Someone asked me the other day, “So, what’s on your bucket list, Susan?” This was after someone else queried, “Are you done traveling for a while…..you’ve been so many places. “

Like, why don’t you settle down?

Hah. Both questions got me thinking.

My answer to both: “Nope. Never done traveling as long as hitting the road is an option. And I don’t want to settle down if I can help it.”

My feeling is that if we don’t say “yes” to new adventures, to pushing ourselves out of comfort zones, we will start the slow decline to the grave. I need to explore. To learn. To get out of the daily routine. To see how other people live, play, learn, eat, dress and worship.

And I’m just too curious about the world to hunker down in one spot unless I have no choice.

So, this got me thinking and asking: where would I go if given an unlimited budget and time?

There are a few places I’d love to return to–—Paris, Barcelona, Croatia, Bhutan, North Vietnam, Ireland, India, Africa and I’d go pretty much anywhere on a boat or for a chance to see the Northern Lights again. Here are a few places I haven’t been that I’d like to explore. Obviously these images came from the Internet.

The “wanna go here” list……

The Pacific Northwest: haven’t explored Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, San Juan Islands, Snake River, the wine tasting in Oregon. Hmmm. Sounds like a really really long trip. So much to see.

And then there’s Cape Breton Island in Canada for Irish/Scottish music. I’d like to stay at the Fogo Island Inn.

Japan:  I have been there, but it was 20 plus years ago and there’s so much to see. I’d like to take the Art Train, stay in an authentic Ryokan, see the cherry blossoms and learn about Zen Buddhism, maybe even stay in a Monastery.

New Zealand —the pictures are all so stunning. Seems like a long way to go and there are probably places closer to home with equally as gorgeous photo ops, but there’s something about New Zealand that calls me.

South America—Patagonia, Lake District in Chile, fjords and Easter Island —I absolutely loved the fjords in Norway. The ones in the  lower hemisphere are calling.

Oh, and I forgot…..there are places in Mexico I’d like to see—Mexico City, Oaxaca and San Miquel Allende—and the wild life on the Galapagos Islands.

So, now that I’ve shared my “wanna go there” list, how about sharing yours in the comment section below?