3 Places I Want to Visit Before I Die
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” ― St. Augustine
Travel is an English verb that means going from one place to another. The Oxford Dictionary emphasizes, especially over a long distance, but how far of a distance?
Frodo walked 1779 miles or 2863km from the Shire to Mordor which took 4 and a half months or 62 days if he and Samwise Gamgee had used a car. That certainly counts as ‘traveling’. Harry took the train express that went rapidly over 500 miles distance, around 900km, to go to Hogwarts from Platform 9¾ in London. That certainly counts too. While they traveled a great distance to save their realm, we traveled with them within our minds, so I have been to Moria, Lothlorien, Minas Morgul, Mount Doom, Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, Azkaban, and more. With that in mind, have I read only one page, dear St. Augustine?
When it comes to fictional traveling, I have read not only a page but also a few books — precisely, 87 books. As adventurous as I imagine myself to be, I haven’t been to many places in this life. I love to travel and see new places, but sometimes it can be hard to find the time or money. So in this post, I’ve compiled a list of 3 places (in no particular order) that if given the opportunity, I would try my hardest to visit. Some of these are just dream destinations, while others have been on my bucket list since childhood. Some are well-known tourist destinations while others seem like they belong in a fairytale!
1. New York City
We grew up with Home Alone and we watched Kevin accidentally took a flight to New York City in the second movie. From LaGuardia Airport where he got separated from his family, all the way down to Rockefeller Center, Kevin toured us around.
If you happen to love old romance comedy movies like me, chances are you know (and probably have watched) When Harry Met Sally. This stranger-to-lover couple toured us inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art or, as people call it, the MET.
I, honestly, can’t get enough of touring New York City in these movies, but I should show you one more movie that got me even more hooked, and that is The Rainy Day in New York. Timothee Chalamet, Elle Fanning, and Selena Gomez all in one movie! Plus, raining in New York City! I don’t need to explain more.
I know, just like any other city in the world, NYC also has its dark side (the expensive living cost, the noise, the dirtiness, etc), but a visit wouldn’t hurt, right? I want to experience that fast pace and buzzing traffic once in my lifetime.
2. Ireland
Okay, I admit, I know about Ireland from Niall Horan of One Direction (I am indeed a big fan of the band, though they are not together anymore). From him, I know about some of Ireland’s culture like the Irish Stepdance
Then, I also watched The Leap Year where Amy Adams and Matthew Goode travel across the island, from Carton House Hotel in Maynooth, St Stephen’s Green in Dublin, Glendalough, Ballycarbery Castle, and finally the Inishmore on the Aran Islands where they shoot the proposal scene (insert a crying emoji here).
3. Saint-Malo, French
In 2020, I came across All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. I fell in love not only with the characters but also the exquisite writing style. I remember a quote from Anita Desai that says, “Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”
I didn’t go to Saint-Malo in French — one of the settings of places in the novel — physically, but somehow I felt like I had walked the same path as the characters. I could only hope that one day I could be there.
3. Universal Orlando
Universal Orlando is more than just an American theme park because it has the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the Jurassic Park Adventure, which I love so much!
I grew up and learned English with the Harry Potter series, though I don’t adopt the British accent, but, all my life, I have been waiting for my Hogwarts acceptance letter!
Plus, I love reading sci-fi novels and one of my favorites is Michael Crichton’s, Jurassic Park. Even though the idea of bringing dinosaurs back to life is fantastic, it’s against God’s will, so Crichton portrays the destructions that come with scientific discovery. The closest I got to Jurassic Park and the Wizarding World was when I visited Jatim Park in Malang. Here’s the footage…
I secretly wish upon the stars that for an even better experience, one day, God would allow me to have a chance to visit the film set!
Truth be told, I have a long list of places I want to visit that includes every ruin of ancient cities in this world because I LOVE history, especially when it comes to the ancient civilizations. Then, South Korea because I desperately want to visit the traditional village and the palace, and MORE!
Marcel Proust once said that visiting new landscapes is like having new pairs of eyes! So we need to listen to Jack Kerouac who said, keep rolling under the stars! and TRAVEL!
