The World is her Classroom Now

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - Nov. 21, 2015 - PRLog -- Maureen Kamide, from Vestal, NY, went from the classroom in the Greater Binghamton community to the classroom of the world.  Now the owner of Bella Viaggi Tours, which officially started up part-time in 2012, Kamide now runs the business full-time, after retiring from her 32 year career as a speech/language therapist & special education teacher.

"Bella viaggi" means "beautiful travel" in Italian and this 2^nd career came about because of her love of travel, and the desire to learn about and explore new places and cultures.

Bella Viaggi Tours tours typically run 8 - 10 days, which “are meant to give travelers a "taste" of the country/countries that we are traveling to,” says Kamide.  “The tours are designed to allow people to make their own choices: some freedom to go off and explore on their own or to stick closer to me for a more "guided" experience."

On a recent trip to Italy (Rome, Florence and Venice) in September, fourteen women and men experienced not only the amazing sights of these beautiful cities, but they also stayed in what one traveler describes as top-rate accommodations, tasted amazing delicacies and delicious wines, and enjoyed traveling and meeting new people.  “The people who go on the trips don’t always know one another before hand.  Sometimes it's a few small groups, or a family, but once the trip is over, many become long time friends,” says Kamide.

“It has always been a dream of mine to go to Italy,” says Linda Salomons, one of the more recent travelers.  When my girlfriend told me about this trip with Maureen, I definitely wanted to find out more.”  Salomons attended an information session almost a year before the actual trip.  “It gave me the time to think about it, make sure it was do-able to leave my family, and then when the deposit was due, I was ready to commit.”  Salomons says the trip to Italy gave her a great introduction to Italy. "I hope to return in a few years with my husband and now I’ll know what I want to do and where I want to go,” she says.

In order to run a trip, Kamide needs a minimum of 10 travelers.  She has already traveled with groups to England and Scotland, Ireland (twice) and Italy (four times).  She also has several future trips planned (see below) in 2016 and 2017. The majority of the people who have traveled with her are from the Broome County , NY area, but she has had people come from Florida and California, as well. Different ages participate as well as families, friends, groups of people who work together, etc.

More about the Bella Viaggi Tours:

Future trips in the works are:

Italy (July 2016)
France (August 2016)
Munich~Prague~Vienna (July 2017)
Ireland (August 2017)
Italy (October 2017)
Greece (tbd)
Spain (tbd)

Deposits are due 8-9 months prior to the trip in order for Kamide to guarantee specific hotels, day trips and flights.

Kamide holds information meetings about each trip for people who might be interested and to help gather information.

For more information, contact:

Maureen Kamide at bellaviaggitours@stny.rr.com

http://www.bellaviaggitours.com