It Bit Me

I'm not sure when. I'm not sure why. But a bug bit me...well, maybe it has been nibbling on me for the past few weeks. (Anybody else notice how strange of a word "nibbling" is?)

The Travel Bug.

It could have been when I was looking for maps online for the graduation banquet. There are some sweet looking maps out there. Maps of continents, countries, states, cities. Road maps. Topography maps. Political maps. I Heart Maps.

It could have been as I compiled a spreadsheet of addresses of CCCU schools. There are some oddly named schools in oddly named places. Did you know there was a town named Due West, SC? I sure didn't. But now I want to go there.

It could have been from the constant flow of emails I receive from travelocity.com, kayak.com, travelzoo.com, priceline.com informing me of the "Travel Deals of the Week." Sidenote: I have an odd fascination with William Shatner's "Priceline Negotiator" character.

It could have been when I was over at the Kirkland's, looking at some SWEET travel books of Hong Kong, St. Petersburg, and other fascinating places with some really cool fold out maps inside (again, I Heart Maps).

But, if I'm honest with myself, the bug first bit on Good Friday following a conversation with Nate about traveling, 18 countries in 18 months, and OM. Which means I've been "fighting" this bug for over a month. No wonder I feel restless.

So, how does one "cure" this bug? (Yes, I know I have now changed my metaphors from an insect to a virus/illness. Get off it.)

A. Take a spontaneous trip to a loved/new destination

B. Take a planned trip to a new/loved location

C. Do nothing and live with it, knowing that money is an issue

D. Wait for already planned trips in May and June and hope that cures it.

E. Make list of places you want to visit, then read up on all literature known to man about that place, then try to visit those that you can in near future.

Hmm...well, for blogging purposes, let's go with E.

In no particular order, with no particular end, here's the list of places I want to see before I kick it:

1. St. Petersburg, Russia
2. Greece
3. Ireland
4. Northern Ireland (Belfast and Derry)
5. Germany (explore my roots…)
6. The Beaches of Normandy and surrounding areas
7. New Zealand (be honest; after Lord of the Rings, who DOESN’T want to go here??)
8. Sydney, Australia
9. Hawaii
10. Quito, Ecuador (to see Christy!)
11. Italy
12. England (London and Oxford)
13. Denmark
14. Holland
15. Thailand (to see my sponsored child, Nathapong—seriously, he’s a-dorable)
16. China
17. Tibet
18. San Francisco
19. Seattle (been, but want to go back and explore more of the area)
20. NYC (been, but need to see some more)
21. Boston, MA (been, but barely recall my time there)
22. Washington D.C.
23. Coast of Maine
24. Egypt
25. Hong Kong
26. South Africa
27. Philippines
28. Costa Rica
29. Cuba (been, but DEFINITELY want to go back…but sadly can’t)
30. Parts of India

31. Northern CA

32. Coastal OR & WA

33. Chicago (been, but want to see the bean...)

Wow...that list could go on and on and on...

Well, that was very theraputic, but not quite the cure I was looking for. Oh well. Maybe someday this bug will get tired of me...or maybe now I know how I'll be using my tax refund...