Slice of Life: Dreaming of the Road 26 of 31

After writing yesterday about different types of road trippers (What Kind of Road Tripper Are You? [Slice of Life] and Make It Memorable [Poetry Friday[), I really want to travel. As many reminded me in the comments yesterday, different types of travel require different levels of planning. I may be more of the explorer/wanderer type, but that doesn't go without some planning. I usually prepare by reading a lot before I hit the road. I want to know my options. For today's post, I decided to do a little dreaming in lists.

Longingly, I notice the books on my shelf:  

1. DK Eyewitness Travel Guide USA (mine is a 2004 version, but they now have 2020)
2. Road Trip USA
3. Family Vacations in the National Parks
4. 50 States 5000 Ideas
5. The United States of Craft Beer 

Seeing people begin to travel again, I really want to jump in my car and go. However, I'm not quite ready to travel. For me, COVID is going to have to be a bit more under control before I travel for pleasure. For now, I'm reminded of five vacations I loved:

1. Longest Family Road Trip:  Many years ago we took a family vacation out west (3 weeks of driving the loop through the Dakotas, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona to name the highlights).
2. Maine: We took 10 days on our 30th anniversary year to go to Maine.
3. Road Trip with the Hubby: This was the longest trip we had taken without the kids. We drove out west again this time highlighting a few different states and National Parks. (the highlights Colorado, Utah, Pismo Beach, Pasa Robles, Arizona)
4. Myrtle Beach: We've been to Myrtle Beach twice and I loved it both times. These were chill vacations...find a spot and stay for a week. Every day the biggest decision was beach or pool!
5. Hilton Head: We rented a house with several families and had the best time. 

For now, I'll just flip through my books and find the next places I hope to travel.

1. Carolina Beaches:  I'm not picky about which one. I just would like some warmth and water.
2. Road Trip: Yep, I can't wait to get back on the road. I'd love to spend some more time in Colorado and Utah. It was a surprise to us how many great National Parks were in the state of Utah. We didn't have enough time in Colorado either. 
3. Canada: I haven't been able to get to Canada since the passport requirement. It's time to get that passport! 
4. Upper Peninsula Michigan: I'm from Ohio so I always say it softly, but I love Michigan. Every time I go I want to go back. We've been in several places in Michigan, but we haven't made it to the upper Peninsula. It's time. 
5. Memphis: We love cities. They are definitely an after pandemic dream, but I can't wait to get back! There are a million I'd like to visit again: Portland (Maine), Seattle, San Francisco, Boston, Nashville (I could go on for days.), but of those I haven't been to yet, Memphis is on the top of the list. 

So often I wonder if I want to begin to plan for a trip out of the country. It's hard when there are so many great places in the United States left to visit. If I were to think about going out of the country - I mean I do need to get a passport - I would want to consider:

1. Paris, France: I went with my high school group and would love to go back with all I know as an adult.
2. Italy: I love pictures I have seen of Italy. I wish I was adventurous enough to plan that trip. 
3. England: The queen has been asking me to come, but I've been pretty busy.
4. Ireland: Oh, the pictures! I could probably knock out a little genealogy while I was there.
5. New Zealand:  I struggled to add a fifth one to this list. I just don't know that I plan to do much traveling outside of the US. I suppose my educator roots and the fact that this country is one of the sensible ones in the pandemic, made me decide to add this to the list. 

The day is coming when we can hit the road again. Here are five things I hope to do the next time we go.

1. Visit a National Park
2. Dine in a restaurant that is local and popular
3. Get a good cup of coffee
4. Wander the closest city
5. Find a museum or historical site

All this dreaming has really made me want to hit the road. Maybe I'll get busy planning my next get away. If you've made it this far, I know you're dreaming of travels too. Where would you like to go?  Share your lists. 

It's March and I'm diving back into the March Slice of Life Challenge!  Buckle in!  This will be my 8th year joining the community (though I must confess to a two year break).  Yep, some of the writing will be messy.  Honestly, most of it will be messy.  Thanks for stopping by.  I'm excited to dive back into the madness.  Thanks to Two Writing Teachers for hosting.