Maybe the best sketch on SNL this past weekend was the one above, a mock low-budget commercial for trips to Italy with “Romano Tours.” Host Adam Sandler plays Joe Romano and promises great experiences as long as guests bring realistic expectations (they can “take you on a hike” but they can’t “make you like hiking”).
It’s pretty funny, and also I think a nod to my buddy Steve Perillo and his dad Mario Perillo of Perillo Tours, which used to run commercials like the one below. Speaking to TravelPulse, Steve confirmed that with the parody, SNL “got every pixel right including the colors, fonts, shade of [his] suit and comments from customer testimonials, which were identical to real commercials.” He also added that his dad would have gotten a kick out of it.
Of the sketch’s message that a single trip to Italy will not change who you are, Steve told TravelPulse that he thinks “there is something to that but the best thing about travel is that it lets you see your life back home from a distance. You always think you will come back home and change your patterns or spend more time with someone. Even if that doesn’t happen, he said, you still see yourself more clearly.”
More SNL:
- Travel Video of the Week: SNL’s “Naked & Afraid: Celebrity Edition”
- Travel Video of the Week: SNL Airport Skit