Hitting Rewind

Supposedly you can't go back again.  The actual saying is "you can't go home again" which comes from the the novel "You Can't Go Home Again" by Thomas Wolfe, published in 1940.  These words come to the protagonist of Wolfe's story at the finale of the novel; "You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood...back home to a young man's dreams of glory and of fame...back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time - back home to the escapes of Time and Memory."

No offence to Wolfe, but this is crap.  Of course you can go home again!  The catch is that you can't expect it to all be exactly the same.  The longer we are away from a certain place, physically or mentally, the more our perspective about it changes.  We are influenced by new ideas and experiences, making it impossible to return as the same person that left.

This weekend I figured out that even though you can't go back as the exact same person that left, the experiences you have in between can still bring you back as a similar person; one that feels the same way as before, but sees things more clearly.  It's like going back but better because you finally understand how things are supposed to be.

I'm sure this isn't the easiest train of thought to follow but it really is the most amazing thing I've learned to do so far this year.  As another saying goes, "if you love someone (or something) you're supposed to let it go, and if it comes back you know it was meant to be."  Well, in a year of letting things go, I have to say what a relief it's been to see some of those things come back better than ever.

Oh the places you will go...

With a jet-set family like mine, it would be easy to assume I've been to quite a few different destinations.  Sadly, the opposite is true - I'm the designated house sitter when everyone else is away.  The family came home from London today and I'm not going to lie, I was a little green with jealousy.  But it passed after I had dinner so maybe it was just hunger...

I feel sad that at 27, I can count the number of places I've visited on my fingers.  Though, one of those fingers represents most of the Florida coastline which is pretty cool.  I've never been to Europe, South America or Africa and the only places in Asia I've been is the homeland (The Philippines) and Hong Kong.  Even my travel throughout North America is quite limited.  Here is a map of the world to demonstrate just how little of it I've actually explored:

Note that the Blue areas are places I've been to and Red areas are places I've lived in.  I told you it was sad!  Now here is a list of places my family members have gone to without me: most of Europe, parts of the Middle East, Australia, Mexico, the Caribbean, Alberta, Quebec, and too many US states for me to even remember.

So, to rectify this situation, I've promised myself 1 big trip every year starting with 2013 - the year I turn 30.  The destination?  ITALY!  I haven't decided on a particular place yet because I want to see it all =) I know this seems like a lengthy wait, but you'd understand if you knew about some of the trips I want to take.  Besides, what's another couple of years when you've already waited this long.  In the time being, here are 5 trips I will take before 2013, in no particular order:

1. The Philippines - I know I've already been/lived there but it's for my cousin's wedding!  She met her husband (they eloped last month in Gibraltar last month) in Istanbul during her very own "Eat, Shop, Love" tour overseas this summer =) *shameless plug* go read all about it at her blog Ladyland Electric in the post "My top 10 of 2010"

2. Vegas - I've been trying to go to Vegas with my girl friends ever since we were legal.  It's been a fail so far but I have hope it'll get done this year

3. Orlando - It was home for a year and I didn't have a chance to make it back for a wedding of some dear friends so I owe them one.

4. Massachusetts - I've had a thing for Boston and the Cape Cod area for over a decade without really knowing why...I blame Joshua Jackson and Dawson's Creek

5. Montreal - According to quite a few of my friends (especially S.Dignos), Montreal is the place to be in Canada.  I was going to start a road trip from there to Vancouver last Spring but I was planning it with the same friends I've never been to Vegas with.  Apparently we just can't vacation together =(

There you have it - my travel plan for future.  Now it's your turn...comment with your fave places to visit and the top 3-5 things to do there!