Name Your Top Ten!

By:  Marcia King-Gamble

www.lovemarcia.com

Happy 10th Judith and Sarah. You rock! Thanks for the blogging opportunity.

This crazy, past year was a good time to reflect on your life, and what’s important to you. It certainly made me think of all the things I have yet to accomplish or do. With everything closed, I became more introspective about life.  Was this new normal going to be a permanent thing? Would I be forever housebound and no longer able to travel? Travel has been part of my life.

So, what did I do? I used the time to goal set.  There were still places to go and people to see, at least in my imagination.  I set personal goals that would be priority if we ever got out of this mess.  Unlike many others, I have never believed in bucket lists. Bucket lists to me are wish lists that often never come true. I have always been a firm believer that people (at any age,) spend money on what they want to spend money on. The list to me seems just another a reason for procrastination.

My thinking stems from years ago.  I was in my early twenties, and an international flight attendant, without a penny to my name. I was seated at a restaurant in Hong Kong in a nice  hotel. Out of the huge picture windows, I could see several elderly couples all on walkers, hobbling up Nathan Road. It was one of the saddest sights of my life. They had saved all their money for an experience they would never fully enjoy. At that point, I vowed that regardless of how few funds I had, travel would always be a part of my life.  I would enjoy the world while I was young enough, able bodied enough, and have the digestive system enough,  to savor the full world experience. Since then, I’ve never regretted that promise, or  looked back.

While there are those that spend on houses, boats, and cars, I’ve invested my money on seeing the world. And as I have told those that have asked me, travel has been the best Finishing School there is. I learned about wines and art.  Travel taught me how to conduct myself  in cultures that aren't my own.  I picked up the habit of  never leaving home without a shawl or sweater. Bare shoulders or short sleeves are frowned upon in some cultures or countries.  

I also discovered that one of the most valuable and most appreciated gifts when invited to a Japanese dinner party, is a cantaloupe (or used to be.)  I also learned that in some cultures, social distancing is the norm, and that’s been going on, before social distancing became our norm. In other words. keep the hugs and kisses to yourself.  Don’t touch! Don’t point.  Don’t look someone in the eye!

OK enough of that. So now that the world is starting to open again. I thought I would share with you my top ten countries to visit or revisit, and not necessarily in the order listed. They are:

   New Zealand (revisit)

2.       Copenhagen (revisit)

3.       Russia (revisit but Moscow would be new)

4.       Mainland China

5.       Hong Kong (revisit)

6.       Bangkok (revisit)

7.       Sweden (revisit)

8.       India (revisit)

9.       Finland (revisit)

10   Australia

And there are so many more. Now we are slowly getting our lives back, what are your top ten countries or places to visit?

About Marcia King-Gamble

Romance writer, Marcia King-Gamble originally hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. This former travel industry executive has spent most of life in the United States. A National Bestselling author, Marcia has penned over 34 books and 8 novellas. She has contributed to Michael Fiore’s DigitalRomanceInc and served as a moderator on the now defunct eHarmony advice boards.  Having witnessed the bad, the ugly, and the not so good in relationships, she still prefers to write about happily ever after. Caring for her animal family keeps her grounded and sane.

Visit Marcia at www.lovemarcia.com or “friend” her on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1MlnrIS

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