My feet are a-tingling. My legs are jittery. I keep tapping my fingers. When this happens, all I want to do is pack a bag, grab my passport & hoof it to JFK. I just want to breakout a-town!

I don’t like to stay in any one place too long — it makes me antsy. I am always hankering to see the next bright thing, to have a new experience, to walk a road I’ve never seen. Getting away from everything familiar is one of the best ways to reinvigorate your soul & reignite your passion for life.

If I could go anywhere right now, these would be my top contenders!

Greek Islands

Photo by Souvik_Prometure.

Oh yes, the Greek Islands. Someone, years ago, told me that Greece was my “spiritual homeland”. I laughed it off because I had absolutely no interest in going there, but as time ticks by, I feel myself being drawn there.

Photos by Marcel Germain & duqueiros.

There are over 6,000 Greek Islands, & only 227 of them are inhabited. Only 78 of them have more than 100 people living there! Santorini is one of the most well-known islands. It’s on the rim of a volcano & is situated 1000 feet above the Aegean Sea.

I would really like to visit Paxos. Paxos was constantly attacked by pirates during the Byzantine period & Middle Ages, & the coastline is dotted with blue caves. It is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen pictures of. I grew up by the ocean & when I don’t see it regularly, I feel weird & out of touch. Let’s go!

Photos by duqueiros & Marcel Germain.

I would love so much to spend some time in the Greek Islands, getting some sun, doing lots of writing & enjoying the sea breeze. I’ve been looking at hotels in the Greek Islands all morning & drooling. A few weeks at Aigialos, Hotel Katikies, or On The Rocks would totally not go amiss! Haha! (I am sure it would be less expensive to stay in a house, though.)

The best times to travel to Greece are from the end of May to the beginning of June, & from September to mid-October. Time to start saving up!

In my searches, I discovered Matt Barrett’s Greek travel guide, which is an amazing resource for anyone planning a trip.

Photo by Marcel Germain.

Tokyo, Japan

Photo from Desktop Wallpapers.

I can’t believe I am almost 30 (okay, I still have 3 years until I’m 30 but it seems very CLOSE) & I haven’t been to Japan yet! Does this seem completely ridiculous to anyone else?! It is one of those places I know I am going to adore even before I get there, which is how I felt about New York City, too.

Photos by Bergoiata & Takanyo.

I want to visit Tokyo Disneyland, roam the streets & get lost. I want to sing karaoke & get a million sticker photos. I want to shop my ass off & freak out over how immaculately everything is presented. I want to visit temples & sit under cherry blossom trees. I want to soak in the neon & bathe in the lights.

Photos by JNTO & michenv.

I am also completely obsessed with love hotels. How could you not want to stay in a hotel room which is a combination of S&M & Hello Kitty themes?! One of them even has a carousel in the room! COME ON! It must happen! If you’re interested too, here’s what to expect. There’s a good love hotel guide here as well, & Misty Keasler has a great love hotel photography series.

Happy Jappy (what a name!) is a massive site with oodles of information for visitors to Japan.

Photo by Melissa.Tse.

India

Photo by Sharad Gupta.

Just the thought of India excites me, gets the juice flowing. I have been planning to go there for a long time & can’t wait to get in amongst it! I even have a friend in Mumbai who works at Vogue (fancy!) who has promised to take me shopping & show me around.

I want to ride a motorcycle from city to city, see big pink palaces & attend Holi.

Taj Mahal photo is stock; Holi photo by dharmendrasingh.

Of all the places I want to visit, India is top of my list, but it’s also the one which makes me most nervous.

While all the pictures I’ve chosen to illustrate this article are bright, exciting & beautiful, India is much more than that. It’s wild, intense & unrelenting, & a place of massive contrasts. My friends who have been there tell me that the extreme poverty in India is so closely juxtaposed with extreme wealth, which can be hard to take in & difficult to accept.

I know that when I finally bite the bullet & go there, it will be the experience of a lifetime; that it will change me. I just don’t know if I’m ready for that much change right now. But is anyone ever “ready” for a massive shift? I think you just need to jump into it feet-first… !

Photo by s i a m.

What cities do you salivate just thinking about? If someone told you they’d buy you a return plane ticket tomorrow, where would you want to go & why? Have you ever been to the Greek Islands, Japan or India? How did you find it? Tell us!