Dreaming of places and then choosing to not go

I am still visiting all of the places on "my to-do" list and haven't yet found I am leaving out one country or location in particular. Give me a few more years and I might be saying that. Although, I have visited a few countries several times rather than new ones. So far, I don't regret it since I am experiencing new things with each visit. I don't feel like I am missing out on any place just yet. I do try to have the outlook Pat has and travel as often as I can manage while I am healthy enough to do so. I don't want any travel regrets, although for us avid travelers that might always be an issue...we never travel as much as we want to. :) Jessica

This is a great question Andrea. For me, it's the Dordogne. I've been living in France for six and a half years now, and before I came I was convinced the Dordogne was the place I most wanted to go, and I still really want to go but it never seems to be the "right time" (i.e. I don't have ENOUGH time to go see it as I would want). But finally crossed that barrier with Sicily this time last year! We didn't have near enough time there, but I know I'll be back. Loved the places we saw and want to go spend more time, longer, seeing much more. Also, Scotland as an adult. I lived there as a child, it's where I started school, and I can't believe I'm in my 40s and have never been back! It's not like it's far away or something . . .

andrea, I sort of understand your statement, but no, I don't put things off for any other reason then lack of funds.
When my mom was close to death I remember asking her if she had any regrets in life, and she said she regretted not travelling to places she always dreamed about but kept putting them off. She had always dreamed of visiting India, but kept putting it off, she went to many other places though, but India never got worked in,, then when she finally realized she needed to just do it, it was too late , her health had started to fail, and she was only in her late 60s when this started. Other then getting the cash together I think one should make a point of seizing the moments they can and do want they dream about. Good luck, and next trip, make your dreams a priority.

My dream is a trip to Antarctica. But I get so seasick, I know I'll never go. Sigh.

I think I understand your husband - he wants to want to go...I 'should' want to go to many places, but there's no 'fire in the belly' to actually get there, so to speak. There's simply too many other places ahead of them on my list! And I'm talking only about Europe! I've had Vienna on my itinerary 2-3 times now, and it's gotten dropped every time just a few days before actually getting there; we typically do that because one of us has gotten The Trip Virus and we just want to stay put an extra few days. Someday... There will always be those hard-to-get-to places (Krakow from Normandy, Prague from Bruges, Greece from Munich), and so far my hard-to-get-to places haven't been well served by budget airlines (sigh). Yet I persevere...

I dreamed I was in Cleavland and woke up screaming in a cold sweat. I don't think I'm going there again anytime soon.

@Tom.. so you think Germany is better than Cleveland?:)) As for the other question there are many times I kept trying to get to Spain and for one reason or another it didn't work out. When I finally did get there I knew it was because I was supposed to be there with the group of people I was with at that particular time... I always regret not having more money to travel, but I try to live in the moment, so if I have chosen another places to travel I try to embrace 'the one I'm with'.

I've wanted to visit Australia and New Zealand. Probably never will. I've considered flying "around the world." I can't think of places outside the US and Europe that I really want to visit. So, I will visit the unvisited via travel TV and DVDs. I get a lot out of reading about places. A good novel in an attractive location sometimes does it for me. I got more of Cornwall out of watching Doc Martin than I did actually visiting. The weather was better on the TV series. Seems like it was never cold, windy, or rainy. For time travel, I find Victorian England fascinating. I've visited many times in books, biographies, and movies.

I'm with pat of Canada. Late in life, my Father told me "if there's anything you want to do or anyplace you want to go...do it when you can, because the day will come when you won't be able to do or go" I started late but I'm going and doing.

I usually go to the places i "dream" about. But I am with you Andrea about Portugal. I have been to Spain and have always wanted to visit Portugal. Then I met a man with Azorean Porteguese ancestry and I can not get him to want to go to Portugal. He grew up in Rhode Island where there is a big Azorean population. And they are not treated with as much respect as the local "yankees" that have lived there since before the revolutionary times get. Because my husbands father tried to distance himself from those "greenhorn" roots, it has made my husband not too proud to see where his ancestors came from. But I am working on it. I got my husband to consent to Spain this year (My "dream" to return as it was my very first trip to Europe and very special to me). Its a secret trip billed as "Mountain bike trip", and he can not pass up a chance to mountain bike somewhere exotic. So maybe Portugal isn't too far off in the distance. KC Pinheiro

Funny thing about Cleveland. I visited it briefly when I was 17 and looking around for college choices. Probably the worst thing I decided was not to go there. If I'd gone to CWRU and done the bionics I'd always wanted to do I would have had a completely different life. Oh well - you makes your bed and sleeps in it. But then, if that had worked out at Cleveland I probably wouldn't be living in the beautiful village area I am in England. Swings and roundabouts. But I do, fairly often, wonder how things would have been if I had returned to Cleveland.

Ditto Antarctica.........but have not ruled it out.......just need to
decide that we would survive Drake's Passage or do a fly-in/out late in the season. Even got a reality check by looking at "rough seas/Drake's Passage" on YouTube..........hmmmmmm.........still dreaming. Other places are Australia, China, Japan just because of the distances and time that would be required. Egypt if/when things calm down there. Royal Scotsman train trip (very costly).

I've wanted to go to Cesky Krumlov for some time. I've probably idealized it in my mind after watching too many movies. But every time I look at how long it takes to get there, I end up somewhere else.

I've been dreaming to go back to Leipzig and Berlin since The Wall came down. Managed a short trip to Berlin in the summer of 1990 but that was the very beginning of all the changes. Afterwards it always seemed to be too far East and out of the way from our European itineraries. We finally got to go in 2010. And it definitely was a dream come true. Just not enough time and so I've been back to Leipzig again in 2011 but still haven't seen everything I wanted to see ... Now I'm dreaming of visiting the Leipzig book fair (always in March). Not sure if 2013 will work out but sooner or later I'll go!!!!!

@Tom, aside from our sports teams, why don't you like Cleveland? Nigel, come back and visit sometime. We have a world class art museum and orchestra and many fine restaurants.
:)

Great question! It took three different tries, over a 30-year span, before I finally managed Peru in 2010. The first planned trip was for 1980, but I became pregnant and ended up buying a house instead. I made up for the wait by spending 5 weeks there, by the time I did get to go. Brazil - I was supposed to leave this coming week actually, but life interfered. I was days from purchasing my ticket when I found out that I was going to be a new grandma right about now. Baby Jack was born a couple of weeks ago and his arrival has more than made up for the missed trip! :-) I was backpacking in Asia and Australia, back in 1978-79. New Zealand was next and we had our tickets from Sydney already bought. Then my dad got sick and I had to rush home instead. This one is still my "dream" travel regret. With the other couple that we travel with a lot, we are planning it for a window around 4 years for now - when some of us will be turning 60 - and we'll go for at least 7-9 weeks when we do.

Back when I lived in the states, most of my "dream destinations" were in Central America and Asia. But then I moved to Europe, so I have totally shelved any idea of spending the time/money to get to those places while I'm here, because it makes so much more sense to see as much of Europe/Western Asia/North Africa/Mideast from Germany than it does to make expensive flights to places that are closer and cheaper to the west coast of the US.

This question has brought up some old memories. My grandma immigrated from Slovenia in the early 1900's and we talked about her taking me back one day...that day didn't happen. Then my Mom and I were going to go but life got in the way...she passed away 14 years ago. Maybe it is time I plan a trip with my daughter before life passes us by. My husband and I have been to Europe several times (mostly for his work) and we always add on our own time for travel after his work. We talk about travel to Finland (where his grandparents immigrated from) and Slovenia. Maybe it is time to reconsider and really think if these are countries we wish to visit. We don't have any connection with long-lost relatives, but do I want to step on the soil where my grandparents were born? Guess I have some thinking to do.

Yes, those places still in the pipeline of travel dreams in Europe after 40 years of traveling...top priority: Finland, more of Poland, still more of Germany and France specific regions, cities, towns, eastern Austria (Steiermark, Burgenland)

Thanks everyone. I'm writing this in the lobby of a hotel in shanghai as part of a 22day tour. I don't have to dream about china, am living it and it is wonderful.

For me India. I have a 3-greats grand mother who came from there and I have always wondered about it.

I want to go to most countries in the world so my list is very long. I guess the two things that stop me from planning trips to places like Australia and Japan are money and time. They're so far away and take so long to get to that I'd want to spend several weeks there to make the travel time worth it. Another thing is that I have friends in Europe and it's important for me to see them, so I take that into consideration when planning trips. My friend in Vienna thought she could meet me in Paris 10 days ago but at the last minute something came up. I promised her that I'd go to Vienna to see her on my next trip to Europe (and I've never been there). My friend in Leicester came to London last weekend and it was great to see her. I met her mom who is from the Isle of Skye and has a house there. She invited me to come to Skye and stay with her. That is very tempting, I have to say. And I have a friend in Mumbai who'd I'd love to visit. So many places, so little time and money!