Seven of My Dream Destinations

(Dream Destinations from Hand Luggage Only)

Back to work after a great long weekend where I planned so many of the details of my trip to Portugal next month but while doing that my wanderlust got really bad.  No, I did not book another trip but it got me thinking, that is for sure!  I wrote a post in January 2014 called Five Places I Would Rather Be when the forecast in New York City was calling for snow with a with a high 22°F and not only do I feel the same way but a few of the spots i mentioned four years ago are still on the list today!

Wine Vineyards in South Africa
Stellenbosch, South Africa is somewhere I have had the opportunity to visit before but since I was 17 I was not allowed to try any of the wines. Seeing as it is supposed to be 89° F today I think it would be a lovely time to go back. Stellenbosch has been the center of the South African wine industry since 1690 and I would desperately love to try some of these tried and tested grapes!

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
It has been on my bucket list for I do not know how long to travel to Rio to see the Cristo Redentor, Christ the Redeemer, statue high atop this South American city and soak up the sun on many of the famous Brazilian beaches, particularly Prainha Beach. With a temperature today in the mid-80’s it is another place I would much rather be than NYC!

Bora Bora
Visiting an over water bungalow hotel or one like it has to be on just about every travel or dream vacation Pinterest board there is. If you need more convincing then the picture above this hotel is located on a half mile of sandy beach, sports lagoon views, offers sunset with cocktails from a Polynesian-style beach bar, and you arrive at the resort via a scenic flight private hotel boat. Oh, and the weather today is a high of 86° F.

German Castles
One of my all time favorite travel blogs, Hand Luggage Only, wrote a great post called19 Fairytale Castles In Germany You Have To Visit and I want to make it to each and every one on this list! . Because they are spread all over the large country I know that is not possible but my top choices are Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenzollern Castle, and Nordkirchen Castle – hopefully I can make it there this year!

Scuba Diving in the Great Barrier Reef
My parents spend the entire month of January in Australia and New Zeland and their stories want to make me visit so badly.  In particular they spent four days on a dive boat and traveled more than a hundred miles off the coast of Sydney to ensure they were able to see the parts of the reef that are still alive and urged me to go in the next five years before it entirely dies – so sad but definitely a dream destination with a timeline! 

Exploring the Shoreline of Southeast Asia
After half a dozen friends have explored the shoreline of Southeast Asia I would love to make the trip to explore the stunning beaches of Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. From everything I have seen, I will need three weeks for this trip and even then it will not be long enough to see all the wonders but it should be enough to scratch the surface!

Antartica
Well hey, this would not be an all out wish list if I did not include one of the ultimate travel adventures. Kayaking through glaciers sounds absolutely incredible to me as does a Polar plunge but I may not go as so far as to sleeping outside. I would however, love to see the the penguins. Oh, and when I am safe and warm crossing the Drake passage and hopefully seeing some whales would be incredible!

And Portugal would be on this list but since I am going next month – eek, yay! Like Spain in 2016 my Mom will be coming along for the adventure where we will be visiting Lisbon, Sintra, and Porto in this gorgeous country!

What dream destination tops your list?