The greatest hits of the USA: I have to admit I've felt a little guilty lately about the fact that it has been quite a while since we have taken a great American road trip. We did that many years in a row between 1993 (before children) and 2004 (when the children were much younger) - so much, in fact, that we ran out of places we wanted to go. But time has passed, and Joshua and Shelby at this point have little or no memory of any of those trips. It seems a little odd that Joshua has seen Budapest, but not New York; Prague, but not Washington D.C. Whether it's next year or some time after, we have to give some serious thought to seeing more of the great old USA. I wonder if it's possible to do 48 states in 48 days? Hmmm....
Ireland & The Scottish Highlands: This would likely be Michelle's choice. I'll admit I would enjoy this, too. But it seems so laid back compared to our recent trips - a nice contrast, perhaps - but I fear too laid back. We were in Scotland in 2007, but only around Edinburgh. So although it wouldn't technically be repeating any previous trip (which I definitely don't want to do yet with so many other places I want to see in the world), it would be culturally pretty close to repeating our 2007 Great Britain trip.
Italy: This is the elephant in the room, so to speak. We have not been there yet and it has always been #1 on my list of places to go. We purposely postponed this trip until the children were old enough to really soak it in. Are they old enough now, or do we wait another year or two? That is the question. There is no question that we are going, eventually (and soon). It's just a question of exactly when to pull the trigger.
Australia: As much as we love the history in Europe, it would be absurd to claim you are a world traveler without breaking away from Europe once in a while. I would love to see some of Australia (I say some because it's way too big to cover it all). There are two main obstacles, though; one is the airfare - typically 50% more than Europe, the other is seasonal - we have to travel in the summer, which means their winter, which means either we're chilly or we restrict ourselves to the more tropical Queensland/barrier reef area. One big selling point would be that it would be a great contrast to all the castles and cathedrals in Europe - a nice way to cleanse the pallet after four years of 1000-year history - before starting a new cycle of European visits.
Costa Rica: Would also be a great anti-Europe trip, and would be quite a bit cheaper - a great alternative if we run into trouble saving money for travel next year. Just how hot does it get there in the summer? Are all seasons the same so close to the equator?
Other: There are many, many more places we would love to go (In fact, a year ago I was reading guide books on Japan thinking that would be an exciting alternative to Europe). Among these, here are other top contenders: Spain/Portugal/Morocco, Croatia & nearby, Greece and Turkey, Brazil, New Zealand, Alaska and Hawaii. I'm pretty sure that we will make it to all these places eventually, but I don't think any of them are very likely for 2011.
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I'm not sure what is next for this blog. I've gotten used to writing every night and I would hate to break the habit now. But obviously, there is only so much that can be written about this year's trip and travel in general. I will give it some thought. But no doubt, this will not be the final entry. I will definitely be back, and soon. But maybe not tomorrow. Keep checking back, faithful readers....
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