The WordPress/JetPack writing prompt for today is:
What are your top 10 travel destinations?

For my “Life-changing Advice” prompt, I wrote that you should live abroad. So I feel obligated to answer this one. I used to have a travel blog, Vicarious Vistas, that kept track of all the places that I’ve been. Sadly, time has affected both that blog and the places. My top 10 from back when I was a nomad may not be my top 10 now.

Two examples:

• I loved Hong Kong, visiting there three times between 2005-2007, but I’m not sure it would make the list now.
• I loved Barcelona (I studied there briefly in 2005), but they don’t want tourists right now because of the negative impact we’ve had on their culture and lifestyle.

So these are the ones that I think are still comparable to the experiences I had:

1) Auckland, New Zealand

In my 2002 trip to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji, I had two disparate responses. Australia was magical, I felt like I left a piece of my soul there; Auckland was eminently comfortable. I really liked Auckland’s balance of city life and adventure. The boat culture, the wineries, swimming with dolphins, and yet just the general safety…This was a place that fit me. I think anyone who lived in Vancouver in the 1990s would have felt right at home, too.

2) Whitsunday Island / The Great Barrier Reef

The “Finding Nemo” experiences are few and far between, unfortunately. But reef sharks, sea turtles, and stingrays abound. You have never experienced a beach like Whitsunday Beach – glass-grade sand, monitor lizards and at one end, a bunch of stingrays. If you go, try to do a live-aboard cruise. We had migratory whales pass near us at sunset once. As I said, Australia was magical.

3-6) African Safaris (I’m grouping them all here)

I’ve done the Serengeti (Kenya/Tanzania), Kruger National Park (South Africa), Etosha National Park (Namibia) and Kasane National Park (Botswana). No one was better than the others, but you should try to do at least one. It’s expensive, it’s camping with all that entails, and it’s beautiful. The Vicarious Vistas cover image above is one i took in Kasane.

7) Zanzibar

The “Zan” in Tanzania, this large island is beautiful, from its vanilla plantations to its beaches. Yes, the beaches are very touristy, but they’re still well-kept. And the tortoise sanctuary is worth the expedition.

8) Saipan

As much as I’m loath to promote anything American right now, the American territory of Saipan was amazing. I’m a history buff. Getting to take a submersible down to see wrecks of World War II planes and ships was amazing. There are battered gun emplacements on the shoreline, shot-out tanks, bunkers and the caves the Japanese hid in until they decided to commit mass suicide by jumping off the cliffs. It’s all right there, juxtaposed in with some of the prettiest beaches I’ve ever seen.

9) Edinburgh, Scotland

My tour of the UK coincided with Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival and a military tattoo held inside Edinburgh castle (with Prince Edward in attendance). The city was alive with so much art, so much history. A ten/ten experience that I’d love to repeat.

10) Banff National Park, Alberta and surrounding areas

I grew up in Ontario, far from any real mountains. We have downhill skiing in winter, but you really have to emphasize the “hill’ part of that statement. I’ve been to the Rockies a few times: When I was a kid, my parents drove us the whole way to Vancouver once. We spent a few days in Banff, and still I know Cascade Mountain whenever I see it. As a teen, I did a student exchange that saw us horseback riding in Kananaskis. As an adult, my girlfriend and I did a Valentine’s weekend in Lake Louise. The whole area is just perfect, no matter the season.

There are other places I could add to this list. Brugge Belgium almost made the cut. Kangaroo Island, in Australia could easily be on the list. Maybe, just maybe Bath, England should be there, although my experience there was very much driven by a group of locals I met.

One last note, if you haven’t already heard, I hate London (and London hates me).