Meet Anne Meringolo | Website Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anne Meringolo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anne, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve always done some research before visiting new locations, and after a few years of travel, I’ve come to the conclusion that these blog posts are useful but not really personal. With more content about a single area than you can imagine, including food recommendations, packing tips, viewpoints, and more, we’ve seen how the rise of travel influencers has significantly changed the industry. During the pandemic, when frequent travellers were grounded, I read about a family that was vacationing and then quarantined in Greece for weeks and how communities around the world embraced some travellers who had nowhere to go. I thought to myself, these are the travel experiences I wanted to read. I’ve been even more inspired to travel after reading about small communities where people grew up, expats who found their home away from home, study abroad students who made lifelong relationships, and travel photographers who locate the perfect photo to encapsulate a city. So I set up a website where anyone could share their travel experiences, ask questions, and start a conversation. While the site still has recommendations and ideas, it leaves room for others to comment and post their own experiences.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Amunì Travel Forum is a travel forum to connect everyone who has travelled or wants to travel. It is open to the public to create a free account and start writing as if it were their own travel blog. This makes it easily accessible to those who are interested in writing but don’t know where to start. For those who are looking for inspiration, this site will provide them genuine stories of how people stumbled upon places and more recently, we’ve added interest groups and events where we’ll be gathering for in-person activities. This is the part that most excites me because it can be lonely at times to travel alone, and it’s wonderful to meet people who share similar interests abroad.

The site was rather simple to develop, but with so many travel blogs written by individual travellers, it’s a little unique to have one site to read about trip experiences from regular travellers. Finding individuals to write about their experiences is difficult because we are often distracted with other things after a trip, but sharing your trip with others when they ask for advice may be cathartic and a valuable resource. It’s a wonderful record of travel adventures, a memory of those small towns and undiscovered eateries, and a wonderful way to acknowledge a company that contributed to the quality of your vacation.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve recently moved to Ireland, and if a friend came to visit, I’d show them around County Kerry. With the cliffs, beaches, mountains, and places where Irish culture is still deeply rooted, I think the area is incredibly stunning. In the well-liked tourist destination of Killarney, we can walk around town and spend hours hiking in the national park, or, if we’re feeling particularly adventurous, we can summit Ireland’s tallest peak, Carrauntoohil. We might make the Rose of Tralee International Festival, which celebrates women of Irish descent, if we time the trip well. We would spend a few nights in a castle hotel and dine and drink in neighbourhood pubs as we travelled the Wild Atlantic Way. The Ring of Kerry is a quicker way to see the villages surrounding County Kerry. This 179km-long circular route features the ideal balance of rural beach villages and coastal vistas. It goes without saying that I enjoy exploring Co. Kerry.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to recognize Ferdinando Termini for supporting me in the launch of my website and inspiring the name Amunì comes from Palermitan (Palermo) dialect meaning “Let’s go!” or “Come on!”. Additionally, I want to thank Volunteer Ireland for helping me uncover some incredible volunteers that help the website grow by providing some captivating stories that inspire me to travel. Finally, I want to thank my parents for their unwavering support. I know being away from home is difficult, but they understand that I’m happiest when I get to travel and meet new people.

Website: https://www.amuniforum.com/?rfid=shoutout_arizona

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