Category: Travel

This post is where I’d put my list of needs for a tropical vacation… if I had one! Continue reading “Travel Must-Haves: Tropical Version!”

Last year, I wrote a post about the places I most want to see in the world. Since then, I’ve been on a honeymoon and spent hours of COVID-19 lockdown time in bed, scrolling Pinterest. With these combined efforts, I wanted to take a second stab at this list! I’m certain there will be some overlap between the two lists, and by no means do I no longer want to visit the places mentioned in the first list. That said, these places are on my radar more prominently now, and some, dare I say, top the total list!

Currently, I most want to visit:

1. Hawaii. I feel like all the girls on Instagram who have lives I want all have this US state in common. I actually think all of them live on Kauai, specifically! Between the mountains and tropical forests to the breathtakingly beautiful beaches, I have added a very specific trip in mind: I want to go to Hawaii, for a week, by myself. I want to get an AirBnB, rent a bike, and ride my bike every day to a different beach and swim for six hours. Eat fruit out of bowls made from a coconut. That’s what I want most right now, honestly.

   

2.  Japan. I’ve recently discovered a desire to make my way to this lovely island! That said, I’ve targeted a few specific places to visit. For example, there’s a mountaintop resort that rests above a sea of clouds during the day! Then there’s the big cities like Kyoto and Tokyo, hotspots like Mt. Fuji, and eat real authentic Udon. At the tippity top, I want to walk to Chiringashima Island at low tide. It seems like a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

   

    

3. Portugal. Basically, I just find pretty images on Pinterest and read the caption to find out where they are. After one too many photos of Lisbon, Portugal has been added to my list. I honestly don’t know much about it, only that it looks beautiful. I’ve got more research to do here, and I’m quite looking forward to that!

   

    

4. Netherlands. I’m pretty sure this was on my list last time! I went to Amsterdam with my mom five years ago, and had a brief layover between flights with Aaron at the end of our honeymoon. This is one of the prettiest places in the world, to me. The canals are tranquil, the local food is tasty, and everyone there seems relatively clean and happy. I think it’s the bikes! Regardless, I’ve seen the city in the spring and in the fall. I’d like to see it in the winter. I’ve added, specifically, to spend Christmas in Amsterdam once in my life. I can just tell that it’s beautiful then.

   

    

5. Canada. I know that this one was on my previous list! Just goes to show you that I can be consistent sometimes. I want to go back to Quebec (the last time I went, it was for a concert. I was there for maybe four hours. I didn’t have any money with me. My friends got dinner and I just sat there. Ya hate to see it), Vancouver (I went as a kid), and see all the places I haven’t been to yet. Last year I mentioned Whistler, but I want to add Banff, Bay of Fundy, and really all of the Canadian Rockies! Sounds fun, eh?

   

    

6. Greece. I have now been to Greece! We went to Corfu on our honeymoon, but of course, that’s merely the tiniest dent. I have a trip mentally planned with my best friends where we start in Athens, go to Crete, then go to Mykonos, Paxos, and Santorini. I foresee beautiful beaches, fresh pita, and just three girls being able to dance, jive, having the time of your life. Mamma Mia!

   

    

7. The Philippines. Tropical island with turtles. I’m in! More specifically, Cebu and Apo Island, Taal Volcano Lake, and the Underground River in Puerto Princessa. I’m thankful to have Pinterest to help me find these places! But something tells me I’m going to want to get my SCUBA license first!

   

    

8. Australia. I feel like my inner desire to just surf and bike around Australia has grown stronger. If I get my SCUBA license to visit the Philippines, then I better use it to get to the Great Barrier Reef (or at least, what’s left of it). Before I’m thirty five? Maybe? Hopefully?

   

    

9. China. There’s so much to see! The Great Wall, the terracotta soldiers, the colorful Reed Flute Cave… anywhere I can have a scenic view with some Dim Sum is all good in my book. Step one: learn Mandarin. Step two: hope that it’s enough, through the various versions of the Chinese language, to get me across the country.

   

    

10. Washington state. They say there’s no place like home. It makes sense to therefore add a place in the continental US to my list! People in Washington have been posting TikToks of their rainy, mountainous hikes. It makes me miss Vermont, but long for something similar but different. I’m also reading a book right now that takes place primarily in Washington… Forks, Washington. More on that later.

    

    Mountains, cities, and islands… all over the world. Check back with me in five years to see where I’ve been! Hopefully, when lockdown ends, I can start planning a trip to one of these places. Or all of them. Preferably, all of them.