Travel Bug

My international travel bug has been acting up lately, giving me an itch to head to some foreign location.

I realize travel is a luxury, but it's something important to both Joel and I. From the lush, green New Zealand landscape to the clear, turquoise-blue waters of the Bahamas, each of the places we've been able to visit has been a unique, enriching experience. And it makes us eager to explore other parts of the big world beyond this corner we live in. So we dream and plan and save up to try and see the world in our lifetime.

Unfortunately travel dreams can't always become reality. We had planned on going to Peru this fall, but had to postpone that because of my job change. We'd want at least two weeks in Peru to spend time with his cousin as well as to do some sight-seeing and taking that sort of extended vacation has to wait until I have more time off.

Now we're tentatively planning on going to Europe in the spring, making brief stops in the Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, France and Switzerland. But these plans may also fall through if we buy a house before next summer.

I had started to come to terms with my travel itch until today, when we had a farewell BBQ lunch for Joel's cousin and his wife, who are head off to Taiwan for a year to teach English. I have no desire to live overseas for a year, but hearing about the travel the two of them hope to do during that time made me envious. Now the travel bug is back.