Friends, Family, and Recommendations

Friends and family often are our greatest source of support. We’re certainly no exception when it comes to having plenty who will provide assistance or cheer us on as we tackle any new adventure we dare to venture into. As a way of saying thank you and giving mutual support to those who have a business service or product which is travel related we would like to share their info with our visitors who may find their service useful.

Most of the links below are useful for those looking for recommended accommodations and other general travel resources. Some of the links are places we have personally stayed and can recommend and others are helping out a friend we feel offers something related to travel worth promoting.

inspiration: Everywhere!

If you’d like to have a professional travel agent assist you with planning the flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and all-inclusive packages for your chosen destination around the world, my good friend Allison at Travel + Sage can help. She doesn’t charge a consulting fee for her service and she’ll help you find quality deals that won’t leave you stranded at an airport because you found some DIY low-cost, overbooked flight that may leave you guessing if you will arrive when you planned. She also specializes in locations in South Africa and Japan, so if these are dream destinations for you, then you should definitely contact her for help.

inspiration: Italy

While I’m happy to assist you with planning activities in Italy, you may want to check out a few of these locations for accommodations.

Aberobello (Puglia) – B&B Trulli Caroli This unique AirBnB listing (in the featured photo) can also be found on Booking.com if you prefer that reservation site instead. If you’ve not yet discovered what a trullo is, then be sure to check out this fairytale-like ancient dwelling located in the countryside of the Puglia region. This trullo is actually located between the towns of Aberobello and Locorotondo in the Valle d’Itria and is a perfect getaway to relax. In Aberobello you can see an entire historic village clustered together of these charming Trulli homes. The young host of his family’s restored home nestled in the middle of a fruit orchard is quite wonderful and offers an optional breakfast picnic basket for an additional fee. Get it! It’s more than worth the small price he charges for the wonderful assortment fresh-baked goods and miscellaneous breakfast needs for your room.

Arezzo (Tuscany) – Fattoria La Striscia This beautiful agriturismo is located on the outside edge of the town of Arezzo in Tuscany. It was a perfect location for a base camp during our daily excursions to several hillside towns of the Tuscany region such as Cortona and Montepulciano.

Matera (Basilicata) – Casa del Sole This unusual B&B is located in the Sassi Caveoso of Matera, one of our favorite places in Italy to visit. Matera is one of the oldest, still inhabited cities of the world and is famous for being used as a filming location whenever Hollywood wants to depict ancient Jerusalem. By staying here, you are located in the heart of the historic area and you get to have the unusual experience of staying in a renovated cave home.

Molazzana, Lucca province (Tuscany) – B&B Rustico Sara Located in northwestern Tuscany, this old stone house converted into a B&B is perched on the hillside with panoramic views of the Garfagnana mountains in a small village located in the Lucca provincia.

Salerno (Campania) – Giardino dei Sogni This private cottage sleeps 2 (or 4 with rollaway beds can work well if you have kids) and is located in a quiet neighborhood in the southern part of the city near a metro line with nearby free parking. The huge garden is private with tall hedges and a beautiful swimming pool – a rare oasis to be found in the city.

Salerno (Campania) – Bruman Hotel The small boutique hotel is conveniently located in the center of Salerno adjacent to the train station that easily connects you to Naples, Pompei, Paestum, and other nearby regions. Beautifully renovated, this is the perfect location for a business traveler or tourist who doesn’t plan to spend much time at the hotel, but still wants a nice, comfortable, and secure place to rest after exploring the Campania region. Continental breakfast is included and you are within walking distance to the beach and plenty of locations within the city’s historic center.

Rome – Crib Rentals Rome  Looking for a place to stay in Rome? This is a great alternative to AirBnB to find short-term to long-term rentals. They have some beautiful listings and with a mother-tongue English manager operating this site you’ll be able to book your rental without any language complications between you and the properties owners.

Todi (Umbria) – La Casella Agriturismo A beautiful agriturismo located in the countryside of Umbria. There are several room combinations possible for accommodating small and larger families traveling together or a group who would like to organize special events for a retreat. This location has a fantastic Sunday brunch if you just want to go enjoy a nice local meal and see the views from this hillside location in the peaceful countryside.

inspiration: France

Another top European destination we love is France. Home of the Louvre – the largest and most visited art museum in the world, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and so many more places including those outside of Paris. We’ve considered venturing our services there one day, but it’s enough for us now to focus on Italy.

However, we do recommend a friend of ours who specializes in vacation packages for small groups of women to the famous City of Light, Paris. If you are planning a trip to France, check out Paris by Paige and tell her that Inspiration Trips referred you. She has several years of experience in the travel industry, has spent time living in France, teaches French, and also does consulting if you’re interested in planning your own special itinerary.

inspiration: Spain

We haven’t been to Spain yet. Barcelona is at the top of our list for the next European city to visit to see the amazing architecture there. When we go, we also hope to visit an old friend running a B&B in the seaside town noted below.

Costa del Sol – Casa del Sol B&B This boutique B&B is run by a colleague of ours from when we used to work in the yachting industry.

inspiration: USA

Hawaii Save-A-Lot A low-cost travel directory written by a dear friend who’s a local that will give you lots of knowledge on island activities and ways to save money when planning your Hawaii vacation.

Friends, if we left any of you out and you’d like your travel-related business to be featured here please leave a comment below. We may not have known the info previously or did not realize your info was still current. Comments are moderated, so keep it simple and no spamming.