Immersing travelers in an authentic Italian experience
Plymouth’s small-town vibe, where it seems that everyone knows your name, can also provide a passport to the wider world. Heather Dowd ’07 traveled abroad for the first time with the University’s Nicaragua Club and now makes her living by offering responsible Italian travel programs.
Dowd is of Italian descent and, together with her Italian husband, is co-owner of Tourissimo. The firm mixes popular and off-the-beaten-path destinations that highlight local culture and benefit the local economy. “We want to immerse people in a true, authentic Italy and not just give them an ‘Italian’ experience,” says Dowd. Biking, hiking, and walking tours span the nation, from the northern Dolomite mountains down to Calabria (the toe of the boot), as well as the islands of Sardinia and Sicily.
“For me, travel is about so much more than going to a new place,” says Dowd. “We see responsible tourism as a way to bring jobs to areas that need them and to take some of the pressure off of sites that receive too many visitors.
“Guests start as strangers and by the end are friends. The physical nature of our tours means that they challenge themselves and also help and encourage one another.”
The tour season is from April to October when Dowd is in Italy, overseeing the European office and scouting new locations. She is in the USA during the rest of the year, focusing on sales and marketing, working with US staff, and attending travel shows and cycling events.
Some might think that working in travel means that you can travel all of the time, but Dowd explains that firms need entry-level workers for office positions. Before starting Tourissimo, she learned about the business by doing sales, marketing, and customer service for other adventure travel companies. The life of travel guides can be demanding, even if they do get to travel frequently. “They are responsible for the safety, well-being, and enjoyment of the guests and are ‘on’ 24/7 while on tour.”
Dowd participated in four trips to Nicaragua while at PSU and served as Nicaragua Club president for three of those years. In 2017, she was invited back by Compas de Nicaragua, the organization PSU supports in Nicaragua, headed by fellow PSU alumnus Executive Director Michael Boudreau ’97. She was part of the twentieth consecutive delegation from Plymouth State and is still involved with Compas, which did more than spur her love of travel.
“One of the organizations that Compas funds is called Mujeres en accion (Women in Action), which provides support, training, education, loans, meals, and so much more to women and their children who live in one of the poorest areas of Nicaragua,” says Dowd. “I still support them and I also work with other organizations in the USA that empower women.”
Dowd double majored in communications studies and Spanish with a minor in Latin American studies, graduating summa cum laude. “The faculty in both programs were accessible and committed to the success of their students,” she says. After studying Spanish in Seville during her junior year, she returned to Spain for an internship before she graduated. “I gained valuable experience of what it is like to live and work abroad,” she says.
Now a veteran international traveler, Dowd strongly encourages today’s students to consider language study. “Studying Spanish at PSU made learning Italian much easier. If there’s an opportunity for you to study abroad, take it!”
■ Peter Lee Miller
