I want to go there...

One question I'm often asked by readers of the Notebooks series is where I want to travel next.  Ahhh... I love these kinds of questions-- they inspire more day-dreaming.  Lately, I've been having fun posting my top destinations on my Pinterest board *Dream Trips*.  Can you guess where each of these is? And do you notice a pattern?








If you guessed southeast Asia, ding ding ding-- you are correct!  From top to bottom: Cambodia, Laos, Burma (Myanmar), Bali, Bhutan, and Thailand.  Alas, I don't know when these trips will come to pass, but they *will* happen someday, hopefully in the not terribly distant future.  (For more of my dream trips, see my Pinterest page.)

People in some of these countries (like Burma/Myanmar and Cambodia) are still recovering from harsh regimes, and I want to be sensitive to this when I visit... I came across this NY Times article with recommendations on traveling in a socially responsible way in Burma/Myanmar, so that you're supporting the people themselves, and not the dictatorial regime.

On a slightly different note, readers are often curious which countries I've traveled to... here's a quick list for you:  Morocco, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico (lived there), St. John's (Virgin Islands), England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Holland, Italy, Spain, France (lived there), Canada.

My favorites?  Hard to say, but Oaxaca, Mexico and Provence, France hold special places in my heart since I lived there and formed close friendships that feel like family.

Oaxaca

Aix-en-Provence

Since my husband started working from home last year, we have glorious travel flexibility, which we have yet to really take advantage of.  One dream I have is to spend a couple months living abroad (with Lil Dude, of course) every year or two, in different countries every year. There are so many great international home exchange/home rental sites online now, which makes it easy-peasy (or, at least, do-able.)  Excuse me while I begin hatching my plans...


Portugal perhaps?  I've always wanted to learn Portuguese, such a beautiful language...

Where do you dream of going next? (If you want ideas, you can go to the *fun and travel* page of my website, with links to my photos and travelogues.)

Happy travels to you, wherever you're headed next (or dreaming to go)!

xo
Laura