I swiped this little fill-in from Melissa who got it from Lauren. It's probably too late for me to technically play along with the blog round-up, but I still couldn't resist this survey about one of my favorite passions... TRAVEL!!!
1) My favorite place I've ever traveled to is... Kauai, Hawaii. This is incredibly difficult to answer, because I've been lucky enough to visit so many amazing places. But I chose Kauai because it was paradise. The food was delicious, the people were friendly, and the beaches were heavenly. I've been to other places with much greater historical, architectural, or artistic import, but the one place that I dream of returning to most often is Kauai. Paris is a very, very close second.
2) Russia ...is somewhere I'd love to go someday. I'm having trouble getting Colby on board with this one, but I would absolutely love to visit St. Petersburg and Moscow. Could someone please convince my husband that we will not be kidnapped by the Russian mob the minute we set foot across the border?
3) I pass the time on a plane (or bus or train or car ride) by... reading or sleeping. I get motion sickness in cars and sometimes trains, so reading is relegated to audiobook territory in that instance. But I'm fortunate that I'm one of the lucky few who can sleep reasonably well on an airplane--especially with my magical melatonin tablets. As for car trips, I literally cannot keep my eyes open when I'm in the passenger seat.
4) My three must-haves when I travel are... guidebooks, comfortable shoes, and mascara (never leave home without it--don't want to go frightening the natives).
5) My favorite travel companion is... my super hubs, Colby. He perfectly balances my need for precisely planned trips by encouraging a little spontaneity and he is the navigator who gets us where we need to go. He once said that we are such a good team because I map out the big picture, and he's responsible for the nitty gritty of actual directions! You should have seen me navigating Japan without him... it was not pretty!
6) The craziest thing that ever happened to me while traveling is... nearly capsizing on a cruise ship in the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt. I've managed to collect a number of crazy travel stories: spending a night in a pub in Dublin when all the cheap hotels were full, accidentally running into Pope Benedict's motorcade in Rome, meeting a geisha at a ryokan in Kyoto, but I'd still say the Cruise of Doom takes the crazy cake.
7) The most exotic food I've tried while traveling is... escargot in Bayeux, France. It's not terribly exotic, I suppose, but I'm not an especially adventurous eater and I'm typically resistant to any foodstuff that could be described as "slimy". But, when in France... And oh, it was delectable!!
8) If I could live anywhere else, I'd live in... Europe. And in just a few more months, I WILL!!!
9) I've been to thirty-eight states in the U.S.
This was such a fun stroll down memory lane. What is your favorite travel memory? Where do you hope your next adventure will take you?
I also can't keep my eyes open when I'm in the passenger seat and my husband and I have termed it "carcolepsy." It's 100% real.
I visited my husband (while we were still dating, when we had JUST started dating) when he was TDYing in Hawaii. Three days in to the six day trip, I had an emergency appendectomy. To say the least, it was interesting. We obviously made it through, but we'd like to go back sometime when I don't spend more than half of my time on the islands in a hospital room!
Posted by: Annie | February 01, 2012 at 10:18 PM
oh what a fun post, i might have to borrow this since i love traveling too, seriously i have the bug so bad right now.
also, Kauai really is beautiful and i so hope to go back one day. it was one of the most peaceful places i've ever been, totally agree with you there.
also again, i'm such a plane sleeper, definitely makes the travel go by quicker that's for sure.
Posted by: katelin | February 02, 2012 at 12:26 AM
I love that you did this! And i totally missed that last question, I'm sad! Oh-well. I haven't been to too many states. 15? 18, maybe? :)
This was fun to read!
Posted by: Melissa | February 02, 2012 at 05:13 AM
Oooooo...I would really like to visit Hawaii.
I get motion sickness, too, and it stinks. But like you, I also sleep a lot in cars and on planes, so that's a plus.
Posted by: thoughtsappear | February 02, 2012 at 03:10 PM
I loved reading this, because I think you like to travel as much as I do. :) Russia is a place I want to go so bad, but Sean says no way. I have no idea why our husbands are not onboard for this trip! Sean also says no to Morocco and Egypt, which I find highly disappointing.
Posted by: Melissa | February 02, 2012 at 06:32 PM
I'm going to answer your question with a link: http://rhymeswithtao.blogspot.com/2012/02/thursday-13-bunch-o-travel-questions.html
Yeah, I totes swiped your fill-in. I'm not ashamed.
Posted by: Lynn | February 02, 2012 at 11:18 PM
I'll second that comment about our inability to navigate Japan sans Colby. That was a mess! Even the cab drivers in Japan, with GPS devices I should add, couldn't get us to where we needed to go. :)
Posted by: Nicole | February 10, 2012 at 06:15 AM