I've been brainstorming for a name for my new travel blog for several weeks now, and I turned to (no surprise here) Pinterest for some inspiration. When I saw this quote by Leonardo da Vinci, it really stood out to me. I thought "that's it, that's what travel is REALLY all about!" Once you have traveled to a new place, and feasted upon all that it has to offer, you are never the same and you are always dreaming of capturing that experience again.

I'm so fortunate in that I have many of these moments. Reaching summits of mountains and seeing the world spread out below. Gliding through fresh powder on a bluebird day. Floating down the Amazon with my parents at the age of 8 and having a rain forest butterfly land on my knee. Watching lions stroll on the Masai Mara in Kenya. Viewing Paris at night from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Snorkeling in the crystal waters of the South Pacific. Hiking into Machu Picchu on a beautiful blue sky day. Viewing the majesty of the ruins in ancient Rome. Watching the sun set on the famous Blue Gate in Fez. Riding dromedaries in the Sahara. Hiking cliff walks on the Irish coast that are so staggeringly beautiful that you actually have to remind yourself to breathe - that's what it's all about to me. 

Longing to return doesn't necessarily mean that you actually want to return to the physical location where you experienced that moment, but rather return to the emotion and the feelings that you lived. Longing to return to a place where you felt so ALIVE, and so blessed to be part of this great big diverse world that we live in.

I'm leaving on a trip to Burma (Myanmar) tomorrow, and I hope that you will follow along on here while I journey. I can't wait to experience my first moment like this - feeling like I'm coming home to a place I've never been simply because of having that emotional response. What a thrill and a luxury!

The moments like these are the reason that I want to journey this earth with my eyes turned skyward.