The District Magazine Vol. 3 NEW BEGINNINGS 2018 | Page 10

You can vacation , or you can

TRAVR

Experience life through travel .
Do you ever long for more adventure in your life ? Maybe you ’ d love to go somewhere exotic , like Thailand , but can ’ t think of anyone to go with you . Stop scrolling through Facebook and liking other people ’ s vacation pictures , when you can have an amazing experience of your own . Travr , founded by Tampa native Clint Bertucci , is your passport for an incredible global travel experience .
Travr is a travel community for active , young professionals . Clint knows a little about travel , having over 70 stamps in his own passport .
Clint didn ’ t start off as a traveler , though . For years , Clint worked in the mortgage industry , which gave him little opportunity to make the time to travel abroad . “ There always seemed to be a reason to push it off till next year ,” he said .
A Hard Learned Lesson in the Corporate World
As most Americans during the 2008 economic crisis , Clint suffered major losses . Perhaps even more significant losses than the average person , because he was part of the same industry that had collapsed . He started to lose everything he had spent years working so hard to attain . However , adversity breeds excellence , and through his adversity Clint made the decision to change the direction of his life .
“ I was determined to discover my true passion in life , no matter what it took ,” he said . He sold many of his belongings , including the ultimate “ I made it in corporate America ” Rolex watch , and set his compass in the direction of Italy . Thus began Clint ’ s mission to take back his freedom and love for life . Clint left the corporate world to reinvent himself , and returned back to college to complete his degree and study abroad .
The Trip to Italy that Changed Everything
Clint landed in Florence , Italy and started his journey studying abroad . While in Florence , he took weekend trips to various countries . He immediately knew traveling was the passion he had been searching for . With money running on empty , down to one Euro to his name , Clint placed panic aside and created a way to create cash to make it home .
While videoing people sitting at a café in Italy , a bell went off in his head . He quickly did a few edits , and offered the video to the owner of the café in return for 50 Euro . The café owner agreed , and a business was born . Shortly after , Clint was shooting video throughout Italy , sometimes for over 500 Euro per video , steadily saving his hard earned cash for a plane ticket back home .
After several trips back and forth to Italy , Clint returned to Tampa , Florida , and attended The University of South Florida to complete his degree . It wasn ’ t long after graduation that he was packed , bag in hand , and ready to travel again . This time he would be traveling throughout 30 countries , both solo and with groups .
During his travels , he worked independently , marketing for various foreign restaurants , nightlife and travel companies — and even did a stint as a tour guide . All while making countless contacts and resources as well as finding sites , foods and the adventures that people only read about .
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