Wanderlust

So, I’ve spent the last 3 months all over the place: a little time in the sunny South, a little time in the Big Apple, a little time out in the District of Columbia, even less time here at home in Chicago. It’s been glorious, jet-setting back and forth and seeing people I love in every little corner of the country. I’ve been pretty successful living out of a suitcase with three black dresses, ballet flats, and my new Urban Decay sparkle eye shadow palette, lugging my work laptop along with me on my voyages. And while being reunited with my closet, my bed and my adorable roommates is lovely, I can’t help but find myself daydreaming about the places I would like to escape to next.

1.)Paris. The city of lights, romance abounding, everything en français. Why yes, I’d love a café au lait avec un croissant chocolat. My French minor is always making me want to throw on a beret and head across the ocean and watch the moonlight glimmering off of the Eiffel Tower. Seriously, sign me up for this:




2.)Malibu. My best friend lives in West Hollywood, and on my last visit to the West Coast, I had the opportunity to spend some quality time hitting the beach in Malibu. The color of the water rivals any emerald set in platinum, the sea breeze cools the beach, and did I mention the surfers? Go here, park your car at Zuma Beach and enjoy the local view (Mountain, Ocean, Men), soaking up a little Vitamin D in the Cali sun.



3.)Iceland. I know, I know. Iceland? Really? Really. Stunning scenery, skiing, shopping, and gorgeous mineral hot springs with flights roundtrip that rival the cost of a trip to LA from Chicago. I’ll let a photo do the work for me here:



4.)Texas. Being a Southern Belle by birth, I appreciate the finer points of country music and keeping hot rolled hair looking good in oppressive, sticky heat. However, I’ve never traveled to the capital of all things larger than life. As Chicago winter creeps closer to the dreaded inevitable cold snap, I think it might be nice to have my cowboy boots and carry-on ready to hit the road, Texas-style.



5.)Disney World. Lord knows, we all need a little magic sometimes. Faith, trust, pixie dust, princesses. All the makings for a perfect mid-Winter getaway, courtesy of Mr. Mouse himself. For anyone who battles the Winter blues, Disney World is like a megadose of Prozac in the form of everything happy, sparkly, cheery that you could possibly imagine. Besides, it’s pretty hard to be sad in Mouse ears, right? If you take this route, definitely try a Watermelon Mojito in downtown Disney or a Grand Marnier Slush at Epcot. (Big kid treats no one ever told you about!)



So, I’m setting up Kayak alerts, shamelessly roaming Travelocity and trying to name the perfect price on Priceline. And I’m seriously lusting after this adorable Kate Spade carry-on, along with everything else in their current travel-themed collection.

Then I’ll be off again, black dresses and red lipstick in tow. Until then, I’m more than happy to dream up crazy places for the wind to carry me. I encourage you to do the same. And, of course, always be on the lookout for dream luggage; you never know how far it will take you.

Kisses,

AJS