Wanderlusting.

Note: I wrote and scheduled the following post prior to the terrorist attack in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday (and in Turkey last week, which the media has paid much less attention to). Brussels is a city I've visited and really enjoyed, and my thoughts are with all the people affected by these acts of violence. My heart genuinely hurts each and every time an event like this occurs, which seems all to frequent lately.

I think a lot about what it means to be a traveler and a citizen of the world, particularly in light of terrorist attacks and civil unrest. Almost immediately we begin to hear advisories against traveling to Europe, or avoiding public places if we do. I ran into people in the US after the Paris attacks who said they scrapped their plans to visit Europe. My cousin recently spent two months in Cambodia through her college, and I'm fairly positive that my grandmother spent those entire two months praying non-stop (and shaking her head and saying, "Bless her heart"). I even had to face my own overwhelming fear while my husband was in Israel during the air strikes and ground invasion of the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict.

But despite the warnings and the fear and the people who'd rather I stay holed up in my bedroom, I will never stop wanting to see the world. If anything, events like these underscore why travel is so important, especially when the world seems so divisive, hostile, and violent—even more so if your primary vantage point is from your couch in front of the nightly news. It's so easy to be afraid. In many ways, that's what people in power want. 

And while safety and practicality are always wise, it is more important to travel in spite of any fear you may have (provided you have the privilege, opportunity, and finances to travel, of course, which not everyone does). What you will learn again and again from travel is that the majority of people are good, particularly on an individual level; they have families and jobs and hobbies just like you. You will find strangers who are kind and generous, so eager to share their cities with you even when you don't share the same language or background. To be a student of the world is to break down cultural and racial stereotypes and to build understanding and compassion, both within yourself and between each other. Mark Twain worded this well: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on those accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."

And with that perspective, I decided I still wanted to share the following post. It's not just about beautiful places. It's about reminding myself that we're all citizens of the same glorious and maddening world.  

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Between our whirl-wind family trip to Austria, Germany, and Switzerland in 2014, and making our move to Portland in 2015, my brain has been entirely incapable of entertaining the idea of travel, as much as I'm a wanderluster at heart. For the last several months, I haven't felt the pull to explore beyond my new and immediate surroundings. Putting down roots before I stretch my wings, if you will ;)

But a few weeks ago in my literacy tutor training class, I met a young married couple who is hoping to join the Peace Corps. We got to talking about travel, culture, and languages—proving once again that fellow travel-lovers are some of the most interesting and enjoyable people to talk to. I couldn't help but reflect on the amazing places I've been so far and all the places I have left to go.

Perhaps it was this particular conversation, or maybe it's the sense of wonder and possibility that the spring season unearths, but daydreams of new places are pricking at the corners of my imagination. Here are a few places at the top of my travel list.

Mexico : I'm very interested in seeing Mexico someday, especially given my husband's heritage (and, let's be honest, the food). However, I'm not at all interested in overly touristy party locales nor spending all my time on resort property, so I still need to do a bit of research into cities that balance culture with beautiful scenery. This particular image is from Tulum, Mexico (photo via The Selby).

Spain : We spent a week in Barcelona a few years ago and absolutely loved it—the food, the architecture, the culture. But Spain is a huge country and there's so much more to see! I'd love to explore Granada, Valencia, and Seville in particular, perhaps via cross-country train. The photo above is from Frigiliana in Andalusia, Spain (photo via Tomo Kohsaka on Flickr).

Iceland : After our time living in Ireland, I am enamored with countries in which a road-trip is the best way to get a lay of the land. Iceland's natural beauty looks just stunning, and it's always been a dream of mine to witness the Northern Lights (photo via Peter Rolf Hammer/The Daily Mail).

India : While my interest in traveling to India has been present since college, it's also the place that I imagine would be most outside my comfort zone. I've heard that while it's a visually stunning country, it can be an almost overstimulating experience between the crowds, traffic, and pollution. It would be one of those places that I'd absolutely want to go with a guide or as a part of a travel group (photo by Amos Chapelle via The Guardian).

Norway : This is another country that appeals to me for its road-trip potential, hiking opportunities, and natural beauty. I've seen a few videos from people who have traveled to Norway, and there's something really charming about a tiny cottage rental on the fjords, and Trolltunga looks like quite the photo opp—if not a entirely dangerous for a clumsy person like me! (photo via Pinterest, source unknown).

Japan : I think Mark wants to visit Japan slightly more than I do, but I could easily be convinced to visit if we were able to see the cherry blossoms (sakura) in bloom! There are several cities recommended for viewing the trees in the springtime. Also count me in for a ridiculous amount of sushi, my favorite food. Mark recently discovered that from Portland it's a shorter distance (and often cheaper) for us to get to Japan than to fly to Europe—so this is trip might actually be a possibility someday! (photo via pon-ko on Flickr).

Glacier National Park : This might be our next trip! It's about a 9.5-10 hour drive from Portland to Glacier National Park in Montana. Glacial formations, waterfalls, forest hikes, scenic drives—we want to see it all. We've just started to think about planning this trip for this summer, so I'm not sure if we'll camp or if we'll stay in a lodge or B&B. I'll be sure to share more details as we decide! (photo via Dustin LeFevre)

Dubrovnik, Croatia : Dubrovnik is often described as a wonderful and affordable alternative to popular coastal cities in Greece and Italy. It's one of the few remaining Medieval walled cities, and it looks beautiful with its labyrinthian marble streets, baroque buildings, and seaside views. It is a popular cruise ship port, so it can get crowded with tourists during the day, but if I were to travel there I'd be happy to settle down and explore for several days. I've read that Dubrovnik's charm comes from the feel of the city and serendipitous discoveries you come across while spending hours wandering—and that's just the way I like to travel. (photo via Great Wallpaper HD, original photographer unknown)

Utah National Parks : Before we got word that we'd be moving to Portland last year, we had been in the early stages of planning a trip to The Mighty 5, Utah's most notable national parks. I'd still love to visit someday. There's something about the natural landscape in the West that's unlike anywhere else. (photo via Wikipedia of Arches National Park)

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So those are some of the top places on my Wanderlust List, although I might have to create a part II, since I realized that I left off my long-time fantasy of spending Christmas in Europe! Until my next trip is on the books I'll just be over here watching Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown and re-reading this and this.

What's the #1 spot on your Wanderlust List?