Where in the world...

If you had all the time and money in the world to travel anywhere you wanted where would YOU go?

Still one of the coolest bikes ever

I remember as a kid growing up in Stamford, Connecticut riding my metallic purple stingray (or ‘banana’) bike from our home a couple of miles on quiet backcountry roads to a bridge overlooking the Merritt Parkway where I’d watch the cars heading towards the horizon. Even back then I had a bad case of wanderlust. Nowadays I still continue this habit when I ride to the bridge overlooking I-70 at Genesee and watch the Denver traffic head to the mountains to the west.

This weekend my wife and I attended the AAA Travel Show held at Mile High Stadium (I guess we can officially call it Mile High at least for a short while now that the Sports Authority signs have been taken down). The Travel Show, which was very well attended, had vendors offering trips to almost any location in the world you could possibly imagine. Based on your pocketbook you could certainly travel in the height of luxury but for those of us with more humble means there were still plenty of options.

For young and old; near and far...

Although I can’t quite convince my wife, one of the best values I discovered recently was for a trip to Bora Bora. I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of thatched ‘huts’ on stilts over clear turquoise-blue ocean waters. A step up from ‘glamping’, these huts offer luxurious accommodations including a clear floor so you can  look down in the comfort of your own room and watch the sea life wander by. A week of this for two ‘starts’ at $11,000 which is a little steep for this retiree and his honey. Still, just across the road from one of these beachside slices of heaven, I came across an island entrepreneur offering wood-deck camping pads for the somewhat less extravagant price of $37 per night. My wife of course, as she always is, is right in pointing out that just perhaps we might find something somewhere that’s a happy medium between these two extremes.

Glamping in Bora Bora...

But I digress from the original question - cost aside, where would your heart take you given the opportunity? Folks at the the Travel Show could take you from the Arctic to Antarctica and everywhere in between. Want to go on an African Safari? Not a problem, and why not climb Kilimanjaro while you’re in the neighborhood? Europe more your cup of tea? There were so many choices for Europe our poor heads were spinning. How about Asia- from Indonesia to China they had it covered. How about a hike along the Great Wall or a stroll in Tianamen Square? And not to be left out there were plenty of options to visit the ‘Roos in Australia and the sheep in New Zealand. Also, plenty of trips closer to home - ride the rails on the Grand Canyon Railway or take the Rocky Mountaineer across western Canada.

Choices... so many choices

So much to choose from, so little time. But, since we can all dream, here’s my bucket list (some offered by Travel Show vendors and some not)...

-Antarctica with Patagonia thrown in for good measure
-South Pacific - Tahiti, Bora Bora, Australia, New Zealand
-China
-Trekking in Nepal, Tibet, etc. with a jaunt to Everest Base Camp
-India - the Taj Mahal and tigers, ‘nuff said
-Sail west to east around Cape Horn
-Saying hi to the Polar Bears in Hudson Bay
-Kayak the inland passage from Vancouver to Alaska. And heck, why not keep going and kayak the Northwest Passage...
-Bike across the U.S., bike Great Britain south to north from Land’s End to John o' Groats. Heck, I'll bike just about anywhere...
-Cruise the Nile from Cairo to Luxor and beyond (this was one of the more luxurious offerings at the Show)

Oh my... the list is getting a little long so I'll quit while I'm ahead. Now, what to do in.........2019?

Really, who could ask for more? Tenting in Bora Bora