As I was running on the treadmill during my lunch break today, I did what never fails to get me through the mandatory 30-min cardio (which by the way I hate with passion) – let my mind roam. And what better way to do that than daydream about travel?! What if I could allow myself a three-month vacation and go anywhere I wished? What would my “travel menu” look like? Well, I can tell you with certainly that when it comes to travel planning I have a big appetite.
Appetizers
East Mediterranean Cruise
I love cruising. I find it to be one of the most convenient, comfortable and effortless ways of travel. You don’t have to worry about finding accommodation, and if you pick the right cruise company, you will be pampered with top notch service.
I have cruised the west part of Mediterranean couple of times, and would love to tour the eastern part the same way. What better way to expand your horizons than to ply the cradle of ancient civilization on a luxury vessel and hop from country to country taking in the natural beauty, history, culture and cuisine at each spot – all with its own unique flavor.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BNGuYNug4ef/?taken-by=mykonos_greece
I’d peruse the charming cobblestone alleyways of Santorini and Mykonos, moor in the harbor of Athens and Cypress, roam Dubrovnik’s ancient churches, barter at Istanbul’s bustling Grand Bazaar, admire Jerusalem’s vibrant synagogues, the Palace of Knossos on Crete and the castle of the Knights of St John on Rhodes. Finally, I’d end the cruise in Venice, the city of love and romance. Talk about whetting your appetite for travel.
Main Course
New Zealand and Australia
After a relaxing tour of the Mediterranean it will be time to see a totally different part of the world, places I have been dying to visit for a very long time now. Ideally, I’d spend two weeks in New Zealand hitting Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington on the North Island, and vineyards of Marlborough, Christchurch, Lake Tekapo, Queenstown, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Lake Wanaka and Rippon Winery. I mean, there is so much to see and do in New Zealand that I don’t yet know about, although Instagram keeps me inspired every day.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTbbM-ilBuG/?taken-at=236826364
The logical continuation of my journey will be to explore Australia next. Melbourne, Great Ocean Road, Uluru, Sydney, Brisbane, Great Barrier Reef and all the picturesque vineyards in-between would all be part of my itinerary.
Dessert
Exotic Islands for lasting impression
After an exhausting, action-packed travels it would only make sense to end my tour in a total relaxation. I imagine laying on a white sand beach under the shade of the palm tree, with a colorful cocktail in my hand. My dream islands are Fiji, Bora Bora, Maldives and Seychelles. No matter which one I pick, it would make the most blissful ending to this world tour of mine, don’t you think?
And right as I was imaging ordering one more glass of the said cocktail, the beep of the treadmill brought me back to my senses. It was time for cool down, stretch and head back to the grind reality, i.e. work work work.
Don’t forget to link-up your post on Emma, Angie, Polly and Binny’s blogs. This month the topic is A Travel Menu, i.e. if travel was a menu, what would be your starter (short haul), main (long haul) and/or dessert (a place with a lasting impression).
xoxo, nano
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What an excellent wish list!
Come to Sydney! I can vouch for our good food and stunning beaches :) Although I love my country, I just got back from a road trip in NZ’s South Island and my oh my, the landscape is amazing. Definitely can’t go wrong with travelling anywhere Down Under ;)
Naomi, I AM coming to Sydney (and NZ) later this year!!! Can I bug you for the tips?
Yay, that’s awesome! For Sydney, definitely use zomato.com for all the great food places. Things you have to eat include eggs benedict (or basically any brunch food is amazing e.g. Big Breakfast), fresh seafood, and maybe check out all the famous cafes and bakeries since cafe culture is really big here. Gourmet burger places are also a hitting the city like a tsunami at the moment! Being a highly multicultural city, you can get a lot of other authentic cuisines here.
I recommend doing the Bondi to Coogee beach walk for beautiful views and a visit to multiple beaches in one go, there are great photo opportunities and sometimes artwork displays. The art galleries are always great to visit too (AGNSW, MCA) and you can also take day/overnight trips to the national parks that are around Sydney, although some are more accessible if you rent a car (Royal National Park, Sydney Harbour, Ku-ring-gai, Blue Mountains, the list is endless).
For NZ, I’ve only been to the South Island and the best way to see it is definitely by rental car! My favourite place by far was Lake Pukaki, which is surpising because Lake Tekapo is a lot more famous and touristy. Pukaki is bigger than Tekapo and has the bluest waters I have ever seen in my life! Hiking is a must do anywhere and at any opportunity, and if you go to Ferburger in Queenstown, call ahead with your order to skip the massive line. I’ll be (finally) posting up my photos from NZ soon so keep a look out!
Wow, my response got unexpectedly long, I think I got a bit excited there hehe. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any further questions!
I’m impressed that you spend your lunch break running on a treadmill! I need to get out running. We have friends currently living in Melbourne so I’d love to visit Australia too
I try to alternate weight training and running, basically anything that gets me moving. :)
NZ is on my list, except I’m super dreading the 24-hour journey. Maybe when I’m closer?
Also, I do daydream when I’m exercising too. I think it’s absolutely a great way to forget we’re doing something we don’t really like haha!
Lol exactly, good music and I’m lost in my thoughts, daydreaming!!
What a selection Nano!!
Thank you, now let’s hope it can all come to fruition:)
Wow your list is one of the dreamiest one I’ve seen on this link up!
Thank you Camila!!
Glad to see I am not the only one that daydreams about travel when doing the mandatory cardio! Great menu, hope you get to all these places super soon!
Haha Anything that takes my mind off it! Thank you for reading. xoxo
I love all of these courses!
Thank you for reading!
gorgeous photos! #travellinkup
This bloggers trip to New Zealand is happening and let’s throw in Fiji too!
YES, let’s make it happen! Hey, unprecedented bloggers’ retreat?!
Oh this post has given me wanderlust!! I’ve never done a cruise but can see how it could work so well for the Med. New Zealand is very high on my list too – it just looks so beautiful!
Doesn’t it? I think I’d need three months to enjoy NZ alone. Cruise on the Med and Caribbean are great, done it both and was very happy.
I definitely agree with you about cruises. We went on our first one last year and it was ridiculously easy! We went to Alaska which was great as a lot of the ports we visited you can’t get to by car, but I’d really like to go on a Med cruise. It sounds like a very easy way to see a lot of the beautiful cities around there – I still have so many places I’d like to see!
Of course Australia travel is on my list too, as is NZ (still never been!) and lots of different tropical islands are within my reach now which is exciting. So many possibilities! Great menu, I would order all 3 :)
Rachel, I totally agree. Cruises are so easy and can be quite affordable if you know the tricks of the trade, aka strategic times to book. I really want to di Alaska cruise, it sounds amazing. Looking forward to meeting up with you in Sydney!