The world is magnificent. I know there’s no way I’ll get to see every bit of the places I am curious about, though I’ve been lucky enough to have had the opportunity (and funds) to explore different sights with my family, for work, with friends (or even solo).
With that said, as strange as this might sound, I feel like my “travel bug” has subsided. I’d still love to explore a ton of places, but the urge to visit them feels much less intense than it used to feel.
My perspective now feels more like wanting to find places to create new memories with Mr. Nacho or friends. Perhaps some “Type 2” fun, as they might call it (since some parts of travel involve some discomfort or stress). Rather than travel to see as many different countries as possible, I’d love to only explore if an area is really intriguing to me, even if I’ve been to that country already (like Colombia!). I haven’t had too many pop up on my list though for places that warrant a spot on any sort of bucket list.
One dream I do still have is to “retire” and take a roadtrip with my husband around the states, to see all sorts of unique landmarks and towns, and take in sunrises and sunsets from around the country. But again, just making more memories with him vs. seeing specific places.
A fun way to highlight past travel
I found this website that allows you to color in maps of where you’ve visited, which I think is pretty cool. I’m sure there are other versions of this out there, but this is the easiest one I’ve found. Here are my maps:
Note: I did NOT include layover countries, like Finland, Ethiopia, and Qatar! I feel like those are cheating to include those as “visited”?? Who knows.
Here’s the link I used: Fla-Shop.com
Other options for maps:
Places I’d still love to see:
- Japan’s ancient cedar forests (Yakushima)
- Canada: Banff
- Maine: Acadia National Park
- Wyoming: The Grand Tetons
- Montana: Glacier National Park
- Virginia: The different parks and hikes in southwest Virginia
- Slovenia (maybe)
