Travel Wishes: So many places to go, so many things to see.

With the impending arrival of two Hollins sisters in just over a week, my interest in traveling around Australia has been rekindled, and I've been researching various places to visit since internet was returned to me. Here is the list of places I've compiled that I desperately want to go:

• Sydney
• Melbourne
• Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef
• Uluru (aka: Ayers Rock)
• The Outback
• Whitsunday Islands
• Perth
• Tasmania

I'm sure there are others, but that is the list as it stands. I found a few interesting tours--one, take a train from Brisbane to the southwest where we'd spend seven days visiting various places in the Queensland outback. And another is a cruise which leaves from Brisbane, heading north to the Whitsundays first and continuing on to Cairns. Another seven-dayer, but I think it would be cheaper than plane tickets to Cairns, plus hotel and meals. And it goes to a few other places besides.

Plus, I've always wanted to go on a cruise. People have told me I'd hate it for the tiny rooms and the crowds, but people have a habit of being wrong. (And don't tell me what to do!)

Cruises are a great way to see a lot of places if you don't mind not being able to see them too in-depth. When I was studying abroad in London, we were considering a cruise for Spring Break--a Mediterranean one I think, stopping in Italy and Spain. I'm going to look into such cruises again for our Europe trip.

Speaking of Europe, we purchased a copy of Lonely Planet's "Europe on a Shoestring" at Bookfest and instead of aiding me in planning our trip, all it's done is made me want to visit every place it lists. We need fewer places, not more! Will do an update on our Europe plans in a later post.