Q: What was your overall impression of the VIVA Holidays Italy famil?
A: An amazing experience. A great blend of sightseeing, history and education from the local suppliers and tour operators.
Q: What were your highlight(s) of the trip?
A: There were so many highlights but one of my favourite days was visiting Lake Como – such beautiful scenery and towns.
Q: Can you tell us a bit more about…?
- The food. How can you go wrong with Italian food, from the fresh produce of northern Italy from truffle to local meat dishes, we savoured many beautiful dishes. The best pasta dish I have ever eaten was in Bellagio, Lake Como. Delicious!
- The accommodation. All our hotels were located in perfect areas to explore the amazing cities of Italy.
- The history. Italy has so much history and with the local guides having so much knowledge, they explained everything perfectly.
- The touring. We had a range from large group to private walking tours. Being able to experience both the styles of touring is a great way to be able to know what would best suit our clients wants/needs.
- The shopping. Milan and Florence are known for their great fashion and leather. I think many of us went home with a lot more extra luggage!
- The transport. Having never travelled with Italian rail before, I enjoyed this experience. Yes, we had some delays but this is all part of travelling and sometimes not everything runs on time.
Q: Qatar Airways were famil partners. How were the flights and the Qatar experience?
A: I have flown Qatar many times in economy but this time I got to experience business class in their QSuite and what can I say, AMAZING!!!
The flight attendants were friendly and always willing to assist. I loved how the QSuite has a door that you can close off from the aisle and feel like you are in your own little quiet room.
Q: What was the overall feeling/vibes from the other agents on the trip?
A: We all had an amazing time. Some of the agents had never been to Italy and some, like me, had not been since the 90’s. We all had a great time together and many friendships were made.
Q: What was the standout highlight from the trip?
A: Lake Como was definitely at highlight for me, just such a beautiful part of Italy.
Q: Did you learn or discover any key takeaways about the region that will help you with clients interested in Italy?
A: Personally, I found the best way for sightseeing is small group or private touring over the large coach tours. Train travel is the best way around Italy but be aware that delays happen and to just “go with it”.
Q: What was unexpected or surprising about the trip?
A: I was defiantly surprised at how busy these cities still were for the middle of November, especially Rome, but in saying that, Italy can be a perfect destination for all seasons.
Q: Summing up – anything else to add?
A: This trip was an awesome opportunity to see and experience three of the major cities of Italy and a reminder of how lucky I am to be working in this amazing industry with wonderful travel partners like Viva Holidays, Destination Italia, Qatar Airlines and Visit Qatar.
