I have never been overseas. I've been to Mozambique, as a child and young adult, but I have never boarded a plane to another continent. Friends ask why I've never been, and it's just that I've never really *wanted* to go. For real. I've been busy planning and setting up a life for myself, and enjoying any free time it offered. The thought of getting a visa, organizing everything, travel arrangements - it sounds like too much admin and hard work to me. Maybe I'm just too lazy, or I don't know enough about the world to want to go anywhere specific. Sure I love a few artists, writers and there are museums that I'd like to see, but the thought of spending a small fortune to see Oscar Wilde's grave is not something that was ever on my list of priorities.
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I also really love South Africa - we have beaches, wildlife, countryside, resorts - I (sort of still) just don't get it. Guys I would be the worst explorer ever. Christopher Columbus: "Let's see what's out there, navigate and colonize the world" Me: "Ja, I'll just wait here with my magazine, good luck though, tell everyone I say hi." You don't know.
Also, admittedly - I don't like doing what 'everyone else is doing'. Paris, New York, Prague and Thailand is so far off my radar right now. I want to go somewhere different. One day I want to sneak in to Paris to see the Louvre because I just love The Impressionists so much, but where I really want to go is Italy. The little regions like Campania, the little village of Postiano. I want to see Sorrento and a quick stop in Venice (where Vivaldi was born). I do want to spend most of my time overseas in tiny little tucked away villages, away from the (other) tourists where possible. So I am looking at Italy, and mapping little routes, making little plans. I do want to go alone, which might be a bit eatpraylove of me, but I have this urge to be in isolation in a beautiful country full of history with interesting things to see. I want to learn things, eat food, drink too much wine, read books and mostly I want to write thoughtful things of no importance and with no sense of urgency.
I've opened the relevant saving account, which I've been hiding money in for a few months now. I'm getting my paperwork in order - almost there. Then somewhere along the line I'll abandon my children for ten days and go on a little adventure for the soul, and maybe I'll come back completely different, maybe it won't change a thing, maybe I should rather spend those savings on something else, but I'm going.
If you've ever been to Italy, please could you comment or email me with tips, advice - but mostly I want to hear about great little places that you found completely by accident - that weren't in the travel brochures. I want to hear about adventures!
