I changed my mind

Hola from Argentina and welcome back to your regularly scheduled TO programming, serving up the finest travel recommendations from around the world. 🌎

I’m going to wait until my trip ends to compile all of my Argentina recommendations, so look forward to those coming at ya soon!

Let’s get to it!

Here’s what’s on the itinerary today:

An Umbrian hermitage retreat

The 7th best Italian restaurant in the world

Walking amongst gorillas

I changed my mind

Stay in Umbria, Italy

Eremito

I recently came across this Umbrian paradise and found it wildly intriguing. Positioned as a solo traveler’s retreat, Eremito provides the opportunity to completely disconnect and recharge amongst the beauty of the Umbrian countryside. The stay is modeled after ancient hermitages and monasteries to provide the most serene experience for each traveler.

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry in Manhattan, New York

Rezdora

Recently named the 7th best Italian restaurant in the world, Rezdora is up there with the best of the best. The Michelin-star restaurant features cuisine from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. If you’re familiar with the region, or the world of fine dining, you may recognize the name Massimo Bottura. The Head Chef at Rezdora, Stefano Secchi, worked under Massimo at his world #1 ranked Osteria Francescana before starting up a restaurant of his own in New York.

I’ve eaten here twice and it is just excellent all around. There are some staple dishes, like the raviolo pictured above along with the famous Grandma Walking Through The Forest pasta, paired with some seasonal swaps. We haven’t had a miss yet.

It can be difficult to get a reservation, so if you’re looking to visit last minute, I’d recommend arriving close to open and you can likely secure a walk-in spot.

Experience in Rwanda or Uganda

Mountain Gorilla Trek

Outside of the mainstay safari tours, there is another unique African wildlife experience that may just pique your interest — Gorilla treks. Two of the best places to see these rare animals are Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.

Unfortunately, hunting and timber harvesting have negatively impacted the population numbers in the region. Conditions can be pretty wet and humid, so you’ll need to plan accordingly, but it’ll all be worth it if you can catch a glimpse of these magical beasts in their native habitat! As always, be mindful to choose ethical tour operators for your excursion.

Carry On

I’m going to be doing some more writing this year. I’ll plan to include some pieces in here as often as makes sense. Please let me know how you’re enjoying it so I can gauge whether it is worth sharing more. Here’s one:

Do you have any travel goals for the new year?

Early on this year, I posted that my goal is to travel to 30 countries before 30. I've since changed my mind.

I want to travel where and when I want. That's the whole point actually.

Traveling to check a box changes that.

This change of thinking was prompted by the fact that there are countries I have already visited that I'd like to explore further - Mexico for one... Spain is another.

With limited vacation time, I only get so many trips per year. How silly is it to limit myself to only the new countries on my list?

My goal for the new year is to travel freely. Free to learn, experience, and enjoy. Free from the bonds of expectation and objectives.

I want to be entirely present when I travel.

Sometimes I get so excited when I'm in a new place that my mind begins to wander to the excitement of the next trip. In doing so, I can sometimes pass up what is right in front of me.

So for 2024, my goal is to travel freely and stay present.

AI Travel Art Piece of the Week

Cheers ‘til next week,

T.O.