Welcome to Destination Serendipity

Destination Serendipity is a blog about the happy surprises you discover as you travel on life’s journey. Have you ever felt the best memories of a trip are the unexpected things you find? Think about the delicious meal you have by just following a beautiful aroma down a historic street, that leads you to a charming restaurant in a sunny town square. Perhaps you have stumbled on an ancient chapel & walked in at the precise moment your best loved aria is being performed. Or going to a city & finding an art gallery has a visiting collection of your favourite masterpieces on display. That’s finding your serendipitous travel moment in time.

Serendipity is the fortune of finding a positive surprise by chance.

I’ve been a traveller since 1974 when we had a family holiday in Italy. On our way to Europe looking out the plane window I have the clearest recollection of seeing the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers as we flew over Iran & Iraq. As we came to land at Rome, I could not believe seeing the Colosseum popping out of the city like a giant souvenir.

My name is Linda De Angelis, I have worked in the travel industry for over 30 years, in all aspects of this industry starting with the airlines. I have worked in travel & tour operations, retail travel, yacht & canal boat charters. It is a challenging but rewarding job looking after people’s travel dreams. When it comes to travel, your operators & agents prepare your arrangements & fine tune your itinerary. However, you make your adventure & precious memories. When travelling it’s good to keep your intuition open to capture the serendipitous travel moments. It sometimes can feel like you’re chasing an elusive butterfly. As I love to travel & explore the world, reminiscing on past journeys is just as wondrous as planning the next. I’m also inspired by the tales of fellow travellers’ journeys, so I hope as you read this blog you remember your serendipitous travel moments, add comments & share your stories too! This blog has started as a result of being grounded in lockdown in Sydney, Australia. It’s like being trapped in transit in your own city, except you’re not at an airport! In my case I am in a small apartment, very unsettling!

It’s certainly has impacted how we live for now & has forced us to slow our pace. Normally I’m planning for my next adventure, like most of the world that’s on hold! So, it’s a fabulous chance to reminisce on where we’ve been & how wonderful those memories are. By staying happy & focused on the present will help protect our minds. Keeping the holiday dreams alive in our hearts will help us to look forward to the future.

Sydney, Australia.

Having worked in the travel industry for over 30 years this pandemic is nothing like I’ve ever seen. “Pandemic” was always a word that was in all the Terms & Conditions page. When I think about the travel industry, I’m so sad for the job losses & businesses struggling with travel restrictions, plus travellers halted too!

It’s heartbreaking to think of our travel partners & all the people living in the travel destinations who have wonderful services – including restaurants, museums, markets, shops, tours, hotels, charter yachts, canal boats, cooking schools, country villas & the rest. They must be doing things tough now missing the tourists. Like everyone, I look forward to when we can travel. I hope in the not-so-distant future the world will be well again & we can all travel with a newfound respect for the privilege it is to leave our shores. However just remember you don’t need to travel so far to have a wonderful trip. Think about Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, she travelled in her dream & in the end the blue bird of happiness was in her own backyard! So never underestimate the staycation we all seem to be having, there’s good things to be found here too!

In the last year I’ve enjoyed discovering so many wonderful walks in my own city & it’s all the better that you can call any local friend or family in your city to share an impromptu sojourn with spectacular city views, awesome seascapes or gorgeous parks. Many of these places have become my little oases to find solace & happiness. I’ve also kept very busy in lockdown perfecting my baking, especially enjoying the RSPCA fundraiser baking challenge. Recently I took part in a beach clean-up at Clifton Gardens in conjunction with Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Like you, I’m looking forward to my next travel adventures. What I love the most about travel is the unexpected things you discover. It’s the happy coincidences you find on life’s journey that make the precious memories in your heart.

In this blog I’m looking forward to sharing the treasure trove of things I have discovered on life’s journey. So, I’ll share with you some favourite memories, delightful destinations, travel itinerary highlights, some delicious recipes & special photos I’ve collected on the way so you can be inspired for your next adventures! Welcome aboard, I wish you Bon Voyage as we embark on our serendipitous journey! I hope you enjoy following this blog for Destination Serendipity.