A Traveler’s Daydreams by Rebecca Heflin

I have a digital photo frame on my day-job desk. Best gift ever, by the way. Throughout my work-day it scrolls through hundreds of photos, and amid the family photos and photos of my garden, are photos from the many trips, both domestic and international I have taken. Many were taken with my husband, but there are a few I’ve taken with friends and family, even a few I’ve taken alone.

I love glancing over every-now-and-then to see what photo is displayed and remind myself where and when it was taken, and how much I enjoyed the trip.

In 2020, I thought I would be adding photos from a trip to New Zealand (a destination I have dreamed of reaching) and later in the year, a trip to the Uyuni Salt Flat in Bolivia, the Atacama Desert in Chile, and Easter Island, 2100 miles off the coast of Chile. But the pandemic had other ideas.

I love to travel. I love to see interesting new places, learn about new geographies, cultures, and food. I’ve visited some pretty spectacular places over the years. I’ve cruised around the Galapagos Islands, climbed the ruins of Machu Picchu, safaried in Tanzania, white-water rafted in Costa Rica, cruised through the Straits of Magellan in Patagonia, and observed over-wintering Monarch butterflies in Mexico. I’ve visited castles and museums in France, Ireland, England, and Scotland. Domestically, I’ve been to many of the nation’s iconic National Parks like Arches, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yosemite.

I’ve enjoyed Broadway shows in New York City, marveled at The Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., gazed in awe at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and walked the Hollywood Walk of Fame in L.A.  

I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to see and experience these places and others, and a few of my trips have inspired my books. A trip to Costa Rica inspired RESCUING LACEY. My trips to England inspired THE PROMISE OF CHANGE. And a trip to Scotland in 2019 inspired and an idea I have waiting in the wings.

The 2020 international trips are on the back-burner until 2022, until the world has reached herd immunity. But we’re hoping to take a couple of domestic trips later this year, after more vaccinations are in the books.

In the meantime, I will relive my previous travels through these photos, and daydream about the day when travel resumes. I’d love to upload a slide show or video here, but WordPress is making it difficult by requiring very small file sizes. If you’re interested, you can see some of the photos from my trips on my Facebook page.

Do you like to travel? What are some of your favorite destinations?