London. Paris. Nice. Rome.

I'd like to make a lifelong goal to travel to a new international destination every year.  While I'd love to spend a month on a different continent each year, I do have this thing called a "job" that is kinda necessary in allowing me to even save the money to make such trips happen.  On top of that I also have a family and holidays and and various roadtrips I enjoy taking, etc. that I need to budget into my vacation time each year, so while it may be a long way down the road (or never?) before I can just leave the country for months at a time, for now I'll take what I can and see as much as time and money allows.

Last year (2009) I visited China which wasn't even on my top 10 places to go, but I had wanted to visit my college roommate since she moved there in 2003.  I loved it!  I had no idea I would love it so much and getting to explore it with one of my favorite people made it that much more fun!

This year I took a cruise with my parents and roommate.  It doesn't entirely count as part of my goal since they were all places I'd already visited, but Roatan, Honduras is my favorite island, hands down.  It wasn't the first time I've been there and it certainly won't be the last.  I foresee many more family vacations in Roatan in the future!

Next year, I'm working on planning a trip to Europe.  I'm thinking somewhere in the 10-12 day timeframe and starting in London, ending in Rome.  It's a tough choice because there are many places I want to visit, but I had to narrow it down so that it's not too jam-packed and also makes sense travel-wise.  My goal is to fly into London, take the train to Paris, Nice and Rome and then fly home out of Rome.  I'm sure this itinerary will change between now and then, but that's the goal at this point.  I'm also considering Barcelona over Rome and leaving Italy for an entirely separate trip...which may end up being the case...who knows.  At this point I'm just checking out my options, figuring out dates, and setting up a budget.  I love using www.mint.com!  If you haven't tried it yet, you must!  It's free - and between the monthly budgeting features and the new "goal" features (perfect for vacation plans!), it keeps my finances in order and helps me budget my dreams :).

What are some of your lifelong goals or things you're working toward?  What places have you visited that you've absolutely loved?  What countries are on your top 10 "must see" list?  Please share!  Would love to hear about 'em!