FIVE PLACES I'D LIKE TO VISIT WHEN LIFE IS NORMAL-ISH
Someone recently asked me what I was looking forward to doing when life returns to normal and strangely I didn’t immediately have an answer where she had already prepared a list. So to make sure that I’m not caught unprepared again, and as an excuse to procrastinate, I will now prepare a list of five destinations (in no particular order) that I can’t wait to see when travel is a thing again.
South Africa: I know very little about South Africa, other than Elon Musk and Charlize Theron were invented there, but I have seen pictures and it looks like a beautiful place to explore. I’m very driven by my stomach and I discovered something called biltong (which is similar to jerky) which I love, so I’m excited to experience more of their amazing food. I’m also hoping that I don’t get eaten by a lion. But, I’m sure I’ll be extra tasty if I am as I’ll be full of biltong.
Sri Lanka: This was not a country on my list prior to 2020, but a podcaster that I follow found himself stuck in Sri Lanka during the pandemic and became a travel YouTuber to pass the time, LOL. His videos opened my eyes to this beautiful country and its people, which he describes as being like Bali before it was overrun by tourists. I really like the idea of that, maybe because there’s a secret-hipster somewhere in me that hates anything mainstream, hahaha.
Finland: I am a big fan of Christmas and that is part of the motivation for wanting to make this trip to settle once and for all the debate about Santa Claus. In my world, Santa Claus lives at the North Pole and not in Finland. I will concede that Finnish Santa Claus receives the most mail, but as we all know, the best leaders are good at delegating and it looks like North Pole Santa has outsourced customer service so he can concentrate on more strategic work. Read all about it if you’re not aware of the fierce debate that’s been raging about Santa homebase.
Cuba: I love how most of the cars are from the 1950s and I want to visit this time capsule to soak in the history of this tropical nation. I am certain there will be a lot of eating and drinking, and the occasional cigar during this trip. I will be packing my stretchy pants for sure in anticipation of gaining at least 50 lbs.
Southeast Asia: Ok, so I cheated here a bit by naming a region, but I really can’t decide which particular country I want to see more. It’s likely I’ll just bounce around to a bunch of them. Let me know if you have recommendations of which country/city I should prioritize in this region.
Which places would be on your list of post-pandemic destinations? Do you have any tips or suggestions for me?