Wanderlust

I've really been itching to travel lately. I've been seeing friends post pictures of cool travel on Facebook - pictures from places I've never been and have wanted to visit for years - Italy, Greece, Alaska, Singapore - and all these beautiful pictures of interesting places has really brought out my wanderlust in full force.

Now I really have no reason to complain, really. I had the fabulous opportunity to travel to a different country not once but twice this year, spend some really great quality time with loved ones, and even do some booze tourism. But I haven't been to anyplace new in awhile. I haven't checked off any bucket list destinations. And I think it's time to start planning a trip to change that.

My last booze tourism destination - Casablanca, Chile

Because I am a dork, I've actually been keeping a running tab of the places I've been to for years - the different countries stamped on my passports, as well as the number of U.S. states I've actually visited. In terms of U.S. states, my goal is to make it to 40 (don't need all 50, I'm o.k. with missing some.) I have 9 to go for that goal. In terms of countries - I'd like to visit as many as time and my bank account will allow.

It's funny, but to a lot of the folks I work with, I'm a seasoned world traveler because I've been to a couple of different continents. Over the years, besides living in the U.S. and Chile, I've been to Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, Canada, Ireland, Spain, France, The Netherlands, plus Puerto Rico. (I don't count airport layovers as visits, if I did, I could add a few more countries and states to the list.) But when I compare my travels with that of some my friends, or other family members, and especially with my high school classmates, I haven't been to many places at all. I am completely missing AAA - Africa, Asia and Australia, which I find utterly unacceptable.

So it's time to dust off the dream list of destinations, feed the wanderlust, and visit someplace. new. Which means planning and saving. Now the question is - where to go? Do I keep it simple and just shoot for a state I haven't been to before, like Georgia or Vermont, or do I go big and plan a trip to one of many countries I haven't been to yet? Maybe someplace where I can fly direct from here - like London, or Brussels, or Frankfurt, or Bogota. Or maybe a country I've been to but haven't explored - a trip to Montreal would probably be lovely.

All I know for sure is that my passport has a couple of more years before it expires, and I want to get some new stamps on it before it does. And recommendations of how to get to dream destinations on the cheap are welcome.