The beast has been unleashed
 

The travel beast in me, that is.

Tanzania may not have been the best of ideas. I'm at work, browsing one of the many travel brochures that arrive in my mailbox, and it's got some great stuff in there. Really great stuff.

Getting me halfway around the world for 3 weeks has me itching for more.

Everyone has their "list" of places they want to go. For me, the top ten have been the same, it's just the order of what's first, second, etc.. that has changed.

After seeing this brochure and reading through my back-issues of travel magazines, I'm thrown for a loop. I've now added more destinations to my list.

I need it. I want it. I've got to have it!

Why can't we all just quit our jobs and travel to everywhere we've always dreamed of??

Sorry, that's my Friday rant =P

I'll drink to that! ((D))

What are your Top 10?

I just got the newest Lonely Planet, this one to the Western Balkans, and I've now put together my overland trip for late August: Sarajevo (Bosnia) --> Mostar (Hercegovina) --> Dubrovnik (Croatia) --> Kotor (Montenegro coast) --> Tirana (Albania) --> Ohrid (Macedonia) --> Tirana (for return flight).

thit_cho-

I'd bet that Tirana is not on any other Fodorites top 10 list!

This is a relevant post to my life...I am actually going to make a career switch before the year is up and am going to use it as an excuse do just that (year to travel...doing contract work off and on just to pay the bills). You can imagine how I am finding it incredibly hard to do anything but plan all the places I want to try to pack in over the next year. I've decided it's now or never for me actually doing something like this!

That's exactly why I've recently started my own biz. Granted, I'll be poor for a while :( but hopefully in my new venture, travel to exotic locales will be intertwined with biz and I'll be able to have the best of both worlds. :)

Maxwell that sounds like a great plan. I too, would be daydreaming of itineraries all the time!

thit-cho, my list - don't pay any attention to the numbers, as of today, they mean nothing! Just a way for me to list the trips, as I like to combine many destinations into one trip.

1) Madrid, Andalucia, Morocco
2) Eastern Europe circuit, including Prague, Krakow, Vienna and Budapest
3) Turkey
4) Egypt
5) Capetown, Botswana/Nimibia
6) Galapagos Islands & Quito with a Machu Picchu extension
7) Ireland, focusing on the western coast. Maybe adding on a few days in Edinburgh or the English countryside
8) INDIA!!!!
9) Sicily, for 2 glorious weeks
10) New Zealand

My list also includes Croatia, Thailand, Alaska, Utah's Grand Circle, skiing in Whistler, going back to Costa Rica, etcetcetc it never ends..

Oops, I forgot Jordan. That's a biggie.

cruisinred, the impetus for that trip was an interest in seeing Dubrovnik, but I wasn't able to get flights into or our of Dubrovnik, hence I am flying into Sarajevo. Since I didn't want to backtrack, I looked for the next closest international airport, which is Tirana. It will take me to a very infrequently visited part of Europe.

BostonGal, great list. I have been to most of those places and they are all great, especially the Galapagos, Machu Pichu and India. I think Jordan and Alaska are near the top of my list. I've been doing some research about visiting Alaska via ferry since I like to travel independently and I don't think I'd be happy with a large cruise, and I may try to do that in Summer 2007.

That's funny. I ended up going to Tanzania because I couldn't for the life of me figure out an easy way to fly to Dubrovnik. I was getting so frustrated and it seemed (to me) so expensive and complicated and I said, "God, for all this trouble I might as well just go to Africa."

Lightbulb over the head.

Thit_cho, glad you like India.........hopefully, we'll see you during a future trip, particularly as CCAfrica are starting tiger safaris soon.....

Boston Gal, when you go skiiing in Whistler, and Michael, before you get on the ferry to Alaska, please stop by our place for a great steak dinner on our deck in Vancouver.....
Lynda

Lynda, many thanks for the dinner invitation! Trust me, when I run that by my husband he will be MORE than happy to take you up on your offer =)