I'll be honest. I love to travel, both in my private life and as an occupational necessity. I love to strike out and explore, to wander trails and to sleep beneath the stars. If your only complaint is that the moon is too bright, then you really can't complain at all.

 

 

Traveling offers us an opportunity to grow and learn, to develop a new perspective on the world and our own lives. It's also a great way to meet new people, hear some tall tales and to rifle and snoop through some fabulous antique shops.

 

What was your favorite journey?

 

For me, I loved traveling through Amish Ohio as a kid. It reminded me that the world still has room for horse drawn carriages and open fields.

 

My grandparents also had a quiet little cottage in Ohio that creaked and groaned with delight as people walked through it. The cottage was on a private park and these cottages stayed within families for generations. Everyone came together over the summer and we would celebrate summer festivals with friends from afar. In the evening, my parents would walk us into town for hand-tossed pizza and old fashioned ice cream. I spent a lot of time rummaging garage sales and antique stores looking for Neat Stuff (much to the chagrin of my parents and their tiny family car.)

 

Do you have a dream destination?

 

There are lots of places I want to see and visit but, I think, ultimately, I want to travel to a small town that has colorful characters. Life revolves around a diner that serves navy coffee and warm sandwiches. There are music festivals in a park with a big brass band that plays ragtime in a pavilion. A quiet lake rests in the center of the park and its humble waters lap at the shore, quietly lulling you to sleep. I want to find this place.

 

Have you ever moved because of a vacation experience?

 

Some of us are so affected by the places we travel that we realize our private lives are lacking something: a place called Here. If you find a place you live while traveling, would you uproot and move? Where would it be? What would cause you to uproot?

 

I want to find that small town with its diner and brass bands in the park and I want to live there.

 

Is there a fantasy world you'd love to explore?

 

This may come as a surprise but we like fantasy and sci-fi books here at Dragonmount. If you could step into a fantasy world and wander endlessly, which one would it be? I think I'd like to go to Oz.

 

Or Night Vale. ;;>_>

What was your favorite journey?

 

Not sure I have a favorite to be honest. I liked lots of places for different reasons. But my trip to Canada is the only one that I cried when I had to go back home.
And also the one that had affected my behavior in a noticeable way.

 

However, the first time I went to Africa (Zambia) I experienced in person the truth of the saying that 'Africa will either embrace or reject you'.
Outside of Egypt I was never particularly interested in Africa as a continent or destination. So when I had to go to Zambia for work, I didn't really feel warm or cold about it.
And then my plane flew over the African planes and I could see the continent below through open skies. The vast tundra's, the thick forrests, the fields dotted with patches of greens and yellows and browns....
And before my feet ever touched the ground I felt I had come home. It was the most remarkable experience of my life.

 

Do you have a dream destination?

 

I've been dreaming of New Zealand since I was 9 and saw my first documentary on tv.

 

Have you ever moved because of a vacation experience?

 

No, but I did once seriously look in to emigrating to Canada. This was long before I ever went there. There was always something that drew me to that country, eventhough New Zealand was my dream.

 

Is there a fantasy world you'd love to explore?

 

Middle Earth provided I could also visit Valinor. I have a bone to pick with them Valar And the Elves for that matter lol.

 

Harry Potter world

 

Inception. It would be interesting to see what kind of a world I can create.

 

Pokemon! LOL  what? 't is beasties!!

What was your favorite journey?

 

I find myself thinking a lot about the drives my stepfather used to take us on to bear mountain from the city on summer weekends.

 

Traffic was hell, but as you left the city and got into the country it was so beautiful and clean and open.

 

We'd get a camping spot, start a little cookout or a cold picnic, and ramble around the woods.

 

And then back to the city.

 

It exhausted him but he was happy to do it to make us happy I think.

Myst, could you explain more about the experience of being at home in Africa?

 

Also, what made you want to consider Canada and New Zealand as a possible final destination? Since it profoundly affected, would you consider Africa as a final destination?

Do you have a dream destination?

 

I'd like to end up near a beach where the sand is white and the water crystal clear blue, and the breezes cool, and the fresh water plentiful, and the rum swum out to me in the ocean.

Have you ever moved because of a vacation experience?

 

Hmmmmm.... I moved to buffalo because my husband made me brave enough to travel to him... And to return and return and return...

 

So, ya, I guess I did.

Is there a fantasy world you'd love to explore?

 

I will be going to pern and I will require a dragon, thank you.

Africa sounds gorgeous but I'm pretty sure we would reject each other. I suspect northeastern Europe would feel like home, but not a home I'd return to.

What was your favorite journey? 

 

There are many, like when I went to JordanCon or to Paris. But the one I got to think about right now is the first time I went to London. I was only 16 years old and travelled with a friend. It was so cool to travel by ourselves and be able to do whatever we liked. Freedom. 

Do you have a dream destination? 

 

I want to go to Iceland some day. Unfortunately it´s very expensive. 

Have you ever moved because of a vacation experience? 

No. 

Is there a fantasy world you'd love to explore? 

Middle Earth or Randland. 

What was your favorite journey? 
 
When I was 14, my parents rented a pop-up tent trailer and we drove from our home in Redding, California up I-5 through Oregon, crossed over into Washington to visit friends, and then came back down the coast of Oregon back into northern California.  We stopped at campgrounds along the way, did some fishing, took a tour of a cheese factory in Bandon, Oregon, and took a mailboat ride on the Rogue River near Bend.  It was a two-week vacation, and the best memory I have of my teen years, as well as travel in general.
 
Do you have a dream destination? 
 
My big dream - if I win the lottery (before the requisite building a treehouse in New Zealand *winks at Cory*) - is to take a leisurely road trip to visit all 30 of the Major League Baseball parks across the US and Canada, seeing major tourist attractions and visiting all my far-flung friends along the way.  I have actually planned out the route I'd take.   It would take more money and time to do than I think I could manage without having a surplus of funds and taking a sabbatical from work, but it's definitely something I'd do in a hot minute if the opportunity was there.
 
Have you ever moved because of a vacation experience? 
 
Not so far, but I probably would be willing to move to the coast of Oregon someday if the opportunity was there.

 

Is there a fantasy world you'd love to explore? 
 

Narnia.  

What was your favorite journey? 

 

i dont think i can really choose one, lot of the places i have been to have left an impression on me fr usually different reasons. the road trip i took with my brother through the american southwest a long while ago left an impression on me because i had never seen a desert before or plains like those and i thought they were beautiful, i would love to live there if i wasnt so fair, seemed very harsh in areas and no people for a long way around. on the other hand i really like the trip to the salamanca/upper northwest area of pennsylvania - my brother took me there to visit the friends he has with the seneca people (hes helped them with protests in the past among other things) and to the state park and further west we got to see some amish country, and the experience with the people was most fascinating i ever had, got to go into the back room of their museum and see some of their tribal artefacts they dont show other white men, like some of their false face mask, i felt very honoured. the park was nice too - mostly new trees unfortunately but there were some spots with older trees and they were very beautiful even if not very extensive

 

Do you have a dream destination? 

 

no really, i would like to see alaska sometime especially since my brother is friends with some of yupik people there, and i would like to see siberia, but i wouldnt really call it a dream/something i have much longing for.

 

Have you ever moved because of a vacation experience? 

 

no, but i am sorely tempted to after seeing the washington state last year. that was some of the most gorgeous landscapes i have ever seen, seemed there was lots of forest to get lost in unlike here, while in the eastern part there was something like desert - rainforest, high mountains, desert, it seems to have it all lol

 

Is there a fantasy world you'd love to explore? 

 

not really, maybe middle earth and see how long i survive in the world of the fallout series

What was your favorite journey? 

My favorite journey must have been when I was in Naples, Italy as a 19-year old. I had never ever been on a plane before, and got to go there with 10 girls from my high school on a one week exchange trip. I stayed with an Italian family, ate Italian food, saw many AMAZING places (the palace Caserta, Vesuvius, Pompeii, Capri). It opened up the world of travel for me in a whole new way, and I have been addicted ever since. 

 

Another favorite was when I went to LA in 2010 to meet a bunch of people from a Lost-forum that I was active on. We stayed at the Renaissance Hotel in the middle of Hollywood, and I got to meet some of my favorite actors. It was an amazing trip. 

 

Do you have a dream destination? 

I think my dream destination changes fairly often. I have dreamed of New Zealand for a while now, but I think also a road trip across the US would be amazing, or going to visit my internet friends in countries all over the world. If I could go anywhere in the world right this minute though I would go to Florida. 

 

Have you ever moved because of a vacation experience? 

No, but I have wanted to, several times. This world has so many beautiful and amazing places to live in that it's hard to pick the best. 

 

Is there a fantasy world you'd love to explore?

I'd love to go to Middle Earth and settle with the Hobbits.. or live like an elf. Or perhaps somewhere in Randland. Maybe I could even have the spark to go to the WT
 

What was your favourite journey?

 

Perhaps, to our own sea, at St Lucia. It's gorgeous. The sea is warm there, and the nature is beautiful. We lived with a distant uncle of mine, so I felt safe and had no worries about food or any such trivial (but important) things.

 

Do you have a dream destination?

 

I do not. I'd like to see the Cherry blossom trees in China, but if I don't (which I probably won't) it's just as well.

 

Have you ever moved because of a vacation experience?

 

I have not.

 

Is there a fantasy world you'd love to explore?

 

YES ALL OF THEM.

Wheel of Time, Eragon, Lord of the Rings, Pokemon.

 

If I had to choose a single one, I choose Avatar: The Last Airbender. (On a flying bison.)

Fav Journey:

 

Prolly to Alberta to Banff and Jasper National Parks....they were beautiful and amazing.

 

Do you Dream Destination?

 

No but Belgium 2017 prolly gonna be awesome.

 

Have you ever moved because of a vacation experience?

 

No

 

Is there a fantasy world you'd love to explore?

 

The inside of my mind.....pretty scary imo.  If not Middle Earth....anywhere from the Malazan Book of The Fallen series and the Star Wars Universe. 

Favorite Journey:

 

Israel.  I felt at home.  I loved to walk the ancient places, to see where my people came from, to see them now, at home.

 

Dream Destination: 

 

Iceland.  My friend sent me pictures and I was hooked.

 

Have I ever moved because of a vacation experience?

 

I would purchase an apartment in Jerusalem if I had the $$$.

 

Is there a fantasy world you would love to explore?

 

I could easily lose myself in the Wheel of Time.  Next on the list would be Rivendell.

What was your favorite journey?

 

A trip we took to California as kids. It was a family trip. We went to the beach and just walked around. It was so much fun!

 

Do you have a dream destination?

 

A family cruise, don't care too much where.

 

Have you ever moved because of a vacation experience?

 

No, but I'd love to spend Few weeks in Ireland and Scotland

 

Is there a fantasy world you'd love to explore?

 

One without violence maybe. Can't think of one off the top of my head.

What was your favorite journey?

When I was 8 or 9 my family went on a road trip throughout the UK. We had destinations we wanted to get to, but we hadn't booked anything ahead, so we'd just drive around until we found B&Bs with vacancies. It was so exciting for me. We went all over England, Scotland and Wales like that, and then got the ferry to Ireland. It was just the right age for me to be interested in things and to believe the stories about magic and Druids and what have you. And it was just a really nice time with my parents.

Do you have a dream destination?

I would love to go to New Zealand and to South Africa.

Have you ever moved because of a vacation experience?

I think my deciding to move to England for university actually came from the time spent there as a kid. I knew I didn't want to stay in the US, and it seemed the logical choice.

Is there a fantasy world you'd love to explore?

 

Middle-earth, most definitely.

What was your favorite journey? 
Oh I don't know... My family has travelled so much, mostly just to see family or to go down to Disney World but... I loved the scenery on the way to the Smoky mountains, I love all of the routine stops we make on the way up to Minnesota, I loved the silliness we got into every time we went down to Florida...
 
Do you have a dream destination? 
Well, right now I'm really anticipating driving back to my parents' later this week :P
 
As far as places I've never been... I'd like to do a road trip across the U.S. and see things like the National Parks and visit my friends all over.
 
I'd also really like to visit Vatican City and Venice. 
 
 
Have you ever moved because of a vacation experience? 
Nope
 
 
Is there a fantasy world you'd love to explore? 
LotR's world would be fantastic... Harry Potter world :P WoT... 
And the world of the tv show Merlin *nod* they have dragons and magic

What was your favorite journey?

I have several, and it wouldn't be fair to pick just one favorite because I loved them all for different reasons.

 

The first one was my first experience on the West Coast.  I had agreed to meet up with a friend in Oregon, so I flew from Minneapolis to Portland and met him at the airport.  This was in the beginning of April and winter was still sticking around in the Midwest.  But landing in Portland, I was struck at how green everything was.  I was in awe for literally the first half of the drive down to where we'd be staying.  Stopping at the rest stops along I-5 and finding out that there was free coffee set up for people to refresh themselves.  Finding out that hitchhiking is something people in Oregon tend to do. Getting up into the mountains was also really exciting since I'd never really seen them that close before.  I stayed in Grants Pass, and we drove around to see some of the sights.  The one thing I wish I'd gotten to do was make the drive out to Crescent City, because my friend said that was a real fun trip over the mountains.  But I could see myself living in Oregon someday.

 

The second was my experience studying in Scotland for a semester.  I lived in Edinburgh, just a few minutes walk from the castle.  I would have never dreamed that I'd have been attending university in such a beautiful place.  Exploring the city was really fun, and the friends that I made there made sure that I saw lots of different things that I would have never thought to seek out on my own.  If I had the chance to go back and live there, I would.  Edinburgh really felt like home.

 

While attending university in Edinburgh, I had the chance to stay with a family that lived in Southport.  They let me get on the train into Liverpool and explore the city with my friends, but they made sure to let me know what I had to see, what could be skipped, and what things I needed to watch for.  It was a Liverpool FC gameday too, and it was really cool to see all the red in the city centre, even though I'm not a Liverpool fan.  The museums and stuff were really cool.  And the family welcomed me with open arms.  We played board games and had very interesting conversations.  I got my first experience with real British television there, beyond the shows that have made it to the US.

 

I also had the chance to visit Utrecht, in the Netherlands.  I have a friend who lives there and invited me to spend the weekend.  I got to eat dinner along one of the canals running through the city, learn about the history of the city, and see a bunch of interesting places that I would never have thought to look if I hadn't been with a local.  My friend took me to the open-air museum in Arnhem and we also briefly drove into Germany so I could stand on the banks of the Rhine.

 

Do you have a dream destination?

I would love to take a cross-country road trip across the USA.  I've never gotten the chance to, and it's something that would be very, very fun for me.

 

I spent 4 months living in Edinburgh, and the furthest into England I went was Liverpool.  I want to visit London.  And lots of other places in Europe, haha.

 

Have you ever moved because of a vacation experience?

No.  Although I am open to moving to one of the many places I've been lucky enough to visit.

 

Is there a fantasy world you'd like to explore?

Several.  Randland, Westeros/Essos, any world from Final Fantasy or a Tales game, Pokemon.

Myst, could you explain more about the experience of being at home in Africa?

 

Also, what made you want to consider Canada and New Zealand as a possible final destination? Since it profoundly affected, would you consider Africa as a final destination?

 

There is a saying that says that "Africa will either embrace you or reject you".

I have always thought this to be one of those things people say to make themselves look cool or something.

I'm not sure if I can fully explain my experience but I'll try.

 

In my former job at the university I worked as an International Coordinator for Developing Cooperation (big name). This entailed huge 17 year program of aprox 750.000 euros a year being funded by the Belgian people/government for academic cooperation between a Flemish university and a university in the 'South' (South being the more politically correct term for developing countries). For this job I had to go to those countries with which we had such a cooperative program. Zambia was my study trip. I joined my colleague on her trip to learn the ropes.

This is how I ended up going to Africa, a continent that had never really held my interest (except for ancient Egypt, as I am hugely drawn to ancient cultures).

 

I didn't expect to 'like' Africa. In fact, I was actually dredding the trip and wanted it over with as soon as possible (my own program would be in Asia, Vietnam).

 

When the plane I was on flew over Africa a feeling came over me. I started to fidget in my seat. I looked out my window and because it was  a clear sky I could see the land beneath. There is no logical or rational way to describe it, so forgive the theatrics. But.... the land seemed to reach out to the plane, to me. The reaching didn't feel menacing, it felt welcoming. I was frozen in my seat, my eyes locked on the land beneath. I didn't see a single animal (my rotten luck), only dry brown patched land with spots of yellows and pale greens here and there. Next came the forrest tops. And all the time it 'felt' as if the land was speaking to me. It 'felt' as if I was being welcomed home.

 

When I finally touched down, the heat didn't bother me at all when I normally sweat from february to november. The stench of the badly filtered cars didn't bother me. Nothing bothered me (which for me is rare lol).

 

There is no real proper way to explain it and the above doesn't do justice to how I felt at the time. It's one of those things that you have to experience to fully understand.

 

 

 

Canada and New Zealand.

I saw my first documentary of New Zealand when I was 9 years old and instantly fell in love with the beauty of that land. I've been in love with it ever since.

 

As for Canada..... Oh Canada...... *Le Big Sigh*

Back in 1997, when I first started to have internet (was still dial up internet then) I started with something called 'newsgroups'. This was an email based type sort of social network which was structured around people's interests. I signed up for a few of those newsgroups, notably around the theme of traveling. Through that I got in touch with what would become two very close friends (one of which I'm still in touch with today). One of them lived in Canada and the other in Chicago. The one in Canada was actually Romanian who had emigrated and that is how the idea of emigration to Canada was planted in my mind.

I ended up visiting my friend for a month in 2000 after I graduated from college (I went back to school when I was 27) and fell in love with the country and the people (except for the waitress in montreal...... rude much).

 

The one feeling I had while in Canada was 'space'. For the first time in my life I experienced what it was like to have a sense of 'space'. Even in a big city, surrounded by people and buildings, I never felt trapped in. The first time ever I felt a type of freedom overtake me and a sense of calm and tranquility settle in me.

 

One of the things that demonstrated this to perfection was during a trip to the local supermarket.

In Europe people get aggitated at the cash register. Patience is not one of our virtues. Automatically I started to fidget and sigh when we were at the cash register and the lady in front of us took her sweet time. My friend turned to me and asked me where the fire was. That took me so off guard that I looked around and saw genuin curiosity (not hostility) in the faces around me. People didn't understand why I was upset. And they were right for there was no reason to be upset. Just because the lady in front of me took what time she needed to complete her business was no reason for me to get my knickers in a twist. That was a turning point for me.

After a month I had adopted the 'Canadian' way of patience and tolerance. Not just in the supermarket but also on the road, during trafic jams or when waiting for other drivers to do their thing.

One week after returning home the enormous difference in culture struck home to me.

I was driving behind a car that stopped to let an elderly lady out. So I waited patiently, as a Canuck would, and instantly the car behind me started honking at us. I was shocked (and very proud that I was shocked thinking back on it later). But two days later I was back to my old bad habits. I had re-adopted the bad mannered/tempered attitude of my own country.

 

Canada is good for the soul.

 

 

 

Do you Dream Destination?

 

No but Belgium 2017 prolly gonna be awesome.

 

 

 

:D :D

I felt the same way about Canada "space."  Lots of gorgeous space with kind and patient people.  I was in B.C. and Whistler and it seemed very clean and fresh.

What was your favorite journey? 

Oh I don't know... My family has travelled so much, mostly just to see family or to go down to Disney World but... I loved the scenery on the way to the Smoky mountains, I love all of the routine stops we make on the way up to Minnesota, I loved the silliness we got into every time we went down to Florida...

 

Do you have a dream destination? 

Well, right now I'm really anticipating driving back to my parents' later this week :P

 

As far as places I've never been... I'd like to do a road trip across the U.S. and see things like the National Parks and visit my friends all over.

 

I'd also really like to visit Vatican City and Venice. 

 

 

Have you ever moved because of a vacation experience? 

Nope

 

 

Is there a fantasy world you'd love to explore? 

LotR's world would be fantastic... Harry Potter world :P WoT... 

And the world of the tv show Merlin *nod* they have dragons and magic

 

One of the things I would love to see is the Smoky Mountains and I think seeing the Vatican would be really interesting.