Where to next?

I just got back from Sydney, my big trip for this year, and people are already asking me where my next big adventure will be. It’s fun to think about.

At Thanksgiving yesterday, my friends, who just returned from New Zealand, have already made plans for Vietnam and Cambodia in 2020. Both countries are on my very short list of places to go next. They invited me to look at the trip they booked to see if I wanted to join it. It looks fantastic. Of course they are going for 3+ weeks (perks of being retired, which I am not). Their duration is beyond what I can swing, but it is so tempting to join at least part of the trip.

The majority of my recent travel has been solo (Sydney, New Zealand, Thailand), and/or had too much drama when travelling with another person.

There are so many places I still have not yet seen. There are 10 states in the USA I have not yet been to including Alaska, Montana, Oregon, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island (not sure this is a must see!), North and South Dakota, Iowa, and Michigan of all places.

Outside of the USA, my current short list has Ireland, Italy, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Iceland, and Machu Picchu since some friends just went and LOVED it. There are plenty of places I’d love to go back to. I love New Zealand, Japan, and Thailand as starters. In Australia, I saw exactly one city, and that’s like travelling to the USA, hitting New York or Los Angeles and saying you have explored and understand America.

I’m on the mailing list to be able to make reservations at Inis Meáin Restaurant & Suites in Ireland. They open reservations to people who haven’t been there, once a year in October (so I’m not going in 2020), after their repeat customers have locked down their dates. I want to eat there. If possible, I want the full on stay there, dine there experience (supposedly some of the best in the country!) for a few days. It’s remote! But, and, also, Nora Roberts, who I started reading to understand my mother better, set a lot of her books in Ireland, and I want to go explore a bit – sheep, rain, winding roads, cobblestone.  

With my love of wine and travel, it’s somewhat embarrassing that I have never been to Tuscany. And in graduate school, I dated a guy from Milan, Italy, but have yet to visit the country. Crazy!

There are so many fantastic choices. Where’s next for you? What’s your favorite destination to date?

Day 27, #BlogPals19