gettin' the itch to travel...

if i had unlimited funds, i would travel the world.  fiji, thailand, the caribbean, ireland, dominican republic, belize, brazil, sweden, canada, alaska.  and the list goes on.  i am fortunate enough to have already done a great bit of traveling.  ive been to 17-18 countries in europe, australia, new zealand, mexico, and many beautiful places right here in the united states.  unlimited funds would be amazing and afford me the luxury to travel in style, with great ease, and of course for extended periods of time.  but, you dont need a ton of money to have a rewarding and unforgettable traveling experience.  the best part about traveling is experiencing something new and learning about the people and culture of the region (eating and drinking - ha!).  and of course, this can be done with little or no money.  however, back to my original thought, unlimited funds would be nice because then when i get home from traveling, i wouldnt have to worry about my bills or my mortgage and car payments.  

tavarua - fiji

a friend of mine just got back from spending a few weeks in australia and a few other people around me have been talking about planning trips.  trips of a lifetime.  to europe.  to the dominican.  how i wish i could pick up and leave, but things are different now.  i have a family.  my son, 9 months old, cant just travel with us anywhere.  well, i suppose he could, but spending time in a foreign country with a child under the age of one doesnt sound like my cup of tea.  and i can only imagine how hard it would be to spend any extended length of time away from him.  i would worry, constantly (and im not even a worrier).  and if my husband and i are traveling and something happened to either one of us... well, lets just say, we arent prepared for that (legally, financially).  however, when kai gets older (5-6) i want to take him everywhere.  he is going to be a well-traveled child. i believe the experience is so beneficial and if we can make it happen, i would be so grateful.  

so for now, we are limited to mini-vacations.  we are taking our first family road trip to arizona this weekend to go see the angels at spring training.  kai has never been for a car ride longer than an hour, so this will be interesting.  drive time is about 5-6 hours on average and can be done even quicker.  but i am afraid that we are going to have to make numerous stops (diaper changes, feeding, cranky baby).  we are hoping for the best.  kai is a great kid, so it shouldnt be too bad.  we'll see how it goes....

we also have a wine tasting getaway planned for my (gasp!) 25th birthday.  good lord.  25.  this will be brian and i's first weekend away from the baby.  3 days 2 nights.  sleeping in?  wooowww!  sleeping in. we are looking forward to it.  oh and of course, the wine tasting.  good times & great friends. 

plan a trip.  today!