March 2011

A Pathway in Regent's Park, London by Jessica Gioglio

Excuse me while I indulge in a serious case of Wanderlust. A regret of mine in 2010 was hoarding my vacation time for a trip that I didn’t end up taking. Though it’s not a huge sob story, as a twist of fate had me landing a great new job, I learned a valuable lesson: There’s no time like the present to travel.

Interestingly, as I was plotting my escape (er….getaway), I was delighted to learn that my roommates had also been bitten by the travel bug.  We’re not planning to travel together, or during the same timeframe even, but our vacation goals are pretty similar: leisure time in a locale worth exploring, combined with good friends and plenty of fresh air.

Sounds pretty simple, right? Call me crazy, but vacations don’t need to be so complicated. Nor do they need to revolve around having a travel companion. If you’re anything like me, you have a running list of places that you’ve been wanting to go to. So, what’s holding you back?

Before I get accused of sounding overly idealistic, let it be known that I’ve made every excuse in the book not to travel – money, work demands, nobody to vacation with. It’s almost too easy to find a reason not to travel and stay home. Perhaps it’s that I keep inching closer to 30, or that life keeps asking more of me, but I finally realized that the busier I get, the less that I should listen to those excuses and just go.

Carving out time for yourself may not always be easy, but you can do it. So far this year I’ve embraced my wanderlust with a quick jaunt to San Francisco following a business trip, and am looking forward to adventures in London, New York City and Punta Cana over the next three months. Not too shabby for someone who only hopped on a plane once last year!

Next up is London….and I can’t think of a better way to carve out some ‘me’ time.

Are you traveling to anywhere fun this year? Leave a comment below about where you’re going and what motivated you to go. Perhaps it will inspire others!