The Best Parts of Travelling with My Dad

Travelling across the country with my dad has been an experience unlike anything I have done before. Not only did I get to have some real-world experience visiting clients, learning about them and their businesses, I also was able to enjoy some bonding time with my dad, which to me, is the most rewarding part of all.

 We spent the long hours on the road telling stories, listening to music, exploring podcasts, and just talking about life. But the moment we stepped into a work environment, we transformed from father and daughter to business partners, both strengthening our relationship and sometimes testing it.

This shift made moments like exploring the streets of Boston even more special, and moments like meeting a new client felt genuinely earned and exciting.

It was our first trip since the CoVid-19 pandemic began. Visiting our clients and seeing how they live and work really changed my perspective on our business. This is because my dad made clear to me that our core purpose in seeing them was not to make a sale, but to check up on our clients and see how they have been handling the effects of the pandemic, both professionally and personally.

This sense of genuine connection and concern shared between us and our clients made clear that Guadalupe Gifts is not just a business, but a vocation for our Catholic faith. The truth is, no matter how different our problems may be, we all struggled with the effects of the pandemic. And it was important to show our clients that we are here for them as fellow Catholics and just fellow human beings going through the same rough times.

To me, this trip was all about connections. The connections between a father and daughter, a business like Guadalupe Gifts and its clients, and myself with every individual that we came across during  this trip, made me realize that we are all here for a reason, and this should unite us over all else.

By Romina Valerio (my daughter :))