I don’t get to travel to faraway places much anymore; life has gotten weird these last many years, and I just haven’t had the energy or interest in moving outside of my safe, comfy, home circle. Growing up, we took the obligatory beach trips to Florida and Georgia, as well as frequent short excursions to favorite places within the state. I remember Somerset, Natural Bridge, and Cumberland Falls with fondness. As I got older and graduated from high school and then college, I started to do a bit more. I often drove to Washington DC, went to Montana one year on my birthday, and saw Arizona, New Mexico, California, Colorado, and Nevada. In the early 2000s, my mom and I drove north and visited Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine, and we took a separate trip later to Washington DC. Recently, I traveled to Wisconsin for a week, but my last true big trip was in 1996, when I spent 9 days in Poland on retreat at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Traveling as an adult, I frequently travel solo. I’ve always been very much a planner, no matter where I’m going or for how long, and I tend to enjoy visiting places others wouldn’t even consider. Many folks I know would never travel alone, but I love it, and I don’t get the anxiety others often do, worrying about all the what-ifs.

After my seven-day adventure to Wisconsin this spring (I specifically drove the eight-plus hours to visit the International Crane Foundation), I decided I really want to do it again. Even though I had planned the trip in my usual way, I allowed for on-the-spot decisions about what I’d do each day (I used to plan day activities, as well), and it was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken. So, where to next?

I have a list of places I want to visit, some by car and some by air. I use Roadtrippers (https://roadtrippers.com/) to help me decide where I can go, and once I’ve decided on a destination, build my trip from there. Driving trips are the easiest for me; there’s no worry about how much I can take or what I need to leave behind.

My list is long, but the top places–in no particular order–include:

1. Aberdeen, Scotland (family is from here)
2. Churchill, Manitoba (to see the polar bears)
3. Ely, Montana (to see wolves and bears)
4. Vancouver, BC
5. Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa (to visit ThulaThula Private Game Reserve)
6. Americus, Georgia (a family member was imprisoned and died at Andersonville Prison during the Civil War
7. The Fairy Tale Road in Germany

Do you have a list of places you’d like to visit? Do you wait until you decide where you’re going to start planning, or do you plan, hoping to one day go?

Look for Part 2 to see which trips I’m putting most of my planning into and what my planning process looks like.