- Emma Di Palma's boyfriend broke up with her a week before their planned trip to Portugal.
- She originally planned to go alone, but her dad offered to come with her.
For a little over two months, Emma Di Palma was planning a 10-day trip to Portugal with her live-in boyfriend. They would explore the southern part of the city and end their vacation in Lisbon.
The couple had been dating for a year and had four cats together. Then, a week before their flight, he broke up with her.
"It was a huge shock to me," The 23-year-old told Insider. "I definitely didn't see it coming — no arguments or whatever."
But amidst the breakup aftermath, Di Palma said she never thought to cancel the trip. "Of course I was sad, but that's not going to stop me from living my life and being able to travel, because it just brings me a lot of joy, too." She asked her ex to cancel his ticket and anything else he purchased on his own.
Originally, she planned to go alone. But her dad, who was recently retired, sensed that she was nervous about flying to Europe by herself for the first time. So, he offered to come with her and bought his ticket a few days before the trip. Di Palma shared her story on TikTok, where it resonated with millions of viewers.
@emmadipalmaa Love you dad #dad #eurotrip #portugal #breakup ♬ sonido original - Jk_jk1100
It was her first time going on vacation with only her dad
While Di Palma had been on vacation with her mom and sister before, she'd never gone solely with her dad. He recently went to Italy with her sister and wanted to do a father-daughter trip with Di Palma as well, so the timing was perfect.
"I wasn't sure — 'Are we going to get on each other's nerves, at the end of the vacation? Are we going to get fed up?'" she recalled. "But no, he was just really easygoing and we have similar personalities, so it was really fun."
Di Palma had done a bit of research before the trip, planning hikes and beach visits. She said her dad was happy to do all of it with her.
"He kept saying, 'This is your vacation, this is your trip,'" Di Palma said.
It also helped that they have similar tastes: Di Palma said her mother and sister hate seafood, while her and her dad love it, so they were able to enjoy much of Portugal's cuisine together.
They opened up about their lives and grew even closer
One of the best parts of the trip was bonding with her dad. Di Palma said that growing up, her father — an Italian-Catholic son of immigrant parents — was "very, very protective" of her as his first-born child.
"It kind of put a strain on our relationship when I was a teenager, having a really strict dad," she said.
As she got older, she realized it was his way of showing his love, and the trip brought them even closer. On hikes and over dinners, she'd gotten a chance to learn about his life when he was in his 20s.
"I had never asked him questions about before me and my sister were born — what were things that he enjoyed doing when he was my age?" Di Palma said. "We would sit down and order a bottle of white wine and just have these long conversations about life. I would ask him questions and he was just really opening up to me, too."
They also talked about her breakup, with her dad reassuring her that her 20s are a pivotal time for her to figure out what makes her happy.
@emmadipalmaa Domenico says thank you for all the kind words! I am truly so overwhelmed with all your love and support❤️ #breakup #singlesummer #heartbreak #dad #eurotrip #portugal #lagos ♬ fade into you - favsoundds
"Not a lot of people can say that they've vacationed just with their dad in their 20s," Di Palma said. "It's definitely a trip that I'll remember for the rest of my life."