As many of you know, I am an author. If you have made your way to this website, you must have heard of me, read one of my stories, or possibly be related to me. Anyone who knows me knows this: I love the composer John Williams, anything to do with England, great food, and my family (not in that order.) 

You may not know yet that since I was a child, I have been fascinated by the world. I have immersed myself in various local cultures, cuisines, architecture, art, language, folklore, and most importantly, people. And while I didn't travel outside the country, to Bermuda, until I was twenty, I also flew across the world to Malaysia, by twenty.

  While my husband Nick is my travel partner, I started dreaming of traveling from infancy, I swear it. I wanted to be a tour guide of historic sites all over the world. My studies of war teacher, Mr. Dombrowski, would often draw out battle strategies on board. He was so animated, I almost felt like he had fought in the Battle of Thermopolis. I couldn't get enough. I had already been swallowed whole by the folklore of the Welsh King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table by twelve years old. All together swept up into the romance of his trusted knight, Lancelot, his queen, Guinevere, and their tortured romance. Though, in reality, it was more of a love triangle. I always had a thing for drama. I would wear costumes and pretend I was from Medieval times, finding it fun to eat large chicken drumsticks as they had at most cosplay fairs. There's something so magical about being taken somewhere else. Experiencing something you've never heard, smelled, or tasted before. 

After that class, I was sure that I was going to go to college and get a degree that would allow me to be a guide around famous battlefields on nearly every continent. I'd live in a castle in England and take visitors on moat tours. I'd learn to hike through the great forests of Germany and climb the mountains of Switzerland. Eventually ending up drinking tea near Buckingham Palace and signing tourists up for ghost tours at the Tower of London. I'd also spend weeks in Greece studying Philosophy, getting my hand in pottery-making, and leave with great sandals and a tan. I'd fly to the jungles of India, ride some elephants as I did in Malaysia, and eat grilled meats and fruits with only banana leaves. I'm not sure if your dreams were parallel with mine, but at the time, I had it on good authority that I could do anything I dreamed of.

That's what they teach you in elementary school, right? Pick any job you want, yes, want. Let me see if I can remember the choices. Oh yeah, there's a teacher, firefighter, attorney, doctor, actress, singer, and naturally the President. Yes, the job options were few and far between. Not to mention, they barely scratched the surface of the many job titles we would meet out in the real world. If our twelve-year-old selves went out for a job interview and found out that a job as a bear trainer for the circus wasn't easily attainable, we may have learned the price of dreaming in America. 

Now let's not say that dreams don't come true. Let's face it though, you can't get your dreams without first putting in the effort. I'm not talking about getting a job as a CPA to make the money you need to get your dream vacations in. I'm talking about living the dreams. If you wake up every day and dream about Aruba, figure out a way to get there and if you can, stay there. I'm not saying it will be easy just to pick and leave. After all, we have responsibilities as adults. Between mortgages, kids, pets, parents, and current jobs, we have much to consider before we can make drastic changes. Today is a new day, and I would love to help you figure out your dreams. After all, we aren't getting any younger.

 OK, here is your assignment for today. Go to Google Maps. Open up a world map and pick one place that you've always wanted to visit. That is step one. Now find activities to do while you're there. Whether you're into museums, art exhibits, the food scene, music festivals, architecture, landscapes, or whatever you enjoy. I'd love to help you get there. That's step two. Now that you know your next pin on the map, set up your digital travel map of places you've got and places you have only dreamed of at wanderlog.com 

In the meantime, stay tuned, as I share places that I have traveled to, places I am going to shortly and places that I have only dreamed to visit, so far.