If I could be anywhere, where would I be?
That is a fun question to ponder. So many dreams—places, thoughts, desires, facts, and emotions—figure into it.
I have been lucky to be able to travel extensively in my life. First, I attended college all the way across the country and participated in their year abroad program. Then traveling for work for twenty-plus years. And now finally, traveling strictly for pleasure.
And I can guarantee you that I am not done yet.
How my lifelong love of being somewhere else began
My father had an unsatiable curiosity for everything. We did not have money for travel when I was young, but my father traveled by reading Encyclopedia Britannica, National Geographic magazine, and talking to operators in other parts of the country or the world whenever he could. That, of course, was when one used an operator to make a long-distance call. He would spend ten minutes asking all sorts of questions about where the operator lived—everything from weather to crops to what an area was known for. Needless to say, all my reports for school used National Geographic and World Book Encyclopedia for references and were about some place or culture far away. 
When I first left the Pacific Northwest to go to college on the east coast, I decided that it was important to see and realize the scope of our beautiful country. So, at age eighteen, rather than flying three thousand miles, I chose to take the train. I traveled on the Vista Dome all the way. Had I been able to, I would have gotten off in so many interesting places just to explore.
I can see the draw of spending a year on a Grand Tour on the European continent as the upper-class young men did in the 17th through the early 19th century as an educational rite of passage. I did my personal version of that by doing a year of college at the University of Paris (Sorbonne) and traveling in the summer. I was so hooked, I went back to Europe the following summer with only a ticket home, a place to stay with a friend in Belgium, and very little money. I loved it.
Just like the grass is always greener, there are always more places to see
There are far more places in the world that I would like to visit. Always more. More places than I have years left to actively travel. Every time we were sent to another job posting, we searched out all the things to see and do in the area, as well as all the unusual places we could travel to that were close.
By the same token, however, you can never see or do it all. Nor should you want to. A long time ago, I gave up chasing around and seeing everything when I visited someplace new. We decided it was far more important to get a feel for the vibe of the place, the culture, and the people. We would choose the sites or experiences we felt were the most important and beyond that, we enjoyed our time in that particular area of the world.
To that end, I would love to spend time experiencing Ireland. I have never been there, and I am a mixed bag of British, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish descent, along with Norwegian. Norway is another place I have yet to visit, but it is on my list for the next couple years (with a side trip to Iceland, of course).
Ireland draws me. My plan is to do a Rick Steves tour to see the country and then spend a couple extra weeks traveling and writing on my own. I may not get any farther than some small village around the Dingle peninsula, but so be it. If I travel by local bus and train, it all takes longer, and that is perfectly okay with me. It will probably be a couple more years before I will be able to do that, but it is in the plans and in the budget.
My grandfather was from England and he believed in leprechauns. On the farm in South Dakota where he settled, when he would go to close the doors on the Quonset hut where the farm machinery was kept, if he couldn’t get the doors to close or if the wind blew them back open, he was often heard to say, “Get out of here, you little *****s (add your favorite improper rude name here).” Another reason why I want to spend time in Ireland.
Travel stimulates our creative minds
Another value of travel is stimulating our creative thoughts. I find many of my ideas for writing are generated by travel experiences I have had in the past, or current trips where I allow extra time for writing. I think we all tend to see more texture, color, and vibrancy when we are traveling than we might otherwise see at home. I suspect it is because we are paying more attention and are inhaling the sights, sounds, and tastes of a new place. Somehow a pain au chocolat tastes better walking home from school at the University of Paris or in the south of France than it does at the little French bakery a couple miles from my house. Though I must admit that a short coffee and a fresh pastry at one of the outside tables here at home brings back happy memories of living in France many years ago.
The other place I would love to be, other than Ireland, would be the Provence area in southern France. I have driven through the area many years ago, but only had a very short time to see it. One of the thrills on the way was driving into the little town of Moissac and into the city square. Our mouths dropped open when we walked up to Abbaye de Saint Pierre du Moissac and saw the tympanum over the doors that I had studied in my medieval architecture class in college. Same with driving into Avignon and seeing the aqueduct. We couldn’t keep ourselves from belting out the song Sur le Pont d’Avignon as we walked up to it. So very much to see. I remember too visiting the basilica at Lourdes and then driving across the Camargue, which has a haunting beauty, much like the River of Grass, the wetlands of the Everglades in Florida.
But home regenerates our souls
No matter where in the world you are, there is always something unusual or interesting to see and learn. Even in your own hometown. Especially in your own hometown. How many times have you had family or friends come to visit who want to see something near you that you have never seen and perhaps didn’t even know about? Hidden treasures are in plain sight and close to us all, no matter where we live. It has happened to me several times. And when it does, I find it joyful to share the discovery exploration with someone I care about.
I am where I want to be
So then, going back to the question of where would I be? I would be where I am. There is always something to see and do and appreciate if I am attentive and keep my eyes, ears, and attitude open and receptive. It doesn’t matter where I am. All of life is to be experienced and enjoyed.
So, I wouldn’t change any of it. I will add to my creative experience as long as physically possible and mentally after that. An armchair traveler. That’s what I will be as well in my older years. My father was the best armchair traveler I have ever seen, and I will happily follow in his footsteps when the time comes.
All above photos in this blogpost are from Deposit Photos.
My next book, When the Night Comes, is coming soon
My next book in my Rescue Series, When the Night Comes, is scheduled to come out within the next month. Please look for it on Amazon or wherever you purchase your books.
In a race against a sadistic kidnapper, a powerful hurricane, and the tangled jungle itself, Taylor and Alex must trust their instincts and each other to survive.
To regain her footing after a near breakup, Taylor Beckwith books a vacation in St. Eustatius, where she wants to dive the crystalline waters and hike into one of the dormant volcanos with a rainforest in the bottom of the crater. An unexpected tumble on her dream trek leaves her too injured to climb out of the crater, so she shelters in a cave until her local guide can bring help. Faint cries in the night lead her to a bruised and tortured young woman who has been trapped for nearly two weeks in a small cave on the wall far above her.
Alex Ivanovich—a man who finds it difficult to trust—is worried he may have ruined his chances with Taylor, maybe forever. When Taylor’s mother calls, begging him to help locate Taylor, who disappeared in a rainforest in the Caribbean, he joins the team searching for a kidnapped American medical student in the same area where Taylor has gone missing. Locating lost hikers is part of his search and rescue job, but never before has he been so desperate to succeed.
Ready for an adventure filled with equal doses of sexy romance and suspense? Then pick up When the Night Comes in Dari LaRoche’s Rescue Series, featuring strong women and the men they choose to love.
You can find information about me and my books on my website at https://darilaroche.com.
