Wanderlust: Places I Want to Visit

(Caulonia, Italy)

So with Christmas and New Year out the way, and the dull month of January to face, we're all sick of Winter and are lustily looking ahead to the Summer months, dreaming of a holiday. Some of you may have even got a cheeky deal in the January sales. If so, I salute you. 

The above emotions, mixed with the cliche 'New Year, New Me' mentality means a lot of us seem to go through a stage right about now of Wanderlust. Wanting to get away, experience something new or tick some things of the ol' bucket list. 

In the last two years, I've been lucky enough to travel to Rome, Caulonia (Calabria, Italy) and Prague, and make some amazing memories that I'll never forget. But now I've got the bug. I wanna go EVERYWHERE. 

So I thought I'd share with you my Wanderlust list. Having it down in physical list form actually makes me more determined to start travelling and ticking places off, and hopefully it will inspire you to make your own list!

(The pictures are from the places mentioned above. Didn't want to use stock pictures, and if I had pictures for each continent, I wouldn't really need to write this post)

(Prague)

Europe

+ Ireland

+Scotland

+Paris

+Barcelona

+Lisbon

+Bruges

+Amsterdam

+Berlin

+Austria

+Croatia

+Greece

+Cyprus

I won't go into detail about every single one, but there are some specific reasons behind my choices. I'd love to go to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and go to the Louvre in Paris. 

I went to Barcelona when I was about 14 with the school, but I'd love to go now that I'm older, and explore it for myself.

 I'm pretty sure anyone who has seen the film In Bruges wants to visit Bruges. 

I've seen some amazing pictures of the street art in Berlin, and I've also discovered an amazing tattooist there (Minervas Linda) so I hope to save up, do some sight-seeing and get a tattoo. As you do. 

I HAVE to go to Greece / Cyprus. I'm half Greek Cypriot! I've never been, I don't speak the language and I don't like olives. I'm a failure of a Greek right now, and I'm hoping to amend at least one of those (I've tried to make myself like olives. It's not happening). 

(Caulonia, Italy)

North America

+San Francisco 

+Mexico

+Cuba

I've never really been that attracted to the US as a place for travelling. I don't know why. There just isn't much about it that appeals to me as much as the other places on my list. Except San Francisco. It's going to sound lame, but I think George of the Jungle has a lot to do with this. The trams, hills and Golden Gate Bridge made it look quite European and magical to me as a kid. 

I've watched Breaking Bad and Man on Fire, but I still wanna go! Why? THE FOOD! When I discovered Tomasina Miers (Winner of Masterchef 2005 and owner of Wahaca) and her restaurant was inspired by the street food she ate whilst travelling in Mexico, it instantly went on my list. 

As for Cuba, it's a country stuck in the 1950s. Sold!

(Caulonia, Italy)

South America

+Brazil
+Peru

I want to go to Brazil for the Amazon rainforest more than anything else. It's not just another place on my list. Going to the Amazon and maybe visiting some wildlife sanctuaries is a dream of mine. 
Why Peru? Llamas of course!

(Prague)

Africa

+South Africa
+Egypt
+Madagascar
+Kenya

The reasoning behind the majority of these places is animal related. Another one of my dreams is to go cage diving with great white sharks (they're just misunderstood!) and after doing a bit of research, it seems South Africa is the best place for it. 
Both Madagascar and Kenya are famous for their wildlife reserves (e.g the Masai Mara), and seeing some of the most beautiful animals this plant has to offer in their natural habitat would be something that would stay with me forever. 
 I was fascinated by the Ancient Egyptians as a kid, and still am to an extent. One thing Rome taught me is you can never predict how you're going to feel seeing things of such historical significance. It's really quite moving. 

(Rome)

Asia

+India
+Indonesia
+Japan
+Thailand
+Vietnam

Food and scenery are the main reasons behind these particular choices. I don't think the Asian food we have here in the UK is even remotely close to the actual authentic cuisines. From what I've seen on the internet and cooking shows, my taste buds would have the time of their life. 
All of these places have their own scenic qualities that Google Images doesn't do justice. I crave seeing these spectacular sights for myself. 

(Folkestone, UK)

Australia

+Australia
+New Zealand 

They have Christmas on the beach in Australia! Other than that, the Great Barrier Reef and everything sea creature related is Australia's main appeal for me. This is slightly outweighed by killer spiders, but they can't swim so I should be safe 80% of the time. 
As for New Zealand, I'm a massive LOTR and Hobbit geek. I NEED to visit the Shire.

Related Posts: The Food of Prague , Prague: Places to Visit, Eurostars David Hotel, Prague , Caulonia, Italy - A Rural Italian Holiday