There’s a soft knock on the door…
It’s still dark outside, the air is cool, and the lodge is quiet except for the distant sounds of the bush beginning to wake up. I pull on a sweater and walk toward the main lodge where a small group of guests gathers for a quick coffee and a pastry before heading out. It’s a strange mix of sleepy and excited. You know you’re about to head into the wild, and anything could happen.
Australia is one of those destinations that feels wild in the best possible way.
I visited in September 2024 — on a familiarization trip with fellow travel advisors, specifically designed to experience the destination firsthand before recommending it to clients. It’s how I vet the places I send people, and South Australia made an impression that was difficult to leave.
Morning in the Tuscan countryside begins very differently from the cities.
The light is soft over the hills, the air carries that earthy scent of vineyards and olive trees, and the only sounds are birds and the occasional tractor somewhere in the distance. Instead of crowds gathering for early museum entries or tour groups filling hotel lobbies, the day unfolds slowly here.
I remember stepping outside one morning at Torre a Cona, a historic wine estate about twenty minutes outside of Florence. Torre a Cona has been producing wine on this land since the 15th century — it’s the kind of place that genuinely earns the word “historic,” not just uses it as marketing. Coffee in hand, I looked out across rows of vineyards rolling down the hillside toward olive groves and tall cypress trees.
Your Italy Window is something most travelers don’t realize exists until it quietly begins to close. Almost every year, I have conversations with clients who tell me they are “thinking about Italy next year,” as if Italy is simply waiting patiently for them to decide. And in many ways it is timeless — the art, the food, the landscapes will always be there — but the hotels, the private guides, and the most coveted experiences absolutely will not.
As a luxury travel advisor based in Fort Collins, I am already having serious conversations about Italy for 2026. That might sound early, but in today’s travel environment, it is exactly on time. The families who secure the charming 30-room boutique hotel in Florence or the villa in Tuscany with the sweeping vineyard views are not making those decisions three months out. They are planning thoughtfully, intentionally, and well in advance.
Italy rewards the prepared. It does not reward hesitation.