Travel to Italy with the Italian Community: Italy Tour Packages Through Guidester Travel

Jack Baumann is CEO of Guidester Travel

MICHAEL CROSS
President, St Louis - Bologna Sister Cities

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The Italian Community of St Louis partners exclusively with Guidester Travel, a St Louis based travel agency founded by St Louis native and entrepreneur, Jack Baumann.

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Wouldn't it be nice to have a personal tour guide to Italy right in your pocket? In 2014, thirty-something year old world traveller and archeologist Jack Baumann asked himself that very question. Travelling had become a passion for Jack and now he wanted to do it for a living. Following this inspiration, he created Guidester, an app and custom travel guide that simplifies, personalizes, and enriches travellers' experiences. "I wanted to develop a better way to plan and research travel to Europe, and specifically to Italy. I saw the need and set out to create a travel tool that removes all these challenges, making it easy for travelers to envision and experience their perfect trip to Italy." Jack Baumann's dream came to fruition, and since 2014, he has taken dozens of individuals and families on tour each year throughout one of the world's most beautiful countries.

During the pandemic, Jack wanted to take some time to improve his Italian, his new favorite language. He began taking Italian lessons through the St Louis Italian Language Program where he met Italian language instructor, Giovanna Leopardi. He shared his vision with Giovanna. She invited him to attend several of the Italian Community's events where he met numerous young Italians. "This is such a vibrant community," he said excitedly during an evening event at Casa Don Alfonso in Clayton. 

The Italian Community of St Louis' mission is not only to connect Italians in St Louis and provide a "home away from home" for expats but also to promote contemporary Italy and engage St Louisans about what the Italy of today is all about. Since 2017, the community has received numerous requests and inquiries from St Louisans and from individuals in the broader metropolitan area about tour packages or assistance with travelling throughout Italy. When speaking with the Director of HEC-TV Mr. Dennis Riggs, who has been on several guided tours of Italy organized through St Louis Community College, he mentioned that the "students both young and old from St Louis Community College benefited greatly from the very educational and personalized guided tours but the program ended several years ago. Many would like to see a tour of that caliber return." 

​Jack Baumann's connection has proven to be a blessing for a community growing exponentially. A partnership with his company Guidester seems to be another success in the making. Italian expats in St Louis have many contacts throughout Italy and the Mediterranean, specifically in St Louis' sister city, Bologna, in the Emilia-Romagna region, which will make individually tailored tours through Guidester even more enriching. If you are interested in Italy Tour Packages for 2022 and our exclusive destination guide, please send an inquiry to: stlouisitalians@gmail.com Please also note that members of Club Italiano Per Piacere receive a discount on all tour packages. For more information on Guidester Travel, please their website: ​www.guidester.com