Where Are YOU Going Next? (Plus New Reviews)

Hello Wanderers! Decided to go for a blog post this time instead of an email notification. And this time - we're going to discuss destinations.

That's right. Destinations. But WHY AW? We can't even go anywhere! Well, because we can, that's why. And because someday, you will be able to go. I know I will. And I"m going to. So there.

Besides, I've already got entire Evernote sheets with itineraries, restaurants, sites researched, etc. I'm ready to go already! So, below I'll list out the places that aren't just "I'd love to go to" but rather the places in my somewhat immediate future. I also reserve the right to change the definition of "immediate future". Once again, my site, I get to do that.

Stick around to the end because I've not been idle. I snuck two more reviews in there for you.

Destination 1: Vietnam (Booked). This one is a long time coming. I actually booked it well before the COVD-19 all-hell broke loose on the world, and had planned to go in April. Had to cancel. But, there's just so much to see over there, and we're going to cover off on some of it. A culinary trip for sure, but not my usual. Vietnamese food isn't meant to be Michelin style (sure it CAN be). It's meant to be the people's food. Street food and small cafes. Food that appears simple, but makes your head explode with the actual flavor complexities. We're gonna ride scooters. We're gonna take a boat trip. It's gonna be great - and should be on most wanderer's lists. If Thailand is Asia 101 for most people, this is your step up. You can also get fantastic value at really high level lodgings in terms of price to lux ratio. Or, amazingly cheap, simple places. Spoiled for choice. I'll be sure to bring some of my No Travel Travel Review pieces to test in the field here. The Aviator Air Dry T-Shirt and Western Rise Limitless Merino Shirt will be perfect for this.

Destination 2: Italy (Booked). Those people in the North have had as hard a time as any of us in this mess, and the country deserves some tourism once things are safe. I'm charmed enough to have a great friend getting married in the south - so why not make a trip of it. We're holding out hope firstly for the lovely couple, but second for our trip, that we'll be able to go. What do we have planned? Well although it's not the North, have to do Rome. This is our second time to Italy, and it's a must for us. Then, down to Puglia for the wedding in a hill top villa in Lecce. From there, a nice drive over to Ravello on the Amalfi coast. Our bellies will NOT be empty, Good Sir. No they will not. I don't want to give too much away, but you might want to click here

Destination 3: Tanzania (Ready for Booking). This one is going to be one of those dream vacations. We're talking, once in a lifetime, twice on the number of cameras I'm bringing, kind of dream vacations. We'll be doing a safari first, then finishing up on the white sands of the beach in the land of Freddy Mercury. I'll let you Pub Quiz all-stars figure that one out. This is all planned out, just need to wait til the fall to confirm lodgings and prices. In fact, this one will produce a lot of great material here - as I want to detail the process I went through, recommendations, etc. Will be good for the tip section. Frankly, planning a Safari vacation is a lot. And it SHOULD be. You most likely will do this once. You want to do this right, you don't want to get it from Harold's Cheapest On The Internet Safari and Bungalow Depot (And We Just Sold Out of Bungalows). I'll provide tips on companies, what to think about for staying, what to pack, etc. And of course, a full trip review!

Destination 4: Madeira (Planning stages). I've had my eye on this for a few years, but it kind of went dormant for a while. Now, I'm fully back on board. Since I'm on the US east coast, it will be relatively easy to jaunt over here for 5 days. And while you could do longer on the island for sure, this will be enough time for us to do the capital and old town, then pop over to the northern side and stay up there in a more secluded villa in a nice village, and do a few levada hikes. Look those up if you haven't heard of them, so cool. Whole island is webbed with them! And believe it or not, even though it's an island - it's pretty affordable. Especially in terms of self catered/AirBnB style trips.

So that's it! That's what I've been dreaming of to get my mind through this. I'm sure that I'll have some further weekend trips that I get in there too. Could see me up to Maine, or down to one of the Southern cities, who knows. We'll see what happens to the industry and the pricing before I can start planning too much. Oh I promised a couple of reviews as well, didn't I? You got it.

First up, is my Patagonia Black Hole MLC 45L review. It's been a mainstay for me on long weekend trips, or more. And been outside the country, too. If you're looking to find that one-bag travel piece of kit, this is one to check out.

Next up, a small but mighty piece of kit you should be thinking about. After all, this always comes with you, right? It's our Gravel Explorer Slim toiletry bag review. This was a Kickstarter champion - was it worth the hype?

That's it for tonight. I've been trying to keep busy with review content, since I can't travel, so hop on over to our Travel Gear Reviews page to see if there's anything you missed that might help you to wander more, and wander smarter.

Stay smart and stay safe, everyone.