Oh, the Places I'll Go

I've talked about my wanderlust in a lot of places - an Odyssey article, various blog posts about books that have incited it, Facebook...even my Tumblr devoted just to travel. There's something immensely scary about traveling - particularly outside the country and particularly for someone with anxiety like me. But there's also something alluring and enchanting about it at the same time. 

I think some of it comes with the territory of being a reader and a writer. The former means I want to explore new places and have new experiences. The latter means I need to have new experiences so I can write richer stories.

Plus there's just something fascinating about other cultures. My love for history draws me to those types of sites, and I can appreciate art and beauty as well.

I'm still very much a broke college student (about to graduate with a sizable amount of student loans), but I can't help but dream of all the places I will travel to in the (hopefully near) future.

Like France. Oh, how I long to go to France. I'm sure that comes as no surprise to anyone who's been a reader of my blog for even just a few months. I want to see Paris, but I also want to go to Annecy, and the Loire Valley, and Normandy, and Monet's garden and...I could go on forever.

(Beuvron-en-Auge, Normandy, France)

I want to visit Finland, particularly Helsinki and Turku. I'm part Finnish, so I think my heritage is calling me back home.

There's something about teeny little Belgium, as well, and Budapest and Bratislava. Just look at that cathedral.

(St. Martin's Cathedral, Bratislava, Slovakia)

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the British Isles. England...

(London)

Scotland...

(Edinburgh)

Wales...

(Aberystwyth)

Ireland...

(Trinity College, Dublin)

I'm coming for you soon. :)

I don't want to just travel internationally either. There's so much of the United States I haven't seen yet. I've been west of the Mississippi, but no further than Minnesota and Iowa. San Francisco is definitely on my bucket list, along with Charleston, S.C., Savannah, GA, and Boston. 

(Charleston)

And if I'm leaving the country but not the continent...I really want to go back to Montréal and Québec City as well as visit Prince Edward Island (admittedly because of Anne of Green Gables).

(Charlottetown, PEI)

Of course this is only the tip of the iceberg. I'll admit my Pinterest board is very Euro-centric right now. One of my best friends is hopefully traveling to Thailand in the near future, though, and I'm ready for her recommendations. I think Singapore could also be interesting, and with my recent history explorations, Morocco is definitely on my radar.

So, yeah, I've definitely caught wanderlust. Now I just need some traveling partners, a steady income, and a plan.