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Traveling - How To Create Memories that Really Will
Last a Lifetime
You work hard all
year long, and look forward to your vacation. So why
settle for ordinary, when you could do something different
this year and create memories that really will last
a lifetime?
Today there are so many more choices
than just taking a regular cruise or guided tour. If
you're willing to think outside the box, and put a little
effort into planning it, your vacation can be extraordinary.
First of all, think about your interests
or passions. Is there something that you've always wanted
to do like learn to paint, try skydiving, or scuba diving?
What about some place that you've always
wanted to visit like Venice, Paris or Tahiti?
What do you love to do in your spare
time…visit art galleries, read or go to flea markets?
If you've always wanted to be a painter,
why not choose Paris? But instead of staying in a hotel,
and making the rounds of the usual tourist attractions,
check into renting a flat or participating in a housing
exchange program. (You can find several reliable companies
on the Internet.) On the money you'll save on the hotel
and restaurants, sign up for art classes at one of the
cultural centers near where you'll be staying. And instead
of signing up for a guided tour, visit the tourist attractions
with your paints and easel. Live the life of an artist
in Paris for two weeks!
Interested in living dangerously? You
can find several adventure programs that are created
around the extreme sports you're most interested in
-- such as skydiving, white water rafting or rock climbing
-- and they are available almost everywhere in the world
-- from Africa to Istanbul to the Arctic Circle.
Want to do more than lay around on a
tropical beach and work on your tan? What about visiting
another country and helping to build a home for a low-income
family? Rebuilding a community after a natural disaster?
Or working with orphans in a third-world country? Check
with your local United Way or faith-based organization.
Many nonprofit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity
or the Red Cross organize special trips for people who
want to make a difference.
Or, if you've always wondered what Green
Peace Volunteers do or wanted to work on a scientific
exhibition digging up fossils or exploring the ocean,
why not give them a call, to see if you could spend
your vacation as a working volunteer?
What about learning a foreign language?
(Your local community college probably offers "immersion"
vacations as a member of a language class. During your
vacation, you stay as a guest in someone's home, and
have the opportunity to live like a native. You'll become
totally immersed in the country of your choice, having
the chance to speak the language with your hosts, learn
the best places to visit, and getting to eat home cooked
meals.)
If you have an idea for the "perfect"
vacation, or there's something you've always wanted
to do, but don't know where to start to make it happen,
call your local travel agent. I think you'll be pleasantly
surprised by what she can help you arrange.
Whatever your interests, hobbies or
passions, if you've got unfinished items on your "things
to do before I die" list -- why not figure out
a way to start putting a checkmark in front of some
of them, by incorporating your dreams into your next
vacation?
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