A list to inspire wanderlust, from a college girl, stuck studying in the library
I love college. I love college. I love college.
This is the mantra I repeat to myself, over and over again, in the weeks between Thanksgiving and winter break. Because when finals roll around, it becomes more difficult to remember why, exactly, I’m paying to be this overwhelmed. This is especially the case when I start to think of all the places I’d love to go. Careers and degrees are good and all, but to be sipping a cappuccino in Paris? To hike along the cliffs of the Faroe Islands? To tour the temples of Kyoto, Japan? With an overwhelming to-do list, my self-control to not spontaneously book a flight is increasingly diminished.
Of course, during finals, I barely have time to shower. A quick weekend trip to Germany isn’t really in the cards. But still – a girl stuck in the library all day, every day has a lot of time to think, and for me, all that has been on my mind lately is where in the world I’d go if I could go absolutely anywhere.
The best thing about this pretend world of traveling the globe from my Madison, Wisconsin apartment is that there are no budgets or logistics to work around. It’s a lot less fun, sure, but a lot less of a hassle to create a make-believe list. Someday, of course, the goal is for this list to be grounded in reality. I value travel, and I know that for me, happiness comes in airplane terminals and spontaneous adventures. For now, though, I’m content with this list of places to keep me motivated in achieving my dream of a nomad, country-hopping lifestyle.
1. Prague, Czech Republic
Forget a European summer. If I have the luxury of booking a flight to this continent, I’m arriving at the height of the holiday season. Christmas markets and snow-covered cobblestone streets with a hot chocolate in hand? Sign me up. Lately, the European city that I can’t get out of my head is Prague. Instead of scrolling online for my Christmas shopping, I’d be much more content wandering the Christmas markets in Prague’s Old Town and Peace Square for my holiday shopping.
2. THE Austrian Alps
Some people thrive by the ocean, others in secluded forests, and others still…in the mountains. Personally, I fall into the latter category. Growing up in Germany, my family and I would pack the car on weekends and drive for four hours to a village in the Austrian Alps. Goats on the mountainside, trails weaving in and around lakes, and the mysticism of being surrounded by the soaring Austrian Alps…perhaps it’s only my nostalgia speaking, but the solitude and grandeur of these small mountainside villages have me craving a return trip.
3. Cape Town, South Africa
I change my mind weekly on just where in Africa I want to go first. Botswana, Morocco, Tanzania, Rwanda…I don’t know how I’ll fit all these incredible places into a single lifetime, but I’m determined to try! This week, it’s Cape Town that’s most on my mind. The tabletop mountains and a safari seem like a pairing that would be an adventure of a lifetime.
4. THE Amazon Rainforest
The recent presidential election in Brazil has cast the fate of the Amazon rainforest into the forefront of the media. While Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s victory has (hopefully) promised the security of the rainforest – often referred to as the “lungs of our planet,” the Amazon rainforest is facing an uncertain future beyond Lula’s four-year term. While seeing images of the destruction of the Amazon has shown me the importance of acting now to preserve this ecosystem, travel transforms these abstract issues on our phone screens into real issues that affect the reality of everyday people.
It wasn’t until I traveled to Israel, for example, that I truly understood the perspectives of those on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As amazing as it would be to see orangutans and toucans on a jungle walk through the Amazon rainforest, what would be even more impactful is the exposure to what we stand to lose if action to save our climate doesn’t happen now.
5. Greece
During finals, I rely on study dates with friends, Chipotle, and too many $7 lattes to keep my sanity. While this has been enough to ensure my survival (so far), what would really save me right now would be island-hopping in Greece. Bonus points if it’s on a yacht. Sunsets in Santorini?
For now, though, I’ll settle for the snow globe that is Madison, Wisconsin in December. As much as I’d love to be tanning on a yacht in Greece or trekking the Amazon, I’m confident that someday, somehow I’ll make it my reality. Until then, there’s joy to be found in being a college girl, writing essays, and cafe-hopping on State Street.