If you guessed southeast Asia, ding ding ding-- you are correct! From top to bottom: Cambodia, Laos, Burma (Myanmar), Bali, Bhutan, and Thailand. Alas, I don't know when these trips will come to pass, but they *will* happen someday, hopefully in the not terribly distant future. (For more of my dream trips, see my Pinterest page.)
People in some of these countries (like Burma/Myanmar and Cambodia) are still recovering from harsh regimes, and I want to be sensitive to this when I visit... I came across this NY Times article with recommendations on traveling in a socially responsible way in Burma/Myanmar, so that you're supporting the people themselves, and not the dictatorial regime.
On a slightly different note, readers are often curious which countries I've traveled to... here's a quick list for you: Morocco, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico (lived there), St. John's (Virgin Islands), England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Holland, Italy, Spain, France (lived there), Canada.
My favorites? Hard to say, but Oaxaca, Mexico and Provence, France hold special places in my heart since I lived there and formed close friendships that feel like family.
Oaxaca
Aix-en-Provence
Since my husband started working from home last year, we have glorious travel flexibility, which we have yet to really take advantage of. One dream I have is to spend a couple months living abroad (with Lil Dude, of course) every year or two, in different countries every year. There are so many great international home exchange/home rental sites online now, which makes it easy-peasy (or, at least, do-able.) Excuse me while I begin hatching my plans...
Portugal perhaps? I've always wanted to learn Portuguese, such a beautiful language...
Where do you dream of going next? (If you want ideas, you can go to the *fun and travel* page of my website, with links to my photos and travelogues.)
Happy travels to you, wherever you're headed next (or dreaming to go)!
xo
Laura
I think traveling with kids is one of the best learning experiences. Our son as a 12-year-old already had quite a sophisticated view of the world. To me the most amazing time is between about ages 9 and 13 as everything is new and awesome and images stick in memory (and it's before the mind is totally consumed with images of girls). :)
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting article in the Times, Laura. When we traveled in Burma, we also strove to support the people, not the government, as much as possible. This mean traveling by bus rather than the gov't-owned train or airlines and staying in very small, basic hotels, which are family-run, rather than gov't-partnered resorts. Not the most comfortable way to travel, but you definitely get to interact more with locals, which is often fun and always enlightening.
ReplyDeleteWe found the Burmese and the Cambodians to be so friendly and welcoming of foreign tourists after all that those nations have been through. Both excellent destinations for you and your family! =)
Katie-- I love hearing about experiences like yours and your son's-- so inspiring. That's what I want for my son, too.
ReplyDeleteTara-- I'm definitely going to pick your and Andy's brain before our next trip... you guys are such amazing travel resources!