I’ve been quiet on social media this week for one of my very favorite reasons — we’re planning a trip and I’m currently in full-on planning mode.
Derrick is the new guy at work, so we had to wait and see which vacation days he was assigned. We were thrilled to finally get them…and galvanized by the fact that we leave in a month! We don’t know where we’re going yet, but we’re having fun figuring it out.
Sensō-ji in Tokyo, Japan We took this trip on a whim a few years ago and it was amazing. We didn’t know much about Japan, but we just jumped in.
We have a million different windows open on the computer at any given moment as we search. I’m taking copious notes, comparing flight prices and departure time and brainstorming cities and neighborhoods I want to get a little lost in.
This is the part of travel planning that many people detest. But I love it, because the world feels wide open.
The Place des Vosges in Paris, France Paris is one of my favorite places on the planet. Read about my experience there and how it inspired me to start blogging here.
All this travel talk has got me thinking about why travel is such a centerpiece in my life. I’ve been pondering the ways it’s changed me over the years. So here are five of my favorite travel quotes to inspire you today.
Sunshine and palm trees in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. You can find more beachy photos from my trip to the DR here.
“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls.” – Anais Nin
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta
“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustave Flaubert
“Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain
“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.” – Ray Bradbury
The Exchange District in Winnipeg, Canada on a chilly November day. I wrote a little bit about the Exchange District in Winnipeg during my last visit.
The photos in this post are of international destinations, but don’t think that you have to have a passport to have an adventure. If going abroad scares you, start by exploring a nearby city or state to build your confidence.
Eat in a new (non-chain) restaurant, strike up a conversation with a resident while you’re in line for coffee and go window shopping in local stores. Try a museum, a play, a sporting even you haven’t experienced before. Just getting out of town can give you a new perspective.
But if you’re craving an international adventure, I encourage you to make 2016 the year that you finally do it. Just get your passport and book your ticket. You won’t regret it.
What about you? Where you traveling this year? What was the best travel adventure you had last year? Which spots are on your bucket list? What are your favorite travel quotes?
The Alhambra in Granada, Spain Ah, Spain. I have friends there so I’m lucky to have spent more time there than in any other foreign country. And it’s still not nearly enough.
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