My mother and father, Jacqueline and Mariano Bernardini were known throughout our small town of Wrentham Massachusetts as the couple who loved to travel. Mom and dad traveled whenever they could, and we, their six children also benefited from their desire to see the world. I consider myself lucky and am thankful to have seen all that I did growing up.

Mom and dad felt the best way to learn something was to experience it first hand, and we did just that. The Vatican in Rome, a train tour through Europe, the waterfalls of Hawaii, and even the beautiful country of Israel to mention a few.

When our family returned home, mom would be asked by her many friends about her trip and what she thought of the places she visited. She became a sort of "travel adviser" to our small town. People would book their travel based on her first hand experience and stories of her travel. Dad, who owned an insurance agency in town, suggested that she open a travel agency next door and use her first hand experience to sell travel. Mom agreed with much excitement, and Bernardini Travel was opened January 1st, (yes, that is correct, January 1st, New Year's Day), 1971. The agency became an instant success.

I began working for mom in March of 1982. One of the best times of my life, mom was a wonderful person to work for. Her decision to leave the agency due to her illness in 1989 was difficult for us both. I missed having her there with me every day. I would make numerous phone calls to her at home regarding business but more importantly to let her know how much I missed turning to her desk to see her there doing what she loved so much. When she passed away in 1999, a part of me left with her. I could no longer call her to ask for advice, or just to hear her voice on the phone while I was at the agency. I have come to realize that mom's spirit lives on in me and will always be the most important foundation of Bernardini Travel.