Travel bucket list

With the start of a new month tomorrow, I’ve got vacations on my mind.

As of now, Dave and I don’t have any big trips planned, except for a weekend away in Northern California for his sister’s wedding at the end of the month and a weekend camping trip with friends in May.

However, I’m in serious need of sunshine, a warm sea breeze and a chance to put my feet in the sand while wearing a bathing suit.

Where’s the beach?

When Dave and I first moved to San Francisco, I didn’t truly realize how far we would be from the tropical beach environments we’ve always known. Sure, there are a couple of San Francisco beach areas that technically have water and sand, but nice hot beaches they are not.

Growing up in Florida, I never craved a beach vacation, because it was always available to me, and I took beach trips all the time. In fact, while chatting with some lifelong West Coasters, I found that I’ve actually been to some of their top beach vacation destinations, because I lived such a short trek away from places like the Bahamas, Jamaica, Key West, Miami Beach, etc.

But today, those tropical locales seem like a world away.

It’s typically pretty windy and cold in San Francisco (relative to those who live in snowy climates of course). Because of that, I’m always covered up in long sleeves, pants and closed-toe shoes, and we don’t really get out of San Francisco to frolic very often. It’s been a very long time since I laid out by the pool or played in the ocean, and it’s starting to weigh on this transplanted Floridian.

The last amazing beach vacation Dave and I took was our honeymoon in Jamaica in May 2012. It’s so nice to look back at some of those moments.

We stayed at the wonderfully all-inclusive Sandals Whitehouse Jamaica and had the time of our lives.

Just a few more, I promise …

Which brings me to my travel bucket list.

Travel bucket list

Here are the places I would like to visit in the next few years, listed in no particular order.

• Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
• Hawaii
• Santorini, Greece
• Chicago, Illinois
• Austin, Texas (Truly, I’ve never been to Texas.)
• Paris, France
• Florence, Italy (I lived in Florence for a few weeks when studying abroad in college and have always wanted to go back with money to spend and someone I loved to experience it with me.)
• Cape Town, South Africa
• Sydney, Australia
• Thailand (Probably the beach part)

Bucket list aside, I wouldn’t turn down a trip anywhere, even if it was a cold climate.

My travel tastes have certainly changed. Strangely, I used to have an obsession with Montreal (thanks to the O Canada! 360 video at Epcot, where I started my career as a communications coordinator) because I thought the city looked romantic and sophisticated.

However, my life in the charming neighborhoods of San Francisco has certainly toned down the need to visit Montreal. Today, tropical is all that’s on my mind.

Dave and I have toyed with the idea of planning ourselves a little getaway in the summer. All of our days off and funds for expensive airline tickets have been used for trips to visit friends and family in Florida ever since we moved. But we’re ready for a little R&R, and so it just may happen soon.

Questions of the day

Do you have a travel bucket list? What’s the next vacation you have planned? (Feel free to leave a comment if you think I need to add to my list.)