It has been a year since my time abroad and I have been itching to get that experience again. It’s the itch my body feels for adventure, change, and new experiences. It’s not necessarily studying abroad that I’m craving, but just traveling to different countries in general. I have officially diagnosed myself with the travel bug, and this guy is worse than the flu.

Destini in Seville, Spain

Destini in Barcelona, Spain

And as I crave these experiences, I find myself looking for new places in the world that I would love to see. I find myself on Google maps and online travel blogs more often than ever before. I have looked into traveling to Thailand, Japan and even some countries in South America. I am in my last year of school so unfortunately, I must remain in place for the time being. Tampa is wonderful but it’s a big city that I’ve been in for four years. I feel like I know all of the hidden gems and secret spots Tampa has to offer. But as I continue to live my life in the busy city of Tampa, I find my mind wandering back to my calm days in the small city of Sorrento.

Destini and Friends in Barcelona, Spain

I always knew that traveling was a passion of mine, but SAI gave me the opportunity to finally feed into that desire on a grand scale. Prior to my time abroad, I had done some traveling on the West Coast but the biggest was my move from my home in California to start school in Tampa, Florida. The change in culture from California to Florida was slight but it was nothing like moving to across the world for a semester. I feel as though Sorrento has more culture in its pinky finger than both California and Florida have in their entire states.

White Chocolate and Nutella Crepe in Sorrento, Italy

Because it was a smaller city, I was able to enjoy a more relaxing and calm atmosphere in between my travels from large city to large city in Italy and the rest of Europe. I liked having a sanctuary in Sorrento that allowed me to decompress after these exciting trips to sightsee across the country. While abroad I was able to emerge myself in several cultures allowing me to indulge in the everyday lives of the Italians and many other European traditions.

Destini in Nice, France

But the one thing it gave me that I will never forget is my love of travel. I will now always be curious about what traditions and cultural experiences are going on in other places around the world. So, what’s the next step after catching the travel bug? It’s simple, put on your adulting pants and find a career that caters to such desires.

Destini and Caten in Positano, Italy

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Destini was a spring 2017 SAI Sorrento student from the University of Tampa. She was also an SAI Ambassador in 2017/18.