So, Rob and I made a bet… and let’s just say I WON!

So, now I get to pick our next vacation destination abroad.

I think I first got the travel bug when traveled through France through our high school French Club. In fact, at seventeen years old, my first flight ever was Chicago to Paris. I worked my tush off at KFC to save for that trip! My eyes were opened up to a whole new world. I still remember the pit in my stomach the night before returning home.

Three years later, I found myself studying abroad in the South of France: Toulon.

Three years later, my friend Jen and I took a post-college, ten-week backpacking trip of Europe. I look back on that trip with such fond memories. Today, I can’t believe how cheaply we got by in just ten weeks.

This was becoming a pattern. Every three years, I was ending up in France. I knew in 2003, I would need to return. This time, I took my mom! She had never been abroad before. She, too, fell in love with Paris.

But just one week before I left for that trip with my mom, I met Rob.

I didn’t mention a word about him, because I didn’t want to jinx anything. 😉 Besides, we had only just met. We hadn’t even been on a date yet. But he did already learn one thing: I loved to travel.

Three years later, I brought him on his first trip abroad – to Paris.

He fell in love as well. He, too, was bitten by the International Travel Bug.

In 2008, I earned an all-expense-paid trip to Tuscany, Italy through The Traveling Vineyard. Rob wasn’t going to come. I hadn’t earned it completely for a second person. But his co-workers talked him into it. “This is a trip of a lifetime!” They said. “It’s still way less expensive than you would ever spend if you planned it yourself!” And so he came…

And in Tuscany, at the Villa Dievole, is where he proposed.

You have to know Rob. He’s witty. He’s a jokester. And he adores eBay. I seriously thought that when it came time to propose, it would be via email with a picture of a ring from eBay. Those were my expectations. You can understand my utter shock and delight when he did it on one knee in one of the most beautiful places in the world with the vineyards and cypress trees in the backdrop. It was like a fairytale.

We returned to Italy for our honeymoon. This time, the Amalfi Coast:

You may be wondering why we don’t branch out… Why we don’t travel domestically… Why I always returned to France… and now Italy.

Well, that’s not the case. We do travel domestically. In fact, we love to travel domestically. We do it every year. But that’s not what this post is about. When Rob and I discussed marriage, I had one request:

I wanted our life together to include traveling abroad once every year.

It was a dream of mine. I can cut back on other things in life. Seriously, I will run my little Toyota Corolla until it dies. It has about 134,000 miles on it now. So its got some life left!

And we are making it happen!

This fall, Rob and I are traveling to Ireland with his parents.

We love to travel in the fall, when tourist season isn’t as high and kids are back in school. Generally, the weather is a bit nicer, too.

So, I’m trying to decide where to plan our 2013 trip abroad. Here are my thoughts. But since I’m horrible at making decisions, I’d love your vote and input!

Australia –  Truly, this is at the top of my list. Why? I get to choose.  And since Rob has no desire to take a flight that long, it would be my best chance at getting there. However, I need to be realistic, too. This most likely won’t be the choice. We’d want to be there for a few weeks and neither of us would have the funds nor vacation to make the trek in 2013.

Provence – Yes, I’d love to return to France. This time: Provence. I’d love to show Rob the region where I studied. But one of the things on my bucket list is to bike through the region. I am not sure if I’d plan the trip for us or go on a group tour.

Sicily – Yes, of course, we want to return to Italy! We just can’t get enough of it. There are more regions to discover. But I get to pick. So this would be my first choice.

Greece – Well, since I seem to love the Mediterranean so much, and it’s a country Jen and I did not get to on our ten-week backpacking tour, it’s a great option for a new place for me to discover in Europe.

Argentina – If you would have asked me about Argentina five years ago, I wouldn’t have had the desire. But it’s intriguing me more and more. First, we’ve never been to South America. For that matter, we’ve never even been to the Southern Hemisphere. I’ve heard stories from a few people have been to Argentina, furthering my interest. And how could we go wrong with the wine? Also, did you know that second to Spanish immigrants to Argentina were the Italians? Besides a lot of beef {which will suit Rob well!}, I’m told that there is a lot of Italian cuisine in Argentine culture. Mmm…

Québec – I’ve never been to Canada. My reason for choosing Québec, in parcticular, has not only to do with the French culture, but also the history and food. This would be a culinary adventure! We’ve discussed Québec many times and have even considered making a longer trip of it. We’ve thought about driving down to New York to visit some friends in towns near the border and also my cousin in Oswego. We could maybe even hit the Finger Lakes Wine Region.

See, we have plenty of ideas for international travel for the next six years. But to choose one? Nearly impossible.

Please HELP!

Please vote where we should go and comment as to why or your experience if you’ve visited any of these destinations.

Merci beaucoup in advance!

Cheers~
Carrie