About Buona Forchetta

Did you bring a hearty appetite for travel? I hope so!

I started this blog in 2020 during the pandemic, as a much needed outlet since our 2020 travel plans – not to mention everything else – were derailed. I also started it for probably the most traditional reason ever – to keep a diary for myself of our travels and provide a resource for friends who I was constantly swapping travel itineraries, packing lists, restaurant suggestions, and recipes with.

I was bit by the travel bug at a very early age. My mom created a frequent flier mile account (remember Continental Airlines?) for me in grade school – we rarely flew, except an occasional visit to that big-eared, dapper gent we liked to call “Mickey”, but miles do add up. From my parents, I learned the art of volunteering for a “bump” to get free tickets. There was a running joke amongst family friends that my parents volunteered for bumps so often that they hadn’t payed for a plane ticket since 1985….it might be true.

In college, to the shock and horror of my college advisor, I said no grazie to a summer research internship to spend a summer studying abroad in Florence Italy, through Gonzaga University. The world, however , is full of educational opportunities and not all of them involve petri dishes and test tubes. I couldn’t get enough of exploring abroad. The notorious Father Bruno taught us how viva la dolce vita – which included how to extend the life of our Eurorail passes (back in the day when you hand wrote the dates of use), and how to make, really, any spot of land a campsite….until the carabinieri show up.

There were many valuable skills to be had for a college student with a travel addiction and limited expendable income. I also became a bit of a “Ricknik”, devouring Rick Steves guides to figure out how I could optimize every hour of my time abroad. Rick Steves continues to be an indispensable resource; as he says, “to have an A+ vacation, you have to be an A+ student”….do your research before you hit the road. He makes it easy.

In order to feed my travel addiction, I upped my points and miles game exponentially over the past decade. If you are wondering how on earth we afford to travel so often…well, we have our strategies! I rely heavily on The Points Guy for information on how to maximize our points and miles game to fly for free as often as possible. I won’t reinvent the wheel here on this blog, but would refer you to The Points Guy website for lots of beginner guides on where to start.

My husband and I don’t vacation. We travel. We enjoy learning about other cultures and connecting to other people around the globe; we are all different, yet we are all so similar at the same time. By traveling, we can learn from the wisdom – and mistakes – of ancient civilizations, we can see the world through a different perspective, and we learn the importance of keeping an open mind. We cultivate our appreciation for nature, and look for beauty in the world everywhere we can find it. (And yes, we have the blisters to prove it.)

Lastly, I hope to share some recipes inspired by our travels. I find food to be such a wonderful way to connect to another culture….and to relive travel moments at home. Buona forchetta is an expression my Italian relatives frequently use when we come to visit – literally “a good fork,” it means to have a good appetite. Buon appetito, and travel on!

Tracie

Countries I’ve visited: 39 as of 2021 (Goal: #50by50)


visited 39 states (17.3%)
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Note: I “count” visiting a country if I have spent at least a half day in that country, boots on the ground, outside the airport (airport layovers don’t count)

You can create your own map here!

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