Weathering the Storm with the WP#179

As I awaken to another very hot to be morning here in Rome, I am reflecting on last week. Really, not much to report as the workers have gone home for the holiday and won’t be back for two weeks until the end of August. This allows me to get out if I want, but with temps still hovering around 100 F (38 C), I venture out here and there, be it the market or just this Sunday, Rosa and I went to a park near here and walked a few kilometers before the heat really built up. Really, I am preparing for the volume of clients who are about to travel here to Europe in the next couple of months, including here in Italy, but also Spain, Portugal, the UK, Switzerland, and Belgium. France, as well, after the Olympics and those that just returned. ​

I have also started cleaning up emails and my database, as I have had some slow time between, as August has been a time to simply catch up. Today, Rosa and I are continuing the paper trail and bureaucratic red tape sea to my residency, and since tomorrow is Ferragosto, a major holiday, among thousands here in Italy, I will get to the market to get some bargains, as it were, since the outdoor markets will be shutting down for this and most likely the rest of the month, so who knows, but I am sure I will find something. Last week, for 1 Euro, I got several kilos of aubergines, eggplant for those who know it this way, and in Italiano, melanzane. It will be an experience, for sure, and done when they are about the close, but before the hottest part of the day. ​

As I mentioned, I have been spending time cleaning up emails and my database, and decided, as it has been some time, going old school, especially for many clients with whom I had worked pre-pandemic, but had not reached out since. Why I don’t know, and as good as business is these days, and fortunately for Rosa and me, it is, I am always looking for ways to incrementally increase business, as some falls off and some I gain, but ever-increasing business at a steady pace. Quality over quantity, so I started from A and still working through the alphabet and sending out emails to all of my clients where I see potential and saying, hey, I am still here and stronger than ever and I have been getting replies back, many in fact, most positive and optimistic, some saying that they have not traveled since before the pandemic and glad to know I am still in the business, so it was a good idea and the alphabet is not done yet. In fact, it must have been karma that I received not one, but two calls last week from clients, from Alabama and from Minnesota, reaching out for travel this year and next and they are now booked and ready to go. I had not gotten emails out to them, as yet, so the idea of old school touching base, just to say hey, has worked. ​

I have also been dabbling in some other ventures with the business, a bit of marketing, and a bit of AI. Yes, I have moved into the 21st century in many ways, including doing more than 90% of my business electronically, very little paper, which by contrast in my adopted country, is extremely paper driven. Remember the stacks of paper stories I have shared trying to get the promised land of residency here, and it continues as I paid 1 euro to print out a form validating the validation from the city hall and the Italian government that Rosa and I are in fact legally married, another step in the process. What I wanted to share are two things that since I have from day one had bling with my logo on it and other things that I have provided clients in the past, but due to cost constraints and not doing paper documents anymore and only doing e-portfolios, is that that stuff is gone. However, if you like the Wandering Puffin logo and want to support this small dynamic travel agency, you can go to my Wandering Puffin Store with Queensboro and order apparel with my logo on it. I am not making any money from this, but perhaps the next time I arrange your travels, you can be my marketing team. They do quality work. I have purchased baseball caps, knit hats, polo shirts and even put the logo on my traveling office. Here is the link and it will also be on my website.

The New Wandering Puffin Store

The other piece is that I am entering the arena of AI and hopefully this will help in speeding up my process and help with presentations I would like to start sharing from my colleagues around the world in a nice experiential way. I have tried this over the years and created these along with my webmaster and social media guru, but it did not stick. I think with the help of AI, as I learn this more and more, and provide the details, Toby, as he is called will be able to provide wonderful presentations I can share on social media and even in terms of blogs in the future. Rosa does not think using Toby for blogs is a good idea, as these blogs are about life, and I incorporate my emotions into and the experiences. Maybe I will test it out and for the record, AI had nothing to do with this blogpost or any in the past. I am just starting to delve into this and there will be a learning curve, so I will start slow, adding to my e-portfolio like suggested packing lists for particular destinations and times of year. Little by little, I will add more. The tool is only as good as the person using it, and I have to learn. Of course, it will be a challenge, but I have not backed down from the challenge. I want to expand my range and even introduce myself to my locals here in my new home, be it expats or locals, so I know that what I share can also be provided in several languages, including Italian. Nice to know that Toby is multi-lingual. ​

Finally, and most importantly, Rosa and I are about to celebrate 6 months married. I know that maybe that may not seem a lot but given what she and I have been through over the past 6 months, the craziness, the excitement, the bureaucratic drudgery, and even everyday life with its bumps in the road, I know we are going to make it. I love her so much and sometimes I forget, but I am good at is remembering dates, so I want to do something special for her. It is next Monday, and I have in the afternoon my interview, working on my CV, with the help of AI, for teaching English as a Foreign Language here in Rome. Any ideas you have for something special. I always get her flowers, usually roses, but she also loves sunflowers and since the evening world does not open until later, even on a Monday and I am guessing she is working anyway, be it guiding or at the library, what we do will be later anyway. Your thoughts are certainly appreciated. Thank you. ​

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I hope you have enjoyed my offerings each week and appreciate that you have read my blog posts and look forward to continuing with sharing. As always, thank you so much for your support of Rosa’s and my crazy little world here in Rome now that they have been merged into one. We truly appreciate your support. Stay safe, healthy, and most importantly happy, and as always, your shared comments and thoughts are most welcome!!!