2016 Travel Plans

This year started off with a trip to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to deal with some family stuff. There will be a return trip later in the year, I'm sure.

Next up is a work trip to Nashville, TN for a week in March. I always enjoy going to Nashville, even though I am not a fan of the South or of country music. Last trip, back in November, I took in a concert featuring the Nashville Symphony together with Pink Martini, and an opera by Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg! And can we talk about the FOOD?!

Later this summer, we will be spending a week with our dive buddies at the Cobalt Coast Resort on Grand Cayman.

And at some point, we have a $700 United voucher to use before July, so who knows where we'll go...

Where am I??

My schedule starting May 25th has had me away since then to the 9th of June, home 6 nights, away 4 nights, home 2 nights, away 5 nights, home 7 nights, away 9 nights, home 21 nights, away 7 nights. WOW.

The good news is that two of these instances of being away are vacations. The bad news is that I have to get through back-to-back work trips first. Ugh.

Scotland

One of the many reasons I want to travel here with my sister. So pretty.

Beautiful! RT @andyywatson: Hopeman #Sunset #Scotland #Moray pic.twitter.com/YclGoljUem
— VisitScotland (@VisitScotland) April 10, 2015

Travel Journal?

As I sit here, staring out the window at the ice-covered trees (and bushes, and cars, and old crusty snow...), I'm beginning to get my plans together for some of this year's upcoming trips. I've been using the Moleskine Travel Journal as a planner and journal over the last few years. I like its format and its size.

The funny thing is that I don't actually travel with it, preferring instead to sit with it once I get back home, and recording my memories.

In this day of social media, I find it often easier to just upload to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Flickr and revisit my trips that way. But there's something about putting pen to paper that will always fascinate me. So, even if I don't write copiously, I still write.

I admire people who can keep a journal or a diary, and I always thought it would be easy enough to do while traveling. The problem is often that by the end of the day I am just too tired to write.

I've come across some travel blog entries recently that talk about travel journals. One that I particularly like was this one, on From Home to Roam. The author talks about the joy that comes later, after the trip, when she pulls one of her journals off the shelf and relives all the fun.

I think I'm going to try to journal on each trip this year - wish me luck!

Yes Please

In need of a mini-vacation right now. This would be nice.

Visit one of Europe's secluded hamlets for a blissfully unspoiled experience: http://t.co/oQ0p6kdn0q pic.twitter.com/iOWO2M0T30

— Travel + Leisure (@TravlandLeisure) September 21, 2014

Our Roots in Scotland

My sister and I have been talking up a trip to Scotland, the "land of our people", sometime in the next few years. It will be interesting to see what happens if Scotland votes for independence on September 18th. I'm not sure it will impact our travels, but it might be disruptive to the country's economy and politics.

Today's #DailyEscape is from Dornie, Scotland. http://t.co/YKb7lv0KJO pic.twitter.com/X48EFv3oST

— Travel Channel (@travelchannel) September 9, 2014

Why I Want To Go To Iceland

"Now with lava fountains" 60 meters high #ashtag #Bardarbunga Fresh images of seismic activity http://t.co/qnM4oQnXNI pic.twitter.com/9tV9uIfmLe

— professorsabena (@professorsabena) August 31, 2014