dreams happen

The pleasure of travel begins the moment I begin dreaming about my next trip. It begins with my fantasies, my imagination. Where do I want to go? What do I want to see? What experiences do I want to have? What cultures I do I want to explore?

The possibilities are endless. There's a whole world out there. There are continents on which I have never set foot (Africa, South America, Australia). There are others that I have scarcely begun to know (Asia). But even those places I have visited many times have more unexplored corners than I can possibly imagine.

And as if there weren't enough remaining destinations on Mother Earth, it will be possible in the not so distant future for travelers to boldly go where no one (except astronauts and cosmonauts) has gone before. Virgin Galactic (with which Virtuoso has an exclusive marketing agreement) will literally make space tourism a possibility for anyone willing to spend $250,000 for a vacation. Space travel is not for me, I hasten to say (nor is that kind of travel budget). I am quite content to live out my days exploring this beautiful blue planet that nurtures our lives.

But maybe that's the point. We all have different dreams. We all enjoy different things. I am the ultimate risk avoider while others are risk takers. My passion is for engaging culturally rich cities, soaking in the slower way of life of scenic old villages, hiking through serenely bucolic countrysides, and then going to sleep early so I can rise before sunrise to capture the soft light of dawn through the lens of my camera. For others, a great trip gives them a chance to party all night long, explore pubs and nightclubs, engage the locals, and sleep until noon.

Where do you want to go next? What sights do you want to see? What cultural experiences would fascinate you? If you need ideas, that's what travel consultants are for; feel free to drop me an email. But the most important thing to remember is this... dreams happen!


If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

travel agent consultant Virtuoso dreams pleasure fantasy imagination experience culture Africa South+America Australia Asia France Paris Earth Virgin+Galactic space+travel scenic villages bucolic countryside soft+light dawn photography party pubs nightclubs