Let’s take a trip together!

I have been bitten by the travel bug a while ago. Can’t say exactly when, probably around the time I started loving taking pictures of everything around me. You see, I love everything about traveling – the anticipation, the planning, the lists of things to see, places to eat, and activities to take part in, the actual packing (mentally putting together outfits for such and such occasion is making me giddy), the adventures (both good and bad, in retrospect), the desire to see this, that, and that too, the picture taking (of course!), the journal entries I sometimes write to remind myself of a certain moment, and naturally all the memories crammed in my brain which come to life again and again as I browse through the hundreds of pictures filling the memory cards.

I can’t imagine how anyone would not like that, and yet some prefer staying at home, tending the garden or the barbeque instead of trekking the globe, exploring new places and broadening their minds. A friend of mine said that maybe the “I heart traveling” goes hand in hand with us being scientists, having inquisitive minds and also hearting the thrill of new discoveries. I am positive this is true; discoveries, either scientific or cultural don’t tickle everyone’s fancy, but for the ones that are lucky enough to have their fancy tickled, the prospect of a new trip somewhere far away is exhilarating!

As for me, when I travel I like the experience to rise to certain standards. And I’m not talking about those of hotels. I like being exposed to the culture and the rhythm of the new place, understand it intimately as if I had been living there for years. I prefer visiting places naturally influenced by the human existence instead of artificial resorts which teach me nothing. I would like to go to Mexico or Morocco or Turkey. But not to linger by the pool with a cocktail in my hand and then brag about how adventurous I am and what exotic places I’ve visited. A day at the spa has more action than that.

Which is why, I would love to go to these places:

Havana – for the architecture of the Old Town and the vintage cars.

Iceland – for sceneries like this,

hot springs,

and the aurora borealis.

Santorini – an old item on my list. For everything that this place is: unique villages, food incorporating some of my favourite ingredients, and a sea so blue you think it’s photoshopped.

Tuscany – because I love hills, the sun, and ripe tomatoes.

What’s on your travel list? I’d love to hear!

Photos from Flickr.

This idea for this post came to me as I was reading Elissa`s Dream destination series on her blog Ebb&Flow. Iceland and Santorini are on both our lists. The only explanation for this is that great minds think alike!