My husband and I are headed to a new-to-us part of the world Friday. It has me thinking how incredibly blessed I am. As a kid, the farthest I had traveled was Niagara Falls and touching Mexico. I always dreamed about seeing more of the world I had read about, but didn’t think I’d ever have the opportunity to do so.

Immediately after graduating from college, I spent two and a half weeks, predominately in Budapest and Aix-en-Provence. I touched Vienna, Zurich, and Geneva. It was an amazing time navigating a continent by myself while staying with families on both ends. It truly was an incredible and growing experience.

Enter my jobs.

Early in my career I traveled to Camloops, Canada, to teach a weekend workshop. My husband joined me, and while I was teaching, he arranged for us to take the Canadian Rocky Mountaineer train from Camloops to Banff. It was an amazing day on the train, followed by a day or two in Banff. For a girl who loves mountains, it was a truly incredible trip.

For our tenth anniversary Eric planned a five day trip to London. It was wonderful, but not nearly long enough.

Then with Purdue, as a family we’ve spent two months in Hanover, Germany, with many weekend excursions to Frankfort, Berlin, Regensburg, and more. We had a month in Siena, Italy, with trips to Rome and Florence. Last summer I had two and a half weeks in Florence with a day trip to Venice. That doesn’t touch on the trips to Nottingham and York, England, for conferences with quick stays in Glasgow and Edinburgh. I also traveled as a student (in the MBA program) to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Each of these has been a mind-expanding experience.

Traveling is a great way to get ideas for novels. It’s a fantastic way to push me out of my comfort zone. I grow and change with the experiences. But the reality is my list of places to go never shrinks. Today I’m giving away a copy of Shadowed by Grace, a trip to Italy in a book. Good luck!

Where would you like to travel next?

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