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In 2002 my grandparents planned a vacation family reunion to Europe. Unfortunately, a few months before our trip, my grandfather lost his battle with cancer and so our reunion became a memorial vacation. My grandfather loved to travel. Everyone who knew my grandpa knew he loved travel and cherries.

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Being 13 years old at the time, I only remember a few pieces of the trip but there was one day that stood out the most. When my family and I docked in Naples, Italy, we couldn’t find our tour guide. After giving up, an Italian man approached my family and asked if he could take us “on the best day of our lives”. Slightly hesitant, we agreed to join.

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The man, Remo, drove us two hours along the coast of Amalfi to Positano to a restaurant that overlooked the sea and cascading village along the cliffside.

There was no one in the restaurant, but Remo led us inside and sat us in front of the windows overlooking the beautiful view. He went to the kitchen and returned with plates of cheese, meat, and olives. The owner, Luigi, introduced himself and together they came out with more plates of food. Fresh salads, craw fish, clams, pasta, etc. Endless courses continued to come until it became fresh watermelon, lemonchini, deserts, etc. We begged Remo and Luigi to stop because we couldn’t eat anymore. They shook their heads, "no", and continued bringing out plates. The evening was an endless celebration of food, family, and Italian culture. As it neared the end of the day and they insisted on one more plate, we laughed, “noooo”, but Remo shook his head and left the room to return once more with a giant bowl and we all fell silent. The bowl was full of fresh cherries. Grandfather had been there with us that whole night and we all shared a bowl of cherries with him and our new Italian friends.

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I remember this magical day inspiring my love for travel. Later in life, I traveled to over 24 countries and 5 continents. It quickly became my passion to help others create personable and memorable vacations. With my experience, I gained the knowledge to start Tripefy (A Travel Leaders Partner).​