about what’s actually happening, than someone who starts from the beginning. But every story has to have a beginning, so it goes like this…

Once upon a time a girl named Nikki was excited to be leaving high school to pursue her further education. Choosing a university on the complete other side of Melbourne from where she lived, she knew few people who would also be enrolled.

Nikki was nervous but also excited when her first day came around. It was by chance that she met a girl named Ashleigh on the bus, who happened to be doing the exact same Media and Communications degree, and who was in the exact same peer mentor group on that first day. This group is where Nikki and Ashleigh met Olivia, another girl wanting to break into the media industry.

The three girls laughed and chatted, having so much in common and only having just met. They would have lunch at the café every week at uni, reading magazines and discussing boys and clothes over coffees and chai lattes.

First semester turned into second, second semester into second year. Lunches at uni turned into dinners in the city, and nights out drinking and dancing. Three Media and Communication students turned into three Media and Communication graduates. Three strangers turned into three amazing friends.

Determined to join the workforce, Nikki wanted to secure a job straight out of uni. But dear friends Ashleigh and Olivia convinced her that they should celebrate by taking an extended holiday; one that would take them around the world, to experience different countries and their cultures.

So the three girls worked and worked, saving enough money to commence booking their adventure. They planned and dreamed and saved and sacrificed, until their vision became a reality.

The three girls jet off from Melbourne in three weeks, armed with only their backpacks and as many clothes they can jam into them. This story has many more chapters and tales to be told over the next six months abroad. Princes, fairy godmothers, flying carpets, and pumpkin coaches may be just around the corner.

Yours in story telling, Nikki xxx

(May or may not be the same Nikki as referred to above)

Three years ago

Two years ago

One year ago

Today