Packing Up

JENNY DEPUY fell in love with Italy when she was just fifteen years old on an educational trip with her mother, a teacher.

“My family didn’t have a ton of money, but my mom prioritized cultural experiences. We got out of our bubble in DeBary, Florida, and I fell in love with the culture of Europe, discovering a world much bigger and older than I had ever experienced,” she says. “That trip was life changing.”

Now, DePuy and her friend and business partner KENDRA FOSTER are the owners of wellTRVLD, a curated travel company offering retreats filled with untouristy adventures in Italy. The trips offer authentic experiences in food and wine from family-run vineyards and restaurants plus cultural excursions through places less-traveled. The trips, not tours as DePuy reminds, include a wellness component incorporating mindfulness and movement allowing travelers to connect to the slower, less-stressful lifestyle of Italian culture.

“Italians live in the present, prioritizing family, friends, and the purposeful enjoyment of life over everything else. I want others to see Italy in this way, not through tours and sightseeing, but through a real connection to the culture,” DePuy says.

Living in Florence for a time after graduation from Florida State University immersed DePuy further into the Italian way of life. “I saw the juxtaposition of the very touristy side of travel versus living in the culture,” she recalls. “I spoke Italian. And I realized that there was a whole other level of connection to the culture to be experienced.”

While also running her own fitness studio in Tampa, DePuy started wellTRVLD hosting retreats to Italy.

“It was my excuse to get back to Italy,” DePuy admits.

DePuy met Foster, a national trainer for The Bar Method and skilled at the art of teaching fitness modality when DePuy was opening her fitness studio.

“Kendra and I connected for years over our passion for creating a fun and safe environment in group fitness. Without her, my studio would not have been what it was,” says DuPuy, who now lives in Wilmington.

In 2022, Foster moved to Naples, Italy, with her husband, who is in the Navy, and their two children.

“And that’s when Kendra got it, too – the same perspective on Italian culture that I had. She understood what I was already obsessed about,” DePuy says.

One year later, Foster joined wellTRVLD to help guide and grow the business.

wellTRVLD offers both public and private group trips in Tuscany, Puglia, the Bay of Naples, and the Amalfi Coast – each one accompanied by Foster and DePuy.

“Our trips go to places where we have personally experienced the locals welcoming us with open arms. Gone are the days of the massive tour bus and checking off the destination boxes,” DePuy says.

Every experience is authentic and connected to Italian wellness – a nice glass of wine while sitting in the vineyard that grew the grapes and meals at a family establishment made from untainted, fresh in-season ingredients, nothing shipped in, all from the local land.

“There is a big intentionality component to every trip,” DePuy adds. “We ask each traveler to tap into the idea of ‘What would you do if you could do anything right now?’ We ask the same question throughout the trip. At the end, we hold an intention-closing ceremony where we explore what each person will take back to their daily lives. It might be as simple as prioritizing the enjoyment of life more.”

Throughout the week there is hiking, biking, barre, yoga, and breathwork.

wellTRVLD group trips are smaller in nature with like-minded people looking for an authentic experience. Everything is taken care of including mindful pauses in the trip.

Private trips allow explorers to choose their own destination with their own group of family and friends.

“The majority of the people on our trips work hard in their daily lives. They could plan a trip themselves, but they want to take their foot off the pedal and be present for the best in authentic travel,” DePuy says.

DePuy is now on her eleventh trip to the Amalfi Coast.

“Our trips are hard to replicate. We deeply appreciate what Italian culture offers and have connections all over the country. We speak the language,” she says. “Even if you have been to Italy, on our trips you will interact with another layer of the culture. And if you haven’t been to Italy, you can expect to experience a huge shift in your perspective from being immersed in a culture that prioritizes well-being with beauty all around, most of which is older than you can imagine.”

To view more of photographer Daria Amato’s work, go to dariaphoto.com

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