Wanderlust

I was recently asked if I was planning any trips later this year … saying “no”  instantly made me restless.  

I have two small trips planned, but both to places I’ve been before.  I’d like to be going somewhere new.  Exploring somewhere I haven’t been, that is what I’m restless for. 

I prefer traveling with someone, but that isn’t always feasible.  I’m not sure I’m brave enough to travel alone … at least not on holiday … and maybe brave isn’t the right word.  I enjoy talking about shared experiences, as much as I like my space, I’m not entirely a hermit … I like talking too much.  I like hearing about what others think of things we did or saw … I like shared itineraries which encapsulate little pieces of each of us … letting me see and/or do things I might otherwise have missed.  

I like a combination of outdoor explorations and art galleries and museums.  Places that are steeped in history are some of my favourite places to visit.  There are tons of places on my list of places to visit, but Scotland keeps creeping up the list and is closer to the top these days.  I’ve done a very high-level skim and am pretty much ready to book something.  

Crazy right? 

Seeing the world … exploring various places, cultures has always appealed to me.  I have a list of places I want to visit, things I want to see and do. 

Seeing the gorillas, going on safari, skiing the Alps, swinging into water off a sailboat, getting covered in colour at a music festival, learning to surf, visiting Monet’s gardens and a laundry list of art galleries and the list goes on and on and on … 

Rabbit hole: art galleries I could do on repeat … they always feel slightly different, every time you go.  I love that about them.  Art galleries are like bookstores for me … I could spend hours wandering through them and not feel the urge to leave.   

I also feel a need to add a point of clarification: some places are meant to be seen more than once - just in different seasons.  They take on a different vibe and essentially feel like a different city when you see them through the lens of a different season.  Think New York City or Paris … just to name a few.  

Second point of clarification: All of this isn’t to say I don’t enjoy a beach holiday.  I do.  As much as I love the sun, the sand, the surf … sitting on a beach for an entire week, also makes me restless.  I like exploring, so I would need a place that allowed for that … safely.  As much as I enjoy more of a mixed bag of events, there are times when I crave a beach holiday.  In all honesty, I wanted to take one earlier this year … it just didn’t work out. 

While I don’t have any big trips planned for the rest of the year, I do have some smaller trips scheduled.  One more trip before summer ends, then a few days trips before a couple long weekends to wrap up the year. 

Given there are only five months left in the year, that’s a lot of things to look forward to.  One is just a week away, although it feels like it's much further out … weird when that happens.  I still need to plan some of the day trips and the long weekends.  Maybe that’s why they aren’t fully registering as happening, I still have bookings to make, itineraries to loosely sort and dates to firm up. Once that happens it will be easier to be excited about as it will be a reality and not just a hypothetical.  

While I appreciate lazy summer days, I am looking forward to road trips, exploring and live music … all of which will be a reality once fall comes.  

I really should enjoy these lazy moments - I might crave them after a few months of jam packed activities and a full social calendar.  Although, some of our day trips are all about relaxing … so, that works too!

A part of me is restless because it’s that time of the year … the humidity is slowly easing, the fall feels closer than it did a week ago and back to school always makes me feel a need to shift … it feels like more of a New Year than 01 January does in a lot of ways.  

So, deep breaths … maybe peruse the pile of unread books on the shelf and allow myself to enjoy my lazy Sundays while I have them to enjoy!

Summer is short enough already … no point in rushing it out … I’ll miss it when it’s gone!  I just need to focus on the here and now, planning will come, travel will be there, exactly as I need to be this year … smaller … more of it … utterly amazing and full of moments that make me smile, make me laugh … moments that take my breath away.

Exactly what adventures are meant for.