You might think I’ve been everywhere.

Not quite true … but I’m working on it!

And, you might reasonably wonder, “Where else is left for you to go, Marilyn?”

Travel inspiration comes from many sources. Obviously, I want to visit every continent and Antarctica is still on that list. (While I’m on that subject, I’ll state this publicly: After I’m gone I want my ashes to be sprinkled on all seven continents.) There are some easy places in western Europe still to be visited: Switzerland and all of the Scandinavian countries.

Cuba, obviously, was a place I was determined to go – if for no other reason than my government was telling us we shouldn’t go there. (If you didn’t already know this about me, I can be a bit of a rebel!)

But my Bucket List is strongly influenced by stories from other travelers. When I hear of a place that captures my imagination, it goes on my list.

Such a place was Cappadocia. Many years ago an industry friend, John Buschman, told me about a place in central Turkey with bizarre natural formations and cave hotels. I never forgot it. I finally visited there in 2012 – and just took my WOW! Travel Club group there a few weeks ago. Suffice it to  say, it was a “wow” of epic proportions – even the second time around.

Morocco was another one. I have a wonderful long-time client who trusted my recommendation and gave me the go-ahead to plan an incentive program for his group to Marrakesh a few years ago. It was a bold choice, since corporate decision-makers are typically quite cautious and tend to choose predictable places like Paris or Florence or Madrid. Not that western Europe isn’t fabulous, but they don’t have snake-charmers or camel rides in the desert. When you go to Europe you can’t hike to a Berber village in the Atlas Mountains to have tea served by a henna-tatooed lady in her home. And the shops on the Ponte Vecchio can’t compare to the ancient Medina with its touts and traders selling every exotic item imaginable.

Some of my best ideas come when I ask accomplished travelers about their “‘wow” experiences. Tom & Dawn Theriault raved about swimming with whale sharks in The Maldives. Les & Teresa Whitney had an unforgettable experience with gray whales and their calves in the giant Pacific nursery called Magdalena Bay off of Baja. An industry colleague of mine, Kim Hester, inspired me to include Uganda on my list. She wrote in an email, “Talk about WOW!!!  One of my top 3 trips EVER. Every minute was an incredible adventure, a learning experience and I pushed myself physically beyond what I thought I was capable of. Truly amazing. Uganda is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever seen – nothing like what I expected – and the people could not have been nicer. Also, their level of dedication to keeping the gorillas safe and thriving was really inspirational.”

From my early days as a hippie backpacker trudging through India with a tattered copy of Lonely Planet’s Across Asia on the Cheap as my Bible to my recent cruise on a chartered luxury mega-yacht through the Greek Islands . . . I have to pinch myself. “Is this really happening? Am I really experiencing this, or is it a dream?” I’m blessed to know with complete confidence that I will get to Antarctica one day before I die. And I’m grateful to have been inspired to create The WOW! Travel Club that is fulfilling on SO many levels for me and everyone involved.

And that’s why I come up with the sometime off-beat journeys I offer: like the Eco-Adventure to Baja in March that will include snorkeling with whale sharks and interacting with mother and baby whales in Magdalena Bay.

 

Or like the gorilla trek I’ve planned in Uganda in August of 2016.

Every day, I am lucky enough to get to create wondrous opportunities for friends and family to enjoy what can be life-defining travel experiences. The only thing better than dreaming of these places is actually going there.

Hey, I’ve got a great idea … let’s go there together!

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Comments? Any place wowed you lately that you can recommend?