Mini-moons

Photo by Nick Hance

Here's an idea: if you can't afford a long and luxurious honeymoon (which is us), embark on a mini-moon every once in a while. We're definitely going to have to take this advice, as the extra money in our wedding and regular budgets have been blown on a series of unforeseen and unfortunate emergencies. Trying to let it go and accept that these things happen. Anyway, I'm going to make a list of destinations as a way to hold myself accountable to going to these places in the near future. In order of go-ability:

West Texas/Marfa/Balmorhea/Chinati Hot Springs -
We almost went during Labor Day weekend, but decided to go camping instead because the 7-8 hour drive was the dealbreaker. I've been to Marfa only once, during Spring Break 2007, but there are so many other places to see in that area. It's a 2 hour drive from Marfa down a little road to Chinati Hot Springs, but from what I've heard it's so worth it. Very stripped down "resort" on the desolate border. I would also like to visit Big Bend and camp in an actual national park.

Chicago -
Neither of us have been, but we keep hearing great things about it! It'll probably be more of a food odyssey for us than a museum/art/music vacation. I was slated to go there on a family vacation a few months ago, but then my grandmother fell ill and we went to Hong Kong instead.

Pacific NW/Portland/Seattle/Vancouver -
OK so I've been to each of these cities on family vacations. B hasn't, and this area of the continent seems ripe for exploration. Everyone our age has to visit Portland to bike around and drink coffee, right? And might as well go to Seattle on the way. Don't forget a rain jacket. Vancouver has the best Chinese food. And it's always weird being in Canada, because it feels much like the US, except for a few things, which you can never really put your finger on. It's only faintly foreign, which can be nice.

Scandinavia/Norway/Sweden/Iceland -
B and I both have fantasies of travelling and maybe living in this part of the world someday. The cuisine and extreme cold are holding me back from trying to move there right now, but it'd be great to go and check it off both our "places to go before we die" list. I also just want to experience being in a total well-designed environment. And grab some grandma-knitted nordic sweaters while there. Granted, this would not be a long weekend sort of vacation.

Eastern Europe -
It looks like the place to go. Beautiful, cheap, and relatively unknown. Check out this photo of somewhere in Croatia!! (By jukka_re)

Western Europe -
I've never been, but was so jealous at the loads of fun my friends had in college while studying abroad there. Also one of those things to do before you die.