Dream big, travel often.

Sky Lantern Festival, Thailand

fan•ta•sy [fan-tuh-see, -zee] noun. 1. imagination, especially when extravagant and unrestrained. 2. the forming of mental images, especially wondrous or strange fancies; imaginative conceptualizing. Isn't that definition amazing!? "extravagant and unrestrained"!? "wonderous"?! The word fantasy was MEANT to be applied to travel because the world is just filled with so much to fantasize about. Whether its wishing to explore a new neighborhood in your own city, or to go to the farthest corners of the earth, there's more beauty out there than most of us will ever be lucky enough to see, but that doesn't mean you can't have a wish list!

I fantasize about sleeping in an igloo and watching vibrant colors light up the sky:

Northern lights, Canada

I fantasize about hotel rooms on stilts surrounded by only the bluest ocean: 

Maldives

... and staring at stars from my bed:

"star bed" in Kenya

And of course castles; lots and lots of beautiful castles:

Mont Saint Michel, France

And though some prefer not to dream beyond their definitive reach, I am simply not one of those people. I say make a list of all your "wondrous or strange fancies" and fight your face off to get there; whether it's a motel or the Ritz, a Louis Vuitton trunk or a backpack. Dream big and travel often.

Dream a little dream for..?

I spend a lot of time dreaming and scheming. I can’t help myself... on a daily basis I think about all the things in this world I wish I could do or be or visit. All of this dreaming makes for quite a mental “to do” list so I’m wondering - how do we know which of our dreams are worth chasing? Assuming we take the arguably downer, but (let's be adults here) realistic view of our personal dreams, we know that some are probably not going to pan out (be the first woman President) and some just might be within reach (see the northern lights). And once we've mustered up the courage to select that big dream worth chasing (be bilingual) when is the right time to go for it? I have so many more questions than answers!!

I think being a dreamer is a good thing, but maybe it leads to more disappointment than it’s worth. On my honeymoon, Dr. H and I hiked for 4 days to Machu Picchu which is something I’d dreamed of doing. It was a big dream, a big adventure and 4 of the best days of my life. On the flip side, I dreamed of being a Moot Court all star in law school and when I didn’t make the team I was devastated. In the end, I believe “you’ve got to play to win!” and I think that applies to dreaming big, but that’s just me. What about you? Do you place constraints on your dreams or is the sky the limit? Will you be chasing a dream this weekend?

Dream on merry readers!

(Image via Pinterest)