Planning Trips

The Stay-At-Home Gypsy needs to always have a trip planned. Going somewhere, at some point in time, it doesn't matter when or where, there just needs to be a destination lurking out there. A definitive adventure. Something to dream about when life becomes mundane. Something to think about when the daily routines start to pummel the soul. A window, a beacon of light, a future escape. As long as there is something planned, life can go on.

I am going to Croatia in May. That is 7 months away but it brings me joy every day. Images of Dubrovnik flash through my mind and it is intoxicating. I plan my days there in my head. . .two days in Zagreb, well, maybe three, then on to the coast. Maybe I will take a day trip to Montenegro? Maybe not. Who cares? In my head, I am EXPLORING and it thrills my soul.

I read about the country - its history, its culture, its stories. I find every book I can find about the Croatia - both fiction and nonfiction. I listen to Croatian music, I learn some basic phrases (Istražiti!), I watch Rick Steves roam the streets of Split on my TV. I immerse myself.

I google hostels, I browse through airbnb.com, I create different experiences in my head. Do I stay in private hotels and spend my down time reading and napping? Do I stay in a boisterous hostel surrounded by young travels from all over the world? Do I rent a room and immerse myself in local culture? I experience all options, the good and the bad.

I travel there every single day in my head. It is my private escape. No matter what is going on around me - work, stress, traffic - in my head, I retreat to my own make believe Croatia.

In this way, each trip that I take lasts for months. It gives me ongoing joy and excitement. I may not be able to travel as much as I want, but I make every trip count.